Another 16th Century Shirt

I had so much fun making that trio of shirts for my friend the other week that I made one for me! Yay!

It's ruffly.

I have absolutely nothing to wear with it;  I made it so I'd have something comfy and period to sleep in.  Although, now that it's made, it's clamoring for a red kirtle to wear over it.  I hit it over the head with a frying pan to shut it up, though.  I have waaaaay too much to do to get ready for war to think about new clothes that aren't already on my list!

NO, war prep isn't already making me crazy, why do you ask?


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Hiatus Hiatus: Three 16th Century Shirts

I'm still not taking commissions - not while I'm working two jobs. Because effectively working three jobs was killing me, and I was blowing deadlines and making mistakes, and I just refuse to deliver that kind of product to my fellow SCAdians. 

That said, I did make one small exception this week, for a friend who desperately needed some quick 16th century shirts:

There are two knee-ish-length shirts for my client and her son, and a full-length version for her daughter. (The one in the picture will be much larger on my small client than it is on my me-sized mannequin).  They're are made of white, handkerchief-weight linen, based on a pattern from Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion 4. Adaptations to the pattern include a small gusset at the collar/shoulder seam for flexibility in the neckline, and the omission of any ruffles or pleats at the collar and sleeves (my client intends to add these at a later date, but wanted the shirts made without them for now).

The collar on the adult shirt was made from a scrap of fabric that
my client had with black machine embroidery already on it.

Three shirts, finished and ready to deliver.

This is the first time I've made this pattern, and I really like it.  Each shirt took me about 3 hours from cutting to finishing.  Now I want one of my own.

Not that I have anything to wear with one.

Yet. 


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S'mo Italian Stuff

Just in time for the 14-15thC Italian-themed Queen's Champion event this weekend:

1.  Green damask giornea top layer for the brown linen gamurra I fixed up last month:

$7 thrift store holiday tablecloth FTW

2.  Blue silk cioppa (over-layer dress, sometimes worn over a gamurra, which is closed in the front, sometimes worn alone) with pieced sleeves:

Event pics, with sleeves, next week!

4.  A new necklace for no reason at all, with graduated, faceted carnelian beads given to me by a client, alternated with 4mm amber-colored glass seed beads:

5.  A blue linen sleeveless underdress, made for a friend to wear while working in the event kitchen and/or bumming around camp:

This was based (loosely) on the following excerpt.  I lowered the top yoke considerably, and left off the trim and shoulder ties.  This is meant to be sort of a sundress that she can wear for SCA work days - casual, plain, and cool in the Ansteorra heat.

from Triumph of Death, Lorenzo Costa
 (right panel)

Also finished since  my last post:  two Roman dresses, and two Viking apron dresses, for another client, as well as two pairs of Phrygian caps for two other people, all to be delivered this weekend at Queen's Champion.  Hopefully I'll have pics of everything for you next week!

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It's That Time Again!

Underwear time!  I made one of these:

Or rather....

It's basically just the "Medieval Sports Bra" with a skirt.   I loved the bra I made in September;  so much so that I've made myself two others, and now this thing.

This one is made of a very lightweight, loosely-woven cotton - practically gauze, it's so sheer (hence the pants, in the picture).

I've seen a lot of people lacing these things on the side;  I have rotator cuff issues in both shoulders, so side-lacing is really difficult for me, hehe.  Hence the front-lace.  :)

Tr-drr.

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It's Underwear Time Again!

With the new daily-wear under  things out of the way, I decided I wanted new *lingerie* as well.  Specifically, a night-rail (nightgown).  I saw this one from Realm of Venus (scroll down to "camicia") on Pinterest, and I HAD to have one. :)

So I went to the fabric store looking for cotton batiste.  I love cotton batiste - the weight, the hand, the translucence, the floaty way it moves - it's just lovely stuff, and I never get to use it for anything.   I couldn't find it, although I did find a good substitute.  It's a cotton/poly blend (I typed "cotton pony blend" there at first, LOL), and it's the same weight, weave, and hand; and while it was a bit stiff in the store, it washed up nice and soft.  I'm not about to wear polyester under a bunch of other clothes, but for a nightie, it'll do just fine.  Especially since it was 60% off and I got the whole piece for $10.  :o)

So, the "pattern" I used, which is actually not a pattern, is the same pattern I've been using for this type of chemise/nightrail since I was 17.  It's easy enough to just eyeball without measuring, it's fast, and on fabrics with a 2-way straight grain, you can just rip the pieces instead of cutting, which saves a bunch of prep time. (Note: I'm not claiming period-icity for this pattern at all.  It's not researched. It's something someone showed me a million years ago, and it's easy, and I love using it.  That's all).

For the body, I use the full width of my fabric - usually a 45" fabric.  It's already folded vertically, so I cut down the fold and voila: a front and back.  The length is from 2" below my collarbone, to the floor.

For the sleeve, I measure from my collarbone (with arm extended) to the second knuckle of my fingers.  Note: in the picture here, the sleeve-rectangle on her arm is shown with the fabric piece folded in half lengthwise (see below).

Next I fold the sleeves in half lengthwise, and then lay them flat over the body pieces, perpendicular to them, and overlapping at the corners.  (The overlap can be as deep, or not, as you want. For a drawstrung or elastic neckline, I don't overlap much. For this nightrail project, since I put a flat, stationary neckline band on it, I overlapped a lot to make sure the neckline would hang exactly where I wanted it to).

I cut straight across the angle.  The new edges are the seams which will connect the sleeves to the body.

Side seams are next.

I honestly don't know if it was fashionable in period to seam the sides of nightgowns all the way to the hem, or to leave them open at the bottom for a bit of leg (and ease of movement);  but I will tell you that I love wearing these so much, I wear them in mundane life as nightgowns (and to bop around the house in when I'm home alone), and *I* like to be able to kick my leg out when I curl up on the couch.

The easiest neckline solution is to hem the entire way around the neckline (careful around the corners) and drawstring (or elastic) the whole thing.

I like to gather the whole raw neck edge, and stitch it to some sort of seam binding - bias tape, a ribbon, or, in this case, a 1" wide flat neckline that I sewed and folded like a large bias tape, folded at the corners for a nice 90º mitred-looking angle.

The finished product looks something like this.


Or, if you prefer...

Not bad for $10, yeah?   Actually, this only took 3.5 yards.  I bought 5 yards for $10.  I haven't decided yet what to do with the extra. Maybe veil stuff.

If you look closely, you'll notice that 
a.  the sleeve/shoulders aren't gathered - they're sewn into the neckline flat.  This was because the overlap on the sleeve/body pieces was pretty deep.

b.  This stuff is sheer enough that you can see my sports bra through it.  This is after Kress and I played with angle and lighting so that it wouldn't be too sheer for the internet.  It's really sheer.

c.  I'm grinning like an idiot because Kress was cracking me up while taking the picture.

d.  Evie totally photobombed me again.












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Under There!

Yesterday I showed you my crotchless gaucho panties (I'm sorry, I love saying that, lol).  Today it's all about the boobs.

By now you've all seen this:

15th century longline bra
found at Schloss Lengberg

And possibly something along the lines of this:

from the Wenceslas Bible

As I said yesterday, I'm not really up for a full chemise under my dresses, especially since I feel like I need to wear braies or shorts of something pant-like under there.  Ever since I started seeing these "bras" and bust-supporting chemises, I've been fascinated with them, and with the idea of adapting something similar for my own uses.

What I really love is the idea of not having to wear a self-supporting cotehardie.  Don't get me wrong, they're awfully convenient; but it means that I can either wear cotehardies, or I can wear something looser, but wear a modern bra underneath it.  And we all know exactly how comfy modern bras are.  Especially for those of us blessed by a bit extra frame size, girth, or just extra boobage.

Enter the supportive chemise!  Hallelujah!!!  I can wear a cotehardie I can BREATHE in!*   I can wear my bliaut without a cote or modern bra underneath!  I can wear looser, earlier-period stuff and not wear a modern bra or just walk around sagging all day!  BOOB SWEAT!  

Except that I still don't want a full extra layer.  Solution #1 was the gaucho panties from yesterday.  Solution #2 is a Medieval Sports Bra: 

Technically this top should have a pleated skirt hanging from it, and yes, I do plan on making some full chemises like this in the future, but for now, until it cools off, I'll be rocking this ensemble under my clothes. ONE underlayer, ONE overlayer. Period. (Joke! Ha!)  

I started with my basic cotehardie pattern with the straight shoulder seams.   I cut the bust a bit long, like I did with the faux-hardie, and then adjusted the armholes in and the shoulders up a bit to fit the pattern better (I'm a growing girl!)  The entire thing is cut on the bias, so it's nearly as stretchy as a modern sports bra, but since it's linen and not spandex, it's much softer against the skin, and breathes MUCH better.  

You'll notice it gaps badly in the front.  This is because I put hooks and eyes up the front, inside the front edge.  I didn't want to have to bother with lacing myself in and out of this, and then also lacing up a dress - getting dressed in a tent already takes long enough, you know?  Thankfully, it doesn't show under a cotehardie or my bliaut.  And it's so FAST to take off and put on.  Only way it could be faster is if I put a zipper in it, hehe....and don't think I didn't think about it. 

Overall:  YAY!   As with the gaucho panties, the sports bra will get its first test run this coming weekend at the first even of the season.  I'm so excited!!! I can has Friday yet?

* my cotes are actually really comfy, but when my asthma's acting up?  Psh. FORGET IT. 

More Underwear!

I love underwear. I really do.  This week it was a long-sleeved, front-laced chemise.  And it bugs me to no end that after searching for HOURS online, I can't seem to find the single painting from the 15th century that depicts this thing that I made from memory of the painting.  (Read: "I have documentation, I just don't have it with me, Officer").  I thought I bookmarked that thing!!

Anyhoo.

You can see why I'm trying to find at least the one picture I know of that shows an example of this style of chemise or under-gown. I've found plenty that depict a tightly fitted [sleeveless] chemise, but I can't find the *one* picture I know I've seen where one had a short lacing placket down the front like this, as well as the long sleeves.  It's out there somewhere. Laughing at me.

It's looser in the skirt than most, and longer; the sleeves are long and fitted; and the front is laced tight under and across the bust.  Not as supportive and constricting as a côtehardie, but enough to, well, help, and it fits nicely and smoothly under a buttoned côte.

I'm not sure if there's a better term than "under-gown", but that's it's function.  I have a plain, sleeveless chemise that works just fine for what it is, but I wanted one that could double as a true foundation layer and not just a layer of fabric between my dress and me.




And guess what?  Also this:

WHAT  A  PAIN  IN  THE   BUTT!  I decided to try hand-stitching eyelets on this thing, one, because I hadn't ever done it before, and two, because I'm thinking of lacing an actual kirtle with hand-stitched eyelets on a future gown...and now I'm seriously re-thinking that.  Pain. In. Thebutt.

The chemise is a soft, lightweight cotton...a sheet from a thrift store, actually.  It's not really sheer, but you can see in the shoulder seams and the edging around the neckline that it's not entirely opaque, either.

I put a boring ol' lettuce edge along the end of the sleeve cuffs, so that when it does show, it's decorative, though simple, without adding a bulky cuff hem underneath another sleeve worn over it.









I've learned two things from this project:

1. I want more period underwear. 
2. I think I'm going to have to have a white côtehardie one day.  I wonder if I could actually wear one for any length of time without spilling stuff on it. 

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