A linen armouring project

[Sean M]

I am now sewing my aketon suitable for northern Italy in the 1360s. My main sources are the yellow pourpont of Charles de Blois, the red coat armour of Charles VI, the “naked knight” scene in BNF Français M. 383, and the Great Wardrobe accounts of Edward III from the 1340s.

The purpose of this project is to capture the spirit of this style of garment, with its high narrow waist, globulose chest, exaggerated curve at the small of the back, and quilting. Therefore there are some large inaccuracies: for example, the pourpont is stuffed with cotton batting not with loose fibres, and I did not worry too much about how my linen and linen-cotton compare to 14th century cloth. In my view its better to focus on getting the silhouette right before fussing about exactly what kind of hand stitch is used to finish the seams.

From outside to inside, the layers are blue cotton-linen blend, coarse unbleached linen, 100% cotton batting, fine unbleached linen. The thread is white linen and burgundy silk. You can find a series of progress pictures here.

I will explain some of my choices and give credit to the many people who have written books or given advice if I ever find the time to write this up in detail. This is version 1.0, after two complete mockups in cheap cotton, and I suspect that if I persist I should have things pretty well sussed out by version 6.0.

[Jeremy.G]

Hey, I recognize that blue spiral-bound book. I had good luck with that one.
Have you spoken with Tasha at all? She was very helpful when I had questions assembling my project...

Lookin' good...

-Jeremy

[Sean M]

Thanks Jeremy!

Hey, I recognize that blue spiral-bound book. I had good luck with that one.
Have you spoken with Tasha at all? She was very helpful when I had questions assembling my project...

Lookin' good...

-Jeremy

No comment. What I see when I look at the sources seems to be a bit different than what many other tailors see, so I want to focus on those sources and how what I am sewing is a good or bad match to them. If I get to a stage where people like what they see, I will happily spread the credit; if not, its polite not to try to spread the blame

[Konstantin the Red]

While cotton batting is understandable enough, why not make it all linen when you had that much linen around? Fighting someplace cold?

[Sean M]

While cotton batting is understandable enough, why not make it all linen when you had that much linen around? Fighting someplace cold?

Well, I could have gone for many layers of linen or linen-cotton instead of just the three. But I feel more confident that I understand how stuffed versions were made than how many-layered versions were made, and linen and satin stuffed with cotton was good enough when John of Cologne was making a doublet for Edward III to wear under his plates.

I might see if say 5 layers of linen quilted in rows an inch apart is stiff enough on a future version. My take on these garments has them squeeze the waist like a pair of jeans you have outgrown, and hang a bit away from the chest like a good suit coat. Cutting so many layers of 1/8" thick batting was almost as time consuming as cutting extra layers of cloth. I will probably also get some raw cotton and try the construction which Tasha describes on the Charles VI garment.

[Dan Howard]

Go Sean. Looking forward to seeing this.

[Kristoffer]

http://cottesimple.com/articles/observa ... -de-blois/

She has some updates on the pourpoint that might be of interest.

[Sean M]

Go Sean. Looking forward to seeing this.

Thanks Dan. New photos are here. I am putting together and quilting the butt piece lower back section while I decide whether to slightly reduce the padding in the upper body from its current four layers.

http://cottesimple.com/articles/observa ... -de-blois/

She has some updates on the pourpoint that might be of interest.

Anyone interested in late 14th century fashion should definitely read through all the things on her website. I would agree that most of these garments compressed the belly like a girdle. I can't speak to how stiff the upper part of the yellow Charles de Blois garment was and whether it stood away from the chest like the red Charles VI garment or hugged the ribs ... she has seen it, I have not. There is a photo of it open with the points visible somewhere online.

Mac has been putting together a collection of grande assiette sleeves in paintings here.

[Sean M]

The latest progress report, on the start of the saddle-shaped curve where the round shapes of the upper body and lower body intersect, is now online. I suppose its not so different from a 14th century gauntlet, only in different materials.

Now I have to think about the upper body, and how much padding to remove along the front opening where the button-holes will go.

[Sean M]

This is the time of year when a lot of Archivers take long drives and unplug from the Internet. If the news and talk radio is putting you down, you can read about one of the common mistakes making a project with symetrical pieces for the left and pieces for the right here.

I have worn the corrected version, I can move freely and breathe in it, and it has a bit of the look which I wanted to create.

[Sean M]

Since some people have been complaining that the archive is slow, here is a sneak peek at one of the sleeves after I bound the armscye seam with strips of linen.



I should have properly finished the seams of the gussets inside the sleeves, but I was in a hurry and its hard where the seam allowance narrows at the 'point' of the gusset and the stuffing of 100% cotton quilt batting gets in the way. All of the other cut edges have been rolled and sewn down, or overlaid with strips of linen. What are some of your favourite solutions for finishing gusset seams in multi-layered garments?

[Keegan Ingrassia]

Your finishing is much nicer than mine were in my attempt!

I've been told that a better way to piece together seams of layered items like this is to interleave the layers, rather than treat it like a normal two-piece seam. It takes more prep work to get all the pieces to stack nicely with one another, but leaves you with an entirely flat seam, as opposed to having to fight the bulk of the turned-in stuffing.

[Gerhard von Liebau]

Wow, looks great, Sean! So how close is this to being finished? From that photo I'd say we're looking at a completed project, but perhaps there's another sleeve to attach? :p

[Sean M]

Thank you both!

I still have to finish a few seams, re-attach the cuffs, and add back in some of the material which I removed from the lower sleeve to make it hug my forearm. When I first made up the sleeves and tried them on, I felt that they were 2" too long, so I removed the cuffs. It turned out that I needed about half the length of the cuff. The doublet was wearable when I went to be measured for my armour last fall though

I got stuck on the last bits because they require thinking and I was tired, so I worked on a shirt instead.

I also have a big list of acknowledgements and thanks to write up! This would not have been possible without a lot of books and advice.

[Thomas Powers]

And here I sit looking out at a couple hundred acres of long staple cotton fields...After mechanical harvesting there is a massive amount of untouched cotton if you can get to it before the mow it down and turn it under.

What I worry about is that linen made using short fibers is not very durable while linen done with very long fibers wears like iron. This is not generally covered in the label "Linen" and a test is suggested before spending all that time.

[Sean M]

And here I sit looking out at a couple hundred acres of long staple cotton fields...After mechanical harvesting there is a massive amount of untouched cotton if you can get to it before the mow it down and turn it under.

Gleaning is medieval! If you are really keen, Jessica Finley has videos on how to bow the cotton

What I worry about is that linen made using short fibers is not very durable while linen done with very long fibers wears like iron. This is not generally covered in the label "Linen" and a test is suggested before spending all that time.

I am pretty sure that Siulas [who made the outer and middle layers] does not 'cottonize' the linen threads, since they have not been able to modernize their machines since Lithuanian independence. "We are working only with the long fibres, what ensures the most finest and highest quality of the yarns."

The innermost layer feels strong when I cut it, and the threads do not break easily.

The fabric from Lithuania has real, woven selvages not tufts of cut threads oversewn. The innermost layer seems like it was woven on the style of loom without proper selvages.

Do you have any suggestions on how to identify 'cottonized' linen [ie. the kind where they break up the fibres to spin them on machines designed for short-staple cotton]? Lots of people would find that helpful.

[Thomas Powers]

Sean; I've been married for 32 years to a lady that has been teaching spinning for over 40 years and specializes in the fine even spinning characteristic of medieval spinning. Thus when I walk out to the mailbox I'm walking in a furrow gleaning as I go.

How I would test would be to buy a sample and hem the edges and throw it in the washer and see if it disintegrates; I'll ask my wife tonight what *she* would suggest as I'm a blacksmith and she's the spinster!

[Sean M]

How I would test would be to buy a sample and hem the edges and throw it in the washer and see if it disintegrates; I'll ask my wife tonight what *she* would suggest as I'm a blacksmith and she's the spinster!

Yes, I was raised to wash the fabric rougher than I plan to wash the garment before I cut it, both to clean out the dust and rat poop and residue from the dying, and to make sure that it has done most of its shrinking and bleeding before it has been shaped and placed next to other fabrics.

Siulas swatches are about 4" by 4" but they have to be ordered individually ... they don't offer swatch books.

[Thomas Powers]

She said "ask the manufacturer". I'll go with the washer method....

[Sean M]

A post on how I solved a problem which I created for myself last August is now online. There is a photo of the doublet open showing both sleeves.

It weighs 1300 grams or 3 pounds American.

Still eyelets in the sleeves, points in the skirt, a proper lace to find, and some photos to take from the same angle as several famous illuminations and photographs.