Hi everyone, I'm Shari Fuller from Thimbles and Acorns and it is that time again, where we get to do a little time travel with a needle and thread. In this series, we're going to take a step back in time to the European Renaissance Period, which spanned the 15th and 16th centuries. This was the time of the Tudors in England and the Holy Roman Empire in Europe. It was the Age of Discovery, The Age of Exploration, and The Reformation.
This course will be broken apart into four installments.
- Part 1 Start preparing the smock. Looking for the perfect fabric? We have both white and pink Pima Batiste sold by the yard in 1/2 yard increments in The Pixie Cuts section. Order some today and we'll get it shipped out asap!
- Part 2 Smock the collar
- Part 3 make the underarm gussets and smock the sleeves
- Part 4 finish up the undergarments with a coif
Special Note! These pieces will all be incorporated in the Fairy Tale Gown that I am working on for April.
So are you ready? Let's jump in and get started with Part One!
In this historical series, we are going to focus in on 16th century foundation garments, specifically the smock.
Smocks, which were also referred to as shifts, chemises, or the shirts depending on who was wearing it and how it was being used, were one of the oldest articles of clothing for both men and women and up to the Renaissance period. While there were variations to the overall design, smocks had changed very little over time. They were simply functional garments, not unlike a t-shirt today, that were worn as a protective layer between the skin and outer clothing. Protective in that they protected the outer clothing from being soiled by the body and the body from being irritated by the harsh fabrics of the outer clothing. They were designed to be inexpensive, easy to make, and easy to wash.
About the time the climate began to cool, an embroidery technique was developed by the working class in England that gathered fabric into a series folds that added both elasticity and insulation to the fabric. The concept was a practical way to make loose smocks more form fitted, reducing the need for fasteners along the cuffs and neckline and creating a warmer layer to ward off the cooler temperatures. Kind of like the waffle knits and weaves used for thermal underwear and blankets today. Because of its initial use on smocks, this technique became known as smocking. Before long, its decorative possibilities were realized and the technique was refined and began to be incorporated into fashionable clothing.
I am going to demonstrate the decorative use of smocking on a German style 16th Century smock called a Hemd – Hemd being the German word for chemise or shirt. Instead of using a separate piece for the collar, the hemd is tightly smocked along the top edge, to form a decorative collar edged with a neat little ruffle. The sleeves are gathered at the wrists with a more elastic smocking stitch that makes the hemd easier to put on and take off while keeping the sleeves snug at the wrists. The use of black thread gives it the look of blackwork embroidery which Henry VIII's first
wife, Catherine of Aragon, had brought with her from Spain. Both embroidery techniques became very popular popular during this time and were often incorporated together to create some rather elaborate undergarments.
This may seem like a lot of effort to put into an undergarment, but at this time, undergarments were not meant to be hidden. In order to be that protective barrier between the outer garment and the skin, smocks needed to extend past the edges of the outer garment. Because of this, smocks were designed to enhance the style of fashionable clothing and as high fashion became more elaborate, so did the smocks.
Materials List:
- White or off-white lightweight fabric such as cotton batiste, voile, silk, or linen. During the Renaissance and Tudor Period, most smocks would have been made of linen or silk if you were very well-to-do. Linens tend to be too heavy for doll-scale undergarments, so cotton batiste is a better alternative.
- White thread
- A skein of black embroidery floss. Other colors such as red, yellow, or gold could also be used, but black was the most common.
- One 1/4” or two 1/8” buttons for the neckline
- sewing machine
- scissors
- embroidery needle
- thread
- clear plastic ruler
- fabric marker.
Before we can begin any smocking, we need top prepare our smock! Follow the
16th Century German Hemd pattern instructions up to Step 11. (Pattern available separately, but you can use the SWC February coupon code to get it for FREE).
Once the hemd is is sewn up to this point, it is time to prepare the top edge to make the smocked the collar.
Working on the right side of the top edge, use a clear ruler and a fabric marker to make a series of dots 1/4” from the folded edge at 1/4” intervals along the entire edge.
Make a another row of dots 1/4” apart 1/4” above the first row. Take care to align the rows of dots to form a grid of squares.
Follow this sequence to make four rows of dots.
Starting at one side of the placket, secure a length of contrasting thread at the first dot in the top row. Make uneven running stitches, picking up a few threads under each dot, along the first row. Leave the tail at the end of the stitching line free. Do this for each row of dots.
Draw up the running stitches snugly and evenly to form a series of pleats. Don’t worry about the length of the collar being too short, it will expand after the smocking is finished. Tie off the ends of the threads to secure.
Isn't it almost magical how the collar takes shape when you draw up the running stitches? We'll stop here for this video to give you a little time to prepare your own smock. In the next video, I'll show you how to do a few basic smocking stitches to finish the collar.
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