Sewing Notes-Alterations
Aug. 11th, 2007 09:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
threadwalkerTopic: Alterating historical garments
Why bother? Each dress is an investment: money, time, heart. I don't part with any of these lightly. If they can be recycled, I will recycle them as my first option.
I hate to reinvent the wheel, so I'm jotting down my notes on sewing. This is going to be an entry that is updated and moved forward in my calendar as I make progress. This is not about the research that went into designing and constructing this outfit, it's strictly about altering it due to weight loss.
The gamurra is a 15th century Italian garment worn by women. It was worn over the chemise and fulfills 2 roles: it is support function for breasts and it is foundation for the cioppa (over dress or over robe). It is frequently recorded as being made from wool. When I surveyed 15th century bodices in art one year I found equivalent garments in Spain and the Low Countries.
I have 3 dark red gamurras: silk, wool and linen. Before I made these dresses I had been wanting a dark red gamurra for years. I visualized it many times before I finally got around to making one. It was not, however, my intent to make the same dress in the same color from three different fabrics; the plan was a tourney version and an indoor version. Apparently I sometimes have too much going on and can't remember what I did yesterday. I made the wool one 4 years ago for a particular June Crown. Right after that the chaos in my life swelled and I forgot I had it and switched back to yearning for a red gamurra. I made the silk one for the subsequent Boar Hunt in November 4 years ago and, still forgetting I had the wool one, I made the linen one for the first Erinwood (Labor Day weekend, 2 years ago). Right after Erinwood I rediscovered the wool one in the mending pile and Voila! I now have 3 red gamurra.
Yes, welcome to my insane world of high velocity project management and periodic chaos crunching.
Anyway, I love this dress for the fit, the way it moves and for its comfort. I'm not willing to part with any of them unless I must. Therefore, I now embark on a journey of recycling my historical clothing into new clothing.
Future Draft Picks:
I don't need 3 of the exact same dress in the same color and will be remaking some of them into something else. The linen gamurra will stay a gammura. The wool gamurra may become a 16th century flemish kirtle. The silk gamurra may become a stiffened underdress for future-pick late 16th century Italian ren.
Project 1: altering a 1450's Gamurra, made of red linen.
Scope of change: I believe I made this dress 30 lbs ago although I wore it when I was 40 lbs heavier as well. Linen has a lot of give and this is a style that can "gap" up the center front to reveal a narrow strip of the chemise.
Construction Notes:
1. Entire outfit made of linen and lined in linen (both layers est 5.3 oz).
2. All seams machine constructed and hand finished. Bodice seam construction: center front (lacing), 1 per side, center back
3. Center front closures are metal eyelets attached to outsided of dress
4. Skirt waist edge was sealed/finshed before being attached to bodice. Skirt is hand-hemmed.
5. Forearm of sleeve is "bag" lined. Forearm is fitted and slit up outside where it laces shut. Forearm is sewn to upper sleeve, which is "puffed". Sleeves sewn into bodice.
6. bodice is flat-lined. This has increased ease of taking apart and refitting.
Refitting notes:
1. I pinned up the center front and I have to take the bodice in by 4 inches.
2. The waist has also dropped downwards, so I need to lift it by an inch.
3. The skirt has always been too long, so I'll probably roll it one more time after I reattach it.
4. The fitted forearms are not fitted anymore. This was unexpected, but no big deal. I'm not going to change them since they lace shut and camisa (chemise) sleeves also gets stuffed in there. I wear them turned back most of the time, anyway.
De-construction notes:
1. Taking this apart was a cinch. Hand stitches come out very easy and don't damage the fabric as they are pulled out.
2. Since the skirt was finished at the waist, I took it off and it is not fraying or unraveling and there is very little visible stress to the fabric from removing the button-hole thread that was used to attach this to the bodice.
Reconstruction Notes:
1. The "plan" was to take it in by 1/2 inch at each side seam (1/2 * 4 = 2 inches) and 1 inch off each center front panel (1 * 2 = 2 inches).
2. I machine basted my side seams and all "seamed" well. Then I geeked. I didn't redraw my center front line and ended up taking too much off the front. It worked out okay since I had not cut the side seams, only basted them. I reduced my side-seams down to compensate and pinched it shut. Looks fine.
3. If the front had worked in holes instead of metal eyelets, my strategy would be different. I'm planning that foray for the wool and silk gamurras which do have holes worked in the fabric.
4. I did not mess with the center back on the bodice; it still fits fine.
5. Neckline had to be recut otherwise it would look like a "V" neck instead of a scoop.
Next:
-turn neckfacing
-add lacing rings to center front
-attach skirt
-wack off skirt excess (save extra chunk in a zip-lock and label zip lock w/ dress for future mending purposes.)
Why bother? Each dress is an investment: money, time, heart. I don't part with any of these lightly. If they can be recycled, I will recycle them as my first option.
I hate to reinvent the wheel, so I'm jotting down my notes on sewing. This is going to be an entry that is updated and moved forward in my calendar as I make progress. This is not about the research that went into designing and constructing this outfit, it's strictly about altering it due to weight loss.
The gamurra is a 15th century Italian garment worn by women. It was worn over the chemise and fulfills 2 roles: it is support function for breasts and it is foundation for the cioppa (over dress or over robe). It is frequently recorded as being made from wool. When I surveyed 15th century bodices in art one year I found equivalent garments in Spain and the Low Countries.
I have 3 dark red gamurras: silk, wool and linen. Before I made these dresses I had been wanting a dark red gamurra for years. I visualized it many times before I finally got around to making one. It was not, however, my intent to make the same dress in the same color from three different fabrics; the plan was a tourney version and an indoor version. Apparently I sometimes have too much going on and can't remember what I did yesterday. I made the wool one 4 years ago for a particular June Crown. Right after that the chaos in my life swelled and I forgot I had it and switched back to yearning for a red gamurra. I made the silk one for the subsequent Boar Hunt in November 4 years ago and, still forgetting I had the wool one, I made the linen one for the first Erinwood (Labor Day weekend, 2 years ago). Right after Erinwood I rediscovered the wool one in the mending pile and Voila! I now have 3 red gamurra.
Yes, welcome to my insane world of high velocity project management and periodic chaos crunching.
Anyway, I love this dress for the fit, the way it moves and for its comfort. I'm not willing to part with any of them unless I must. Therefore, I now embark on a journey of recycling my historical clothing into new clothing.
Future Draft Picks:
I don't need 3 of the exact same dress in the same color and will be remaking some of them into something else. The linen gamurra will stay a gammura. The wool gamurra may become a 16th century flemish kirtle. The silk gamurra may become a stiffened underdress for future-pick late 16th century Italian ren.
Project 1: altering a 1450's Gamurra, made of red linen.
Scope of change: I believe I made this dress 30 lbs ago although I wore it when I was 40 lbs heavier as well. Linen has a lot of give and this is a style that can "gap" up the center front to reveal a narrow strip of the chemise.
Construction Notes:
1. Entire outfit made of linen and lined in linen (both layers est 5.3 oz).
2. All seams machine constructed and hand finished. Bodice seam construction: center front (lacing), 1 per side, center back
3. Center front closures are metal eyelets attached to outsided of dress
4. Skirt waist edge was sealed/finshed before being attached to bodice. Skirt is hand-hemmed.
5. Forearm of sleeve is "bag" lined. Forearm is fitted and slit up outside where it laces shut. Forearm is sewn to upper sleeve, which is "puffed". Sleeves sewn into bodice.
6. bodice is flat-lined. This has increased ease of taking apart and refitting.
Refitting notes:
1. I pinned up the center front and I have to take the bodice in by 4 inches.
2. The waist has also dropped downwards, so I need to lift it by an inch.
3. The skirt has always been too long, so I'll probably roll it one more time after I reattach it.
4. The fitted forearms are not fitted anymore. This was unexpected, but no big deal. I'm not going to change them since they lace shut and camisa (chemise) sleeves also gets stuffed in there. I wear them turned back most of the time, anyway.
De-construction notes:
1. Taking this apart was a cinch. Hand stitches come out very easy and don't damage the fabric as they are pulled out.
2. Since the skirt was finished at the waist, I took it off and it is not fraying or unraveling and there is very little visible stress to the fabric from removing the button-hole thread that was used to attach this to the bodice.
Reconstruction Notes:
1. The "plan" was to take it in by 1/2 inch at each side seam (1/2 * 4 = 2 inches) and 1 inch off each center front panel (1 * 2 = 2 inches).
2. I machine basted my side seams and all "seamed" well. Then I geeked. I didn't redraw my center front line and ended up taking too much off the front. It worked out okay since I had not cut the side seams, only basted them. I reduced my side-seams down to compensate and pinched it shut. Looks fine.
3. If the front had worked in holes instead of metal eyelets, my strategy would be different. I'm planning that foray for the wool and silk gamurras which do have holes worked in the fabric.
4. I did not mess with the center back on the bodice; it still fits fine.
5. Neckline had to be recut otherwise it would look like a "V" neck instead of a scoop.
Next:
-turn neckfacing
-add lacing rings to center front
-attach skirt
-wack off skirt excess (save extra chunk in a zip-lock and label zip lock w/ dress for future mending purposes.)
