Doublet

Manufactured by Eleanor Neil

Leather Doublet

Eleanor writes: "After a trip to your tannery 2 years ago, I bought some rejected old skins and scraps that were lying in a corner, they cost me well under a fiver - at this price, they weren't the best quality but I had great fun using them to their best advantage - I was also a student at the time so really appreciated the bargain (and useful advice given by your staff). I am keen on recycling and it was a challenge! At the time I said I'd send in a photo of the finished project, which may or may not be of interest to you, either way I felt it was something different, albeit 2 years late!"

The complete outfit is made from Hewit's Natural BV Calf, apart from the garment lining. The skins were cut into long strips and rubber latex as glue was used to turn under the raw edges. Eleanor, then wove them into a larger pattern-shaped pieces. She also made the ribbed sleeves and shoulders from the leather. As the theme was 'male fantasy doublet', she was inspired by Louise 14th (Sun King) so she 'wired' the collar pieces to point outwards and added pearls at the tips of each of the collar pieces (the Tudors loved their pearls!). She appreciates that the time periods are a bit mixed up here, but it was fantasy!

The trunkhose (the puffed up trouser part of costume), there are 8 to 10 leather panels or 'panes', the petal shaped pieces from waist-band hanging downwards. These were made using different pieces of the BV Calf, staining some of the piece to give depth and texture and then the fabric decoration was added to the smaller panes. The cuffs round the legs were also made using the same leather.

The leather used, was provided from our 'low-value' table. In spite of the relatively cheap purchase price, Eleanor won the 'Best Student' award for this beautiful work.

Eleanor is happy to accept commissions and can be contacted on +44 (0)131 663 8387 or el.neil@btinternet.com