Elizabethan Burgundy Gown: Yet More Undergarmets

I've been working on this project, but apparently haven't updated in a while. My stays are finished save for the grommets. They're made of a double layer of linen, boned with reeds with a wooden busk in the front and steel bones at the back center for reinforcement, and bound at the edges with burgundy bias tape. I was originally going to put in hand-bound eyelets rather than metal grommets, but have decided against it. Mostly because nobody's going to see the stays anyway, and hand bound eyelets will take a whole lot of time. So metal grommets it is. I did realize belatedly that being made of only two layers of linen, these stays are going to wear out quickly around the grommets. So I'm sewing another two layers of linen about 4 inches wide along each back edge. Hopefully this will keep them from wearing out as quickly.



I've also finished my Spanish farthingale and bumroll. The farthingale is made of two rectangular pieces of fabric for the front and back, with triangular gores at the sides, as described on the Elizabethan Costuming website (http://www.elizabethancostume.net/farthingale/period.html). I made a few adjustments to the pattern described here, mostly adjusting the width. I found a wonderful online resource for sizing farthingales (http://www.margaretroedesigns.com/calculator.html) from Margaret Roe Designs. This calculator has you input the desired bottom hoop circumference (115 inches for mine), length from your waist to the floor, waist measurement, and the number of rows of boning you want, and it tells you the circumference of each boning circle and how far apart to place them. I cut the two rectangular pieces for the front and back slightly bigger than my waist measurement, then adjusted the size of the gores to achieve the desired hoop circumference in each spot. It ties at the top with a ribbon drawstring. The bone channels are of bias tape that I made myself out of the same fabric (separate article to come on that later - making your own bias tape without buying a bias tape maker). The bones are just plain plastic-covered wire hoop boning. I connected them with a 4 inch piece of flexible plastic tubing that I got at the hardware store. The tubing wasn't quite as stiff as I would like; it still bends a bit where it's connected, as you may can see from the picture below. I also may have made it too long, but other than that, I'm pleased with it.



I've also made my bumroll. This one is made, once again, with instructions from the Elizabethan costuming page (http://www.elizabethancostume.net/bumroll.html). I cut down the measurements described there slightly, as those seemed really big. I made it about 6 inches in the back and 4 inches on the sides. It's stuffed with polyester batting on the ends, but I ran out in the middle, and stuffed the rest of it with fabric scraps.







As soon as I get my corset grommet-ed, I hope to start on the bodice for the gown. I may not get to it this weekend, but hopefully soon.

Elizabethan Burgundy Gown: More Undergarmets

I worked on my Elizabethan stays pretty much all day today. I began with the Online Custom Corset Pattern Generator, once again, from the Elizabethan Costume Page. I made a few changes: I deepened the point in the front a little bit to allow room for my wooden busk, added a little more material under the arm, as it looked really small there, and I added some boned tabs to the waistline, as I've read tabs make Elizabethan corsets much more comfortable.

I was going to make a mock-up of this corset out of some material from a thrift store couch cover, but I went a little overboard, and pretty much made an entire separate corset. I cut out the corset, and decided to sew a few boning channels and bone them with plastic cable ties to check the fit. By the time I got the front of the corset finished, I decided to go ahead and bone the whole thing.





So now I will have two corsets. The process for Elizabethan corsets is very easy. You pretty much just cut it out, sew the sides together to make a fabric sandwich, turn it inside out and start sewing boning channels. I did them by machine, and each is about 1/4 inch. I sewed the first one, then lined the previous stitch with the edge of my sewing machine foot to sew the next channel - resulting in boning channels the perfect width for my cable ties. I read about using cable ties from another costumer's blog. They work very well from what I can tell so far. They're pretty flexible, while still being supportive. I got them at a hardware store ($7 for a pack of 100) cut them to size, and slipped them in the boning channels. I have a wooden busk in the center front, and I used metal grommets in the back. I offset the grommets so I could spiral lace it. It worked well, but it was really difficult to get into by myself (You have to contort and reach and twist, and 20 minutes later, you have it on, but you're all hot and sweaty.) I still haven't yet finished binding the top and bottom with bias tape, and I ran out of cable ties in the back left section, but other than that, it's finished.

There's such a big difference between wearing an Elizabethan corset and a Victorian corset. The Victorian corset pulls in your waist and ends up in a nice hourglass shape. The Elizabethan corset is conical. It just flattens everything as much as possible. The bust is flattened and pushed up, creating that distinctive Elizabethan decolletage. Or should, when it fits correctly.

I'm glad I did make be mock-up, because after trying it on, I discovered it was a little too big in the bust, and I kept slipping down inside it. For my "real" corset, I cut the top back down by an inch and a half on each side, which will hopefully fix this problem.

The "real" corset is made from an off-white linen tablecloth (at least I'm pretty sure it's linen - if it's not, it sure looks and feels a lot like it). It's also stitched with burgundy thread, and will have a wooden busk down the center front. This one will be boned with reed rather than cable ties. In the interest of authenticity, I'm also planning to attempt hand-bound eyelets, if I can figure out how to make them. Because the metal ones are just not period at all, even if they're easy and relatively fast. I've already sewn all the boning channels, and will start putting the reeds in tomorrow. I was planning to add shoulder straps to this one, but only remembered after I had already cut the fabric.



I'm afraid I'm going to be seeing lines of burgundy thread in my sleep. More tomorrow.

Elizabethan Burgundy Gown: Undergarmets

Well, here we are back at the beginning, starting from the skin out. I have a smock!



It's made from approximately three yards of a white linen/rayon blend. It's a basic square-neck, T-tunic shaped smock, and the pattern came from the Elizabethan Smock Pattern Generator at the Elizabethan Costume Page (link here: http://www.elizabethancostume.net/smockpat/index.html). This pattern worked out perfectly for me, and I didn't need any alterations. I could use another six inches of length, but I ran out of fabric. I also wanted to met the look and feel of period Elizabethan blackwork embroidery on the neck and sleeves, but I don't so much embroidery. So I found a couple of stitches on my sewing machine that looked like they would work (and I don't have a fancy embroidery machine. These were just two of the 30 or so stitches it came with) and ran those around the neck and sleeves in plain black thread. You can certainly tell it's not period, but from a few feet away, I think it looks fine. Here's a close-up of the neck and a sleeve:



I've also begun work on my stays. I began with the Corset Pattern Generator, once again from the Elizabethan Costume Page (that place is an invaluable resource). I cut out the shape I came up with, and it looks awfully small, but with lacing and the squish factor, it will probably work out. I'm probably going to make some changes, by adding boned tabs and straps, as it just sounds like it would be more comfortable and supportive.



I'm also struggling with whether to make this corset front-lacing or back-lacing. Front-lacing stays have the advantage of being able to get in and out of them more easily, but really don't allow for any fitting mistakes or weight fluctuations like back-lacing stays do. Also, I bought a wooden busk that I want to use in the front center, which wouldn't be possible in front-lacing stays. But I'm not sure I can get into back-lacing stays by myself. I'm definitely going to go buy an old curtain or sheet at the thrift store tomorrow for fabric to make a mock-up and make sure everything is going to fit before I do the real thing.