Large Linen & Lace Ruff

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This ruff is another piece that was originally planned for my presentation at the Westcoast Elizabethan Clothing Symposium ("Wearing vs Styling: Accessorizing to Create a Period Look"), which focused on using accessories to build a richer, more period wardrobe. 

Specifically, it was meant to feature in Part 3 of my talk, which centered on re-styling the same black fitted gown for various different decades (from 1540-1650). 

I needed a look to represent the 1610s and my inspiration was this portrait of Hester Crispe (circa 1610-20) 

I chose this image primarily because I wanted an excuse to create a large lace ruff, since all the ruffs I had made up to that point had been plain linen. 

(With the exception of this medium 3" ruff with narrow bobbin lace. The lace was added to the completed ruff --a process I never want to repeat-- and it has yet to be paired with any outfit)

But I digress...

Looking at Hester again, the proportions of her ruff appear to be approximately 50% linen to 50% lace (with an additional row of narrower lace around the collar, on of top of the pleated linen).

It also appears that Hester's ruff is large, but not huge...ending about 2" from her shoulder (which on me would mean a 4 - 4.5" ruff).

However, I wanted something a bit bigger for the mid-1610s...

 Marcus Gheeraerts, 1613

Salomon Mesdach, 1619

Looking at the proportions of my previous ruffs, I decided to make this one 5"; meaning it would be just a tad narrower than my widest ruff (5. 25"):

Next, it's time to choose the lace. 

I prep 3 different combinations, all using the Tudor Tailor Schole-House insertion lace as a base:

The first option is probably the closest to my inspiration image, but ultimately I decide to go with the final combination.

The reasoning is practice rather than purely aesthetic: Since I'll be using the pattern of the lace to determine the size of my sets, the fact that repeat is the same on both will make my math a lot easier.

With all the design decisions made, it's time to start construction...

HOWEVER!

At this point the conference is only 2 months away.  Which means it will be impossible to finish this ruff in time. 

It takes me between 4-6 months to finish a ruff that size. Most of that is hemming the linen; but I'll also need to take two passes to sew two lace strips together, pleat it, and then sew it to a neckband.

The math just doesn't add up. 

And so...

And I have one!

Because it turns out that I actually have a ruff in the naughty pile (and it's been there for over 5 years).

Back in late 2018 or early 2019 I had attempted to make a double ruff:

I'm not sure how these are meant to be constructed, but I tried a version with two layers on linen sandwiched together. 

(top ruff)

It didn't work. 

The finished "ruffs" didn't lay nicely on top of each other (as seen in the portrait above), and instead splayed out and odd angles.

BUT...that does mean I have two layers of lovely hemmed linen! 

So the double ruff is taken apart and the two layers stitched end to end, giving me enough linen to to create my lace ruff.

As always, the edges were worked with a narrow rolled hem.

(I know rolled hems aren't really period, but I can do them quickly...which is the only way I can get through this much linen).

And the strips are joined with a 1/8" seam.

The hemmed linen is 3.5" wide and the lace will be just over 3" wide (when the two lace pieces are sewn together). This will give me a total working width of 6.5", which is a nice safe margin.

Which means it's finally time to start construction!

Because of the speed at which I was working, I didn't really document this process very thoroughly. 

(But it's basically the same as my first ruff).

First the insertion lace is stitched to the hemmed edge.

(Cat ear for scale)

Then the second lace is sewn on top of the first.

Originally, I had planned to prep 240" of linen (the same as my previous large ruff). 

However, because of the repeat of the lace each figure-eight loop will need 6 squares of lace. This means I will either have to round up or round down to get the edges to meet in the front.

For safety, I decide to round up to just under 250".

And so, jumping WAY ahead...the linen strip cut down so that the final width (including lace) is 5.5".

This represents a 5" ruff plus a 1/2" seam allowance for the neckband.

Then the ruff is pleated.  

All I have to do now is sew it to a neckband and I'm done...with two weeks to spare!

But something seems wrong.

I can't put my finger on it, but something about the ruff isn't quite working.

The sets are either curling around themselves or stacking up on top of each other, and the lace has a more compressed and narrow feel than I was happy with.

This is especially obvious at the fronts.

I have a sinking feeling that it's too full.

So I debated about whether or not I should cut the ruff down by about 24” (an honestly arbitrary number...I had a seam at that point, and it corresponded to the 6-square pattern established earlier).

But I'm worried that removing any extra length will make matters even worse. The lace is heavy enough that it's collapsing under its own weight, but it also might need a certain amount of volume (and subsequent “squish”) to keep it all standing upright.

I don't want to cut it back and then regret it...to say nothing if ruining a ton of work and expensive lace.

So I do nothing. 

Which mean, ironically, this ruff is also going on the naughty pile...

It also means that even though I have most of the pieces for the Hester Cripse outfit (mostly) complete, I've missed the window for taking photos and it won't make it into my presentation.

But as it turns out, it was all for the best...

Because at the conference I addended a talk on ruff construction and learned about the benefits of tacking the sets together…something that I had always resisted since it locks the ruff into a certain shape, and I liked having the freedom to change the proportions. 

But after hearing that tacking the sets gave them more internal structure and “bounce” I gave it a try…and after a few test sets I was hooked!

(NOTE: The red area above represents the purposed section to cut, and the blue area represents the tacked and starched sets)

The lace formed beautiful, bouncy sets that no longer wanted to collapse!

So I cut roughly 24" out, bringing the final length to approximately 224".

Ironically, this is the exact amount that the Elizabethan Ruff Calculator suggests for a 5" ruff (with a 13.5" neck). Usually I like my ruffs a little fuller than what it calculates, but this time it was bang on.

All the sets are now tacked together and the ruff is sewn to a neckband.

Finally, a medium scalloped lace (also from the Tudor Tailor) is sewn to the edge of the neckband and the ruff is complete!

However, the project isn't done yet...

Because the 24" I cut out of the ruff gave me just enough material for a matching set of cuffs.

I also decide to add the matching scalloped lace to the cuff. 

It isn't in the Hester Crispe portrait, but it is something you see on other early 17th century images (especially --though not exclusively-- in the Low Countries):

So the lace is added and the cuffs completed!

And with that, the lace ruff project is finally finished!

Usually, I wouldn't do such a full write-up for a type of garment I've made (and documented) previously.

But as costumers we tend to only highlight our successes, and I thought it was worth noting that this project stalled multiple times...and actually rose from the ashes of an older project that had failed altogether.

Aesthetically,  I'm really happy with the final result. But I've yet to "test drive" it, and so only time will tell if it was ultimately a success. 

Who knows? Maybe it will be remade into something else in five years, and the Circle of Life will continue...

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Resources & Materials

Fabric:

-White linen (2.8oz) from WM Booth Draper

Trim and Notions:

-Lace from The Tudor Tailor

Thread:

-White cotton thread (silk finish)

Late 16th c. Embroidered Leather Gloves

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As part of my talk for the Westcoast Elizabethan Clothing Symposium ("Wearing vs Styling: Accessorizing to Create a Period Look"), I decided to attempt to make a pair of late 16th / early 17th century embroidered and decorated leather gloves.

They were intended to feature in Part 3 of my talk, in which I restyled a black fitted gown for various different decades (from 1540-1650). 

The inspiration was this early 17th c. portrait of Hester Crispe (circa 1610-20) 

Her gloves appear to be tan/cream leather, with large embroidered gauntlets,  gathered silk ribbon trim, and edged in gold spangles.

Next, I began to look into images of extant gloves and found that they broadly tend to fall into two categories: 

1) Scalloped / divided gauntlets with gathered ribbon at the wrist (as in the inspiration portrait).

2) Straight-bottomed gauntlets with ribbons on the side (often with tassels or metallic lace trim)

Very occasionally there are outliers, such as these gloves that feature ribbons at both the wrists and sides: 

So with a bevy of research collected, it's time to make some gloves!

However, right away I need to temper my expectations.  

I am not an embroiderer or a leather worker, and so this is definitely going to be a project of up-cycling and theatrical cheats.

But, first, I need a pair of gloves...

Luckily, I had a pair of taupe suede gloves in my stash that I thought might work as a foundation. 

Next, I needed to source some embroidery.

And again, I did also have some old sari trim in my stash. (This is quickly turning into a de-stashing project!)

Now, most of the period gloves seem to show emboidery on a light base (usually trimmed in a contrasting colour).

However, you do very occasionally see red gauntlets...so I figured this was a reasonable cheat. 

My plan is to create a faux-gauntlet with the embroidered sari fabric, attach it the suede glove, and then hide the connection point with ribbon and trim. 

Additional gold trim (from the Tudor Tailor) can then mimic the scalloped look of the period gloves.

With my main materials sourced, it's time to start construction!

First, I need to create a more stable base for the sari fabric so the gauntlet / cuff can be self-supporting under all that trim.

The base will be made of two pieces of medium-weight brown wool felt. 

(Like the period examples, the cuff is slightly asymmetrical, with a shallower angle on the inside edge and a steeper angle on the outside.)

Next, the inside edges are stitched together and the seam allowance on the outside edge folded down.

Then a 1" strip of the same fabric is added to the bottom...

...and all the edges are stitched down.

Finally, a small rectangle is added to the inside corner (so that it has a more rounded look and doesn't just collapse on the fold).

And with that, the foundation layers for the cuffs are complete.

Next, it's time to shape the cuffs. 

This is done by adding a layer of red linen lining.

First, the linen is cut (with a large outside seam allowance) and sewn together along the inside edges.

Then the wool foundation layer is very loosely tacked to the linen.

Then the edges are folded over the base, pressed, and sewn down. 

In order to encourage the finished cuff to curl slightly, the lining is worked on top of my thigh (so that the shape of the curve will be sewn into the garment).

I'm not sure how evident it is in these photos, but the final base does have a slight inwards curve.

Next, the sari fabric is stitched to the bottom edge of the cuff.

Then the top edge is folded over and stitched to the inside.

However, in order to account for the angle change where the seams meet, a small fold it worked into the fabric and stitched down.

Now the cuffs are finished and are ready for decoration. 

Moving on... it's time to create the ribbon!

All the ribbon seen on the period gloves seem to be trimmed in some sort of metallic lace.

In keeping with sourcing from my stash...I had some left over ribbon and gold trim left over from when I made the silk sash for my Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer inspired outfit.

The silk satin ribbon is 3/4" wide and the gold trim is 1/4".

The trim is sewn to the edge of the ribbon...

...and then the ribbon is gathered with a series of running stitches.

The gathers are then coaxed into a figure-eight shape (the final ribbon is approximately 38" long).

Now, it's time to think about the final trim placement. 

In addition to the ribbon and gold pointed scalloped lace, I also experiment with edging the entire cuff with a 3/8" gold lace, sewn over a narrow red ribbon (the same colour as the main ribbon).

However...

While I like the trim placement, there is a larger issue at play that causes the whole project to stall momentarily.

I realize that my original gloves are both a little too narrow and a little too dark in colour, so it's at this point that I decide to source a new pair of gloves.

So the suede gloves will be swapped out for a lighter (and larger) pair of deer-skin leather gloves.

I also start to think about adding some gold-trimmed ribbons to the sides of the gloves, using these gloves as inspiration...

...the ribbons will be trimmed in the same narrow gold lace, with another row of slightly larger trim down the middle (the same trim that will later be used to trim the outside edges of the cuffs).

The side-ribbons are now done and looking pretty swanky!

But now it's time for another design change...because I've fallen out of love with the large scalloped gold lace. 

I feel like it's looking a little busy (even though this is a very "more is more" aesthetic).

But more importantly, while it looks nice laying flat in these images, the lace pulls in a odd way when worn...

So I decide to take it off.

This gives the gloves a much neater appearance overall and really highlights the detail of the red edging under the lace (which was getting lost previously).

I actually like it a lot and think it's a better, more harmonious design. 

However...

This also means I'm committing to a look that isn't really supported but the period sources, namely a straight cuff with a wrist ribbon.

(Though I won't realize this until much later)

Moving on! 

With the final design decided, the temp-trim is removed and the narrow silk satin ribbon is sewn around the outside edges of the cuffs.

I don't have quite enough narrow ribbon to make it all the way around the cuffs, so a slightly wider ribbon is sewn along the top edge (this will be obscured by the gathered ribbon).

This is repeated on the second cuff.

Then the medium-width gold lace is sewn on top of the red ribbon, all around the outside edge.

Now it's time to add the gathered ribbon, which is coaxed into shape and pinned into place.

Then the pleats are stitched down along the top edge.

Next it's time to add the side ribbons. In period, they would be stitched to ether side of opening...

...but we are going for theatrical cheats, and so the ribbons are just are stitched together and sewn down to one edge.

Which means the cuffs are now officially done!

They are completely detachable, which means they can be removed if the gloves ever need cleaning or if I want to swap out a different pair of gloves later.

Finally, the cuffs are stitched to the gloves on the outside edge of the side seam, and then the edge of the cuffs are whip-stitched together.

NOTE: The cuffs are only attached to the gloves at this very small point. That means they are effectively free-floating. 

The cuffs will stay in place...ish. But they won't stand up to rigorous wear. 

You can't put on or remove the gloves by pulling on the cuffs (they will tear off) instead you have to reach under the cuffs and pull on the leather gloves themselves. 

But that's okay! Because, again...this is all about theatrical cheats!

And that's it! The gloves are done!

Overall, I have to say I'm pretty pleased with them!

And they would have made a lovely addition to my talk, had they actually made it in...

Yes, sadly, even though the gloves were finished in time, the rest of the outfit was not...so they were never photographed for my presentation.

(Though they do make a guest appearance in this quasi-1620s mish-mash of ideas)

However, I have since finished all the elements for my 1610s look, so look for an update some time in the not too distant future...

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