Time for a Crash Course in 1560s Nuremberg Fashion

[centuriessewing]

Nicolas_de_Neufchâtel – Susanna Stefan (died 1594), wife of Wolff Furter (1538? – 1594) of Nuremberg, National Gallery London

I have a confession to make, I am not a huge fan of pink. It is a fine color and I can wear it without looking ill but in my day-to-day life it is rather absent.

Yet a  great deal of my costumes and historical clothing however are pink. I didn’t really notice it at first, until someone suggested that I should make the pink gown in the Neufchatel painting.

Then I noticed, I did have at least 3 or 4 gowns that were pink.  Be it by fate, or accident, of the by-product of digging through the clearance rack and looking for something useable.

I’ve found silk on sale, it was pink, I found a linen blend that was pink. I also managed to some how color match the linen to wool bought half a year later from a different store. I’ve tossed tables cloths and tan fabric into a scarlet and wine dye bath and they too all ended up some shade of pink.

Rose, Salmon, Cranberry, Azalea, Raspberry. Or more Elizabethan names, Maiden’s Blush, Carnation, Lusty Gallant.

The color is haunting me or hunting me with every project I make.

I resisted at first, maybe I could make it in a different color? Yet most of the fabric in my stash is already set aside for other projects, and I realized I picked up the perfect scrap of velvet for the gown trim a week ago.

I found a damaged silk blend sari for cheap, it should get here in a few weeks. Until then I have time to plan and plot. This is not my usual area of sewing, I usually stick to England and Spain. I’ve read a ton of dress diaries over the years so I know a few bits of terminology but I may get something things mixed up.  I have a black velvet purse I could use for the bust band (brustfleck?) that has bullion embroidery on it, or I have a few other ideas on how to make something similar.

A few details from the painting:

Originally published at Centuries Sewing: Historical Costumes and Clothing. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[katexxxxxx.livejournal.com]

Oh, very pretty!

And pink... If you don't want pink, how averse are you to attempting to dye the stuff you need for this a darker colour? You need to ask yourself how well t6he fabrics will home dye, as it does change the look and hand of things, especially wool.

[centuriessewing.livejournal.com]

I've pretty much talked myself into being ok with more pink, its just the last few projects have been pink, green, pink, teal, pink, green. It is starting to fit into a pattern. The sari I ordered is about 5 yards, I'm not wanting to try dying it as it is a blend of some sort, once I have the sari in hand I'll have a better idea.

[my-stitching.livejournal.com]

That is a really beautiful gown.

[starlightmasque.livejournal.com]

Looks lovely! Can't wait to see what you come up with.