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Materials

Outer fabric - use medium or lightweight woollen materiał or worsted; in a good strong colour for wealthier women, or an undyed, light or muted shade for working dress. Linen may also have been used and is certainly cooler under a gown in hot weather.

The kirtle with a waist seam (Fig 7), for wear under a gown, can be in two materials: strong linen or canvas for the bodice (which should be lined) and a lightweight cloth, or even heavy silk, for the skirt (which can be unlined). This skirt would be visible, so was often madę of patterned materiał to show under a plain-coloured gown.

Lining - use another lightweight wool, or linen, or leave unlined with faced edges.

Making up

Most kirtles consist of backs, fronts and sleeves, with an opening for lacing, normally at CF. Assemble the body and set in the completed sleeves. If the kirtle is unlined you can face the neck, CF opening and sleeve ends with narrow straight strips of linen (p. 51). For a flounced hem see below. If the kirtle is lined, make up the lining like a separate garment and insert it by hand (p. 51).

The fiat fronted kirtle with a waist seam (Fig 7) is morę elaborate. Make up the bodice and skirt separately. The bodice must be interlined, with extra stiffening at the front, and lined (Metbods, Figs 11-13). Pin and tack the shaped side fronts, easing them carefully onto the front panel between the balance marks AB. Leave one side seam open for lacing (Metbods, Figs 16-18).

Make up the lining and insert it into the bodice, clean-finishing all the edges, including the waist.

Make up the skirt by sewing all the panels together, with an opening to match the bodice opening. Turn in the seam allowance on the waist edge and oversew it to the waist edge of the finished bodice, pleating the skirt to fit, and matching CF and CB.

Hem flounce - Leave this until you can try on the nearly finished kirtle. Adjust the skirt length so the flounce is elear of the floor all round.

Join the pieces of the flounce into a loop and hem one edge. Using pins for markers, divide the raw edge by folding it into halves, ąuarters, etc., down to 1/16 or 1/32. Divide and mark the lower edge of the skirt in the same way, then with the right sides together match up the pins. Sew the flounce to the skirt taking up the fullness in smali regular pleats.

Fastenings

Kirtles are normally fastened by lacing, usually at the front but sometimes at the side or back. Keep the eyelets no morę than 3 cm apart (Metbods, Fig 16). For a fitted kirtle, tie the middle of the lace into an eyelet at waist level. Lace one end up the bodice and the other one down the skirt; this will improve the fit. Long sleeves are normally fastened by buttons, especially in the late 14th century when there may be a dozen or morę (Metbods, Figs 19-21; Pis 2, 3).

Basic kirtle

Flat-fronted kirtle 7

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