Purple Files: Underskirt Diary
by La Signora Onorata Katerina da Brescia

Faldia/Underskirt:
11/05:

This underskirt is made from one layer of cotton drill (to keep the cost down and keeping it in natural materials). I decided to cartridge pleat it , to give more fullness to the skirt.
It will be worn under some of my existing gownes and my planned new gowne (material on right).
The underskirt is based on patterns from Alcega (farthingale), Patterns of Fashion and the extant Eleanor of Toledo dress.

I am intending on sewing some braid to the hemline (got cheaply on ebay recently).

Patterns:

I adapted the pattern from Eleanora d' Toledo from Janet Arnold's Pattern of Fashion. and Alcega. Both of these are contemporary, giving the most economical cut from the material.
I wanted to give the skirt more fullness to try to keep the silhouette wide on the bottom, without using a farthingale. The hem width is over 6m; the amount of material gathered at the waist is over 4 m. The total length (of 105cm wide drill) used was 5.80m. There was no leftovers (or 'cabbage' in Elizabethan terms).

Inside of the cartridge pleats

The outside of the pleats

front: flattened to fit shaped bodices

Hand-sewn eyelets and lacing as the closure.
10/12/05:

It is finished! Another layer bites the dust! Here is the finished underskirt (sans the trim to be added later). I wore it, with my Medici underbodice and camicia, for the Innilgard Tavern feast this year.

On the night of the feast:

Bibliography

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©(c) K Carlisle. , 2005