Sometime in early to mid 2024, I got a hankering for a new 16th-century outfit. No reason, nowhere to wear it, just wanted one. And not necessarily a fancy one either. I decided to order the Tudor Tailor pattern for a woman’s round gown and see how that made up. Although first, I realized I
Buying clothing second-hand is very well-documented in the 16th century, and really, in most eras. Clothing and fabric were big investments before the post-World-War-II manufacturing boom that lead to our current state of disposable fast fashion. If a garment could be used again, it was. Best dresses became second-best or everyday dresses, garments were altered
Long time, no update! Nearly a year later, I realized I could/should wear this outfit. I was a little concerned about the size (having started it so long ago), but realized it fit rather nicely without the corset. Just needed an additional set of eyelets on each side for better lacing, plus hooks and eyes
I finally trimmed the neckline of the black and grey kirtle, so it’s presentable. I’d like to add trim to the sleeve wings and maybe add guarding at the hem, but those are not crucial. I could wear it as-is. So yay, I have a new outfit to wear, instead of wearing the same things
Massive progress! Friday after Thanksgiving, I made the skirt and painstakingly pleated it into the bodice. I usually have trouble attaching pleats to a V-shaped waistline (I’ve done it successfully once and since forgotten how I achieved that). But I figured out a way again. Let’s see if writing it down helps me remember… After
Ran out of thread! Sewed all but three eyelets on this bodice (while sitting around at Grandmom’s house in the days after my paternal grandfather’s funeral in Pensacola, Florida). Mom showed me how to do a proper buttonhole stitch instead of the basic overcast binding thing I learned from the RenTailor site. But my hand-sewn
Had a strange itch to sew today, so I tinkered with the Slipcover Kirtle pattern to make it work for this project. That previous kirtle ended up a smidge too loose the one time I wore it at an event, which irritated me. Took out the pattern and fussed with the straps and the armscye
This is a pretty vague concept so far … I have this unusual black and grey fabric, 100% polyester (because I don’t care!), woven thistle / pomegranate pattern that’s rather 16th-century by way of Art Deco, with a nice supple hand. So far, I’m thinking it’ll be good as a kirtle, perhaps with sleeves. There’s