Middle Class: The Kirtle

The kirtle, which will be worn under the gown.

Closeup of the hemline of the corded skirt.

The front of the kirtle, after the cording has relaxed for a few hours.

The side of the kirtle, after being corded.

Only half of the skirt was corded when I took this - can you tell which half?

The next step was the underskirt. Well, ok, the next step was *supposed* to be an underskirt. In the interest of authenticity, I decided to make a full kirtle. (Yeah, right, "in the interest of authenticity" my ever-expanding ass. Frankly, my plans fell victim to a little 'sewing therapy'.) There's details on the project here. So, other than screwing myself out of the fabric for the lower sleeves, it was a fairly productive fit. ;) The dress has a row of upholstery cord (same stuff as the corded petticoat) behind the bottom-most line of ribbon, to give it more body and make the flimsy table cloth brocade behave a little more like a self-respecting stiff weave. There are numerous accounts in the tailors warrants from Elizabeth's reign, as well as surviving evidence shown in Patterns of Fashion, that skirt hems were frequently stiffened - with heavy felt or linen, most often - to make them drape more nicely. The picture at the right shows the skirt with only one side (the right) corded -- you can see how much the cording makes the skirt hang differently on that side. Since I still haven't overcome my inability to finish one project before moving on to the next, I haven't actually gotten around to putting the finishing touches on this kirtle yet - like, say, some way to close it, or the hand finishing of the lining, or sewing the straps together. Details, really.