Tudor Kirtle c.1545

Creating the Pattern

Unknown Artist c. 1546 Portrait of Princess Elizabeth

The most challenging part in creating a pattern for this gown was working out how to make the shoulder straps sit in the right position. I had a pre existing bodice pattern, which I had adapted from Simplicity 8881, however the neckline shape it produces is noticably different to the fashionable neckline of the 1540s. As I wanted this kirtle to be part of my reconstruction of Princess Elizabeth's outfit (left) I decided that the Shakespeare in Love pattern did not produce the right look.

My maroon wool dress, using Simplicity 8881 without the Princess Seams

At first I thought the solution was not to have any shoulder straps at all. Because the back of the bodice is cut in a v shape, instead of ending square, as you can see in the picture to the right I tapered it away to a point. This meant that between the top of my shoulder and the front of my bodice the sleeve was not attached to anything. This produced almost the right look, but I found that it was much harder to work out the right tension as a compromise between staying on my shoulder and allowing me free movement. I was also not quite comfortable with that big a leap from what we know was done in period.

my original back bodice pattern (modified Simplicity 8881)

Original Simplicity 8881 bodice (right) and my altered version (left)

One good thing about this draft of the pattern was the opportunity to take in the centre back seam. The last time I used Simplicity 8881 I discovered too late that the upper back was too loose, which helped to allow it to slip off my shoulders. Unfortunately I made the mistake of not making a mock up of the pattern before I used it and by the time I realised the fitting problem I had already (hand) sewn the eyelets all the way down the back. I couldn't take it from the centre back because it would change the grain beside the eyelets allowing them to stretch out of shape. I was also not willing to put in the effort of sewing a new set of eyelets. I am still in the process of trying to take the excess fabric out of the sides. To the left you can see a side by side comparison between the original back pattern and my modified back pattern. After this dress was completed I discovered that taking in the upper back had caused problems at the waistline. As you can see in the photo, my modified pattern is much longer at the centre back I assumed that this would simply mean a higher back neckline, which is essentially a good thing (it makes it harder for the straps to fall off). However I found that it also meant that the centre back dips below my natural waistline, which not only gives the wrong look but also gives me a back ache, this will be corrected when I have some spare time.

Unknown Artist, c. 1544 Portrait of Princess Mary

Once I had altered the back half of my bodice pattern I turned my attention to the front. When I discussed my problem of shoulder straps that sit on the edge of the shoulder without falling off with Deb Murray she pointed me to the pattern from Juan de Alcega's Tailor's book you can see to the right. This pattern appeared to solve my problem in that the shoulder strap angled inwards meaning it was possible to recreate the way the strap follows a curve around the arm. You can see this in portraits such as Princess Mary where the strap begins almost underneath the arm and curves around the shoulder.

Pattern for a woman's low cut bodice and kirtle. From Juan de Alcega's pattern book 1589

The first draft of my front bodice pattern

You can see my first draft of this pattern to the left. I was worried about having too sharp an angle so I cut it only slightly off the straight grain. Unfortunately that meant there was barely any bias stretch and it would not neatly follow the curve around the shoulder. When I pulled the end of the strap into the appropriate position it gaped around the armhole.

In an attempt to fix this I pinned a series of darts on the outer edge of the shoulder strap. I had a vague recollection of another costumer's dress diary in which she mentioned a curved shoulder strap. I therefore thought that would be the sollution to my problem. At the same time I cut about an inch off the top edge of the bodice. Because this bodice had been designed to be worn over a corset the neckline was higher to cover the corset. This kirtle was designed to act in place of my corset therefore I wanted the neckline to be at the same point. I didn't like the way the shoulder strap looked when it came out in a vertical line, I also thought that not having the bias stretch would compromise my ability to move my shoulder.

The second draft of my front bodice pattern.

My third draft of the bodice pattern

I thought that maybe my problem had been not enough bias stretch on the shoulder strap so I went back to my original pattern and pinned a dart in the shoulder strap to change the shouder strap angle. I tried to help with some of the gaping problem by taking a dart in the underarm area before tracing it onto my new fabric. I also thought moving the whole strap outwards by adding a little more onto the outside edge would help to achieve the look I was after. This was a vast improvement on my last two attempts but I still had a slight problem with gaping when I pulled the strap out to the edge of my shoulder. The bias stretch and the closer fit in the underarm area meant that this problem was much less pronounced than in my first draft.

I decided to change tactics and do a bit more research into what other people had done. I discovered exactly where I had read about a curved shoulder seam, Bess Chilver's dress diary on her 1540s style wedding gown. I realised that Bess had come up with a compromise between my second and third drafts, her shoulder strap angled inwards at the base but then curved outwards as it got higher over the shoulder. I took my third draft and pinned three shallow darts higher up on the shoulder strap to create a slight curve. This eliminated the gaping around the arm hole

The fourth and final draft of the bodice pattern

This page is maintained by Elizabeth Walpole

Known in the SCA as Elizabeth Beaumont

Last updated, 17 November 2004