Nothing to wear?
Desperate to make the right impression?
With festival just around the corner, now it’s the time to hone your sewing skills and turn out a spiffy new frock.
Here’s an opportunity to learn to make the very functional and beautiful 16th century kirtle. The skills learned from this workshop are immediately transferable to a wide range of styles spanning the 15th and 16th centuries in Western Europe.
Spyder has kindly offered to run a kirtle-making class over March, on Tuesday Nights at Kensington. Here are the details:
Expected Class Outline
Week One: March 3rd
An overview of what a kirtle is, what the outcomes of the class are and the stuff the students will need to build their kirtles. Students will sketch designs of what they are going to make. Students will need to source all fabric requirements by the next class.
Week Two: March 10th
Bodice cutting, fitting and boning
Week Three: March 17th
Bodice continued. Closures and finishing techniques.
Skirt construction.
Week Four: March 24th
Applying skirt to bodice.
Hems, finishing techniques
Discussion of sleeve options.
Please Note: It is assumed that you know how to use a sewing machine, and are able to work on your gown in between classes.
Materials
All materials are to be provided by yourself, for the making of the kirtle.
The exception is the boning and canvas, which will be supplied at cost.
- 4-6m of fabric, that is a natural fibre (eg. medium-weight cotton, linen, wool.)
- 1m of lining fabric.
- 0.5m of canvas
- Boning
- Sewing thread
- Trim (optional).
- If possible, a sewing machine to share.
Interested?
If you want to make a spiffy new gown, then let us know before the
25th of February. There are a limited number of places.
Contact Asfridhr (rebe.lucas [at] gmail [dot] com) with your name, and if you'll be able to bring along a sewing machine.
(And if you're still not entirely sure what a kirtle is, there are pictures in the attached Word document.)
Thanks!
