The summer of Rococo - Riding Habit Shirt

Before I made any big decicion about the Riding Habit, I  started to work on, what I thought the simplest item... the shirt. 

I thought an all out ruffled shirt is, what I want. But then, I have not made a historical shirt for myself (at least the traditional "men's cut" shirt, I did not)... I had a piece of nice, optic white cotton linen fabric, and I started with handhemming the ruffles. 

(I have no idea, why this picture is out of line, and I cannot make them line up... sorry.)

And then I made the collar and the cuffs.

And then proceeded to sew up the shirt, but I cannot find any pictures of the shirt itself, only, when I tried it on later, with the waitscoat, I saw, that the nexk-ruffle, with the high closing waistcoat might not be the best idea.

I left it as it is, but the thing would not leave my mind, also, I was just finishing up a longer piece of handmade linen lace... 

And I was thinking, that I spent about two years making that lace, and how I am always going on, making lace that I CAN use, so here is the perfect opportunity, and how cool would it be to have my own handmade linen lace on my shirt? 

Thus the last evening, before we left for the event, (just after I got home from performing / doing living history at the world famous Island Festival /Island of Freedom... it had many names since it started), I dug out from my stash a fairly old (probably bought it before Covid) linen, that was thin, almost like some gauze, then cut out and started sewing the shirt

I've put it together enough that the machine sewn seams were done, and I could finish the seams, and other stuff by hand, which I did in the car and the hotel. 

Because just to make my life easier, about two days before Norbert decided, he wanted to see/photograph the partial eclipse, and we left a day more eralier, than we planned...

Here I am in the hotel-room, cutting the thread after sewing up the last button. 

The shirt on a hanger on the hotelroom's door...

and on me:

I did take both shirt with me to the event, but it was VERY hot and I grew rather attached to the lace cuffs (which will have an effect later on, but that is a whole different story), so I washed it at night, and wore only the lacey one. 

However, I am sure that I did not made the other one for nothing, as there WILL be an event, when I will need both, besides, if nothing else, it did serve as a mock up, now, I do know, what size I will have to cut my pieces, if I want to make another shirt.

P.s.: I was asked, what do I do about thee lace when I wash the shirt... do I take it off? 

Well, no. I wash the shirt with hand, then iron it carefully, using spay starch on the lace parts,