Bodices!! Above are a couple different bodice styles, and a few different lacing options! I have since decided that side-back lacing is out - I won't be able to do that with my limited time. However, there is are still the options to front-lace and back-lace. The bodices can also end at the waist seam, or have an additional peplum (the little skirt along the bottom of the bodice).

I have drawn my current conjecture for each design, and I need y'all to let me know what I need to change! Let me know who wants their bodice to be front-laced, who wants it back-laced, and who wants a peplum. I took the plaids to the store and matched them to twill bodice fabrics; below are pictures of each plaid with a matching bodice fabric.



For Aunt Jenny, I currently have a front-lacing bodice with a peplum; I do remember that she wasn't too fond of the peplum, though - would she like it without? The shirt has an elastic neckline and 3/4 length sleeves with an elastic cuff. Below are the fabrics for this ensemble: blue+blue plaid for the skirt with a dark blue twill for the bodice.






The drawing at left for Sarah shows a front-lacing bodice without a peplum. Would she like a peplum and would she like it to lace in the back? Both of these options are possible in the same garment. The shirt for Sarah's ensemble has a tunic-style neckline with long, full sleeves, and cuffs at the wrist. The fabrics are a pale blue+blue plaid for the skirt with a dark blue twill for the bodice (same twill as Aunt Jenny).





Ellie's bodice is the same as Sarah's at the moment - I didn't have much chance to get Ellie's opinion. Peplum or no peplum? Back lacing or front lacing? The shirt for Ellie has a collar and cuffs, as as full, long sleeves. Unfortunately, I do need to have at least a small slit down the front from the collar, otherwise her head would never fit through! However, I CAN make this slit button-able, so it will close all the way. Ellie's skirt fabric is a bright blue+pale yellow+brown plaid, and the best bodice fabric that I found to for that was a warm brown twill.



I think I remember Lizzie saying that she liked the back-lacing bodice best... If she doesn't want that, let me know ASAP! I can also add a peplum to this if she would like. Lizzie's shirt has a tunic-style neckline and long, full sleeves with a cuff. The plaid for her skirt is green+black+cream+pale teal blue. I loved the teal blue, and found a matching teal blue twill for the bodice, but if Lizzie isn't a fan of the blue, I also found a black twill that will match nicely.


Mary Clare! The ensemble I envisioned for Mary Clare has a back-lacing bodice with a peplum. As I have mentioned, this bodice, too, can lace in the front and be made with or without the peplum. Mary Clare's shirt is the same as Sarah's and Lizzie's - a tunic-style neckline with long, gathered sleeves and a cuff at the wrist. The skirt plaid for this outfit is blue+red+pale yellow, and I found a matching blue twill for the bodice!



So, those are what I'm currently working on putting together! Let me know if bodices and shirts need changes SOON, or there will be no turning back (I haven't started the bodices, and I am most unsure about what each of you want with those designs, so let me know by this Monday if you can!).

Please leave comments letting me know what you like. (You don't have to be a member of blogger to post, just post as a guest and write your name!) I hope you like these ideas!

In the beginning... there are always ideas. What will come of them is entirely in the air, but the beginning has to begin somewhere. So here they are!



Shirts are the first order of business - they can be immensely versatile (if they are long, they can be used as nightgowns, and are called chemises or shifts), and they are the breeziest, coolest piece of a Festival ensemble. They can be made out of linen, cotton, or cotton muslin, and are generally white or off-white. There are many variations of the shirt or chemise; many different necklines/collar and sleeve designs can be paired to create exactly the shirt or chemise that you want! Pictured below are the variations that I can easily accomplish.


1. Irish leine: Picture here is a chemise (note the length, a little below the knees) with a simple drawstring neckline and leine sleeves. Leine sleeves are very long and full, and are pulled up to normal sleeve length with ribbons or strings. This style is handy because it enables one to pull the ribbons up as tight as they like, creating short sleeves that stay out of messes! However, if the ribbon ties cause too much hassle (they do have a bit of a tendency to fall down, if the bow isn't tied very tightly) then a decorative ribbon can be stitched over the gathers to hold the sleeve at a permanent length, and a cuff may be added.







More information on the leine (as well as the pictures at above!) may be found in an article by Lady Meghan Paget on the history and construction of the leine.

2. Tunic-Style: This shirt has a tunic-style neckline and long cuffed sleeves. The advantages of the tunic style neckline and the cuffs is that this shirt isn't going anywhere! The neckline will never slip off of one's shoulders, and the cuffs keep one's sleeves from dragging in everything. A bit of ribbon can be added to accent the shape of the neckline, which can be laced closed to keep in order to prevent 'wardrobe malfunction'. The cuffs can also be closed with ribbon ties or a button. With this type of neckline, the gathering forming the loose body of the shirt is in the shoulders. An additional ribbon can be stitched over the gathering on the shoulders (just like the sleeves of the leine!) for a decorative element. The ribbon can be selected to match the decoration on another shirt/chemise, or to match the bodice to be worn with it! Ruffles may also be added to the cuffs for a little feminine flair.


3. Quick and easy Elastic! The biggest advantage of this shirt/chemise is that it is easy-on, easy-off. The neckline and sleeves can be made with or without ruffles, and are gathered with elastic. Unfortunately, this neckline is prone to falling off the shoulders! However, it is entirely hassle-free - no buttons or ribbon laces to deal with. The wide neckline and ruffles on this shift might look a little odd beneath a bodice, but that's all a matter of preference... At right is an example of a shirt by White Pavilion Clothiers that pretty much covers it!




4. Collared and Cuffed: This is a very tidy style of chemise/shirt. The high collar fits close to the base of the neck and can be buttoned or tied with a ribbon or two, as can the cuffs. A possible decorative element that can be added to a fitted collar and cuffs is flat lace, as shown in the smaller illustration. Ruffles can also be added to the collar, as well as the cuffs. In a shirt with this type of collar, most of the fullness of the body is gathered into the collar. This type of shirt tends to be particularly adorable within the deep square neckline of a bodice, as evinced at left by Jen Atkinson-Spencer, October 2004 Featured Attyre!



5. Full, Square-necked Shift: This style of shift has a very different neckline that the shirts, chemises, and shifts shown above. It is very wide and square, and not adjustable, but it is cool and comfortable. The sleeves shown here are very full and breezy, but they will have a tendency to drag through things unless pinned up! This neckline might have a tendency to gap a bit when one bends over, unless made up with an extra margin of fabric to cover the chest...

6. Fitted, Square-necked Shift: Similar to the shift it shares the picture with, this model has a wide, square neckline. However, everything else about this shift is narrower and slightly more form-fitting than any of the other shirts or chemises preceding it in this article. It is also probably the most authentic style of undergarment in this collection of examples! It is not tight, but not particularly loose, either. Underarm gussets allow the shoulders a range of movement in the narrow sleeves, and long triangular gores create a flare in the skirt of the shift, allowing a free range of movement without an excess of fabric.