Brown Wool Kirtle: Complete!!!

Hey peeps!

So, I finally got my butt into gear and finished my brown woolen kirtle - hooray! This is the first official addition to my 1525 Middle-class Wardobe and it works REALLY REALLY WELL! I've rarely been so happy with the fit and level of commitment I've put into a creation. Hopefully, adding more pieces to my collection and documenting them on here will inspire you peoples to enter my garbing competition and allow me to make things for YOU!

So, to cut to the chase and give the people what they want: completey photos!

Here's the kirtle worn over a (mid-16th century) chemise that won't be making an appearance in my Wardrobe:

Detail: eyelets inside and outside the bodice, including the lacing cord stitched to the top of the bodice, near the neckline (the kirtle is spiral laced down from neckline to vent):

Detail: flat-felled seam leading to bound hem:

Detail: inside showing the lining and hem bound with top fabric (slip stitched down):

Things I would change about this kirtle:

1. The vent slit in the skirt doesn't sit exactly flat. I think I need to tweak it and might do that when I have a half an hour or so to fill.
2. I would change the neckline. I now feel obliged to make a v-necked gown, which I've decided I don't like as much as a square or round neck. Hm. It didn't occur to me, I guess. There are plenty of period effigies and such that show differing necklines of a kirtle beneath a gown in the early 16th century, so all is not lost. It's only with the court gowns that this seems to be uncommon, and that's probably because the nobility could afford to have things made and remade much more often than the middle class. I'll just make sure I don't make my Holyday kirtle and gown with different necklines.
3. There is no aiglet on the end of my lace! I need to fix this, but I'm not sure where to get them from. All of the ones I've found so far seem to be chunky, so much chunkier than the lace itsely, which is 3-4mm in diameter. I want one that actually looks the business, so I have to wait until I can find them.

Next up: Smocks, I think! Since I don't have any that are suitable for this early in the 16th century. Time to go linen shopping at fabrics-store.com. I think I'l buy enough linen for a few smocks and make a bunch all at once, yay! Boring for you kids, probably, but it'll mean I can work from the foundation garments up.


<3 E.

P.S. check back in a couple of hours for a series of photos showing all the essential components of middle class Englishwomen's garb from the mid-C16th! It's not related to my Wardrobe project but it might be educational. Or something. Probably not, though... <_<