2023:3 A fancy kirtle
Kategori: Allmänt, Historic Sew Montly 23, Renaissance, Stashbusting, Tudor set
Next step in the "fancy outfit" project (after the petticoat) was a kirtle. Like with the petticoat, I had the fabrics since forever and one of my goals for 2023 was to use what I already have*. I made a big-ish order together with friends from PureSilks a few years back. This fabric was bought as silk brocade (where I have been lucky earlier) but this time, while the taffetas were great, this fabric has not been anywhere near actual silk any time in its manufacture. Alas, but that's the chances you take.The good thing about that is that it removes a bit of the "cutting into the good fabric" anxiety and I can feel less bad about using it outdoors. The downside of course being that synthetic fabrics are less than ideal in all manner of ways, from fossil materials (I guess, this doesn't behave like a rayon-y fabric either) to how it is to work with to how comfortable it is to wear. But: I bought it, so now I was going to use it. Using the ten feet rule it looks great.
Again, pretty straightforward. I had already made the petticoat from the Typical Tudor, and the kirtle pattern is basically just the same. I moved the lacing from the front to the side seams (so that the gaps overlap when worn together).** This is, believe it or not, my first time working with a patterned fabric since around 2011. I was kind of proud of my pattern matching attempt:
The bodice back pieces sewn together. Even if it's synthetic: I love the fabric.
I did all the assembly stuff. The scary part of a laced bodice is that you make a mockup, remove some fabric to allow for lacing and then just assemble it and pray that it will work out. You won't know until you are so near finished that you can try it on again, crossing your fingers that you didn't have a thinking accident. Well, reader, I did have thinking accident.
That is just a bit too much of a lacing gap for an newly made garment in a fabric that likely won't shape to your body over time.
After some choice words for the universe and my own stupidity, I realised that I indeed would not be able to live with this annoying feature. I can't help it, I'm just wired that way. Luckily, piecing is period after all. This would not have been an original piecing made in the period, I think, but it's at least plausible that (given there was fabric to piece with that is) a bodice would have been adjusted to a wearer that grew/put on weight, or for another, slightly larger, person. That would make a lot of sense for this kirtle (so to comfort myself, I made it my head canon that this was indeed and old Sunday best that had been brought out of storage and adjusted at a later date).
Pieces of top fabric added at the side seams of the front piece. I did only add top fabric and "medium" interlining, not the sturdy interlining canvas - there are limits to my ambitions and my ribcage does not need that much support. I am glad I caught this error before adding the lining: for the lining I did a entire new front lining piece. A bit wasteful, but a sort of reasonable fabric/energy tradeoff. I also did not bother a lot with pattern matching - just too much work and fabric gone to waste for something mostly hidden under the arm. Also, I'm told that pattern matching is not necessarily the period way for exactly those wasting good fabric reasons so there.
Voilà, and instantly a better fit. (I know the lacing rings on the outside is not how it's supposed to be, but I wanted to avoid the outwards-striving edges/boning, and I plan to replace this with actual sewn eyelets at a later date). I did fix the odd fit of the skirt at the center front later.
I know I said that pattern matching was not a thing, but I also discovered too late that I was off by half an inch with the center front seam and that bugged me. My solution was to adjust it, making the front about half an inch shorter but pattern matched in the visible front seam (the back seam is hidden in the pleating anyway).
Not too bad for someone who can't pattern match to save herself.
I always planned to guard the skirt (rather than line it, the fabric has quite enough body in itself and the outfit is already quite heavy). Both for the reason that I shortened the skirt a bit by accommodating for pattern matching AFTER cutting it rather than before and because the fabric is crazy prone to catch on anything, I opted for a visible guard at the hem - also saving the fold of the hem from wearing against the ground when I move.
The inside of the guard: grey wool attached at the top by hand.
The outside: I added an extra row of small running stitches to make it slightly stiffer and to not buldge. I also pressed as much as I possibly could.
Especially given that I had to add extra pieces and stuff, I am actually extremely pleased with the fit of this bodice. The sleeves are another post/challenge.
You can just make out the boning of the petticoat, which creates a shadow on the bodice. It doesn't bother me that much, but also I think that it will go away when the petticoat get eyelets rather than lacing rings.
Because I am a terrible nerd, I can't help but like the effect of the visible guard, though I don't think it's historically accurate. For dramatic purposes, it gives a great effect when the kirtle is worn with the appropriate outer garments - from the back it looks like there is a wool kirtle under the gown, if it's visible at all, but when seen from the front, especially when I move, there is this flash of fancy fabric. Noone else will ever notice, but for me this makes a lot of character sence for when this was first worn, and I love an inside joke even if the target audience is just me.
The facts:
The challenge: 2023:3, Focus on the fabric
What the item is: a brocade kirtle
How it fits the challenge: the only thing that sets this kirtle apart is the fancy fabric!
Material: Synthetic "silk" brocade, linen, wool
Pattern: from the Typical Tudor
Year: 16th century
Notions: Polyester thread ( wasn't going to hand sew a synthetic fabric, or waste silk thread on it!) A bit of fake whale bone for the bones in the front and along the lacing at the sides.
How historically accurate is it? Fairly. Period ok pattern, some shortcuts in assembling it. I'd say 75% with the visible guard and of course the synthetic fabric.
Hours to complete: With pattern construction, mockups, re-makes/piecing and all I'd say around 30-35 hours.
First worn: October 2023
Total cost: 60 euros or thereabouts, including top fabric, and lining/interlinning linen. The wool for the guard was a silly leftover strip kept for guarding, so I am not counting that.
How it fits the challenge: the only thing that sets this kirtle apart is the fancy fabric!
Material: Synthetic "silk" brocade, linen, wool
Pattern: from the Typical Tudor
Year: 16th century
Notions: Polyester thread ( wasn't going to hand sew a synthetic fabric, or waste silk thread on it!) A bit of fake whale bone for the bones in the front and along the lacing at the sides.
How historically accurate is it? Fairly. Period ok pattern, some shortcuts in assembling it. I'd say 75% with the visible guard and of course the synthetic fabric.
Hours to complete: With pattern construction, mockups, re-makes/piecing and all I'd say around 30-35 hours.
First worn: October 2023
Total cost: 60 euros or thereabouts, including top fabric, and lining/interlinning linen. The wool for the guard was a silly leftover strip kept for guarding, so I am not counting that.
*This will, as far as possible, be my goal also for 2024. I only have so much space for my fabric stash and it's currently filled to the rafters.
**Back lacing is nice, but it's nigh impossible to find a good lady-in-waiting these days and with side lacing I can at least theoretically dress myself.
**Back lacing is nice, but it's nigh impossible to find a good lady-in-waiting these days and with side lacing I can at least theoretically dress myself.
