Henry VIII: Period Patterns No. 53

The King is never late; he arrives precisely when he means to.

However, this post is definitely late. This is a project that I completed a little over a year ago for my brother who was Henry VIII in his school's Singe Feaste (yes, both have final 'e' ). There were a few growing pains in the project since it was so involved and required me to work with some capricious materials that are harder to handle when you have little experience with them (machine-made velvet and silk brocade). I dragged my feet so that didn't help. We decided on Period Patterns no. 53 and went with option 4. I actually took the time to do a muslin, and it was worth it. Learned a lot about the pattern set up. I vaguely remember the instructions being clear for the most part, but not detailed enough. Also, all diagrams and text failed to mention or display a false hood and did not expect it, so I spent way too much time figuring that out.

A few adjustments and changes I made for this particular project:

1. I left out nearly all facings, but lined everything. It saved construction time on the final garment and I felt it was sturdier and more straight forward when being worn by a high school boy.

2. No codpiece.

3. Left out interfacing because I was not sure how the fabric was going to stand up otherwise, but IF I made this again, I would use it in the greatcoat, especially the cuffs and facing where the opening folds back in on itself. The velvet was so heavy already and I can barely pick it up out of the closet with one arm.

Note: He found/acquired the jewelry, shirt, tights, hat, and shoes. We both had a little research practice for this project.

The full effect

The Jerkin -- undoubtedly the hardest to line with the pleats and the extreme difference in the weight of the fabrics. The bottom button is a false one since it is so near the seam and there was a lot of fabric to try and maneuver. Hidden snaps close the bottom, half of the garment. Made with upholstery and poly satin. I serged the lining and zigzag stitched the outer fabric seam allowances.

The Doublet -- my favorite part to make. I enjoyed lining it and working with the silk brocade. I stopped the expected fraying by applying a small amount of fray check to all raw edges of my cut pieces immediately after cutting them. I used frog closures on the front. Gathered sleeves were not nearly as hard as I expected. I edgestitched around the neck and front opening to make it look a little sharper.

The Great Coat -- I feel jaded. Working with velvet was hard and it never wanted to stay with the lining as I stitched them together. So slippery! I suspect this is triple velvet since there was absolutely no stretch and it feels a tad synthetic. I used some sort of poly-satin brocade for the contrast bands on the sleeves. It also has a false hood. 

 Finally posted!

Happy Sewing and Happy (early) Valentine's Day!