Doublet from the later part of 16 hundred century

This vaistcoat is not for the nervous one. It is a lot of puzzling, but it is rather fun!

Take your personal pattern or an ordinary pattern for vaiscoats. See to that it fits well.

Add a collar and 28 tabs for the shoulders, and you have a doublet.

The vertical stripes are made of velvet, and the bias stripes in wool, witch has been washed in very hot water, so it becomes a little felted and you don´t have to hemstich the sides.

Begin with the pattern. You have to make two copies, bacause later on you are supposed to cut one af the pattern in stripes.

Remember to add some extra width, at the front. So that the doublet can be buttoned up.This will also give you some extra width if it later on shows that tha doublet is to tight.

The hole for the neck was marked out rather high in front because there will be a standing collar.

  
Mark out on one of the pattern copies, where you want to have the stripes, on both back and front. You have to mark out the length and the width of the stripes, so it will be easy to see and give you an idea of how it will look. Use the other whole pattern to mark and cut out the undercloth that will be shown between the stripes. This whole pattern will also be used for the lining.  

 

A tip is to mark the stripes very carefully, both with numbers and what is up and what is down. Make shure that you have vertical whole stripes at the sides and where you want to sew, this is easier than trying to sew over a loose stripe.

 

  
 

One copie are supposed to be cut in pieces, so that you can mark out the stripes on the cloth. This looks like a big puzzle, and now you see why it was impotant to mark all pieces. you will now have a bunch of paperstripes!

 

 
Mark the pattern on the cloth, don´t forget the allowance!!

I marked out all stripes, cut them and folded the edges. and then ironed them. All to make it easier to pin them in place. I marked out numbers and wich was up and down to make it easier. This was a god idea, because in the end I had a bunch of stripes, so I was really happy that I knew in what order I was supposed to attache them to the undercloth.. The undercloth now worked as a pattern modell, where I could lay out the stripes and see to that they fitted into the right place

 

 
 
So!!! Now it is the start of the puzzling time!. I had the velvet vertikal stripes pinned to the undercloth, then I added the wool wich was cut on the bias in one long stripe. I putted the wool under the velvet, pinned it together under the velvet, and finally sewed it to the undercloth, along the sides of the velvet. In the end this came out nicely, the smal gaps to see the undercloth remained. So I saved one layer of stiffening cloth, because the new cloth made of stripes sewed together with the undercloth, bacame stiff enough.
 
The undercloth worked as patterns so that the different parts would fit in the end.
This is a picture of the result, so far.  

On the shoulders I sewed a stripe of velvet in the shoulderhem, just for security. Now not any sripes will accidently just popup. This has to be done before you put the collar in place.

 

  

The lowest part of the doublet got a border of velvet. This velvet has some buckram inside so it will be as stiff as the rest of the duoblet.

I used the doublet pattern and made it a little longer and marked out the border. So the border stripe is curved and is actually made of 3 peaces. Two front peaces and one for the back. This will also give you an easier opportunity to change the doublet if it doesn´t fit well

  

So the undercloth and the stripes became one piece of cloth, and I treated them as such. It was sewed together at the shoulders and at the sides.

The linen is cut out from the pattern.in silk. Sew it together at the shoulders and at the sides. Put over the doublet face to face. Sew the neckline and the frontlines. Turn it over and you will have a nice front.

I wanted the doublet to look sober so I picked a brownish piece of cloth for the lining at the front parts, but then I didn´t have enough cloth so I took a red piece for the back. Actually no one is going to see the inside back of the doublet, so I thought it probably wouldn´t matter.

  
The linen was attached with stiches at the armholes, then a stripe of velvet ( cut on the bias) was sewed around the hole from the face side first, then turned over and attached with small stiches to the backside. .
 

The tabs are 28 individuell pieces. 14 for each shoulder they have the size 7X14 cm,( cirka 3"X6")but some are shorter, because they shall function as endings at the lower part of the armholes. I started to cut out undercloth and ironed some fliselin?? ( sorry can´t find a word for it. But it feels like paper with kristal glue on one side, that melts when you iron it. ) to them, then I sewed them together with the wool. Turned them over and ironed them,so that I had nicely straightedged tabs to keep on working with. I added a stripe of velvet to each tab. The reason why I made them rather stiff is bacause when added to the shoulders I want them to hold the shape of small"rolls"Every tab was sewed together at the ends with hemstiches.

The tabs are attached in two rows by hand, to the shoulders.

 

 

  

The button has the .diameter size 15 mm, and are very easy to cover with cloth. Just read the instructions on the package. I decided that 8 buttons would probably do, the button holes are made by hand. I sewed all buttons and holes to the doublet before I started with the hem, because every time you sew in the lining it moves a tiny bit.

  

One of the last things I made was to attach a velvet stripe to the upper side of the collar, and then I started with the hem. Make shure that the linen covers the cloth, don´t make the stiches to hard, stich loosely so that the linen can move if necessary. As the very lazy person I am, the last thing I want to do is to start all over again, because the linen doesn´t fit. That is why I sew the linen loosely to the cloth at the hem.

  
 
The result!! Not bad at all!! At least I am satified.  
 
     
     
     
     
     
Tips and tricks!

Cut all stripes at the bias.The stripes are moore likely to follow any curves. What you have done is that you have destroyed the "stiffness" in the cloth by cutting of all threads.

Mark out every stripe number and what is up and what is down.

Mark what is up and down on the collar, otherwise you will certanly attache it upside down.

Put some extra width and lenght to the doblet, bacause it is much easier to cut of some extra cloth than add some.

Always use the iron to get straight ironed edges, to sew or pin along.

To get invisible hems start a little bit in from the ege, make the machine move backwards and then ahead to the finish of the hem, then make the machine move backwards again. Now when you cut of the thread you do it a little bit in on the hem so that small threads never will be visible at the edges.