Centuries-Sewing

Author: Centuries Sewing

  • A Kirtle Sew Along: Introduction and Materials

    A Kirtle Sew Along: Introduction and Materials

    A Kirtle Sew Along
    Awesome Banner to use if you are playing along! Just have it link to: https://centuries-sewing.com/category/kirtle-sew-along/

    So I posted about this on Facebook and on the Renn. costume forum but forgot to post about it here. Opps.

    I’ve made a lot of kirtles, in various ways, with various materials and stiffening. I’ve also answered a lot of questions about kirtles, and while I will be the first to tell you I’m not the end all be all fount of kirtle information, I have learned a great deal about them.

    I’ve decided to host a kirtle sew along, and go step by step on how I make a basic 16th century kirtle. This will help people just starting out, middle of the road sewers and maybe the experts will pick up a few tricks. I’m going to be posting in a mixture of photos, written instructions and if the weather cooperates, video.

    I’m not going to hand sew this one, I tend to use the sewing machine where it will not show and hand finish the parts that will.

    Kirtle Sew Along Materials
    Wool! Twill! Calico! Linen!

    General Materials needed:

    I’m giving a rough idea in the amounts listed if you are taller than average or plan to heavily preshrink your fabrics add more yardage.

     

    4 to 5 yards of wool

    4 to 5 yards linen for lining or just 2 yards of linen if only lining the bodice and sleeves

    1 to 2 yards of twill/drill/canvas for interlining

     2 to 4 yards muslin/calico for flatlining and mock ups

    Matching embrodiery thread for eyelets

    A roll of paper for patterning, or newspaper can work in a pinch..

    Tracing wheel

    Awl

    Chalk

    Hand sewing needles, pins and so forth.

    Lacing strips for fitting.

    Pattern:

    simplicity pattern 3723
    Simplicity pattern 3723

    After much debate, I decided to use a store bought pattern as a base.  Not everyone has a fitted bodice block, nor does everyone have access to a printer to print one out, or a dress form for draping.

    Simplicity 3723 and 2354 is a basic costume pattern in a good range of sizes, the “Pilgrim” dress  has waist darts and bust darts but no other fancy shaping so it is ideal for adapting. And in the U.S. with Halloween coming up they usually put the patterns on sale.

     

     

     

    I’ll cover rotating out the darts, adapting the pattern to a curved front bodice, trouble shoot any fitting issues as best I can and any other things that might come up.

    I haven’t worked with commercial patterns for a long time so this will be a refresher course for me.

    We will be ignoring the pattern instructions, if you have a similar pattern in your stash, feel free to use it instead.

     

     

     

  • Margaret Layton’s Jacket Fitted

    Margaret Layton’s Jacket Fitted

    Time for round two with the jacket mock-up!

     

    Margaret Layton's Jacket fitted down from the front

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  • 16th Century Spanish Clothing

    I’ve started a small collection of images from Civitates Orbis Terrarum from the Historic Cities website. More to come when I have time to comb through all the different versions and crop and adjust the files.

     

    Civitates Orbis Terrarum 1572: Barcelona, Spain

    More from Civitates Orbis Terrarum: 1572

  • Margaret Layton’s Jacket Pattern Mocked Up.

    Margaret Layton’s Jacket Pattern Mocked Up.

    I finally got around to making a mock-up of the jacket pattern I scaled up last year. I thought it would be fun to see the jacket straight from the scaled up pattern on a body. I’m wearing it over my Elizabethan shirt, kirtle and red petticoat, it is just pinned and basted together in the photos. I’m a wee bit smaller than Margaret, so I will need to do some fitting along the side back seams and along the sleeves, she had much longer arms than I.

     

    MLayton Jacket Mockup1 Front

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  • Simplified Tudor or Elizabethan Shirt Pattern

    Simplified Tudor or Elizabethan Shirt Pattern

    Simplified shirt patternBased on several patterns from Pattern of Fashion 4, this is a simplified version of the gored and gusseted shirt patterns. I drew this up for a friend just learning to sew, so there are fewer pieces to deal with.

    Each grid square equals 1 inch, drafted for 45 inch wide fabric and will take about 3 1/2 yards. Add seam allowances.

  • The Queen’s Servants Pointed Hood, or my Induction into a Secret Gnome Society.

    The Queen’s Servants Pointed Hood, or my Induction into a Secret Gnome Society.

    Since getting The Queen’s Servant’s I’ve been coveting the pointed hood with a sort of fiendish glee, it also might be an under layer to the strange headdress in Holbein the Younger’s drawing.

    A month ago I scaled up the pattern and made a mock-up. It was huge, it devoured my head. I have a normal size head, but the hat made it look like a peanut.

    Not the look I want. Just no.

    Thinking perhaps I scaled it up wrong I set about slashing the pattern and scaling it down to no avail. I took in the mock-up 3 or 4 times before toss it in the corner.

    It was Franken-hood. I don’t have any photos of the monstrosity.

    Tonight I decided to try it again, I took 3 or 4 measurements and scaled the pattern up to my head depth and jaw level.

     

    The red line shows where I pinned along the seam line.

     

    It wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t happy with the shape in the back, it didn’t look cute, it looked like I had a copernican attached to my bun.

     

    Tudor hood mockup adjustments
    The green line shows what needs to be tweaked.

    Much cuter. But something niggled at the back of my mind. Why was the scaled up pattern from the book so big? I went back and looked at the scale ratio and reread the instructions, then I noticed the little line drawing on the side. The round hood had the front folded back. This wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the book, and it is hard to see from the photos when everything is black velvet on black velvet.

    So I scaled up the original pattern again.

    Tudor Hood Pattern Comparison

    Another round of pinning and I have this when I fold back the front edge and let it form the frontlet.

    Tudorhood-3.0-folded-back
    The yellow line shows the depth of the fold.

    Much much better. The simple version in the book doesn’t look like it is worn with a separate frontlet, so I am going to use the frontlet pattern as a facing for the turn back portion of the hood.

  • Teal Kirtle Finished!

    Teal Herringbone Wool Kirtle

    Write up and photos are here

  • And More Interesting Costume and History Articles

    And More Interesting Costume and History Articles

    I’ve added these to my “things to read” list.

    http://earlymodernengland.com/2011/10/sumptuary-legislation-and-the-fabric-construction-of-national-identity/

    http://earlymodernengland.com/2011/10/the-education-of-princess-mary-tudor/

    http://earlymodernengland.com/2012/01/a-crisis-in-regal-identity-the-dichotomy-between-levinia-teerlinc%E2%80%99s-1520-1576-private-and-public-images-of-queen-elizabeth-i-1533-1603/

    http://earlymodernengland.com/2012/06/icons-of-divinity-portraits-of-elizabeth-i/

    http://earlymodernengland.com/2012/05/rainbow-for-a-reign-the-colours-of-a-queens-wardrobe/