This is the kokoshnik that never ends, It just goes on and on my friends, I started looking at the kokoshnik a little more, and put some peralsmboth here and there and more,
because it's the kokoshnik that never ends....(repeat until finished)
Okay, today was the day to take photos of the kokoshnik and post them for you guys. But then I decided that the top seam needed to be hidden by pearls. Had to sew those puppies on one at a time. (like almost every pearl on the piece. A couple were couched down two at a time)
Then there were little areas here and there that could use a stitch to make it lay down perfectly. And a couple that had one too many stitches and looked gathered. And, I decided that gold braid around the bottom woulld look good, and it needed to be sewn in place. The same gold braid needed to be glued as well as sewn on one section of the kokoshnik, because some of the other trim was unraveling.
I can see a pencil mark from when I originally drew the design on the fabric. Haven't decided what to do about that, but I have to wait for the glue to dry.
Now I'm wondering if I should make a lightweight satin liner and tack it inside the existing kokoshnik - that way, the method of construction wouldn't be so obvious, and there wouldn't be any raw edges visible, inside or out. That might be a little overboard for a piece that no one will wear, but I just don't know.
Lastly, I want to establish provenance for the finished piece. Because I used a lot of materials and the techniques from earlier times, I don't want anyone thinking of it as an old piece, and not a reproduction. How does one do that? My only thought is to write the history of the piece on a small piece of linen, and sew it inside the "crown" part of the kokoshnik.
However, I've kept you guys waiting way too long. I'll take the photos in daylight tomorrow, even though these little details still have to be worked out. I tried taking some tonight under artificial light, and it just didn't look right. That way, the glue will have time to dry on the inside of the piece and not mess anything up.
Kathy N-V
P.S.: When I started this project, I wanted to push to the very edge of my skills, and then try to go just a little further. I think I've accomplished that goal.