Updated - September 10:
Have been working on the trim and learning how to apply zardozi. Thought I’d share these images showing the latticework on the back and how massive it is.
I’m making a Byzantine mantle and it will be me master class garment.
I am a self-taught sewist and am not using a pattern, I just look at my inspiration image and use that as my ‘pattern’.
I’m also not using any measuring tapes, just things like width of my splayed hand or length of a finger.
The majority of my mantle will be hand sewn with minimal machined seams.
This is my inspiration image
My collar has 7 layers to get that uplift shown around the neck and over the shoulders.
I used the flat-felling of the back mantle panel seams on the inside for vertical ribs, with a layer of hair canvas inside and a layer outside (also flat-felled the hair canvas to get ribbing all the way around for vertical structure).
Then covered the hair canvas with copper linen and pad-stitched using ‘x’ stitches instead of the conventional angled stitches, while rolling the collar towards the neck. This was bowed down in the center back, which is offset due to my scoliosis, to give a central yoke point. Then horizontal stitching was placed across it for tension and weight control cuz this mantle will be heavy when done.
Then used an inner and outer piece of burgundy linen outside of that, stitched together with a stay stitch to keep the seam inside the collar. The outside piece was cut 1/8" shorter then needed so i could pull it to cover the interior burgundy linen seam and to pull the neck roll out to get a perfectly straight collar all the way around. The burgundy linen has a double yoke point in the back for more tension control.
There will be a LOT of trim on this, which was period. And metal zardozi appliques will be sewn on as well. And that is why it’s going to be a heavy beastie. The spacing in this trim image is not correct yet, was just using this to figure out how to set up the trim now that I’m at that point.
Updated to show where it is now. I really need to iron it, lol. Now, on to the latticework on the back!
