LEATHER FABRIC LATE PERIOD MEN S DOUBLE AND VENETIANS

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1 LEATHER FABRIC LATE PERIOD MEN S DOUBLE AND VENETIANS These are notes on how I made a pair of Venetians and a doublet for Don Aylwin Gerymane based on the Ramirez outfit from the first Highlander movie. First, let me say that this is not a project for the beginner seamstress. Sewing with leather requires some lateral thinking with regards to fit, seams and finishing off. Second, these garments were not only made for court wear but were made to be legal for cut and thrust rapier work as all of Aylwin s garb is. Patterns While I make most of my clothing with out a pattern, it became obvious from the start that I would need one for this outfit. The doublet would be a fitted late period Elizabethan garment and the venetians, while slightly earlier, fitted the need for cut and thrust fighting. I tried 1. Simplicity Renaissance Costume Collection no Medieval Miscellanea Period Patterns No Reconstructing History Men s doublet no. RH205 I used no. 3 as it was the closest fit. No. 1 is designed for costume and the doublet pattern was very odd in the arm area. No 2 had the same problem. The venetians were made using pattern no. 2. Fabric Leather of course. The leather needs to be fabric quality and each skin you buy should be thickness and colour matched as much as possible unless you want colour variations. I used suede pig skin as I love the feel. The skins are not very large but they are not very expensive. I used 4 hides to make the doublet and the Venetians at a cost of around $30 a hide. There is no nap in leather so you can cut very economically. Just watch for the occasional holes, which are a natural feature of pigskin hides. The linings were made with red cotton drill and the interlining was blue cotton I had left over from another project. The trim was ribbon and braid sewn together. Cheaper to buy than a braid as I used lots of trim! Punch testing As these garments have to be cut and thrust legal I had to make sure that all the vital areas were covered and punch tested the pig skin (it passed) as well as the lining (it also passed). Where the pigskin was slashed I made sure the slashes were outside the required coverage areas under arm, groin, etc. Construction tools To sew with leather you must have a special machine leather needle. This special needle cuts the skin in a triangle reducing the tearing. I used strong polyester cotton. I have an old 1970s Elna SU that handled the thicknesses without any trouble.

2 To cut out the slashes, I first marked the pattern with pencil on the hide, then placed a plastic board underneath and used a rotating wheel cutter to mark the slashes. These were all done before I sewed the seams together. I used a walking foot so that the two layers of leather stayed together! I used large paper clips to hold the seams together as pins leave marks! All seams were hammered flat. All of the trim was hand sewn on before I sewed together the pieces. Making the doublet Following the pattern I made a calico toile, which I adjusted to fit. When the pieces were finally the right fit, I pulled them apart again and laid out the pieces on various hides until I was happy with the arrangement. As there is no warp, weft or nap, the pieces could be arranged for maximum use of the hide. Watch for natural holes in the hide. Left over scraps were used for the tabs. I cut out the interlining pieces in blue cotton where I was going to use them (underneath the slashed sections) and a full set of lining pieces out of red cotton drill. I slashed the doublet pieces into a zigzag pattern and then sewed the interlinings to the leather and clipped back the cotton selvages to reduce bulk. Then I added trim to the doublet back and two fronts matching the trim at the shoulder. Then I pinned the edges together using large paper clips, and using a walking foot and a leather needle, sewed the seams together. I stared with the back seam, then the side seams. The back of the collar was part of the back and I only needed to add the front collar which was sewn to the fronts and then I sewed the shoulder seams all the way up. Tabs The tabs were cut out and lined and I added the same trim that was used on the doublet to the tabs. I then sewed them onto the waist using the walking foot. I did not overlap the tabs but you can do that if your machine will take the extra thickness. As it was I had to reinforce the edges as the machine skipped a few times. Sleeves The sleeves were cut out in the curved manner with two seams. They were slashed and interlined. Then I added rows of pewter coloured sand dollar buttons purchased at 12 gross for US 35 cents each from Pillaged Village. Less quantity costs more. These were fastened underneath using kangaroo hide leather flat cord running through the eyes of the buttons. To stop the cord from pulling out I secured the ends to the seam allowances. I also sewed each button to the kangaroo cord to make sure the button did not pop through its hole. Then the seams were sewn together. To give ease of movement I added oval gussets under the arms. These were one of the worst things to sew as they were cut on a bias and the leather stretched as I sewed. I tacked them in first. I made the picadils by hand, lined and trimmed and added them to the top of the arm hole. I did not tab them, but you could. Keeping them in one piece gives a the fighter a fouling advantage. The sleeves were then sewn to the armholes. The leather and lining at the sleeve cuffs were hand hemmed. I added a placket (fully lined) to stop gaping at the front of the doublet.

3 Buttons were added in groups of 4 to the front and black leather cord loops were used for fastening. The red lining was sewn the same way except I used a normal need and normal foot. The leather and lining were sewn together again using the walking foot as the thicknesses included the tabs this time. The waist area was hand hemmed. I added ties to the inside of the doublet to allow the venetians to be secured to the doublet. Making the Venetians Using pattern 2 I cut out the pants in the same way as the doublet, slashed the legs (below the groin), added trim and sewed the seams together as the sides. Seams need to be hammered flat to make them lie flat. Some people use glue to keep them down. I added calf bands. The lining was blue cotton for these and I did not interline them, as rapier rules require abrasion resistance only. The fly buttons were the same as the doublets and the loops were make using the same cord but this time just one long cord fastened in place so that the buttons would just be inserted into the gaps. The waist and leg fastenings were joined using eyelets and black cords. The venetians are secured to the doublet by means of eyelets and tape sewn to the doublet. You can adjust the length of these to allow for ease of movement. The venetians will not stay up very well without these ties, as the leather is quite heavy. The Hat We went to a local hatter who adapted a wool felt hat to a slouch hat and sized it to stay that way. I added ribbon, a glitzy buckle, peacock feathers and voila! You have a good looking hat. The Peacock Cloak Maybe one day when I am feeling insane. Sources I purchased the buttons from Pillaged Village. They have lots of styles but I wanted pewter looking ones that were flat, metal and cheap. Leather Supplies I used D.S. Horne, 113 Muller Rd, Hampstead Gardens, SA, 5086 (08) Other suppliers in your home state would be known to you. Patterns Reconstructing History

4 Blue Draco carry Medieval Miscellanea patterns Highlander clips While the outfit Sean Connery wears in Highlander is slight out of period and the pants are definitely not venetians, the clips on You Tube are worth a look. Ingerith Ryzka For Suth Moot 2 A&S classes, 2010

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