Query of the Sleeve

Stuttgart WLB, cod. fol. library. 56, <

origin: Abbey of Zwiefalten, 1125-1130

It is fair to say that I love my academic pursuits.  I love working on papers like when I was in college.  A current project of mine is a full paper on the bliaut, including underpinnings and accessories.  While investigating for the paper, I cruised through a French site of a 12th century reenactor and an idea she proposed for an under dress caught my eye.  Though I didn't entirely agree with the execution, the idea was enough to propel me into doing my own research.

Originally when I was viewing these and similar images, I wasn't really paying a whole lot of attention to the under dresses.  I was looking at the construction and embellishment of the over dresses and the adornments.  But now that the images have caught my eye, looking carefully it would seem that sleeve of the under dresses are tight up around the wrist and the billow out and follow the curve of the overlaying pendant sleeves.  They are rather full and often ripple around the edges of the over dress.  Occasionally they appear to be open, with the bell laying flush against the over dress sleeve pendant and other times they appear to be closed with one long front center seam.  The cuffs often have the trapunto look I adore.



12th Century German palster of Philosphia

Not all full sleeves that ripple over the outer dress appear to be this billow type of under dress and could very well be just a full lining.  However, there is one image that I do find interesting and does depict that billow under sleeve rather sharply.  I did try to chase down the original source having found it in groups, Pintrest, blogs, and even a Spanish language site devoted to 12th century philosophy and it's effect on the Christian church, but I didn't find a whole lot.  I am sure some day I will learn more on it.  However, the sleeve is the thing.  You can see it flows from the wrist on down showing that it is not a sleeve lining, but a part of the underdress itself.  Even the skirt flowing out from under the much more narrow over dress contains more volume and fabric, indicating something rather luxurious lays beneath.

It is worth researching further to determine if it was something done.  While most examples seem to be German, I don't recall seeing any immediately French examples.  But then again, this is a notion I only began to play with this morning and so I have only begun to scratch at it, though the same images keep on popping up again and again on my internet searches as I try to make it past the groups and sites where my curiosity begins. 

More digging is needed!!

Trapunto, Take Two

Gospel of Henry the Lion

It's been a rough kind of work day.  The kind of day where once I am home, I need to forget about the real world and indulge my habits of sewing, research, and helping others along that path.

 

Yes. I intend to add more educational things and not just show off what I have been working on.  I still intend to do that too.  After several years of researching and watching what others were doing I feel more confident now sharing what I do.  We all get there in our own time.

 

Alors, onto the project of the week, or rather a few weeks ago.

If you remember this project, I have a variation of the kind.  This is a linen under dress with a trapunto neck and embroidered cuffs.  The sleeves were made extra long to give them a gathered effect at the wrists.  Historically the under dress, or shifts, or chemise was linen and white color.  We know from various bits of illuminations, such as above, and references in literature.  Marie de France is one example of a 12th century author whose vivid descriptions of linen depicted it as "snowy" or "white as a meadow flower."  I am going the color route, just to keep things interesting for me.

I based the whole of the dress on a piece of statuary from the Chartes.  You can see the curve of the neck, a single button at the top,

 and then the structure of the cuff, more of a decorated band.



Tramping About with Trapunto: part 2

Madonna of Viklau, Church of Viklau, Sweden

Now we actually get to the body of work. I have been making under tunics for some time. Usually they end up looking like a very pared down version of an over tunic in white or other muted easy to clean color with a simple neck. I use gussets under the arms and occasionally I will add side, front, and back gores as needed by the skirt to get desired fullness. This time around I decided on just side gores and a key hole neck, even though most evidence have a much higher neck line similar to a gambison.

I have to tell you, for about five minutes I considered the possibility of the ladies at Chatres wearing gambisons under their bliauts. Warriors for God kind of a thing. Then I said it out loud. Yeah, it didn't sound right. I thought about it one more time, amused. I had mental images of the stone women hopping to life waving swords screaming "cuillier!"

How many of you are actually going to grab a dictionary to translate? (if I spelled it correctly that is.)

Alors!

The nitty gritty of making the trapunto neck and cuffs. Well, would be awesome if I could show you, but I didn't take step by steps. When I started to work on this gown, it was only with the intention of showing off the final results on Facebook. My workshop and lab was not a thought in my head at the time. I do have plans for a second more ornate, more sculptured work that I will do step by step on. Until then, you will have to endure the rambling. I cut a keyhole neck piece larger than normal, pinned to the neckline, and sewed it on so that the raw edges would be sealed between the right side of garment and wrong side of facing. Ironed to set the facing on the outside, and pinned down to prevent it from shifting while sewing channels.

Needle and thread in hand, I eyed a 1/4 inch channel around the neck hole and used a running stitch just like one would use in every day quilting. After making a channel of two, I would thread a yarn needle with a double stand of white cotton yarn to pull through the channel. Being an avid crochet enthusiast, I always have it on hand. Piercing the wrong side, I simply fed it through. A friend of mine thought herself impatient because she would stuff the channel right after she made it. Well, in researching period trapunto I found that the artist would fill the work as they went. So I can happily say that impatience is period.

On the final row I trimmed the edge down to about a little mire than 1/2 inch from the previous row of stitches. Folding the raw edge under, and clipping into the corners slightly, it was pinned and stitched down.

Repeated the process for the sleeves.

There was some conversation about how many rows should be done. What it boiled down to was counting the number of visible rows on the statue and I added one because of a small hint of a possible final row. As for the sleeves, I had seen images that showed three all the way to the elbow. I felt about five inches worth would be fine. And it was.

After all the hand work was complete with seam finishing and taking up the hem, I tried it on.  I was a little concerned that the quilting would make the neck and wrists warm, but it wasn't too bad at all.

So, to my 12th century friends, I give trapunto gowns a big thumbs up.

Tramping About with Trapunto

The Tristan Quilt on display at
the Victoria & Albert Museum

Recently I had an interesting concept introduced to me by a friend. The technique of trapunto being used to create a decorative relief in the collar and cuffs of under tunics in both men and women's garments. While there are no physical garments to confirm this, there is plenty of art to compound the possibility.

 

Trapunto was used primary in bed linens and armor, layering and stuffing channels for gambisons. The first three images are just of that, Italian.

 

Look at cuffs and necklines of the Chartes cathedrial figures presented.

Now, if a seamstress were willing to apply the craft to armor, bedding, and accessories, then why not to the clothing as well?  Sculptors and illustrators seemed to think it a good idea, and not just in one region.  Though, the bulk of them seemed to be in France. 

 

Looking at the cuffs, I began to doubt that they were gathered as they all have the effect only on one side. 

There was another image of a man in bed and he had a similar effect, but also with buttons.

I was able to find a bag that was done using the technique. A rather elaborate piece.