Stashbusting 17th century - a learning experience

 Here is a longer post, of something I've sewn earlier this year. 

Back, in 2017, I sewn my first 17th century kirtle in a hurry, at a time, when the fabric-store, where I had my eyes on some lovely linen, was closed for their summer vacation, and I could not, for the life of me could find blue linen however, I would not admit that I could not make that dress in time. 

I dyed some white linen blue, and sewn the dress, without much experience (not in sewing, but in sewing historical clothes), without putting much thought into it... Still, I love it and served me well. 

However, through the years I washed it a few times, and spent a lot of time out in the sun it, so it faded a lot, also, I lost weight and it was kind of hanging on me.

I hardly finished it, I knew that sooner or later I will want another one, and I when I found some dark indigo blue linen in the outlet store, I stashed it for the time when I do have the desire for a new one. That time came earlier this year.

I also had a piece of orange linen, I got on a huge sale, that was so neon-y bright, one needed sunglasses to look at it. Being me, no problem, I tried to overdye the color with red, and the result was a piece of gorgeous dark, rusty orange, I would have died for when I had red hair. That linen also languished in my stash, waiting for some idea, as it was too yellow to wear it next to my face / hair, but just to gorgeous to give it away or sell it. 

And then, when I was putting up my fabrics to shelves, I happened to put the dark blue and the orange together, and there it was. I can use the orange for a petticoat under the blue kirtle. Yess.

I went to the haberdashery wholesaler, that is in a walking distance to where I live and bought all the trimming they had in orange, and looked for those orange laces I had in my stash since I had red hair and could wore that color. 

Sewing the petticoat was simple, the most thought it required to figure out how to put the lace deco on it, becaus emy laces were rather narrow, but I've put them right next to each other, and with the velvet ribbon, they looked rather nice. 

But the kirtle, the kirtle. My old one was self drafted, with the help of my friend, Tilda, but it did not fit me now, and I wanted something that was more.. accurate.

Well, I know, that the properly historically accurate kirtle would be made of wool, but.. But. Back in the late 16th- early 17th century the weather was cooler, and in England, Flandria and the Lowlands are a different weather-zone than either Hungary, or Italy, where in Palmanove we had an event in 35-38 C°. I am all for historical accuracy, but when the decision is between getting a heatstroke or wearing linen instead of wool (when linen was widely available in the period, though they might not have used it for outerwear), I think the answer  is clear.

I bought Margo Anderson's kirtle pattern, and boy, did I struggle with it. It might be the "problem' of having a totally different body type. I did take out my Tudor Tailro and Typical Tudor books, still, I have run into the same problems, as I did with the renaissance dress.  

Even though I did make a mock-up, and modified it, I was alone. Admittedly, fitting is not my best treat, and if I have to do it alone, on myself... I can get totally lost. 

The top was way to wide and the straps were long. However I had no time, as you know me, Once I decide I need/want s new dress for an event, I will have one, even if there is no time to make it at all. 

Unfortunately, I cannot find the pictures I did while making it. Toobad, because the bodice -this time- has boning I used zip ties, though with a hinsight, I should have used something stronger, maybe even steel right next to the lacing. 

I was thinking a while about the decorations at the bottom, as the old dress had red herrinbone / twoll tape at the bottom... and who would have thought that out of a dress that is made from handdyed fabric, the twilltape will bleed.

Anyhow, I loved the crushed velvet ribbon I found in the shop, but it was a bit skimpy, when I added the silktape (which is actually premade bias tape) I loved the effect of the different structures react differently to the light. 

On the other hand, I only used the velvet ribbbon for the bodice, which was handsewn. 

The old dress had lacing at the back, but ever since I ecperienced the freedom of being able to dress myself, my 18th century wardrobe gave me, I kind of decided to aim to make dresses (at least one set for each period) for which I do not need help to dress myself into. So, front lacing it is. I used metal rings for that.

(I swear I had pictures from the inside of the dress, showing, just how those ringlets were added, but I cannot find any phone-pictures between april and august... mind you all the memories of my computer got so full, I could not even move one picture from one folder to another for weeks, but still, they should be somewhere).

Anyhow you can see, just how much the shoulder strap stands away from my shoulder.

Not to mention the fact that the blue linen was bleeding like hell. Not only where I got sweaty, but the color even rubbed off from my hand, and on everything in touched. :-(

I did throw it to the washing machine with some dye-fastening solution, and another round with vinegar, which helped it... a bit. I am not about to take this apart, but thinking of it as a wearable mock-up, and a lesson learned. 

I have taken in the shoulder strap as much as I could, but that did not fix the issue of the width of the bodice. However, I do have the pattern, my mock up, and now I know what, where and how to fix it for the next iteration.

Because, boy, I have plans.

For one, I did grew to love the blue and orange combo, so I might just do it again (or I will only do the kirtle, and use the orange petticoat). 

I also made sleeves for the dress, and it had a cute little slashing, which I love, (what is with me and renaissance slashed sleeves?)

However, that sleeve, tied on, was pulling down the ill-fitting shoulderstraps even more, and by the second day, the weather was nice, and I took them off entirely. 

All-in all, I do not mind sewing this, even if it has its problem, and I will need to sew it again, and because of the bleeding I cannot even put it to the "can be lended to someone" pile. But I have learned a ton, my next one will be better, also the blue and the orange linen is out of my stash. I take that

(Photos were shot at Sárospatak, Simontornya, Palmanova and Grolle, by Norbert Varga, @Bodeszphoto)