2023:1 An English gown
Kategori: Allmänt, Historic Sew Montly 23, Renaissance, Stashbusting, Tudor set
The last post of 2023's sewing is the first challenge for the year, and the final piece of my "full Tudor set". The challenge was "Back to the beginning", and this is actually also the final piece of my very first Tudor project. I made a kirtle in 2012-13 sometime and have worn it a lot since:
Sorry about the photo quality, and I can't for the life of me remember who took the picture. I have worn it a lot since, so all in all it is one of my very favourite historical garments.
The kirtle was, of course, always meant to go with a gown of some sort. Ever since getting my hands on The Tudor Tailor, I have had a thing for the not-poshest of clothing. I mean, don't mind a Henrician court gown, but the (upper) middle class with the simpler materials and cleaner looks are just... speaking to me. So, I bought the fabric for the kirtle on a clearance sale in the late 00s, made the kirtle in the early 10s and ordered fabric for the gown around the same time. And then: life happened, other projects got in the way, etc etc and the fabric was just waiting in the back of my stash. This summer I decided to finally to something about it, not least because it was a project I had everything at hand for - so no excuses.
The inspiration, of course; Lucas de Heere's sketches of English women.
I also (years and years ago) bought a full-size pattern for the English gown, to remove yet another excuse, so I worked from that.
To the left: I know this is not the proper way to fit a lining, but I like it. Especially with small, fiddly pieces. To the right: attaching the lining to the top fabric. Do note that the lining and top fabric pieces are the same size at this point.
Double checking the fit of the gown bodice over the kirtle.
To the left: attaching the skirt lining. Trying to use a thimble (the only kind that will not sweat of my finger within seconds, but rather minutes) and failing, as you can see. To the right: attaching the skirt to the bodice. Sorry about the weird angle of the photo.
Putting it on the mannequin and waiting for a bit over a week to let the skirts lengthen if they intended to. Spoiler alert: they did. Do note the silly amount of extra fabric in the lining in the picture to the right (taken as I was crawling on the floor trying to pin the hem evenly for the umpteenth time).
Aaaaand mostly done and basted (I thought. After the summer, I needed to rip and reattach the hem at the front, since, you guessed it, it was pulling in weird directions. Again. Tell me again why I even line stuff?
Lots and lots of hemming. The running stitch catch both layers (as in, also the turned-under seam allowance) of the lining, the seam allowance of the top fabric and ideally, about half of the thickness of the top fabric, making a small indentation on the outside without too much of the bright linen thread showing.
All in all this was a rather straight forward project. I did all the sewing by hand, and opted for finishing both the sleeves and the armholes individually, then cartridge pleating the sleeves and whip-stitching them together. This means that some linen thread show, but it saves a lot of weird bulk around the armhole. Among other things*
The finished gown. Closed with hooks and eyes in front. Grown-on collars are another nemesis of mine, but I love them all the same and will not give up trying.
I wore it for a brief part of an event in July (it's Sweden, after all, a warm outer garment is not a bad thing most nights), re-did a bit of the hem and then wore it again to an event in October. This time I actually got pictures:
A rather sucessfull attempt at a Lucas de Heere look if I may say so myself. Worn here with the brocade kirtle and the green sleeves. From a historical accuracy perspective, please ignore the sad lack of Proper and Decent headwear - it was a larp, after all. Photo: Sandra Hjelmerus
The finished outfit (shift, petticoat, kirtle, sleeves, gown) weighs in at nearly six kilos. Not uncomfortable to wear, but next time I wear it to run up and down stairs and dance for an evening, I will make a mental note to self to undress a bit slower when changing back into modern gear, so that I will not have a suprise sit-down on the floor. Rookie mistake!
The facts:
The challenge: 2023:1, Back to the beginning
What the item is: a fitted English gown
How it fits the challenge: it is the final touch to my very first Tudor project
Material: Wool, linen
Pattern: from the Tudor Tailor
Year: 16th century
Notions: Waxed linen thread, a bit of black silk thread for the finishing of the sleeves iirc.
How historically accurate is it? I say about 90%. Good pattern, good materials, hand-sewn. Some deviations in construction and I am not sure that the top fabric would be exactly the right quality. It's supposed to mimic broadcloth and I think it does a decent job.
Hours to complete: 40-50, with hand-sewing and later alterations.
First worn: July 2023
Total cost: No idea, really. I bought the fabric more than ten years ago and didn't keep the paperwork. If I were to buy ut today I guess I would have to pay about 70-90 euros for the top fabric, plus another 30ish for the lining, so I'll make a stab at somewhere around 75 euros, but more like 120 in today's money.
How it fits the challenge: it is the final touch to my very first Tudor project
Material: Wool, linen
Pattern: from the Tudor Tailor
Year: 16th century
Notions: Waxed linen thread, a bit of black silk thread for the finishing of the sleeves iirc.
How historically accurate is it? I say about 90%. Good pattern, good materials, hand-sewn. Some deviations in construction and I am not sure that the top fabric would be exactly the right quality. It's supposed to mimic broadcloth and I think it does a decent job.
Hours to complete: 40-50, with hand-sewing and later alterations.
First worn: July 2023
Total cost: No idea, really. I bought the fabric more than ten years ago and didn't keep the paperwork. If I were to buy ut today I guess I would have to pay about 70-90 euros for the top fabric, plus another 30ish for the lining, so I'll make a stab at somewhere around 75 euros, but more like 120 in today's money.
*Other things being that despite how nice the bodice fit looked, it seems I have about ten extra centimeters in circumference just around the armhole which pulls a bit weirdly, so at some point I will probably want to remove at least the lower half of the sleeve, take the bodice in and re-attach. I guess this will actually be easier with the parts made separate to start with. Alas, it's a project for another day...
