Historical Recreation of Dress Principals of Design and Construction.
Historical recreation sewing is not like every day sewing. While you bring your knowledge base with you to this discipline, there are some differences. Your skill at installing zippers will become a little redundant here. You will learn that you have equal need for a hammer and pair of pliers as you do needle and thread.
It should be mentioned that I make all my own patterns and I do not rely on any commercial patterns when making historical clothing.
Commercial patterns that claim to be historically reproductions are rarely accurate. They are however a good START point. You should never be satisfied with with what they offer you, and always look for ways to improve the fit, shape, trim, finish and authenticity.
For most of the Historical sewing I do, which is mid to late 16th century, the first thing needed is a good bodice pattern. After the foundations of course. if you have that you can go any where.
Bodices are the first step really. I prefer the tape and sacrificial T-shirt method for getting that perfect fit. But after that the toile needs to be fitted. Once you have the basic bodice shape you can alter it as you require. Lengthen the front, widen the neck. narrow the shoulders, what ever the style needs.
Sleeves are easy too. Take a commercial patter if you are not confident in drafting, one that fits nicely and is plain and then splice and dice as necessary. Trace off the parts you need then start having fun with them, expanding them and lengthening them to suit your patterning needs. Make sure you put in all the seam allowances as you make new pieces.
Skirts are a matter of gathering 4 - 10 metres of fabric into a waist of a dress or a band. The gathering can be done by various form of pleating or cartridge pleating. My skirts are all cut on the straight, but if you choose to make a gored skirt the waists are still normally larger than the waist they are going into and cartridge pleated. Gored skirts give you less bulk at the top and greater fullness at the hems, this makes them extra spectacular for dancing. I work on a ration of 1:4 at a minimum and 1:6 as an optimum for my skirts. If the hips are 80cm then I want at least 360cm in the skirt, minimum. I prefer 1:6 ratio, this is what works for me. For my Venetian frocks it changes slightly. Those skirts are very full, so our of the 10 meter piece of fabric I start with for the dress what ever is left over after the bodice and sleeves goes into the skirt.
I line all my bodices and sleeves so that they sit and feel better. The skirts generally are not lined as I wear underskirts.
If you are using a napped fabric such as velvet, velveteen or some silks, ensure that you are cutting the nap in the same direction for all pattern pieces. Allow extra fabric to make up for the different pattern placement.
The same applies for any brocades. Additionally with brocades pattern matching is a consideration for pattern piece placement. Additional material may have to be factored into the initial purchase to compensate for this.
When you have finished your new frock and before you hem it, hang it for about a week to allow for any distortion. Occasionally fabrics will drop after they have been cut. This is normally when the fabric has been cut on the bias, but I have know of it to happen on the straight of the grain also.
When folding fabric along the grain you may find it helpful to pin the selvedge edges together. Make sure that you have no twists in the fabric also. This helps stop the fabric moving while you are cutting.
Place pattern pieces so that the part you want less distorted, like the front opening for lacing on the straight of the grain.
Place pattern pieces that you want to mould more to your body on the bias. Pieces like the shoulders in very fitted bodices should go in the bias so that they fit better to the shoulder. This is a consideration when you are making your pattern.
Purchase some large manila envelopes in which to keep your patterns so they don't get lots or damaged. Label the envelop clearly so you can find it easily.
Keep any instructions you need in the envelope with your pattern.
Shoulder seams on renaissance dress tends not to be at the point of the shoulder. It is rather set to the back of the shoulder.
Side seams are not normally under the arm at the side as with modern patterns. The are further to the back and are more side back seams.
Arm holes historically are not necessarily where they are most comfortable. Decide what you want in this one. Authenticity or freedom and range of movement. Sometimes these things don't always go together.
Boning and interfacing are essential components of this style of dress making. In addition to boning and interfacing and lining there is the occasional need to pad or quilt a bodice particularly. This could be sue to the nature of the fabric used or because the portrait you are working from has that look about it ..... I can't describe it but you will get an eye for it as you progress.
Repeat after me, " Hand sewing is fun, I like hand sewing, I prefer hand sewing to sewing by machine!" Hand sewing can not be avoided in this art. Get used to it and get a thimble.
Cartridge Pleating can only be done effectively by hand. This like will show you one way to apply cartridge pleating with lovely results. (Pliers can occasionally be needed here too.)
Zippers and Velcro are OUT.
Buttons, hooks and eyes, eyelets and lacing rings are in. (This is where the hammer and pliers come into it all.)
Eyelets worked over with embroidery floss look better than plain metal eyelets. Personal opinion. Also they are more authentic. This treatment can be seen in Janet Arnolds Patterns of Fashion, The Cut and Construction of Clothes for Men and Women 1560 - 1620; Macmillan, 1985
When there is a corner that requires a definite point, clip it heavily to eliminate the bulk in the area.
Lining an article by hand, like a bodice, instead of bag lining, gives a different and more authentic finish to an item.
I line all my sleeves. It feels nicer and is a practice from the time and location I am dealing with.
Clip all curve to allow a smooth seem. This applies to all curved seems.
Allow extra for the length of the skirts. It is easier to cut off that to try to add on.
When I work on an outfit I use a hybrid method of construction. I use my modern knowledge and skills combined with historically researched techniques to achieve a nice compromise to give an effect that is as close as I am able to get to accurate. I don't have the same materials and tools available to me as were available 400 - 500 years ago so I have to make the most of that which I do have.
A good article on basic techniques
The patterns I choose to recreate have a different silhouette to the modern silhouette. The hips are desirable when full and the torso is flattened not showing any curvature under the breasts. There for these things need to be thought of when creating an historical women's outfit, keeping in mind that I am really only referring to a very narrow time frame of 1530 - 1600, on predominantly Italian / Venetian .
There are some considerations when wishing to recreate a dress from a portrait.
Is this a real dress or an allegorical figure?
Where are the seam lines?
Where is the waist line?
Where is sleeve attached?
What is happening with the hem?
What are the most likely textiles used?
What method of attachment is used for the skirt?
How full is the skirt ?
What method is used for the skirt i.e.. gathering pleating gores?
How do you access the dress ?
Where are the fastenings ?
What fastenings are used ?
Are the sleeves fitted or semi fitted ?
Are the sleeves in more than one part ?
Do the sleeves detach as a single unit or in separate pieces ?
What under pinnings are needed to make this dress work ?
What are the most appropriate fabrics ?
What are the most appropriate colours ?
What are the most appropriate trims ?
How much time do I have ?
How much is it going to cost ?
How can I get good advice and help ?
How do I keep my sanity ?
Juan de Alcega, 1589, and Janet Arnolds Patterns of Fashion 1560 - 1620 are the bibles of historical dress for my time frame. They are how ever not the only references available. Any extant clothing is just gold for from a historical clothiers point of view, and this is part of what makes Janet Arnolds Patterns of Fashion 1560 - 1620 so invaluable.
The Renaissance Tailor site has a great online collection of patterns. Manuscripts such as Cesare Vecellio's Costume Plates 1589 are also valuable resources. There are many other manuscripts from the time, (some are available on line and there are links for these in my links page) but my research so far has put into some doubt the credibility of some of these. (More on that another time, I feel a thesis coming on.) I am not suggesting not to use them, rather to cross reference them with other sources.
Never think that you can take a historical pattern and simply apply it directly to your body. These were patterns made for other people. Just as your friends cloths may not fit you, these patters were not made for you specifically either. What needs to be done is to take the principals of the pattern, i.e. the seam lines, neck line etc and apply these to your body.
Make a mock up or draft pattern and start fitting it. Naturally you will have all the appropriate underpinnings first, wont you? If you don't, your finial creation will not reach it full potential because you choose to skip an essential ingredient in this recipe.
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intellectual content, composition, layout, designs and photographs copyright
2007 to Deborah Lane ©
, 2003 to Deborah Murray ©
or Mistress Oonagh O'Neill ©.
All Original renaissance art works and artifacts are not copyright to Deborah
Lane, and are shown for educational use only. If you see something you'd
really like to use, please contact me!