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Alternate Rapier Armour - for easy dressing
and Practice
Finally, I have managed to start (and finish my rapier
hood). I had to wait until I ordred a mask and recieved it, as the hood
is designed to go over the mask. This way, it looks more like a hood.
This idea first formed in 2005 when I decided to make a rapier
outfit that looked like an outfit that a woman of the 16th C would
wear. Firstly, I made a complete
outfit with Italian-style sottana (dress), drawers, camicia,
faldia (underskirt), hose and partlet. However, this is not easy to
just pop on if I am practicing or there is a 'spur of the moment'
tourney.... so I decided to make a jacket that would cover the SCA
rapier requirements by just poping over an exissting skirt or dress or
a pair of jeans, for practice work... I still wanted to have a vaguely
authentic pattern to the outfit, so decided on an Elizabethan women's
jacket, with the necessary modifications.
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Left is an example of an
extant embroidered Elizabethan jacket from the Bath Museum.
Pattern:
I made a toile based
on Elizabethan jackets. Examples of proposed patterns are in Tudor
Tailor. I lengthened the jacket to cover the groin area to keep the
jacket within the rapier rules. The groin area must be puncture
resistant which usually works out to be 4 layers of closely woven
material. The toile then became the linen lining.
I
added a collar to cover some of the neck protection requirements. This
area will also have a gorget and coif.
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Construction:
  
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Gussets were placed: 2 at the
front, one each side and one in the
centre back. They were machine overstitched and whipstitched into place
to strengthen the gussets for use. Each piece has 3 layers of cotton
drill (from stash) and one layer of lilac coloured linen as lining
(also from stash).
Right, you can see the sleeve layers at the top half of the upper arm.
Decorations:
The replica buttons were purchased, a few
years ago, from Steve Millington Pewter. Finally, a chance to use them!
The button closure were loops as seen below. ( I used a continuous cord
to try to add extra re-inforcement and strength. These can be
seen below with the final jacket. Though....
I am tempted to add some cording on the seams, as it does look very
plain!! Just have to confirm the punch testing now...
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Caio!
Bibliography:
(c).
K.Carlisle, 2010
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