Grey Kirtle - part one
Step one of the kirtle is to gather tools and prepare fabric.
Here is the color scheme.
The grey is showing up as a little more purple than graphite but I think it is the quality of the lighting.
It will be a round necked, bodice/pleated skirt kirtle with short sleeves which will reach to just above the elbow. The black linen will be used for guards around the neckline. As Adelheid is a widow, and likely to dress herself, this dress will lace up the front. A future overgown may lace up the sides, depending how I feel when I get to it, to reduce bulk in the front.
I have a small amount of heavier black canvas, which I may use for interlining, but I have not fully committed to the buckram/alternative solution at the moment. I also have some linen thread, which is a bit thick but it will do. I also have some "regular" thread that would more closely match the garment itself. For other tools, I have collected my scissors, pins, and tape measure into the project box.
Essentially, I'm ready for step two, thanks to being diligent about washing the fabric when I get a whole shipment. I've had this fabric for as long as I've had the turquoise/yellow used to make my landskenescht-ish dress last year.
Which brings me to my first really big decision - am I going to completely construct this garment by hand, using as close to period techniques and tools as possible, to the quality of a "Golden Swan" level of personna? Or am I going to further hone my techniques using a blend of modern (machine for long seams) and time-appropriate techniques? This decision will affect a few things, such as use of canvas over buckram, what kind of thread I will use to sew, and whether or not to bring the machine into it.
Luckily, this decision doesn't need to be made today. My next step will be to decide how I am going to draft the bodice, and I'm ready to move onto that step.
YIS
AW
