Renaissance Velvet Purse

I finally made up the framed purse for my 16th century outfit. One more small step towards respectability.

The rose bead echoes the rose buckle.

I used the late 15th century large purse frame from Billy and Charlie's. It's a bit of a stretch for my usual 16th century events (~1570s), but I don't know of any other repro frames that get closer--and it's not terribly dissimilar from some 16th century purse frames. The outer fabric is black cotton velvet left over from a Victorian basque.

It doesn't show up above, but I decorated the exterior with the fabric stamps I impulse-bought from The Tudor Tailor earlier this summer. The finished effect may be a bit rich for my usual persona, but then mercenary companies were rather famous for 1) pillaging, and 2) dressing ostentatiously above their stations. For that matter, if Stubbs is to be believed, everyone is dressing above their stations.

Stamping was quick and easy. Unfortunately, the light must be hitting
this cotton velvet just right to see the impressions at all.

I lined the purse in white linen (Fabric-store.com's "IC64" mid-weight). Despite my intentions to actually use the machine where it wouldn't show, the velvet had other ideas. I ended up folding the raw edges down, running the lining to the exterior wrong-sides-together, then whip stitching the sides to form the purse.

Whip-stitching the side seams.

The laces and tassels are all handmade from size FF beading silk. I made a lucet cord to attach the purse frame to the hanger*. The drawstring is a 5-bow fingerloop braid, specifically "A Round Lace of 5 Loops", the #2 pattern in Tak V Bowes Departed. This lace ended up being a perfect fit for the pewter bead that came with the purse frame--the bead can be easily moved along the doubled cord, but otherwise stays securely in place.  

Rose-shaped pewter bead on the 5-loop round lace.

I was a bit concerned with how to insert the drawstring. It has ten threads at each end, and I figured I'd need an awl to open the fabric, and some drastic measures to coax the cord through. Then I remembered I own a trapunto needle. The eye held all the thread ends easily, while the point passed through the linen without difficulty (and the velvet with only a little work). I lost a little of the braiding at each end, but again less than I feared.

This is the largest needle I own by far.

* The frame's top loop is too short for my 1/2" belt (much less the chape) to pass directly through it. I suspect the hanger's meant for unframed purses to be suspended by their closure strings, but it'll do for now.