sister_raphael | Entries tagged with kirtle

More simple running stitching makes for a boring photo, but it gets things done!

A question in this week about the lines of stitching often seen on the outside of medieval re-enactors' clothing. It's not decorative, it's the reverse of the seam being stitched down.

Whether you fold an extra time to encase the raw edge, or not, you will see a faint line on the good side. Two lines indicate wool or a thicker fabric where the seam is opened and laid flat before stitching down.

My photo shows the seam in progress, unironed, with the stitching almost invisible from the good side. Stitching seams down affects the drape of the garment, as overlocked seams encourage the fabric to fold inwards along the seams whereas stitched down seams encourage the fabric to continue the flow of the fabric.

Later this week, stitching a hem! Who knew sewing was THIS exciting?!

I'm very excited that my sister and her two teens will be coming with me to the Big Medieval Event this year, however it does mean that I need to provide everything they need to attend, including medieval clothes for three days.

My sister is about the same size as me, so that is just a case of looking at what I will be wearing and seeing if she fits into other things. My niece, however, is another slender girl but sprouting up like a bean pole, so clothing options for her are a little more tricky. She's also a little neuro spicy, so finding things that she can cope with is a consideration also.

My nephew is a pretty good sport and will wear whatever. He may feel a little odd at first, but as there is another new boy not far off his age coming for the first time too, I feel by the time they compare their outfits and see what other manly men are wearing (those hose are a bit alarming for the new re-enactor), I think he will be fine.

The more busy bit is that it's not just day clothes. Oh, no. I need to prepare three sets of fancy Grand Parade outfits as well, which I have of my own and can modify, but it'll all time and effort and organising tents and sleeping gear along with all the camp stuff.

It'll be fun though.

Down where the water lilies grow, wearing my sand wool surcote for the first time!

Another photo from AROW, one of the very few which is usable. My thanks to my friend Nigel for taking this one.

Down by the water lilies! Fun with friends at an event this weekend.

AROW is our yearly Abbey Re-enactors Only Weekend where without the public, we can chill, test our new things for the coming season and mingle with friends. It's also a really great opportunity to take some nice photos without all the members of the public in them. That's the theory, anyway.

Unfortunately, there were an enormous amount of cars left on site for the entire weekend and almost every camp had modern items clearly in view, which not only spoiled the ambiance, it made taking nice photos extremely difficult. Happily, there was a little sunshine and a clear spot down by the lake where the water-lilies were blooming their heads off.

I was able to get a few nice photos, but as almost always, the photos I look of other people are lovely, and the ones of me are weird angles, out of focus or have clothing malfunctions.

Today at Phoenix Phestival I showed my friend Annette how to make this great new look for herself!

We didn't have everything we needed, but we both love the result!

The conundrum.

To add buttons to a sleeve, limiting its use as an under kirtle garment, or making it a better over kirtle and under surcote garment? 14th century problems. What I really might do is add that Holkham Bible embroidery, so it is suited to being an over kirtle rather than an under one perhaps?

So undecided.

Slowly slowly. The neckline has two rows of stitching now and I'm sewing the sleeves on. it really is the loveliest wool to work with and I really am a bit in love with it.

I've made some good progress on my next kirtle brought about by needing a bigger size. The back and side gores are finished, and the side seams are partly done.

The neck is cut and a small linen facing strip is pinned in place.

I haven't put the sleeves on yet to allow better access to the neck, but I'll make a start sometime this week.

So far so good, though, and the fabric is great to work with. Nice and light!

I've been redoing the photos for some of my sewing galleries.

The ones for my own medieval clothes now have blue backgrounds with my Crowned R logo at the left hand at the top, and an accompanying image from a manuscript or painting. You can't quite see the three little dots on the surcote of the lady in the picture, but it's quite a common design.

The dress accessories and things I've sewn for other people are on clear backgrounds along with a watermarked Crowned R and picture as well. I really love the clean, clear look of the white background, but the dark blue backgrounds of the others look pretty nice too! I originally planned to do everything on the blue backgrounds, but for now, the clear ones are quick and easy, and I may go back later on and do the blue. Or maybe I should have stuck to the clear.

I plan to do my entire medieval inventory with the logo just because it's fun, but it's a lot of photos. At the moment, they have white backgrounds, so it would be easier and faster.

I really should be working on other things, but sometimes I just need to turn my brain off and do something else and I do love fiddling around with my website, and the entire inventory and galleries are online so I can find them when I'm out and about on my phone.

Once they're all done, I can upload them, hopefully in the next few days.

I made this checked woolen kirtle a while back based on fabric from the 14th century London finds, but it had pewter buttons on it which I'd taken of a pink kirtle which I hadn't worn for some time. When I sold the pink kirtle, I needed to replace the buttons and it left this kirtle buttonless!

I'm so pleased that my friends at Keystone Forge have made some based on originals in my collection, and today I finally found the time to sit down in front of a movie and sew these new ones on. I'm really happy with how they look!

Lots of people do ask about checked fabric in England, so I'll leave you with this image from the Museum of London Textiles and Clothing book which has a gorgeous one!

Beginner's buttoned sleeves tip.

1. Make your buttons first so you know how far apart to space your button holes.
2. Do all the button holes next.
3. THEN sew the buttons onto the edge of the sleeve to line up with them.

If your button holes are a little bit unevenly spaced, your buttons will always line up perfectly! If you sew the buttons on first, and the buttonholes are a little wonky, the pulling of the fabric on the sleeves once they're buttoned up will be more obvious.

The sadness you have when you reshape a kirtle and have to cut off all these little hand made eyelets from the front.

Boy oh boy, this has a been a nightmare.

After an entirely fresh re-fitting where I unpinned all the other fittings and started from scratch, I've been now able to get it to a shape I'm really happy with.

Sadly all the eyelets down the front had to be cut off so I could take it in more at the front. This did put the rest of the armholes and neckline into shape, so that was a very big win. I've shaped the sleeves and here you can see the little linen re-inforcing strip where the button holes will go.

I'm really pleased, but since I've had limit vision for a week, I'm now a solid week behind in life generally and this needs to be worn in 9 days time.

The race is on.

I've been having some fun with clothes.

The last few weeks have been a massive clear out of excess fabric and a few medieval clothes and bits and pieces, and I thought I might have a little fun redoing the photos for my online inventory where I track what I have and what I'm working on.

I've decided I'm going to re do all the photos with a navy blue background and a nice little medieval R in the corner. The documentation image goes in the picture as well for reference. On the actual web page, all the information about the garment construction is there and the sources as well.

Some of the photos need better rendering, like the veil on this one, and in the future I will do them again, but for now, they'll be good placeholders.

It's taking ages, of course, but it's fun!

I'm not kidding. I'm really slow at them and one entire sleeve on a kirtle I'm trying to finish needs to be undone and done again. Meanwhile the little buttons themselves are coming along well and I need to have them finished today!

Pic to follow.

When you discover you hastily machined the last two seams and now have time to unpick them and redo them by hand!

The little kirtle that I have taken in for my niece to wear for a talk I'm doing early in April is also progressing. I've just finished the hem and started the button holes on both sleeves. 14 to do and 6 done but two of them are so scrappy that I plan to redo them.

Needed for the weekend after this one.

As mentioned previously, trhe fitting did not go especially well. Where I had allowed a lot of fabric in the seams, it seemed that I hadn't, in spite of using the same pattern as last time and allowing a hefty amount so i could cut it in.

Only the back seam needed to come in quite a lot for shaping, which was perfectly fine.

The armholes didn't sit correctly and needed big adjustments, which took up so much extra time. I think I'm on the right track now, but it's a snug fit. The style of the kirtle means it's supposed to be a snug fit, but now I'm worried that the lady will tear it in her haste to undress rather than undoing the lacing right to the bottom and carefully wriggling out of it.

Time will tell, I guess.

More hand stitched eyelets, and I'm pretty happy with them!

The outside of the surcote has the two gold A's completely finished now, and I'm just waiting for the lining fabric to arrive.

Meanwhile I've started the green kirtle to wear underneath it. I've got the inside seams machined and then the lower dress seams all stitched down by hand since it'll be unlined and they'll show. I've got the upper torso sewn but not stitched down until I can do a dress fitting.

I've got the reinforcing strips sewn in down both sides of the front and now just need to mark out and sew 40 eyelets for the lacing. I really want to do that before the fitting so it closes up properly. I hope I'll just be able to take it in at the sides and back seam.

And I've still to cut the sleeves and do all the buttonholes on those.

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Rosalie's Medieval Woman

Author Things, Medieval Website & Sewing Tutorials

June 2025

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Rosalie Gilbert

Author & Medieval History Enthusiast

Entries tagged with kirtle

Mauve linen kirtle stitches inside and out.

Dressups with my sister!

The surcote in action!

Lady of the Lake

Fun with veils

The button situation.

Kirtle sleeves in progress

New kirtle progress

Updating my sewing galleries

Replacement buttons!

Button hack!

Kirtle re-shaping.

Emerald green kirtle update

Updating my Inventory

Buttonholes take forever.

Last minute things

Amber's Kirtle

Emerald Green kirtle

Eyelets!

Project Green Kirtle on the go!