• Garment Construction/Sewing - (A compendium of information from discussions on the 12th Century Garb Yahoo Group list) "Kirdle or Bliaut?" Q:  "Can anyone tell me how to make a gown where its tight fitted in the bodice and upper hips, then flares out thereafter and also has a slight train. I've searched pattern stores and also historical pattern companies for this gown pattern, maybe I'm looking for the wrong thing. Basically I can't figure out how to get all that gathering into the skirt without pleating it or having many gores. I've read that medieval gowns had maybe 4 pieces, but never princess… …
  • Shoulder Seams - Shoulder Seams (Original Subject line: “Another Bliaut Question”) Marguerite and others who use the straight grain bodice pattern, Do you find that you need to trim the shoulders in at all? Marguerite, your handout mentions trimming in the waist area slightly, but did you leave the shoulders square or trim them in? To get the bodice big enough to fit around my chest, the shoulder seams then hang down below the point of my shoulders by a couple of inches. If you don’t trim the shoulders in, where do you adjust the sleeve length - at the shoulder, or at… …
  • Sleeve Questions - I know that set-in sleeves are the ones which attach at the shoulder.  What's the term for sleeves which attach at the bicep? Are any other sleeve types period for 12th C? (I've seen garments where the sleeves attach at the neck). Does anyone have sources for which side of the sleeves had the seam? (Viking sleeves had seams running down the back over he elbow rather than from the armpit). ~ Aibell Message #743, January 22, 2003 A set in sleeve not only attaches at the shoulder, but the top of the sleeve is curved and set into a… …
  • Garment Lacing – Back vs Side - What about using placketed back lacing to help form the figure? Nope, side lacing. I've not been able to find any evidence for backlacing, but there is a fair bit for side lacing, and is not so much to control the figure but to make the fabric tight enough to show off the figure. Also no plackets as far as we can tell. ~ Rowena / Belinda Sibly Message #842, February 24, 2003 Is there something of a controversy between side laced and back laced? Yes, the controversy over the side vs back is primary sources versus poor secondary sources… …
  • Ease over the Bust in a Bliaut - How much ease is there over the bust in a bliaut? I was going to go with the patterns in the files and the one on the Janecourt site (spelling?) but have no idea how much ease to allow over the bust.  My Elizabethan shift has six inches and that seems to be about right for a shift but 12th century is a little earlier than I'm used to and I think the bliaut fits tighter so you get those lovely lines over the abdomen. Any help from those of you who have made the lovely gowns in the photo… …
  • Lacing Hole Options - I have seen what you all think about the lacing technique - whip lacing vs. cross lacing, on our bliauts. I have a question I never thought to ask before, and do not remember discussion about this here. Does anyone have advise, documentation, etc. on the holes that the lacings go through? I am sure that eyelets & grommets are not period. I have heard from fairly reliable folks in the SCA that in other periods, I think a bit later (but don't ask me specifically), small rings (most likely made of bone?) were sewn on and the lacings go… …
  • Rounding Gores - Do y'all round the hems of gores before you set them into your tunics/dresses? What happens if you don't round them? Can I set them in and then just let the dress hang overnight? Or will the sewing gremlins attack my machine if I do such a thing? ~ Jannifer / Jan C. Lane Message #982, April 3, 2003 I do not round mine at all. I pick a point on the side to insert them (usually right at widest point of my hip) and put them in. They will not be the same length as the rest of the… …
  • Questions About Construction - Hi! I'm new to this list and to early period garb. After 5yrs of doing Elizabethan and two kids later, I've given up wearing corsets 🙂 I've been searching the web and there seems to be no real consensus on the basic construction of the bliaut. Do most people follow the tunic construction (long rectangles for front and back with gores)or the separate pleated skirt cut? Also, this may be a stupid question, when the directions call for cutting the bodice several inches (or in one case 1 1/2x)the torso length, is that the length from under the bust to… …
  • Lacing - Was the lacing done with a single cord (spiral style) or 2 cords (cris-cross method). Are there pics/close-ups showing this anywhere? ~ Joleicia / Carolyn Holley Message #1008, April 10, 2003 The only evidence for what kind of lacing was used that I know of is [this image from the Winchester Psalter]: What is very probably a knight's surcoat. Shows a wonderful example of spiral laceing and cord with an aglet on the end It depicts (sends up?) the costume of a knight (yes male garb), but does clearly show spiral lacing through eyelets. This is evidence of spiral lacing… …
  • Sleeves? - I've seen the argument for both the angel wing sleeve and the maunch-type sleeve. Do the more learned folks on this list lean towards one or the other? Also, what is a good length for the sleeves? I'm not sure I have enough fabric for them to go all the way to the floor, is knee length ok, or should I just do something else with that fabric? ~ Giovanna Message #1026, April 16, 2003 I have seen very little evidence for the angel wing sleeves in the French sources. I'm definitely a maunch girl. The length was a matter… …