1490’s Under Gown
After completing two mock-ups to perfect the fit, I began on my actual dress. I started with 2 layers of cotton duck stitched together with boning channels for plastic boning–heavy-duty cable ties. The straps were just two layers of duck quilted together.
Once these two layers were stitched together and the boing inserted into the channels, I added a third layer of duck on the side that would have the fashion fabric to help reduce the bumps from the boning showing through to the fashion fabric. On the other side, I sewed in my linen lining. The straps had a button sewn on the inside at the apex of the shoulder for the sleeves to eventually attach to.
Next, I cut the fashion fabric slightly larger than my inner layers and lining and wrapped my fashion fabric around the inner layers. I pinned this down and then stitched the fashion fabric in place. Being careful to not go through all the layers so the fashion fabric on the front was unmarred by stitches. I then whip stitched–from the inside– the straps onto the front and back bodice pieces.
The neckline trim came next. I pleated my wide trim to curve it around the neckline. I clipped it down and then stitched it in place. I then added my narrow gold and pearl trim at the top and bottom of the wide pleated trim and also hand tacked that down to finish the neckline. This completed the bodice.
Once the bodice was complete, I moved on to the skirt. The skirt was nine panels panel. The front was a large center front and two narrow center sides pieces to give me 3x the length of the bottom of the bodice front’s length. The back was a large center back and then two slightly less narrow side pieces to give me 3x the length of the bottom of the bodice back’s length. There were gores on both sides. The gores were a full width of my fabric cut on the diagonal. One gore was one piece and the second gore was the two edge pieces seamed together. All seams here were machine flat-felled. The top and bottom edges were then finished with single fold bias tape.
The skirt was then pleated and attached to the bodice using a whip stitch from the inside. There was a small gap left between the front and back bodice at both sides to allow for ease of getting in and out of the underdress.
The hem trim and doppia (hem stiffening) were my wide trim from my neckline with two layers of synthetic horsehair braid between the trim and the fashion fabric. The doppia allows for the skirt to have more stiffness at the bottom of the hem to help it stay out from underfoot. This was machine sewn.
When worn over the camica, the necklines layer and you see the detail on the camica neckline and then the neckline of the under gown.
Beautiful work!
Your fabric choices are so pretty!!