Construction of the Body Linen

by | Nov 21, 2021 | 1530s, Camica | 0 comments

Construction of the Body Linen

by | Nov 21, 2021 | 1530s, Camica | 0 comments

The Yoke

 

 

 

 

The first step in construction is to form the yoke itself. I did this part entirely by hand. I whip stitched through the folds of strips of linen. I almost always cut thin strips like this at double the required width, so to get a straight edge, all you must do is fold the edges till they meet in the center.

 

 

The next step is to applique the lace to the front side of the linen. The eyelet edge is left off the edge of the linen on purpose. The body and sleeve panels will also be edged in lace, which will be whip stitched to the yoke edge, leaving an open row of eyelets.

 
 
 
 
 
After the lace on the front is applied, it’s time to add the ruffles. I went with a folded over knife pleat for a neat and tidy look that plays up the pristine square of the neck. (My plan is to make another set of body linen for this dress using a radically different ruffle style to give me more variety in my overall wardrobe.) The ruffle is made one section at a time, and fitted precisely into each corner.
 
 
  
 
 
The final step on the yoke is to back the linen base to encase all the raw edges and to support the entire garment. I used a cotton sateen bias tape. It’s very firmly woven and adds a great deal of structure to the yoke, even though it’s on the bias. As the body linen will be pushed into the body by the pressure of the gown, a smooth and flat inside is a giant help in wearing comfort.

The Cuffs

I started the sleeves at the cuff. I attached lace to the edge by machine. I used a multi stitch zig zag that blended rather well with the texture of the linen. I used a double box pleat for the ruffle, and cinched the pleats down by hand to add extra oomph to the spring.

 
 
  
 
For the actual cuff I used the same set up as the yoke. I used a linen base, a layer of the sateen bias, and then a layer of linen on top, which then has the same lace as the neckline appliques to the front.

The Sleeves

 

This is an extant body linen found in the book Old Italian Lace, by Elisa Ricci.  This is from the section of the book on “Mondano or Lacis, Drawn-Thread Work. Buratto.”

To construct the sleeves, and body I’m using lace insertion seams. These are hard to see in paintings, especially once Titian introduced painting on canvas and a looser style of working to portraits. The best way to see them is in the extant examples. An insertion seam is one where there is a strip of either embroidery or lace separating the two body panels. Everything from drawn thread work to bobbin lace are used, often in the same garment. I’m doing mine by machine for the sake of time and to save my hands. To do so, I’m folding the raw edge to the front of the panel, then laying the edge of the lace directly over it, and using a stupidly small zig zag to connect them securely. This is really hard on the eyes, and I found myself sewing with my forehead resting on my machine with my eyes crossed. It’s tedious, but still far faster than doing it by hand. I did find that to get it perfectly straight and even at the corners, I needed to start the seam by hand. I did about an inch by hand to start each one after several fiascos trying to do it all by machine.
  
 
 
The upper edge of the sleeve is double and triple knife pleated into the middle third of the panel, leaving the sides closer to the armpit flat. This is to get bulk out of the armpit, and up to the shoulder area where it is needed to poof. I decided to add a bit of “punto in aria” ( stitches in air) to maintain the pleats as they are wiggly because of the the multiple layers involved.
 
 
 
 
The overall sleeve is 45 inches square, with a 10 inch gusset. I am not well endowed, and a slightly smaller gusset keeps the bulk in the armpit to a minimum.

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