Stashbusting
Kategori: Allmänt
With Blue challenge dress firmly put in the time-out box due to fitting and fabric layout issues, I thought I'd be able to at least finish the third challenge on time. Alas, it didn't quite happen; with my job entering its busiest time of year I've simply had to much else on my mind in evenings and weekends to do any efficient sewing. Nevertheless, this was a straight-forward project. I had just under two meters left of white linen in my stash since that Mediaeval Week in Visby when I should just get some minor things like buttons and returned home with 12 metres of fabric. That was six years ago and I've been nibbling at the pile ever since.
Two metres of linen left and with the Blue project gone UFO on me I needed something simple and quick to make, and even with handsewing and obsession about felling the seams, I can normally get a smock done in a weekend or undisturbed Saturday.
I used the Tudor Tailor pattern (as in, I looked at it, drew directly on the fabric and cut it), apart from piecing together the back panel with a centre back seam in order not to waste fabric. Actually, the layout with trapeziod pieces rather than square pieces and side gores puzzled me a bit, it seems such a waste of fabric! With a centre back seam, however, the waste is reduced to none. The fabric was one piece, 1,7x1,5 metres, which was just enough for the body and sleeves and one long, narrow left-over piece which was enough for binding (I cheated that way!) the neck opening, underarm gussets and for the narrow cuffs. A little pieces left over might be enough to add a fancy cuff later, and I saved the final pieces for handkerchiefs and feel thrifty indeed about it.
Due to this being a tired weekend manic project, I have no photos of the construction, but here's the smock and some detail pictures:
The smock. The hem looks more uneven with the sleeves hanging down. I'm not too bothered, the smock ends mid-calf and the exactness of the bottom hem is not terribly important. Also it IS even with the smock lying flat, so there! I make the sleeves "too long" in order to be able to either add puff above a tied-on sleeve or hide the entire sleeve of the smock even in a fairly tight dress sleeve.
All seams are felled to one side. I finish and fell the sleeve seams first, then attach it with only half a seam allowance on the sleeve and a whole seam allowance on the body and fold the body seam allowance over the sleeve half allowance. If that makes sense.
The neck opening, bound on the inside since I just couldn't make the shape look good enough with just hemming it normally.
The finished sleeve.
Had no buttons and didn't want ties, so a glass pearl had to do.
The facts:
What the item is: 16th century smock
The Challenge: 3: Stashbusting
Fabric: White linen, about 185 g/m
Stashed for how long?: Uhm... six years, I think.
Pattern: Tudor tailor/standard smock, but with modifications (back panel cut in two pieces instead of one to save fabric).
Year: 16th century
Notions: Linen thread, two glass beads to button the cuffs
How historically accurate is it? I did bind the neckline (sort of) rather than just hem it. Other than that - I trust the pattern and linen is linen.
Hours to complete: about 12, handsewn with felled seams.
First worn: Not yet, to be worn with a lot of stuff but mostly the Blue project, which is in the time-out box at the moment.
Total cost: about 15 euros.
The Challenge: 3: Stashbusting
Fabric: White linen, about 185 g/m
Stashed for how long?: Uhm... six years, I think.
Pattern: Tudor tailor/standard smock, but with modifications (back panel cut in two pieces instead of one to save fabric).
Year: 16th century
Notions: Linen thread, two glass beads to button the cuffs
How historically accurate is it? I did bind the neckline (sort of) rather than just hem it. Other than that - I trust the pattern and linen is linen.
Hours to complete: about 12, handsewn with felled seams.
First worn: Not yet, to be worn with a lot of stuff but mostly the Blue project, which is in the time-out box at the moment.
Total cost: about 15 euros.
