Houpplande design:

This outfit was planned to conform to both the period dress guidelines for the annual Council for the Medieval and Renaissance Festival Madrigal Feast and the customer's preferences. He requested a garment that would cover his thighs. Before we knew we were restricted to "before 1500," we were looking at a doublet and paned slops. We considered the pierpont, but he didn't want the peascod belly look. Then we found the houpplande, which proved to be an ideal garment since we could use any length from mid-thigh to the floor.

Color selection was limited by the existing Madrigal outfits. They wanted to have things nicely balanced. We settled on rusts, greens and browns. Several sketches and much reading later, this concept appeared: (insert scan of original costume drawing.

Shopping for fabric, after my customer settled on a budget, involved a lot of IM back and forth with links to various fabric stores spread all over the web. DenverFabrics.com provided a lovely tapestry for the houpplande - 5 yards to make my customer's garment length of 43" - and a yard of cream colored faux seal fur to be cut into trim. Denver Fabrics offers fabric for fashion, dancewear, costumes, rug hooking, crafts and home decor. They offer fabric for fashion, dancewear, costumes, rug hooking, crafts and home decor. Many silk, wool, and linen designer fabrics. Prices often at or below wholesale fabric pricing. Also sewing notions, trims, books and patterns at discount.

Fashion Fabrics Club had a sale on denim - just perfect for the underlining. Cotton denim is firm enough to support the heavy drapery weight tapestry and help it hold its shape. Plus, being a natural fiber, it will breathe. Acetate satin lining in black-brown came from Dollar Fabric for an unreal 99 cents a yard. Since I needed 10 yards, I was very happy about the price. They also had some lovely antique gold crepe-back satin to line the exposed portion of the houpplande sleeves.

I looked at many theories and patterns for houpplandes and decided upon Cynthia Virtues's full-circle theory. I didn't want to mess about with matching pattern in the complicated tapestry for gores or princess seams. I didn't want to mess about with matching pattern in the complicated tapestry for gores or princess seams. If you think you want to go that way or you can't find 60" fabric you like, I recommend staying away from large pattern repeats. Find some lush velvet or even no-wale corduroy in a great solid.

At this point, I'm planning on making the denim underlining a closer fit than the garment shell. That will keep the weight down and give me something to tack pleats to. In order to save the tedious pleating every time the garment is put on, I'm going to stitch them to the underlining in a few places so they fall nicely without a lot of assistance.

Here's a back view of the (hastily) finished garment. I'll be doing a journal entry soon on the last minute construction rush. The red cord belt is quick substitute because the customer forgot his belt. It doesn't have the strength to hold the pleats and folds where they belong, but the drape of the garment is just perfect. The 4-inch wide fur trim around the bottom of the garment is 8 yards long. It took 20 minutes of continuous machine sewing just to finish the raw edge of the hem. The fur was sewn on by hand!

Duke Monk, a wandering singer, attended the dinner hosted by the (allegedly) noble Lady Helena dressed in his finest garment - a full-circle houpplande with Italian tube-topped great sleeves trimmed out in the fur of small winter weasels and lined with golden satin. Beneath the houpplande he wore a grand velvet doublet whose elaborately decorated sleeves peeked out from beneath the houpplande sleeves. Is it any wonder the real nobles had to keep telling everyone that the Duke was NOT a real Duke, only a hired entertainer.