Aside from working on my pattern book, pearled hat, extant garment pattern redrawings (to be able to share more easily) I have been also finally sorting my images that will become part of my Frazzled Frau relaunch and been inspired all over again.

My taste is I think quite easy to spot. I like bold lines, colour blocks, if there are details they are also clean and clear. I have entirely one “fussy” frock, my Robe de Style and even that uses bold lines.

I think I love them as they are able to be drawn as thumbnail sketches and retain what can be captured in such a constricted format.

And so I have been going through all the portraits and yep, I love the Cranch “Princess” variations, and I love the Nuernberg clean contrast, and I really love the Augsberg style that is also about high contrast but has sleeve variations.

But I’m currently besotted with the clothing of two women who happen to have been captured in portraiture several times. They both have sleeves I reeeeeaally want to make. One portrait at least was turned into a full length printed piece which is very exciting as it is very clearly a circle skirt. Which means if I do make the dress I can add it into my pattern book!

I believe I can take my teal “Saxon” gown into this as it retains the skirt and bodice but gives me sleeves that are accurate. I may though have to swap out the trim. But I need to really plan it out as I don’t really want to regret making it over, especially if I have decided I want to

And in line with this I’ve also been sorting portraits that will make up part of my Saya Espanola relaunch which gets very difficult when the style was so quickly taken up by various regions including the Duchy of Klve-Juellich-Berg. More so that Cologne which kept the Northern spin of a sleeveless mantel (or ropa) contrasting wams/doublet, and matching skirt.

But I went on a Dune (1984) image searching spree for Princess Trulan’s gown and yes, it is very much on my really want to make list as it takes nearly pure c1600 patterning and fit with the trim and fabric choice being very much within modern ideas of historic while not being HA. I can’t tell if the fabric is silk or rayon but the trim is from a few saree with a real metal thread border.

I adore my Margarethe fabric but real metal wrapped threads just have a very different lustre. I managed to find a saree nearly fully covered in metal wrapped threads and it is magic. I used a nearly fully covered one for my Anne of Cleves dress (based on an illustration I now have more evidence as being based on her) and some with double borders for my webbe (still in progress) and hat (the back is done I am going to line the front piece today.)

But yes, very distracted by going back into those portrait folders.

So it’s still as difficult now as before to decide how to put these into workable folders. But I now have options.

I might start with my faves and work backwards from there.