17th Century Re-enactment at Plimoth Plantation - Plymouth, MA
Introduction The Abbasid Caliphate period in Islamic history saw the cultural focus shift from the Arabian Peninsular to Persia, and the rise of the Persian Secretarial class as the fashion trend s…
17th century fashion. Noblewoman in 1650. French baroque fashion. 17th century. Ancien Régime court dress. Sheets for costume design by Franz Lipperheide
In the mid-17th century, Wenceslaus Hollar published this series of engravings depicting the costume of women in England. These images record a contemporary view of the costume of women, a subject which fascinated the artist.
18th Century Men's Clothing The everyday summer clothing of the Pennsylvania farmer in the last half of the 18th century consisted of a bleached homespun tow or linen long sleeved shirt, knee breeches or long trousers, a vest, neckerchief, shoes and stockings. Because the Goschenhoppen Folk Festival takes place during the summer you will probably not see anyone wearing a coat over their vest. … Read More
Another post already, can you believe it?! Today I got the pictures from the awesome photo shoot I did with Frederick Scholpp, which I posted a teaser of last week. We had a great time, and it was so fun working with someone who has such a great eye for capturing shots and could perfectly understand my inspiration. Both of us being artists in different mediums, I think we worked really well together! I fully intend to do a separate post on the pair of bodies and smock with construction detail pictures and more historical notes, but for now here are "overview" pictures of how the undergarments looks when worn all together. First is the linen smock, completely hand sewn and trimmed with reproduction lace from The Tudor Tailor. The pattern is an amalgamation of shapes from Patterns of Fashion 4. Next is the petticoat, which is red wool broadcloth bound and guarded with black velvet. The waist is bound with red silk taffeta and worked with eyelets so that it can be pointed to the pair of bodies. Based on a few portraits (particularly the Elizabeth Vernon portrait) and a video of Jenni Tiramani showing a reproduction pair of bodies pointed to a matching petticoat, AND this old but very interesting conversation on this question here, I made the decision to do this bodies-pointed-to-petticoat method. It works wonderfully well for helping to support the relatively heavy wool broadcloth. The points were custom made for me by Francis Classe (available through his etsy shop, and I have a pair for my American Duchess Stratfords as well. The pair of bodies are from The Tudor Tailor, the Elizabeth Vernon style. I can't tell you just how incredibly comfortable these are!! I love them so much... They are silk taffeta, interlined with heavy linen and lined with white linen, boned with reed. More info in the construction post, I promise! All of the materials (smock linen, all threads, wool broadcloth, silk taffeta, linen interlining and lining, silk paduasoy ribbon binding), except for the lace, reed, and points, are from Burnley and Trowbridge! I hope you enjoy. :)
Research and re-creation of medieval costume and crafts by THL Edyth Miller
And here comes the final part of the making of my new 17th century bodice. (Part 1 & 2) Once the outer fabric, lining and sleeves where set it was time to deal with the tabs. (Every stay maker…
*** As documented in an earlier post, I recently finished a brown wool doublet (well, not so recently, but we'll that that slide...) Made of scrap fabric, it was originally intended as a practice piece to learn some tailoring techniques and so the design was always a bit of a hodge-podge. This made stying the outfit somewhat difficult, since without a firm inspiration image or decade to work from everything just seemed a little off. I couldn't settle on what the look was really meant to be, so I just ended up throwing a ton of accessories at it just to see what would happen. And I have to say...it worked out surprisingly well! So buckle up and get ready for a photo dump... First I pulled a bevy of period (mostly early 17th c.) images from different sources that roughly showed the silhouette I was looking for. None quite match the doublet I had actually made, but it at least they were in the ballpark. Even if I couldn't quite copy any image exactly this at least gave me a "feel" to shoot for. The first look is the one featured in my dress diary... It's a classic (very) late Elizabethan/early Jacobean look. Just a coif, cuff and ruff. The ruff made of 2.8oz linen. It is 3.25" wide at set with 2" sets. The cuffs are simple strips of 2.8oz linen, pleated and sewn into a wrist band. The cap is the one I made for my Trevelyon gown, and as also worn over a close fitted coif. Again, the front edge is lightly starched and then shaped and pinned in to place. Next is the same look, but with the top coif/cap left off and replaced with a tall, black capotain hat. The hat is wool felt and trimmed with a twist of black silk (by Timblebee Millinery) Then the ruff is switched out for a linen collar. To make the collar, first a paper pattern is cut with the rough shape that I want. The collar is made of a strip of 2.8 oz linen, 4.5" in length. It's hemmed all the way around with a 1/8" hem, reducing the final width to 4.25" The linen is then pleated and stitched down to form a crescent. I found it easiest to place the strip on top of the paper patter and then just make a fold wherever was needed. Admittedly the pleats turned out a little wonky... That because I tried to starch them after they were pinned, but they dried sort of...squiggly. And then I was too lazy to re-pin it and just stitched the pleats down as they were. Next time I'll starch ahead of time. Finally, a neck band is attached. The neckband is purposely made a little longer so that I can pin the ends to the inside of the doublet, allowing it to be worn both open and closed. (I have no evidence for it being done this way in period, it's just what was easiest for me) I like the collar a lot. I think it's very crisp and looks sharp with the cuffs. So I tried it it with just a coif...and liked it a lot less. I think this look is...okay. I mean, it's fine, but it's not my favouite. I don't think it works quite as well without the hat. So instead the collar was swapped for a ruff...A BIG RUFF! This is my largest ruff to date. It's 5.25" wide and set with 3/4" sets. Ruff mid-set Really, it's a beast. It definitely needs a supportasse to support the weight in the back (this one by Woodsholme Handworks on Etsy). (One of these days I'd like to cover it with some silk thread) I also try this with an apron...but again, I'm not overly pleased with the results. Something about the apron worn over the doublet isn't doing much for me...except making me look pregnant. (But hey, that's a very 17th century silhouette, so....result? I guess?) Okay! Ditch the apron! How about a big hat? The hat is a beautiful, large 17th century style by M. Brenckle, Hatter and is inspired by the work of Wenceslas Hollar. You know me! Love the crazy hats! But I'm getting a bit bored of the matching petticoat, so let's change it up... Next is a dark green (though photographs as black) petticoat originally made for my rust waistcoat project. I REALLY like this look. It might be my favourite so far. The pleated linen collar is back, as is the apron (which I think looks a lot better worn under the doublet). Also making appearance is another capotain hat by Timblebee Millinery, this time in brown felt with a chocolate brown silk band. Right. Let's stick with this petticoat and push the silhouette even further... The big 17thc. hat is back, as is another ruff. This one is 4.25" wide set with 2" sets and made with the same 2.8oz linen. And under it all I've got my trusty red wool petticoat! (originally attached to a bodice for my first attempt at petticoat bodies, but now just a skirt) This last look is probably my favourite. I didn't think it would, but I guess I shouldn't be that surprised... I've always loved Wenceslas Hollar's etchings and always planned to do a Hollar-inspired look. This isn't exactly Hollar, but it's darn close. Okay! That's it! In the end I had a lot of fun with this project, even though I was never quite sure what it was meant to be as I was making it. Just goes to show what a huge difference accessories can make! ***
At a little medieval faire this past weekend. This is how the fashionable man of the late 12th and 13th centuries might have dressed. Believe it of not that tunic is even a bit short! If you look at contemporary manuscript pictures like the Maciejowski Bible or the Manesse Codex men and women can be hard to distinguish. The fact that men wore their hair long makes it even more difficult. The rigid distinction between male and female clothing is a rather modern concept by our thinking nowadays...
Suit, 1600-10, Germany.
Over Easter I was asked to join the Order of the Laurel, and made a decision to be elevated at Rowany Baronial change-over four weekends later, i.e. last night. This decision was made easier by the…
*** As mentioned in a previous post, I decided to start on an outfit inspired by the Dutch folk hero Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer. I go into quite a bit of detail on the planning in that earlier entry, so for this one I'm just going to jump right into the diary! Just a quick summing up...Although many images of her exist (almost all dating to significantly after her lifetime) there definitely seems to be an iconic pose and and outfit. The colour pallet also seems to be fairly consistent. So just for fun I decide that I could easily make BOTH the of the above paintings by just switching out a few accessories. So for this outfit I will need: 1) A reddish brown or rust kirtle, hemmed to just above the ankles and trimmed in black guards. 2) A black long-sleeved wool partlet or jacket (again, more on this on the previous research post) 3) Two silk sashes: one in salmon pink and one in red 4) Two stomachers: one black and one red 5) Two pairs of stockings: again, in black and red 6) A small ruff 7) A white linen cap with split "tails" And finally... 8) A BOAT LOAD of weapons. Fun times! Let's start with the kirtle. This is fairly straightforward and is a based on a pattern I've made twice before for both my blue Trevelyon gown and more recently my green kirtle. For that reason I didn't really document the construction process much at all. The foundation layers are made of two layers of 10.5 oz cotton hemp, pad-stitched together and reinforced with boning channels. The bodice is only partially boned, with spring steel along the front lacing edge and some synthetic whalebone through the front in alternating channels. Then the bodice it covered in a rust brown wool and lined with black linen. It's also trimmed with two rows of narrow cotton ribbon to match the first of my inspiration images. For a blow by blow of the construction process please see the write up for my blue gown, which outlines each step in detail. Like the blue gown, the kirtle also has a hidden lacing strip worked with hand bound eyelets, offset for spiral lacing. Next it's time to make the stomachers. Only instead of making two, I decide to make a single stomacher which is reversible: with black linen on one side and red linen on the other. The base is heavy cotton muslin. (Note: I had originally intended to add some boning down the front, but instead of adding support this actually made the stomachers buckle in strange way and so was later abandoned) Then the black and red linen was flat-lined to the base on either side and bound in black cotton ribbon. Then I tried on the bodice and stomacher combo. Looks good! I actually end up only using every other lacing hole. Out of habit I had placed the eyelets pretty close together and the high contrast zigzag was really overpowering the look. Dropping down to ever other hole is a closer match to my inspiration images. Next the skirt is attached, but again you'll have to reference the older posts for construction. Like the blue gown it has an integral underskirt, this time in black linen. After the skirt is attached (and confirmed to be level) the trim is added. This is a wider version of the same cotton ribbon used on the bodice. Now it's time to move onto the accessories! And it's at this point that I go a little nuts... I figure that since I'm already making two versions of this outfit...why not THREE? As hinted above --and covered more expansively in my research post-- I'm still a little dubious that this long sleeved partlet is actually a thing (super technical historical term). There's still a good chance that what the later sources are misinterpreting a long sleeved kirtle (or gown) and and over partlet. So that's what I decide to make. Sort of... I'm not going to add sleeves to kirtle I've just made and I'm sure as heck not making another one! (despite having tons of leftover wool). Instead I'm to try a totally theatrical cheat and add rust sleeves to a black partlet. This will also be a sort of "proof of concept" for the short black jacket. The black partlet is a pattern I've made previously. It's made of black wool and lined in black linen. It's finished on all sides and the edges whipstitched together under the arms. For the whole process (with photos at each stage) please see the post for my brown linen kirtle. Though it's hard to see, the partlet is also trimmed in narrow black cotton tape. (What can I say? I'm a sucker for black on black trim). With the partlet finished it's time to add the sleeves. These will also be finished on all edges and whip-stitched to the armscye. Now, apologies in advance, because I really didn't take many photos of this next stage (probably because I wasn't entirely convinced it was going to work) but I'll walk through what I have... First, while making up the lining, a strip of black wool is zigzagged stitched to the top of the sleeve head. This will add more oomph to pleats later. Next the sleeve is made up, lined and turned so that all edges are finished. Again, I don't have any photos of this, but it's the same approach as by blue gown, so imagine the below photo, but...you know...brown. Then a row of stitches are run along the sleeve head. These will be pulled to form cartridge pleats. The sleeve is then pinned into the armscye of the partlet and whipstitched in. And that's it! Weird fake partlet thing complete. Like all my other partlets this one doesn't have any front closures and will ultimately be pinned closed . It's also at this point that I decide to whip up another stomacher in matching rust wool just for fun... Now it's time to move into the short black jacket. Originally I debated constructing it more like a short doublet with a separate collar, but as it's a highly conjectural garment anyway I decide to just repeat the process above (but with some minor tweaks). Oddly enough, this second long-sleeved partlet I did document a little more fully. First, the front shape a little different. I wanted more overlap along the center front and so the angle of the curve is reversed. It's also longer in the sides that a regular partlet. I also reenforced the front edge with 1" worsted wool tape (which is stitched to the black wool on the wrong side). This will later be turned under to form the front seam allowance. I also ran a narrower 1/2" along what will become the seam allowance of the collar...again to give it a little more support. Then the partlet is joined at the shoulder seams in both the black wool outer fabric and linen lining. The two are then sewn together (right side facing) on all edges, except for the front and under arms. The seams allowance are clipped, pressed and the two pieces flipped. There is now a finished edge along the bottoms, arms, and collar. Next, the front 1" is folded under and stitched together. This is repeated on the underarms (but with only 1/2" turned) Then the finished underarm seams are whipstitched together (trying to catch as much of the lining and as little of the top fabric as possible) Then the sleeves made up in the same black wool and linen lining. They are also finished on all sides and row of narrow cartridge pleats worked into the the sleeve head. The sleeve is pinned into the finished armscye and whipstitched in. Okay, that's two weird long-sleeved partlet things down! Next it's time to move on to the silk sashes. Now, I'm going to say right up front that I HATE working with silk...or at the very least I hated working with this silk. I'd rather eat my own face with a grapefruit spoon than deal with this fray-factory again. Suffice to say, it was not fun... Let's start with the red one. The sash is made from a single yard of red silk, cut in half (selvage to selvage) and whipstitched together along the selvage edge to create a long rectangle of approximately 17"x 106". Then the raw edges are finished with a small rolled hem. The the red sash appears to be trimmed in gold lace. So I decide to trim in it narrow gold trim along the length and longer, scalloped trim on the ends. Although I prefer the lace on on the right, I decide the proportions of the lace on the left is closer to what I'm after. The selected lace is then stitched to the finished edge with silk thread (with wider lace on the narrow ends and smaller lace along the length). Moving onto the next sash... After finding this higher contrast Alamy image I opt for a more rosy-beige than salmon. But next sash is tricker. Instead of lace it appears to be tasseled. It is constructed it the same way as the red one, only instead of finishing the narrow ends, I pulled individual threads to create an approximately 4" tassel. Now, remember how I said that this silk was a fray factory? Well, that was only along the weft (which made trying to do such a tiny hem super fun). But trying to pull from the warp was like pulling teeth! It took FOREVER. Have I mentioned how much I hate silk....? But it doesn't matter, because these suckers are now done! Next it's time to move on to the white cap... I started a write up for it here, but it sort of ballooned to a ridiculous length and it quickly became very clear that it needed to be its own post (which can be found HERE) Suffice to say, after attempting a few different styles I ended up with a tailed coif that I'm fairly happy with. The final piece is my new small ruff, which was completed for my Aertsen outfit. Next it's time to move on to the non-clothing accessories. Now, I know that any military history buffs are probably going to have a conniption over what I've thrown together...but, hey! If I can get over the weird clothing anachronism in the portraits you can get over my weird 17th c. flintlock! And speaking of which... Okay, I admit...I don't even know enough to appreciate the levels of shear wrongness that this may or may not be. But I tried to for the earliest pistol I could and this was the only style I was able to find with a round, wooden pommel (and being discontinued it was pretty tricky to track down!). Next is a vintage Moroccan powder flask. Wrong? Yup. But it'll do! Don't worry, it gets better from here... Next is a spear. The head is rounded for stage combat and general safety (with my luck I would have dropped it and impaled one of the cats). It's mounted to a stained wooden dowl and finished with a burnt umber silk tassel. And finally is a rapier with a leather hanger, custom made by Jesse Belsky Stage Swords. One last touch is a small medal (which appears in some of the etchings). I was trying to find something with a Dutch lion, but ended up stumbling upon this vintage Renaissance Faire medallion, which I think is from the late 80s or early 90s. I think it’s super charming. And I totally forget to wear it! And that's it! The crazy mix-and match is done...in all of its bonkers glory!!! But then I dropped a PCV pipe on my face trying to set up a backdrop to take photos and split the bridge of my nose (See? I told you I couldn't be trusted with dangerous things...). And so apart for a brief outing at the local Ren Faire (though restyled for early 17th.c) it sat in the closet for the better part of the last year. But now the backdrop is up, and this project is officially finished! *** Resources & Materials Pattern: -The Tudor Tailor (book and/or ready-made pattern as a starting point. Now heavily edited) -The Marquess of Winchester Coif #4 (with significant edits) Fabric: -Rust worsted wool from FB marketplace. -Black "Judy" linen (5.5 oz) Gray Line Linen -White linen (2.8oz) from WM Booth Draper -Red and rosy-beige silk from Mood Fabrics -Hemp/cotton muslin for interlining (10.5) from Hemp Traders -Muslin for mockup (also from Hemp Traders, but any muslin should do) Trim and Notions: -Black Shindo cotton herringbone tape (3mm, 6mm & 15mm) from Ribbons -Gold lace trim from lacetrimwholesalers on Etsy -Linen tape (1/4") from WM Booth Draper Thread: -Black silk thread -Blue silk thread -Black buttonhole thread -Rust cotton -White cotton thread (silk finish) for coif and partlets Boning: -7mm Plastic coated spring steel bones (4) from Vena Cava Design -5mm Synthetic whalebone also from Vena Cava Design Other Supplies: -Swedish pattern paper from Amazon. (This stuff is great! You can iron it!) -Pattern weights -Eyelet tape (for mockup)
Culture of the High Middle Ages. Age of the Carolingians, Byzantium, Capetians. Costume and Fashion History of the 10th century.
Seigneur. Vers la fin du XVIIe Siècle. D'après Chevignard. Ancien Régime. French Lord in the late 17th century. According Chevignard.
Hello everyone! I have finished this Vest for my client. The vest is made of silk and linen. Handmade buttons and buttonholes. NO fusible materials was used!!! **** Dear customers, please, check with me available time for a production. Usually I booked few months ahead. Thank you for your understanding. Please contact me if you have any questions. ******* This listing is for the vest only. You can purchas breeches here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1506534899/ ATTENTION !!! Before you pay your custom order PLEASE ask me to find out an available date for a producing. This item available only for custom order! ---------------------------------------------------------- Some fabric could be not available already. So, You can order in any different fabric which you want. ------ Feel free to ask me any question. Bets Wishes, Svetlana.
One of the challenges in the HSF I found the most interesting was the nr 5 Peasants and Pioneres back in Mars. Since I’m obviosly a “princess” when it comes to historical costumin…
And here it is at last, The finished “Sew 17th century challenge” ensemble: Inspiration pic (like you don’t know by now…) Skirt + Coif (headwear) + Cufs + Fur shawl + Bod…
I'm a bit behind on finishing and documenting some Historical Sew Fortnightly challenges so let's get caught up! The Challenge: #19 Wood, Metal, Bone Fabric: 3.5 yds wool flannel, 0.5 yds cotton voile for lining, 1 yd cotton twill for interfacing, 0.5 yd mystery wool fabric for guards Pattern: Self drafted from tutorial on elizabethancostume.net Year: 1570s ish Notions: 4 steel bones, 2 plastic bones, ribbon for lacing How historically accurate is it? As far as materials go, linen lining would have been more accurate and I should have completely lined the kirtle and not just the bodice but I was going for cheap on the parts you couldn't see. I handsewed almost the entire gown using the tutorials here and here. The only things I sewed by machine are the boning channels and one side of the guard and one side of the skirt facing. So yay for historical accuracy on the construction! I think that for the next go around, I'll hand sew the bodice only and do the skirt by machine. I really like they ways the bodice went together and how the hand sewn eyelets looked but the skirt was loooooong and boring. I really like the shape it gives me with just 6 bones! Eeep! And it's so comfy to wear! I plan on wearing it under my court dress instead of a corset when it's cold. Hours to complete: I lost track somewhere around 30 so I'll say about 40 First worn: October '13 to the Ohio Renaissance Festival Total cost: $30 The Challenge: Outer Wear Fabric: cotton voile and faux fur Pattern: self-drafted Year: 1570s Notions: none How historically accurate is it? I did find some evidence of fur lined parlets in portraits so it's good in theory. Real fur and wool would have been much more accurate but I wanted to do a quick, stash busting project. It does keep me quite warm so I'll call it a success. Hours to complete: 2 First worn: September '13 Total cost: all stash so free :) Fur! Woot woot! I'm a bad blogger who didn't do a dress diary but here's some in progress shots of the kirtle.
