HSM2021 challenge 4 - The costumer's new look

 

Challenge 4, April 2021 - The Costumer’s New Look: Give an old costume a new look, either by creating a new accessory or piece which expands or changes the aesthetic and use of an outfit, re-fashioning something into a costume item, or re-making an old costume.

In January 2020 I made a new 16th century shift. It was made of a quite coarse unbleached linen with a lot of smocking around the neckline and cuffs.

 I was really happy with the result, especially the smocking pattern around the cuffs.

I wore it once though and realized that it was quite uncomfortable. The coarse linen made it really bulky and itchy under my tight kirtles. The more I thought about the more I was unsure about the smocking. I felt that if a person couldn't afford a fabric other than unbleached, coarse linen, then they would not have afforded using so much fabric, I think it was more than four meters, and also they wouldn't have spent so much time on the smocking either. 

For Medieval Week I needed more shifts, and instead of buying fabric and making a new one, I decided to remake this one. It definitely hurt a bit unripping all the smocking embroidery, but I feel that it is better to do this and actually use the shift than just keeping it in storage.

I unripped the shifts, and these are the new parts. I used the old front piece and cut it in two to make a new front and back piece. The shift was a bit too tight over the hips, so one of the old sleeves was cut into a gore that I added to the front. I also made the sleeve gussets from an old sleeves, and I cut new sleeves from the old back piece. After all the new pieces were cut out I have almost 2 m of linen left over that I can use for other things.

The front gore was sewn on from the front.

This was the new shift. I saved a lot of time by keeping the hem from the old shift, so I didn't have to rehem it all.

When it came to the cuffs and neck opening I decided to do simple drawstrings. On church paintings in my region, from the period, you see quite a few very simple shifts without any fancy embroidery or smocking.

This is from Vika church outside Falun

For the neckline I used a string for the drawstring, but for the cuffs I used a sturdier piece of linen tape to give them a bit more body.

I closed the cuffs with a cloth button and button loops.

This shift was my go to shift in Visby. That it was unbleached meant that I could walk around in just the shift, and not feeling undressed. I could even go washing in the sea and getting wet without it turning transparent or too clingy. I usually spent the mornings doing the washing up and preparing food in the kitchen, before switching to a nicer shift and kirtle after lunch. I am actually thinking about using the leftover fabric to make a sleeveless bathing shift or Lengberg shift to use for bust support.

Me wearing the new shift, with rolled up sleeves under my mustard kirtle. This was so much more comfortable than the old bulky one.

What the item is: A simple 16th century shift
How it fits the challenge: It's a total remake from an older, smocked shift
Material: The old shift had around 4 m of fabric, this one is around 2 m.
Pattern: A classic square pieces with gores medieval shift
Year: early 16th century
Notions: linen thread
How historically accurate is it? I am unsure about the drawstring I would say something like 70%
Hours to complete: 6
First worn: at Medieval week in Visby
Total cost: All the fabric was from the old shift, and the linen thread was from my stash. Bought new it would probably cost around $40