Project #10. F1.6 - "Women's silk skirt and bodice with full-length pointed sleeves"

This is Project #10, which is quite similar in style to Project #6 the "Skirt and bodice of cloth with puffed sleeves", but with the exception of long pointed sleeves instead of the curved back sleeve of previous projects.

This pattern is one of a small collection of 6 patterns in the book which are all laid out for the narrow silk fabric but because of the size of the garments are very wide patterns. In order to fit these on the page they have been presented on a double width fold out page, 3 to a side. The scale of the drawings is also a little smaller than the other patterns in the book, and the pages show some damage with folds and tears. Unlike the other patterns in the book they have had minimal cleaning up to make them legible.

The Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia, by Federico de Llano.

Isabella of Valois, by Sofonisba Anguissola.

Fabric
Alcega states that this garment requires a length of silk fabric 18 2/3 ells long x 2/3 of an ell wide, or 15m 68cm (approx 51' 5 1/4") long x 56cm (approx 22") wide. The fabric is folded crosswise, so the full width of the fabric is used.

Some mathematics and dimensions
Read from left to right the pattern pieces are the skirt front, godet A for the skirt front, godet B for the skirt back, the bodice back, the skirt back, the front side of each sleeve, the back pointed section of each sleeve and the bodice front. The bodice back and fronts are a little hard to see (especially as the front is disappearing into the spine of the book).

F1.6 pattern as presented in the book.

I did some minimal tidying up of the pattern a little in photo editing software to try and make it as clear as possible, removing some of the fold marks and drawing in a line over the tear. A few of the codes used to show the sizing are quite hard to read, but can be extrapolated.

F1.6 pattern cleaned up a little.

Many of the pattern pieces are the same size as in Project #6.

The skirt:
The front of the skirt on the left in the pattern is "bm" or 126cm (approx 4' 1 1/2") long, with a waist of "t" or 28cm (approx 11"). The bottom hem is shown as "b", 1 full ell wide or 84cm (approx 33"). The fabric is only 56cm (approx 22") wide, which means that the bottom edge of godet A must be "t" or 1/3 ell, 28cm (approx 11") wide.

The back skirt waist is "m" or 42cm (approx 16 1/2"), and the full width of the back piece at the hem is achieved with a side piecing godet B, which also takes the full width of the fabric. The back length of the train is "bbb" or 3 ells in total, 252cm (approx 8' 3 1/4") from waist to hem. As the fabric is folded crosswise, there is no centre back or centre front fold and so a seam runs down the centre back of the skirt.

The bodice:
The bodice front and back are tough to see but appear to be identical in dimensions and shape to the doublet from Project #6. The bodice front is "QQQ" or 63cm (approx 2' 1") long, the side seam is "Q" or 21cm long (approx 8 1/4"), and both the shoulder seam and the front neck opening run off the edge of the pattern into the spine of the book but are most likely both "s" or 14cm (approx 5 1/2"). The back waist is also shown as "s", and although the shoulder and back neck opening aren't labelled they are most likely "s" or 14cm (approx 5 1/2") and for the shoulder and "o" or 10.5cm (just over 4") for the back neck opening. (Instead there is one dimension given for the total width across the upper back, "Q" or 21cm long (approx 8 1/4") wide, which is consistent with the other patterns.)

The back length is shown as "m" or 42cm (approx 1' 4 1/2"), and although there is no side seam dimension given on the back, it must be "Q" also in order to match the side seam on the bodice front. There is no specific measurement given for the arm hole, but as in the other doublet and bodice patterns, it can't be larger than the sleeve head or the sleeve will not fit. It is very difficult to see because a fold line runs through the middle of them, but it is also clear from the armhole of the doublet back that there are 8 tabs detailed for the armhole as in Project #6.

The collar:
There is specific mention of cutting the collar from the excess fabric, so although it is not shown in the pattern I'll use the same collar pieces from Project #6.

The sleeves:
Each sleeve is made up of 4 pieces, 2 pieces of each sleeve are detailed in the pattern layout and are cut double as the fabric is folded crosswise. The sleeve head (where it attaches to the armhole) is shown as "Q" or 21cm (approx 8 1/4"). Doubled this makes the sleeve head "m" or 42cm (approx 16 1/2"), the same size as the other sleeves in the previous projects. The front sleeve length from armhole to wrist is "QQQ" or 63cm (approx 2' 1") long, the same as the sleeves in the silk doublet. The sleeves are made up with a godet, godet C. The front edge of the sleeve, from the wrist to the bottom of the point on godet C is "bm" or 126cm (approx 4' 1 1/2") and the back curving edge is "bQQQ" to the point, or 147cm (just under 4' 10").

Developing the pattern
The most unusual and dramatic feature of this gown is the sleeves. I was scratching my head at first as to how they went together, but when you consider the 4 pieces of each sleeve it becomes a little clearer.

The 4 pieces of each sleeve in detail. Click to enlarge.

I decided to draft the sleeve first and draw one half of it out on a single piece of paper to check the dimensions and curves. One thing I discovered was that unless I changed the angle of the sleeve dramatically from the pattern, I actually couldn't fit the front and back dimensions of "bm" and "bQQQ" on the double width of the fabric.

Sleeve pattern draft. The black lines represent fabric widths. Click to enlarge.

However, if I continued the front and back edges out slightly further past 2 fabric widths, and drew the sleeve back with a smoother curve, then I could accommodate all the dimensions exactly as written in the pattern. I think there is a small piecing required on the far right which has been omitted from the pattern, and it makes up the sharp point of the sleeve. It also explains why the point of the sleeve looks so cut off in the original pattern above.

The Mystery of the Missing Sleeve Point.

Once I had drafted the sleeves I moved on to the other pattern pieces.

Finished pattern layout. Click to enlarge.

The skirt front is the same as the skirt front in Project #6 and Project #7, with adjustment for the narrower silk fabric. The skirt back is almost the same as the one in Project #6, it's the same length but even though the fabric is narrower the large godet B means that it is actually wider at the hem. The waist size is the same however, so the angle of the edge that forms the seam to the skirt front swings out a little wider also.

The bodice front and back are also the same as the ones in Project #6, including the tabs detailed for the front and back armhole. There is mention of collar pieces but they are not detailed in the pattern, so I'll reuse the pattern pieces I developed in previous projects. I'll also add the missing sleeve point pieces to make up the sleeves.

Putting it together
I made up each sleeve in two halves first, sewing the small point piece to the middle piece of the three pieces, and then sewing them to the piece that makes up the front side of the sleeve.

Completed sleeve detail, with seams highlighted. Click to enlarge.

This sleeve has a large opening from armhole to cuff, so once I had made up all four pieces for the two sleeves I joined them in pairs along the curving back of the sleeve first. I then just joined the front in two small sections, at the top near the sleeve head and at the bottom near the wrist. Once I had done that I neatened the front edges by turning them under and sewing them down, although if I was making this as a full size garment this sleeve would have a lining and the raw front edges would be dealt with by folding under and having the lining attached.

I then made up the bodice in the same manner as the previous projects, sewing the fronts to the back piece by sewing up the side seams and then sewing closed the shoulder seams. I then made up the 4 pieces of the collar, and carefully matched the seams to the centre back and shoulder seams before sewing it on. I then turned under the front and bottom edges of the bodice and sewed them down to neaten.

In Project #6 I had made up the similar style of garment by attaching the skirt to a separate waistband, and making the bodice separately. I decided to use the alternate approach here and attach the skirt and bodice in this version, so it is one large garment that opens entirely down the centre front. I personally think a garment like this makes more sense as a bodice and skirt that are separate, but worn together. In terms of dressing, storing and cleaning the garments it just makes a lot more practical sense to me. I present this version as an alternative, but if making this up full sized I would opt for two separate pieces.

The completed gown. Click to enlarge.

I then applied the sleeves to the bodice, making sure that the front opening of the sleeve was roughly about mid way between the bust and the shoulder seam, so that the sleeve opening would be placed at the front of the arm. This then placed the back curve of the sleeve at about shoulder blade level on the back of the armhole which seemed perfect. It's worth noting that there is minimal shaping in the sleeve head (and both sleeves are interchangeable) so although the finished result looks fine and would give fantastic freedom of movement, you do end up with some folds and extra fabric under the armpit that does not happen with the shaping in modern sleeves.

Oops. It wasn't until I had finished the entire garment and dressed the mannequin that I realised I had totally forgotten the sleeve tabs for the armholes. They aren't a major construction point, but for more detail on how they look and are applied please have a look at Project #6.

Completed back view. Click to enlarge.

I then made up the front skirt panels by attaching godet A, and made up the back skirt by attaching the large godet B to each half of the skirt back and then sewing the centre back seam closed. I then attached the skirt fronts to the back along the side seams, and turned under and finished the front edges of the skirt front.

Skirt detail, with godets highlighted. Click to enlarge.

As I will be attaching the skirt to the bodice, I turned under the seam allowance of the waist and cartridge pleated the entire back before attaching it. I measured the flat skirt fronts on the mannequin and started pleating at a point on the skirt front where the hip was, all the way across the back to the same point on the other side. I then attached the skirt to the bodice, and I found the easiest way to do this was to overlap the bodice fronts onto the skirt fronts, and match the front opening edges of both, before drawing up the pleats and attaching the cartridge pleated section first.

Clunky to describe, but the end result is that the skirt edge and bodice edge are sewn together across the back from hip to hip, and the skirt fronts are tacked in place underneath the bodice point and sewn down firmly along the front opening. As I said, probably best to make this as a two piece garment, but there is historical precedent in existing garments for the excess fabric of the skirt fronts being left tacked in place behind the bodice fronts like this.

Completed gown, side view. Click to enlarge.

I think if you compare the finished gown with the portraits above you can see how extravagant this gown could be as a high status garment with trims and embroideries added, or as a more sombre garment with comparatively fewer embellishments.

I dressed the mannequin with the underskirt, fartingale, kirtle and doublet from previous projects, with the gown over the top of it all. I left the skirt open to show the layer underneath, but in reality it seems that Spanish ladies pretty much always wore the fronts closed. Some portraits also seem to show a row of ties or closures down the curving back of the sleeve, whether functional or purely decorative I'm not sure. I pinned the bottom wrist section of each sleeve to the doublet underneath, slightly up the sleeve in the manner shown above, which further opens out the flare of the front opening.

I'm pleased with the end result and I think the sleeves give a lovely alternative and dramatic effect when compared to the similar gown in Project #6.

My lovely friends clubbed together and bought me a half sized male mannequin for my birthday earlier this month, and have informed me that it has arrived from the U.S. at the same time that I am finishing up with the women's patterns in the book. Yay! So the next project will be the start of the men's patterns, and then once I have worked through those I will go back and see if there are any interesting or curious variations of the garments I have already made that are worth looking at.

Another Version of Project #6?

I'm currently working on Project #10, and while in the process of looking for images online I came across a portrait with what appears to be an interesting variation of Project #6, F.63 the "Skirt and bodice of cloth with puffed sleeves", worn in an English context. Spanish clothing styles became very fashionable in countries outside of Spain, and the portrait I found would seem to be the same garment worn by a fashionable lady of the English court.

The completed recreation from Project #6.

At the time I made the garment in Project #6 I was struggling to find other variations of the sleeve of this garment other than the horizontal opening I used above, but I felt like I had seen it worn with a vertical opening.

Lettice Knollys as Countess of Leicester, c. 1585 by George Gower

Well although it is styled a little differently this certainly seems like the same type of garment to me. (Only in this instance it is worn by an English lady of the court Laetitia "Lettice" Knollys, Countess of Essex and Countess of Leicester.)

Tight fitting, low point fronted bodice - check. Tabs at the arm holes - check. Front opening over skirt - check.

The sleeve certainly seems to be of the same size and volume as the example I recreated, but made with a vertical opening from the sleeve head almost to the wrist, instead of the horizontal opening. As in my example the sleeve is slightly longer than the under doublet sleeve, and you can see that in the unusual way Lettice wears one arm in the sleeve and one arm placed through the opening. When worn with the arm inside the sleeve the opening bulges and flares outwards slightly due to the extra length, and the other sleeve hangs slightly longer than the voluminous sleeves of the garment underneath.

The other stylistic difference is that the skirt is worn open to reveal the kirtle underneath, which is not generally seen on Spanish ladies.

What do you think? It certainly seems like the same garment to me...

Project #9. F.73 - "Mantle of serge"

The next pattern I'm tackling is a simple over garment for women referred to as a "Manto" or mantle, which takes the form of a simple semi-circular to semi-elliptical wrap. It is an extremely simple garment, but I'll also have a look at the pattern layouts for the other variations because the various methods of piecing the mantles is interesting and somewhat confusing at first glance. 

The Manto seems to be a type of external garment that performs a largely functional rather than decorative purpose, and is described elsewhere as "...the upper garment of a woman in Spaine, covering the head and body, much like a Dutch woman's huke.". Similar garments also show up outside of Spain, and generally take the form of a voluminous wrap which protects the wearer from weather, dirt and no doubt the prying eyes of strangers.

There is a wonderful collection of costume images in the volume "Kostüme und Sittenbilder des 16. Jahrhunderts aus West- und Osteuropa, Orient, der Neuen Welt und Afrika" [Trans: Costumes and manners images of the 16th century in Western and Eastern Europe , the Orient, the New World and Africa] in the Bavarian State Library the "Bayerische Staats Bibliothek".

Trachten für Stände und Bräuche in Spanien
[Costumes for objects and customs in Spain]

In the section regarding Spain, a woman is shown (above) travelling on horseback wearing a wrap such as this, with a hat both holding the head covering portion in place and shading her face. These mantles seem to have been reserved for outdoors use, either for travelling (as above) or for being out and about in the city.

Tracht der Frauen verschiedener Stände in Städten und Regionen Italiens, Frankreichs, Englands,
aus Flandern, den Niederlanden und Brabant
[Costume of women of different classes in cities and regions of Italy, France, England, Flanders,
the Netherlands and Brabant]

The image above is not of a Spanish lady and her companions, but is one of the examples that shows a similar wrap in use in the section of the book covering Italy, France, England, Flanders and the Netherlands.

The variations in Alcega's pattern book vary primarily in the fabric types and finished sizes, and the layouts required to fit those various sizes on the diverse fabric widths. Initially I thought these might be transparent veils, but the fabrics specified are serge (a twilled woollen material), kersey (a wool fabric) and silk. Which would seem to reinforce that these are protective garments used as a cover up.

Although there are a number of sizes shown for the various fabric types, there is mention of drafting the pattern to suit the wearer's height in the descriptions. I would assume that the reason there are so many variations of the garment in the book is because the method of folding and cutting the strips, and the lengths of fabric required, gets quite complicated in the larger sizes cut from the narrower fabric. 

I'll be recreating F.73 which is the second of the Manto patterns in the book. I will however have a look at the fabric and cutting method for all of the Mantos because as I mentioned previously I think the layout diagrams are quite confusing at first glance.

Fabric

F.72a & F.73 - "Mantle of serge". 

Both of these versions use fabric that is "bt" or 1 1/3 ells wide, or 112cm (approx 3' 8 1/8") wide, but vary slightly in length. F.72a uses 7 ells, or 588cm (approx 19' 3 1/2"), and F.73 is a little longer and uses 7 1/3 ells, or 616cm (approx 20' 2 1/2") in length.

In both cases the fabric is laid out unfolded, and then the left is folded cross ways to the length of the front section, so that the left hand pattern piece is cut double along the left side fold, and the back section and any godets are cut as a single thickness. (F.72 requires a godet, but it is not shown in the diagram.)

F.72a. Click to enlarge

F.73. Click to enlarge.

F.73a - "Mantle of kersey for a woman".

This pattern is almost identical to those above, but uses a fabric "bQ" wide, being 1 1/4 ells wide, or 105cm (approx 3' 5 3/8") wide x 7 ells, or 588cm (approx 19' 3 1/2") in length.

The fabric is folded partially over on the left to be cut double in the same manner as above. 

F.73a. Click to enlarge.

F.74, F.74a & F.75 - "Mantle of silk for a woman".

All three of these versions of the Manto are various widths and lengths, and all use silk fabric that is "tt" wide, being 2/3 of an ell or 56cm (approx 22") wide. F.74 is the largest and requires a length of fabric 14 1/2 ells long, or 1218cm (just under 40') long. F.74a is a smaller size and requires a length of fabric 13 ells long, or 1092cm (just under 35' 10") long. F.75 is the smallest of the three and requires a length of fabric 8 2/3 ells long, or 728cm (approx 23' 10 1/2") long.

The manner of cutting these versions is very different for the other Mantos above. The fabric is cut as 4 strips. The fabric is first laid flat, and then the folded over from the left to the size of the longest length and cut. Then the fabric is refolded and cut to the size of the next length, with the curve heading in the opposite direction. This process is repeated until the smallest layer is cut.

(This may make more sense in the diagram below.)

F.74. Note: the diagram is printed upside down. Click to enlarge.

(Note: the diagram in F.74 has been printed upside down. The curving hem should be on the right, and the fold on the left.) 

F.74a. Click to enlarge.

F.75. Click to enlarge.

F.75a - "Mantle of silk for a girl"

This version also uses silk fabric that is 2/3 of an ell, or 56cm (approx 22") wide x 7 2/3 ells, or 644cm (approx 21' 1 1/2") long.

This smallest version is made up of 3 strips instead of 4, cut in the same manner as the 3 versions above.

F.75a. Click to enlarge.

Some mathematics and dimensions

In all versions of the patterns the Manto is assembled in a number of strips, from 2 up to 4 in most of the silk layouts. The width of the straight front edge is achieved by folding the fabric to the required dimension, and the length of the Manto from the front to the back of the curving hem is a combination of the fabric width x the number of strips required. 

In the diagram for F.72a we know the fabric width is "bt" or 1 1/3 ells wide, yet the vertical dimensions on the left are shown as "bbm" or 2 1/2 ells. It then becomes clear that "bbm" refers to the total finished length of the Manto. The curved back section must be a little short of the full width of the fabric and when sewn to the back of the front strip will make the full "bbm" length. (There is also clearly a small godet required for this pattern that has not been detailed in the pattern.) 

The end result is not quite a semi circle as it is "bbbb" or 336cm (approx 11') wide, and the length from the front straight edge to the back of the curving hem is 210cm (approx 6' 10 3/4").

By contrast, the Manto in F.74 uses 4 strips and the end result is 315cm (approx 10' 4") wide, and 224cm (approx 7' 4 1/4") long from front to back, so slightly more elliptical.

F.74 folding and cutting detail.

The cutting diagram is a lot more complex with curves heading off in a number of directions. Each curve read from right to left relates to the subsequent folds and cuts required. Then each layer is opened out and assembled like this:

4 straight seams. Easy peasy.

Developing the pattern

The pattern for F.73 is a fairly simple thing to draft, and the only watch point is to make sure that the curves are continuous and line up nicely. It's a little easier to do that if you are drafting on paper because you can move the pieces around, however if you are drawing directly onto the fabric with soap as Alcega's contemporaries did, then presumably sketching in each curve first would make the process somewhat easier.

F.73 pattern pieces. Click to enlarge.

There is a somewhat cryptic comment in the translation for the first Manto in the book that refers to using the excess to construct ties (or bands?). Presumably this might mean a few ties which could be used to tie closed the front edge of the Manto like a cloak, but really I'm speculating.

Putting it together
This is a very easy sew, completed with just a few seams and some hemming. I first sewed the godet piece to the curving back section, then attached this to the unfolded front piece with a single straight seam. Once this was attached it was a simple process to hem all around the Manto and it was done.

The completed F.73 Manto front. Click to enlarge.

So, not the most complex or photogenic garment. Let's just state that upfront, shall we? 

My mannequin lacks a head, so I folded the front edge under a little and tried draping it on the dummy as if it was being held closed around the shoulders. The length is sufficient however to drape over the head and still just clear the ground.

Completed F.73 Manto side, showing the godet. Click to enlarge.

There you have it. Made up in a dark wool or silk this garment would be useful in keeping the wearer warm, dry and free from dirt. It could also be possible that it had a role in preserving the modesty of the wearer when out of doors, and possibly even acted as a form of security, obscuring the jewels, purse and any sumptuous garments of middle class of high status women when travelling.

Next I'll be tackling a garment from the large fold out section of the book, F1.6 the "Women's silk skirt and bodice with full length pointed sleeves". The pattern as presented in the book is a little degraded and has what appears to be a tear through the middle, but should be clear enough to use. 

With that I'm getting close to the end of the women't patterns in the book, and then it'll be time to start tackling the men's patterns. I was pleasantly surprised at my birthday party last week to find that a bunch of my wonderful friends have collectively ordered a half sized male form from the US for me as a gift. That should arrive sometime in the next few weeks, around about the time I'll be finishing the last of the women's patterns. Perfect timing!

Thank You

This little project of mine has had a sudden surge in attention over the past few weeks, courtesy of the always fascinating, educational (and polite!) Elizabethan Costume facebook group, and a wonderful mention by both American Duchess and Burnley & Trowbridge on their facebook pages. I just wanted to say thanks everyone for visiting, and a special big thanks to those who either leave a comment here or have connected with me personally on the facebook pages I mentioned. I really appreciate the feedback, and the interesting discussions that have been had.

I'm having a major birthday at the end of this week, which has morphed into a 4 day birthday extravaganza. Well, you're only 50 once (because, why would you do it more than once, frankly?). As it turns out I've been able to maintain a fairly regular schedule of these little explorations of Alcega, so just giving you a heads up that the the next one may be delayed by a week or so. Once I recover from an excess of cake and champagne, it'll be back to the (mini) drafting table.

Cheers!

[Here are the homepages for American Duchess and Burnley & Trowbridge.]
 

Project #8. F.69a - "Gown of cloth for a woman"

For project #8 I'm tackling the somewhat prosaically titled "Gown of cloth for a woman". This is a fairly simple coat style garment, which has a similar sleeve to the previous 2 projects, a looser fit without any shaping through the body, and is the same length both front and back with no train. I tend to think of it more as a robe or coat than a gown, but for the sake of simplicity I'll refer to it as a gown here.

Portrait of a Woman by Alonso Sanchez Coello

Isabella Clara Eugenia
with Margareta Ruiz.

I haven't yet found many gowns in portraiture that appear to be the one in this pattern, but the closest may be the one in the Portrait of a Woman by Coello, above.

I have found some which seem to be a similar type garment with some similar features, however. The most common being a type that differs in that they are cut to conform quite close to the body, rather than the loose 'duster coat' shape of this pattern, as in the portrait of Isabella Clara Eugenia, right. These are also cut much longer so that they almost touch the hem of the under kirtle, but do have the familiar sleeve style. 

Similar garments also crop up in Italian portraits, cut with a familiar looser fit but some other slight stylistic differences in sleeves and so on. Bianca Capello de' Medici (see below) is clearly not a Spanish lady, but this gown seems to have some points of kinship with the pattern we are making, especially in the looser fit. There is in fact a surviving garment which is described as a Venentian zimarra in the National Museum of the Renaissance in Ecouen, France, and aside from the wide angled cut of the side seams, bears a striking resemblance to our pattern.

Venetian 'zimarra'. Click to enlarge

Bianca Capello de' Medici
by Lavinia Fontana

One of the points of difference with the gown in Alcega compared to these examples is the length. All the women's patterns in Alcega are generally displayed in a very narrow band of sizes, and where they differ greatly they are usually labelled as "for a fat woman" or "for a child".  There are a number of similar patterns for this type of gown in the book, starting with f.67a "A gown of baize for a girl", through to f.69a, the full sized adult version I'll be using here. 

Of these, the four patterns F.68 through to f.69a are all the same adult garment cut in the same manner from fabric 2 ells wide, but with the variations being the length of the gown and length & width of the sleeves. The gown lengths range from the 'girl' version 98cm (approx 3' 2 1/2") long, to 112cm (approx 3' 8 1/8"), 126cm (approx 4' 1 1/2"), 140cm (approx 4' 7 1/8") and 147cm (approx 4' 9 7/8"). Each gown has correspondingly slightly larger sleeves until we get to the ones in the pattern I'm using here. If only the gown length varied I would assume they were stylistic differences, but as the sleeve lengths also get longer I'm suggesting that the variations are shown for different height wearers. It would seem therefore that the shorter garment length is a deliberate style element. There may be some leeway in adjusting the length of the garment a little, as Alcega mentions in the girl's version, but I am keeping the shorter length as was drawn, in order to try and stay true to what I think is the intention of the pattern.

In the descriptions for these patterns in the book Alcega makes mention of trimmings made from another fabric, and shoulder wings and 'ruffs' (tabs and other trims?) made from the scraps of the main fabric. So although the basic shape is fairly simple, there is clearly leeway for adding decorative elements to the basic gown. 

Fabric
Alcega states that this gown requires a piece of fabric 3 1/6 ells long x 2 ells wide, or 266cm (approx 8' 8 3/4") long x 168cm (approx 5' 6") wide. The fabric is folded in half lengthways with the fold at the bottom of the diagram. There is no mention of nap or pattern in the fabric description, and the head to tail layout of this garment would imply a plain fabric.

Some mathematics and dimensions
I chose f.69a for this reproduction as the the sleeve length, shoulder seams, front and back neck openings etc are all the same as in the previous projects. I should therefor be able to draw on some of the work from previous projects, so I suggest you check out Project #6 and Project #7 for a more full description if you need more details. The gown length front and back from neck opening to hem is shown as 'bQQQ', or 147cm (approx 4' 9 7/8").

There is one question the gown length raises though, "bQQQ" is considerably shorter than the garments I have made previously measured from neck to hem. The gowns in the portraits above stop a little short in length, but not as dramatically as this pattern does. The fact that there are a number of patterns in the book for women of different heights seems to indicate that the shorter length is intentional and a design feature.

Sleeves
The sleeves do not have the exact same dimensions as the ones in the previous 2 projects, but are very similar except for width. Sleeve length is "sb" from wrist opening to sleeve head, or 70cm (approx 27 1/2"), and so a little longer than the doublet sleeves in the book. The wrist opening is "t' or 28cm (approx 11"), and although the sleeve head in this pattern is unlabelled, it is most likely "m" or 42cm (approx 16 1/2") as in all the previous versions of this sleeve. In this case the width of the sleeve is shown slightly wider than the full fabric width, with a small piecing to make up the width, and the curvature of the sleeve and sleeve head have minor differences in shape.

Gown body
The front neckline, back neckline and shoulder seam are all identical to the previous bodices and doublets. Both the shoulder seam and the front neck opening are shown as "s" or 14cm (approx 5 1/2"), and the back neck opening is "o" or 10.5cm (just over 4"). The length of the gown front and back is shown as "bQQQ" or 147cm (approx 4' 9 7/8"), and both have a hem the total width of the fabric, "b" or 1 full ell wide, 84cm (approx 33").

The gown front is cut along the fold, and the gown back along the selvedge. The gown back is similarly shaped at the upper back as in Project #7, and in this case the upper back curve is easily dealt with as it is part of a construction seam. This is a front opening gown, so the fold will need to be sliced open before it is assembled.

Collar
Curiously only the front collar is shown on the pattern, and in all the other sized versions. There is however mention of making the front and back collars from the scraps in the instructions of some of the other sized patterns. I'll be using the same collar from the previous project, two front "s" sized pieces and two back "o" sized pieces.

Developing the pattern
This is a relatively simple pattern compared to some others in the book. Only one piecing is required to make up the extravagant sized sleeve, and all other pattern pieces have minimal shaping.

The gown back in this pattern is also curved for the upper back, as in Project #7 the "Laced mourning coat of cloth for a woman". I used the same method of drafting the back by rotating the back piece of the earlier doublet pattern I had developed, although as this gown is shorter and has a narrow hem than the sack back gown I did not have to rotate it so much.

The gown front is actually drafted straight off the previously drafted doublet front to the point under the armhole, and then the side seam is angled outwards to match the length of the back side seam. I wanted to ensure that the upper portion of the body and shoulders remained fairly close fitting, as seems to be the style, so tried to only rotate the back pattern piece as much as necessary and not rotate the front at all. I then double checked that the hem width on the front piece was correct (1 ell) and the garment length was also correct. Thankfully all the dimensions worked perfectly, possibly one of the easiest drafts so far!

The other sleeves of this style in the book are usually 1 ell wide across, or 84cm (approx 33"), but this sleeve is a little wider and has a slightly more extravagant flare. It was fairly simple to draft, especially if you use a folded piece of paper as I did to ensure it was symmetrical. After drawing the wrist opening, marking the sleeve length from wrist to the lowest point of the sleeve head curve, then using a curving tape measure the draw the simple curve of the sleeve head to the correct size, I then drew the large outward curve to connect the wrist and sleeve head. After checking the width was a bit greater than 1 ell in total I sliced off the piecing and double checked it.

The collar piece I traced from the previous project, including the back piece which is required but not shown on the pattern.

Putting it together
This was a pretty simple sew, as the main construction is completed with a few long side seams. Once I had sewn up the side seams and shoulder seams, I then neatened the front edges by turning them under and stitching. I then made up the 4 piece collar as in the previous project, and matching the seams carefully applied it to the neck opening.

When it was time to move onto the sleeves I decided I needed to follow Alcega's advice and make some small wings for the shoulders from the remaining fabric. (There is no pattern piece for these.) I made a simple narrow 'football' shape, folded it along the long axis, and then sewed the curved raw edges along the armhole edge. I made them roughly 2/3 the size of the sleeve head, so they start just about the front under arm, and end at a similar point on the back.

Anna of Austria by Antonis Mor ca. 1570

I also decided it was time to switch things up in sleeveland. After finally finding a portrait with what appears to be this style of sleeve with a long front opening, instead of the horizontal cut I have been previously using, I went ahead and opening a long cut from almost at the sleeve head to almost at the wrist, along the 'fold' of the sleeve. (If you were making this up full sized you could then turn under a small seam allowance and carefully stitch the sleeve lining to neaten and stabilise this cut edge.)

Once the sleeves and collar were in I hemmed the garment and voila!, done. Pretty simple.

Completed garment front. Click to enlarge.

You can really see the shorter length of this garment when it s worn over the doublet from Project #2 and kirtle from Project #4 (the underskirt and farthingale are under there too). Also, the hem length and the shorter width give this garment a little more volume, so it flares out a little over the undergarments which I think looks very nice.

Completed side front view. Click to enlarge.

The sleeves don't look dramatically different from the ones in previous projects, except for the change in the style of opening. You and I know they are a little bigger though, and we went to all the effort of making a new pattern, and that's what counts. The sleeve head is drawn with only a simple curve, so there is a far amount of fabric bulk in the underarm after the sleeve is set in. During fitting and making you could probably work some of this bulk out and trim it away. 

Completed back. Click to enlarge.

I always love the look of these sleeves at the back.

The only slight downside was that the shoulder wings impeded the outward curve of the sleeve back a little, creating that deep fold near the top. If I was making this full sized I would explore options such as tabs, a much narrower wing, or even a shoulder roll instead if that fold bothered me.

Inner arm sleeve piecing detail. Click to enlarge.

This picture above shows the only piecing in this garment, the inside of the sleeve back.

There you have it. A fairly simple garment but one that I think could make a useful outer layer for warmth. Perhaps fur lined, trimmed with contrasting fabric and braid, this could make a warm high status garment. Made up in a wool, with appropriate decoration, this could make a nice more middle class type garment.

Project #7. F.64a - "Laced mourning coat of cloth for a woman"

For project 7 I'm tackling a gown which has many stylistic similarities to the bodice and skirt of Project #6, with the exception of a 'sack' back. The back is cut all as one with the train, instead of a separate doublet back and skirt. (In the translation in the book they title it a "coat", but I refer to it as a gown. Potato, potato.)

There are two variations in the book, one cut from the wide 'cloth' similar to Project #6 and another version (f.65) cut from the narrow silk fabric seen in the layouts of some of the other projects. I'll be using the pattern layout from f.64a (the wider fabric), however the text for this pattern layout is very brief so I'll be augmenting that with some of the expanded instructions from f.65. For example the text for f.65 explains the use either a full false bodice back cut from another fabric, or part bodice back (side strips) that can be set into the side seams and laced across the back in order to make the bodice front lie close to the body.

Fabric
Alcega states that this pattern requires a piece of cloth 4 1/3 ells long x 2 ells wide, or 364cm (approx 11' 11") long x 168cm (approx 5' 6") wide. The fabric is folded in half lengthways, with the fold at the bottom of the diagram.

Some mathematics and dimensions
Many components of this gown are identical to the previous project, the "Skirt and bodice of cloth with puffed sleeves", with the exception of the gown back. The skirt front, bodice front and sleeves are identical in size and shape, so that is a big yay! from me because it means I can reuse some of the work I have done previously. (And apologies if any of the following seems repetitive.)

The piecings are a little different however, on account of the different fabric layout. There is no mention of nap in the fabric layout, but I think it's worth noticing that like the same width of fabric in the previous project all of the pattern pieces are lying in the same direction, as if the nap is running from right to left. The skirt front and gown back are cut along the fold, and the gown back is shaped to allow for the curvature of the upper back.

The skirt:
The front of the skirt (on the left in the pattern) is the same dimensions as the skirt front in Project #6, "bm" or 126cm (approx 4' 1 1/2") long, with a waist of "t" or 28cm (approx 11") and a bottom hem of "b", 1 full ell width or 84cm (approx 33"), without any godets. The back of the skirt is formed by the lower part of the gown back and train.

The bodice and gown back:
The bodice front is identical in dimensions and shape to the doublet from Project #6 and very similar to the doublet size and shape from Project #2. The bodice front is shown as "QQQ" or 63cm (approx 2' 1") long, the side seam is "Q" or 21cm long (approx 8 1/4"), and both the shoulder seam and the front neck opening are shown as "s" or 14cm (approx 5 1/2"). Unlike the previous project, this bodice includes a collar and it is made up of four pieces, two front "s" sized pieces and two back "o" sized pieces. Unlike the doublet in Project #2 the collar back is not cut as one with the back of the gown.

The gown back shoulder is also shown as "s", while the back of the neck opening is unlabelled but is presumably "o" or 10.5cm (just over 4"), which is the same as the back collar piece and other doublets in the book. The length of the centre back of the gown back is "bbm" or 2 1/2 ells, 210cm (approx 6' 10 3/4"). There is no specific length given for the side seam including godet A, but the length from the shoulder seam to hem must be equivalent to the length of the bodice from shoulder to waist plus the length of the skirt front side seam from waist to hem. In other words "Q" + "bm", or around 147cm (just under 4' 10"). There is no specific measurement given for the arm hole, but as in the previous projects it can't be larger than the sleeve head or the sleeve will not fit.

The sleeves:
The sleeve has a very distinctive shape, with a large curving back seam and a shallow curved sleeve head. The sleeve head is not labelled (but is most likely "m" or 42cm (approx 16 1/2") as per the same shaped sleeve in other pattern layouts). The sleeve length is "sb" or 70cm (approx 27 1/2") long. The wrist opening is shown as "t" or 28cm (approx 11"). The layout in both f.64a and f.65 requires a fairly large piecing in one side of the sleeve back, which is marked as B in the layout.

Developing the pattern
This was a comparatively easy draft as I could trace pieces from previous projects for all but the gown back. For more detail on drafting the bodice front and front collar piece please have a look at Project #2 the "Silk doublet for a woman", and for more detail on drafting the skirt front and sleeves please have a look at Project #6 the "Skirt and bodice of cloth with puffed sleeves". The back collar piece was simple to draft, the bottom edge is the same dimensions as the neckline back, "o" or 10.5cm (just over 4") and the height is the same as the back edge of the front collar piece. (The height of the collar is never given, so presumably that's a matter of the wearer's taste and/or neck height.) I then sliced along the sleeve to form the piece B required for this layout and I was done with all except the gown back.

Rotating the back piece.

For the gown back I used the doublet back from Project #2 and first placed it on the centre back line so that the top half of it was angled upwards sightly, to create the slightly curved upper back. I then traced around this shape and extended the centre back line down to the centre back hem. I then pivoted the doublet back on the outer shoulder point so that the underarm side seam matched the angled side seam of the gown back, and extended this out to the edge of the pattern piece. It was then fairly simple to grab another scrap of paper and continue the hem curve and side seam out to form godet piece A. I then double checked that the side seam including godet was equal to the length of the doublet back and the length of the skirt front side seam. A bit fiddly but helped by having these other pattern pieces I could lay out on the paper and rotate into place.

It's worth noting that in Alcega's layout godet A is actually flipped over, so if you were making this in a fabric with a right and wrong side (such as a fabric with a nap) you would need to swap the godet pieces between the pieces cut on the top and the underside of the folded fabric, so that you had right sides and correct nap direction.

Putting it all together
Before I put the gown together I went looking for as many portraits from the period as I could find, and actually struggled to find any that appear to show this exact sack back style of gown. If they exits, and I'm sure they do, I sadly couldn't find any. (Google-fu fail.)

I was especially keen to see if I could find alternative sleeve treatments to the one I used in Project #6, such as the front slashed open from armhole to cuff for example. Sadly I couldn't find any portraits that showed that style of opening in this style of sleeve, only in larger hanging sleeves of a different shape. (Please let me know if anyone finds a portrait that contradicts this!)

Infanta Isabella of Spain, showing 2 curved sleeves and one large open fronted hanging sleeve.

Margaret of Austria, another horizontal front opening sleeve.

So, the same style of horizontal opening it is then.

Sleeve piecing detail. Click to enlarge.

As with all the projects so far the first step was to add the piecings to make up the main pattern pieces. Once I had added the sleeve pieces B, and the back godet pieces A, I then dealt with the curve of the upper back.

The back of the gown is cut on the fold, and there seems no evidence or reason to believe that this fold is then cut open to create a seam. (That would create an ugly seam running down the centre of the train, just for starters.) In modern sewing we would use a slightly curving dart to create this upper back curve on a piece that doesn't have a centre back seam, but darts in this period are a pretty contentious issue. There seems very little evidence that darts were understood and commonly used to shape fabric around the body as we use them today, and when something resembling a dart turns up in period clothing it's always cause for much discussion. I would conjecture that this back curve was probably cut out while the fabric was still folded, and then closed up with a small seam allowance. Because I am working in such a small scale I had to use a dart however, there just wasn't enough fabric at this scale to take any sort of seam allowance.

I sliced open the fold of the front skirt piece to create the centre front opening and turned back a small seam allowance to neaten. After a bit of pinning on the mannequin, I decided the easiest way to deal with the front of the gown would be to sew together each bodice front and skirt piece, so then I could assemble to main body of the gown by sewing a long seam from under the armpit all the way down to the hem.

Gown front, comprising bodice and skirt pieces. Click to enlarge. 

The skirt front is not shaped to allow for the curve of the low pointed bodice front, so it is assembled by overlapping the bodice on the skirt. So I finished the front and bottom edges of the doublet by turning under the seam allowances before adding the skirt front. I pinned the waist of the skirt to follow the line of the bottom edges of the bodice at the sides sides, and then allowed the front of the doublet to overlap.

Inside detail of the gown front. Click to enlarge.

A bit clunky to explain, so hopefully this inside view will give you the idea. If you were making this up full sized you could mark a line around the bottom of the bodice and trim the skirt front down to a seam allowance and attach, but there is precedent in period for this skirt excess just being left behind the doublet front.

Checking the fit. Click to enlarge.

I then closed the long seam from under the armpit all the way down to the hem, and pinned it on the mannequin without the sleeves or collar to check the basic fit. The bodice will have lacing strips added inside so that it can be laced across the back, so I pinned the bodice to conform to the mannequin's shape and you can see the shape of the "sack back" starting to take shape, which is the main feature of this gown.

It was then fairly straightforward to add the collar and sleeves. The collar is made up up of 4 pieces, 2 back and 2 front, and has an outward flaring shape. Once I had sewn the 4 pieces together I matched the seam lines to the centre back and 2 shoulder seams, and eased the straight edge of the bottom of the collar around the neck curve. I inset the sleeves in the same manner as the previous project, taking care to make sure the piecing was on the inside of the arm where it was less obtrusive.

Inside back lacing detail. Click to enlarge.

One of the more unusual details of this gown is the back lacing inside the gown to create the sack back, and still allow the bodice front to sit nice and snug. There is a more fulsome description in the next gown in the book, f.65 the "Laced morning coat of silk for a woman". According to the translation in the book, Alcega states that false bodice pieces can be sewn to the side seamlines of the bodice front and fastened at the back, which would make the bodice front fit tightly like a real bodice. Alternately, an entire false bodice back can be made from another fabric.

I made two doubled fabric strips that were fairly wide, but less than half the back width, and the length of the bodice seam from armpit to where the skirt joined the bodice. I sewed these to the seam allowances inside the gown. I then used a strong thread to mock up some lacing.

Laced back interior detail. Click to enlarge.

Once the gown was on the mannequin and I had temporarily whipstitched closed the bodice front (in lieu of teeny tiny buttons), it was fairly easy to lift the back of the gown and draw up the lacing until the bodice had a nice snug fit. In the photo above you can see the lacing pulled tight, and the garments underneath are the underskirt, farthingale, kirtle and doublet I made in previous projects. I like the adjustable nature of this back lacing rather than inserting another false back, once laced initially it would only need minor adjusting when the gown was worn, and it would ensure a perfect fit every time.

Bodice side and underarm detail. Click to enlarge.

The bodice sits beautifully across the torso and then becomes the volume of the back. A lovely effect.

Gown front, with skirt shown open. Click to enlarge.

The end result is lovely. From the front it looks very much like Project #6 with the addition of the collar and a slimmer fit over the hips due to the absence of a cartridge pleated skirt.

Gown back. Click to enlarge.

The back is quite dramatic however, with the volume of the sack back and train. In this pic you can see the upper back seam also, and the red line under the sleeve is the piecing used to make up the full sized sleeve.

Sack back and train, with skirt godet shown. Click to enlarge.

Eleganza! I think this is a lovely gown. Imagine sweeping into a Court wearing this little number in a silk, damask or beautiful rich velvet. You can see from the images at the top of this post that garments similar to this would be highly decorated with braid, tabs, embroidery, pinking and slashing, decorative buttons... you name it. Not the sort of garment that would call for too much restraint. Unless of course you really were in mourning?...then who can say what would have been considered appropriate.