Sempstress

This is a corded effigy style corset. The idea of using cording
instead of a more normal boning belongs to Jen, who did a lot of research in
that direction in the course of her
Italien dress. The pattern for this corset more closely follows the actual
effigy corset than the effigy style corsets I have made in the past. The corset
is made of two layers of cotton broadcloth, and stiffened with hemp cord. Some
parts of the side back, which do not provide support to anything crucial, are
stiffened with jute packing twine (I ran out of hemp at an inopportune time).
Where hemp is used, there are two strands per channel. Where jute is used, there
are 4.

Results and Notes:The corset provides more than adequate support,
as you can see above. It is also extremely easy to move and bend in (I can do
backbends in this), and does not seem to have any serious effects on my attempts to breathe. The effigy pattern is generally far less restrictive than the standard issue back lacing corsets that some people prefer, but the corded effigy seems even more so. The only problem that I have noticed so far is that the line of the corset deformed in the face of rather extreme heat and humidity, as seen
in the picture to the right. However, I should note that when I say, “rather extreme”, what I mean is that it was 97 or so at faire that day, and I was overheating in a big bad way, so I stuck a hose down the back of my dress and turned it on. Hemp seems to lose some of it’s rigidity when soaked through.

Would I do it again?: No. I don’t think I’m willing to
rely on just hemp for boning in the more rigid, later elizabethan styles like
the effigy. I will most likely make up another “working class” corset with the
boning running straight up and down, solely done up with hemp. I will probably
also try to do up an effigy boned with reed, which is significantly less floppy
than hemp cord.

This is a corded petticoat, meant to be worn in place of a farthingale under middle class costumes. The base of the skirt is cheap cotton broadcloth, and it is stiffened with 3.8″ cotton upholstery cord filling held in a channels created with 1″ wide ribbon. There are two channels – the first goes once round the bottom, and the second is a single spiral that goes up the rest of the petticoat. This is based on a picture from the Milanese Tailor’s Handbook which seems to show a spiral pattern of trim or possible benting on an underskirt.

Results and Notes: The petticoat has help up without deforming for 3 months on my dress dummy, and has held it’s shape under up to 4 moderate skirts. I’ve taken it to faire once now, and it is readily foldable and returns to it’s shape when unfolded. It did not seem to have any problems holding out my skirts when I was moving, while being worn under one medium weight cotton blend petticoat and one wool (lined with muslin) kirtle. The only problem I encountered was that the top row of cording is a little smaller than I would like, and I can’t easily swing my leg over a bench. Technically, I suppose shouldn’t be doing that anyway. ;) When I make another of these, I will not use plain cotton as the base of the petticoat. I will use something with more slip to it (at least polished cotton, possibly satin) so that it is easier to thread the cording through the channel.

Will I do it again?: Yes.

This was the official “test dress”. The design and patterning are based on a pattern for a german dress on page 252 of Karl Kohler’s History of Costume. The bodice and skirt front are cut as one, but the pleated skirt sides and back are cut separately and sewn in. The actual point of this dress was to test some theories on padded pleats and stiffened hems. I was hoping these two techniques would be able to make lighter weight or shifty fabrics behave like the heavy brodaces and stiff fabrics that we think we see in portraits. The dress is made out of a wool twill (decidedly shifty and slinky) and lined with plain muslin. The cartridge pleats are padded out with about a 1/4″ thick strip of cotton quilt batting. The strip is about 3″ wide, and runs the lengthof the pleats. The idea was to give the pleats enough body and stiffness of their own that support underneath them would not be necessary. The bottom of the skirt has a line of 3/8″ cotton upholstery cord embedded in the hem. This was to provide extra stiffness and stability to a fabric that is neither stiff nor stable.

Results and Notes:The padded pleats do keep their form nicely, and stay in very smooth rolls, even though there is only one line of stitching in them. I have found, however, that they only stand out like they are meant to when the fabric supporting them is pulled very taut. The dress mysteriously does not fit me the way it fits my dress dummy, and “pulled taut” is not an easy option. The upholstery cord in the hem works well to hold the dress out and make it look stiffer – too well, in fact, as it sticks out so well on it’s own that it looks mildly ridiculous over the corded petticoat. I have since added a line of stitch that goes straight through the coring around the bottom, and this makes it a little less unwieldy. I have started padding all of my cartridge pleats out with batting or felted wool now, as this worked so well. I’m not as satisfied with the dress pattern, which constantly wants to bunch at the waist. I think it would work better out of a heavy cotton, rather than a slinky wool.

Would I do it again?: Yes. Would and have actually.
My venetian courtesean dress incorporates wool felt in the skirt pleats as
pleat padding, as have several other skirts since. I’ve been working on documenting the historical accuracy of the padded pleats.

For those of you out there who do Rev or Civ war stuff, this might come in handy. It’s basic, but it get’s the look. You’ll probably want to make the stitches smaller than I’ve shown. Read the rest of this entry »

The Simple Caul, like the “biggins”, is a hat comprised of a Band and a Gathered Crown. Read the rest of this entry »

This charming little headcovering is a northern version of the
Simple Caul, seen in a number of flemish paintings.
Like the Biggins and the Simple Caul, the Northen Coif is comprised of a Band and a Gathered Crown. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s really not so period, as far as I know, but just for yuks….
Here’s a two piece Beret pattern. Hey, a hat you can wear in your modern life too? Weird. Read the rest of this entry »

The Biggins Hat is a hat comprised of a Band and a Gathered Crown. Renfaire lore says the name comes from the idea that it was the first hat you wore at the “biggins” of your life. I’ve no idea if that’s true or if someone just made it up because they got tired of being asked about the name…. Read the rest of this entry »

The Toque is a hat comprised of a Stiffened Brim and a Cartridge
Pleated Crown. The following instructions assume that you have already made your Basic Brim Patterns. If you have not, you’ll want to follow the link and do so.

The Toque was a popular style in Spain and Italy. (Hence, “Spanish Toque” and “Italien Bonnet”.) Read the rest of this entry »

I had meant this to be a peasant gown, but I’m told that it
is not because it does not look “peasanty” enough. I’m not entirely positive
of what that means, but I’ve been trying not to quibble details lately. ;) It’s
suitable as the clothing of someone with enough money to afford lined clothing
that fits reasonably well (though not perfectly). It looks a little higher on
the social scale when worn properly with the bodice, but this summer was a little
crazy and a little *HOT*, so that didn’t always happen. (Moral: make all your
layers look nice, and your wardrobe becomes flexible enough to cover a variety
of social and weather situations.) This was the year of the flexible wardrobe
for me. I’m not sure why. I was not trying to be clever or sensible. It just
sorta happened.

Anyway, the teal bodice looking thang is, in fact, my effigy
corset. (That thing got a lot more exposure than a corset normally should, I
think, but it makes a dandy boned bodice since the outer fabric has no boning
channels showing.) (Note: There was a thriving trade in second hand fabrics,
remnants, etc, in the elizabethan age. Everybody (although, possibly not down
to the meanest milk maid as Stubbes claims) was getting really uppity about
ignoring those dingdang sumptuary laws and wearing silks and velvets. And yes,
I am justifying the silk on the corset being used with this outfit.) The skirt
is a almost-reversable affair of two shades of medium cotton, double box pleated
onto a waistband. Since I planned to always wear it tucked up, I made it the
same length all around in spite of the fact that I wear a bumroll with this
outfit. Technically, that means that it’s about 3″ too long in front. The underskirt
is a pink-green changeable cotton. (Yes, you read that right. It’s one of the
single most obnoxious things I’ve ever seen. The effect of mismatched warp and
weft threads is decidedly different in cotton than it is in silk. The pictures
do not to it justice, but then again, my pictures seldom ever do anything justice.
I’m really impaired in the photography department most of the time.)

the bodice is made with rose colored wool lined with off
white, er, something that is probably mostly cotton but I think not entirely
so. It’s a one piece jobby based off one of the alternate peasant type top
bits in the back of norris. The book is at home, I’m at work, and I don’t
remember the page number. It’s a couple pages after the spinster that was
the basis of the red and ochre dress. The bodice has trim on the outside and
the inside along the neckline. It’s closed with lacing tabs from ASL pewterworks.
I can’t tell you how much I love these things. Are they 100% documentably
period? Er, not so much. But they are darned convenient, and that’s
important. I think they also add a very nice decorative touch. I know ASL
does the bristol and kansas faires (and others that I don’t know), so look
them up. They’re great folks. You don’t have to tell them that I’m
recommending them like mad, ’cause I don’t get anything if you do (although
they’ll probably be ticked pink). The bodice laces with satin ribbon in a
shade that can only be described as ‘pepto-abysmal pink’.