Side laced kirtle

I was honored that Maynard and Liadain, the current royalty of AEthelmearc , asked me to make clothing for their reign. Here is some information about the finished products:

Inspired by the style of Cotehardie dresses (also known as kirtle) worn in Europe in the 1340s, this floor length fitted gown pattern has a lot of options so you can make it your own! This sewing pattern pack features a 4 panel dress block that can be laced up the front, back, or sides of the dress. Also included is an optional gore panel that can be added to the sides or center seams to provide extra volume to the skirt. The pack also features 3 different sleeve options- a traditional 'S’…

The pattern for this item is based on the Herjolfsnes gown # 39: Some Clothing of the Middle Ages -- Kyrtles/Cotes/Tunics/Gowns -- Herjolfsnes 39, by I. Marc Carlson, Copyright 1997, 2003 The kirtle has two underarm-to-hem gores on both left and right sides, with additional triangular…

Detail showing where side lacing begins and ends.

My over kirtle with under kirtle.

Schönes Bliaut! http://www.mark-meissen-1200.de Very nicely made bliaut. Love the color and embroidery.

I was recently asked how I placed my eyelets for lacing my dresses shut. I lace the fronts and sides of my dresses using an off-set pattern of eyelets, finished with matched eyelets on each side at the top and the bottom of the opening. This arrangement facilitates a spiral lacing pattern which reliably holds … Spiral Lacing—Why and how to do it on 14th century clothing Read More »

*** Welcome to the second of my "Mix & Match" posts for my Blue Kirtle. The insanity continues! As I mentioned in my last post, I'd taken some additional photos of my new kirtle but these quickly devolved into playing ahistorical, Medieval dress-up...so I thought they'd be better off in their own post. It started innocently enough with this image: The woman is wearing a blue gown, lined in black on top of a light blue petticoat or kirtle. The foundation layer is a very good (if not exact)…

*** Welcome to the photo dump for my new blue kirtle (the construction of which was recently documented in my latest Dress Diary). Based on early 16th century illustrations, the kirtle laces up the front and features short sleeves, a 'V' back, and a shaped skirt (constructed with piecing). It was originally inspired by a page from Catherine de Medici's Book of Hours. Although less popular later in the century, blue seemed to be a fairly ubiquitous colour in the first decades of the 16th…

The kirtle and smock were key components of the Renaissance wardrobe as they could be worn alone as a day dress or as a foundation garment underneath a formal gown. The Renaissance Faire Side Laced Kirtle by Thimbles and Acorns includes a square necked smock with optional blackwork embroidery at the neckline and cuffs. It fastens with the back with a single snap or button closure and is finished with a subtle asymmetrical hem. The Kirtle laces up each side with three sets of eyelets and…