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September, 2004:
This camicia is made from linen using hand-sewn techniques in linen
thread. The inspiration for this camicia was my first attempt at
needlelace (right) , following a Lacemaking class I attended by
Mistress Rowan at this year's Guild Ascension Day. I decided to make
a later 1500's camicia with narrower sleeves.
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The pattern was based on Cut my Cote (left). From Cut My
Cote, the example is based on the loom width available at
the time, being 22 inches (55 cm), giving a front piece,
back piece and side pieces. I altered the pattern slightly,
as the material I had was 140 cm wide. Gussets were 25cm
square.
(Below L is my pattern)
The camicia was made up to my modified pattern. The only
change was that I moved the sleeves further down the body of
the camicia. This made the back higher than the front.
(See Research for further info on
extant examples).
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The neckline and sleeves were gathered into a simple neck
band and the braid was hand sewn in place.
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Materials & Style:
Linen is most commonly used for camicias in our
period ( and is what was used for this camicia). The lace
itself is made from cotton thread (as a substitute for linen
which was more commonly used for underwear, in our period).
It was in my stash and available very cheaply. It is a
simple pattern in needlelace.
I used linen thread to sew the camicia itself, as was most
likely in period. I also used period hand-sewing methods,
with back-stitch in the gussets and armhole areas which are
more likely to have more wear and tear. Running stitch was
used in the sleeves and body. The edges were turned over and
stitched down, with running stitch to prevent fraying, in
keeping with the research I had done. As modern day
materials are less fulled than period materials, they fray
more easily, I double folded the seams with 2 raw edges to
form flat-felled seams. Seams with selvedges were flattened
and overstitched with running stitch, as per Textiles and
Clothing. The hem was sewn with a double fold with running
stitches along the edge (see Documentation as per
Textiles and Clothing).
Right is the gusset with flat-felled seams.
I also used shears, instead of scissors to cut, linen
thread to sew. I used brass pins, as would be more
appropriate for late 1500's. The large sections of material
were 'ripped' instead of being cut with scissors. (R)
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Below are examples of the hand-sewing.
L: the hem stitch (on a 25mm turnover)./ Centre L: the running
overstitch on the neckbinding./ Below R: Inside of the gussets
showing the flat-felled seams with overstitch in running stitch.
Sewing & Stitches/ Hem:
I was unable to find documentation on sewing stitches specifically
used in Italy during the second half of the 16thC.
However, I did find two sources on sewing techniques in the medieval
or Renaissance period: Textiles and Clothing and a website:
Archeological Sewing.
Linen thread was commonly used for sewing linen clothing and domestic
items. This is backed up by evidence in archeological findings and in
Great Wardrobe accounts of 14thC. There is little evidence for cotton
threads. However, there is some evidence that it was used for
clothing for Richard II. (Textiles and Clothing p157)
Sewing techniques documented in Textiles and Clothing are running
stitch, whipping stitch and back stitch. Running stitch was parallel
to the material edge and was more common and has been found in
examples of 16th C extant clothing (Textiles and Clothing p
156). Back stitch appears to have been used where the seams were
under more stress such as armholes. Stitch lengths of 2-4 mm are
documented. Seams could be opened out and overstitched with running
stitch.
There is some evidence of double folded hems (Textiles and
Clothing p 157) in a late 14thC find, being on the edge of a
woollen cloak. Hems appear to be often 5 - 9mm in depth. There was
one example of a folded edge to 25mm depth.
Archeological sewing is a website (from a West Kingdom
Collegium class) which summarises sewing styles and techniques used
in archeological finds. Seams used on linen included running stitch
in medieval and egyptian finds. There are examples of medieval seams
with running stitch, with the 2 edges being uneven, with one edge
folded over and under the other with topstitching (p9 on a French St
Louis shirt).
Materials:
Camicias were made from cambric, lawne, holland, a fine
linen called 'rensa' (from Rheims and used for the best quality
linens) and occasionally silk. In Italy, some were possibly made from
'cotten'. (How to make an Elizabethan Chemise) The
'unfashionable' wore camicias of lockeram. It appears that heavier
weight fabrics were used for winter - called 'camicia da verno'. (see
Glossary for terms).
Style and Decoration:
As most of the fashion, in Europe and England, the style
of camicia seemed to vary geographically.
Italian camicias, of the later 1500's could have narrower sleeves.
This appeared to depend on the fashion of the locale. Eg. Venetian
camicias appear to often have no cuff but be loose. Such sleeves were
perfect for the narrower dress sleeves that were fashionable. They
could be blackworked or have a lace trim on the cuff . A good way to
show off your wealth and disposable income. Examples of this on the
narrower sleeves can be seen in (The first 3 show varioius examples
of lace trim on the sleeve, the middle two being on loose cuffed
sleeves).
- portrait by Sofonisba Anguissola (1531-1626) (bleow R).
- Titian Portrait of of lady 1555 (Below C)
- Portrait by Bassano ( Below C R)
- Giovanni Antonio's frescoes: Games & Concerto (below R).
Needlelace Decoration:
Contemporary portraits show lace edging on a cuffless sleeve (above).
The first is a portrait by Sofonisba Anguissola (1531-1626). The
second is a Titian Portrait of of lady 1555 (venice), and the third
is from a portrait by Bassano.
My lace as it was being made, from buttonhole stitching over a
guiding thread. This was done freehand, without any drawn pattern, as
shown in the 3 figures below.
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Left: Inside sewing to attatch lace - running overstitch
and hem stitch. I found it difficult to find examples of how
the lace was attatched in period.
Below: the final visible attatchment on the cuff's lace
edging.
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Colours :
Camicia were generally white or natural, with very few
coloured examples being found in my searching... An example of this
is the dark (possibly black) camicia of the well-known Mona Lisa, by
Leonardo da Vinci. I have also seen a written reference to a
'Camis lighte of purple silke, Woven uppon with silver subtly
wrought"
(The History of Underclothes p 47 - quoting Spenser,
1577).
Colour appeared to added mainly by the application of embroidery as
in many contemporary portraits, extant examples as in Cut my Cote, as
well as in the Metropolitan Museum of Art which has an extant example
of an Italian camicia with lavender and gold embroidery. (see
Research)
The finished product
Glossary:
- cotten - cotton
- Ell - 1 1/4 yds or metres.
- Camicia - chemise (Italian)
- Lockeram - linen cloth of various weights used for under
sleeves and household linen (QEWU)
- Cambric - fine white linen originally made at Cambray,
Flanders.
- Lawne - fine delicate linen for making smocks, sleeves and
ruffs.
- Holland - linen fabric originally made in Holland. Later used
as a generic term for linen cloth ranging from fine quality used
for shirts for medium weight (linings) to coarser weight used for
bed linen and sheets.
- Buckram - fine woven material of linen, hemp possibly cotton
for inexpensive garments , linings, toiles. Can be starched/gummed
to stiffen collars and sleeves.
- Rensa - fine linen used for the best Italian linens
Bibliography:
Books:
- Crowfoot, Elisabeth, Pritchard, Frances & Staniland, Kay.
Textiles and Clothing c. 1150-1450. The Boydell Press.
Museum of London, Woodbridge, 2001. ISBN:0851158404
- Kohler, Carl, A History of Costume, Dover Publications,
NY,1963, ISBN: 486-21030-8
- Konig, Eberhard, Masters of Italian Art: Carravaggio,
Konemann, Cologne, 1998,ISBN: 3-8290-0243-2
- Willet, C. & Cunnington, Phillis, A History of
Underclothes, Dover Publications, NY, 1992, ISBN:
0-486-27124-2
- Rosenthal, Margaret F, The Honest Courtesan, University
of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1992 ISBN; 0-226-72812-9
- Fossi, Gloria, Uffizi Gallery: The Official Guide all of
the works, Firenze Musei, Giunti, Florence, 2000. ISBN:
88-09-01487-1
- Fennel Mazzoui, Maureen. The Italian Cotton Industry in the
Later Middles Ages 1100-1600, Cambridge University press,
1981. (thanks to Galiana de Baiona).
- Levey, Santina & Payne, Patricia Le Pompe: Patterns for
Venetian Bobbin Lace, Ruth Bean, Bedford. 1983. ISBN: 0 903585
16 2
- Ricci, Elisa. Italian Lace Designs: 243 Classic
Examples. Dover, NY, 1993. ISBN: 0 486 27588 4 Lace, Bookking
International. Paris, 1995. (no ISBN available).
- Lace, Bookking International. Paris, 1995. (no ISBN
available).
- Veccellio, Cesare. Vecellio's renaissance Costume Book.
Dover Publications. NY. 1977. ISBN: 0 48623441X
- Notes from Mistress Rowan's class at this years Guild
Ascension Day, Rowany.
Web Sites:
- A Reconstructed Chemise by Kass McGann
http://www.reconstructinghistory.com/beginners/chemise.html
5/11/03
- V&A web site: http://www.vam.ac.uk/ (May, 2004)
- How to make an easy Italian chemise - Festive Attyre
(May, 2005) homepage.mac.com/festive_attyre
- "How much yardage is enough" Susan Reed, 1994.
http://patriot.net/~nachtanz/SReed/fabuse.html
- Suggested Yardages for Elizabethan Garments by Drae
Leed. http://costume.dm.net/yardages.html# (29/5/03)
- Archeological Sewing by Heather Rose Jones (2001)
www.virtue.to/guest_authors/archaeological_sewing.html (5/04)
- Oonagh's Own,
http://oonagh.actewagl.net.au/gruesome_truth.htm
- Web Gallery of Art.
www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/c/correggi/index.html
- Festive Attyre: homepage.mac.com/festive_attyre/
- www.csupomona.edu/~plin/women/images/anguissola2_big.jpg
- Realm of Venus:
http://realmofvenus.renaissancewoman.net/wardrobe/camportrait.htm
(Bassano Image).
Photos: copyright K. Carlisle. c. 2004
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