Embroidered Linens

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The most fundamental part of a period gown is the underwear. This in the 16th century (which I focus on) usually commenced with the shirt for men or smock, camicia, chemise (whatever you wish to name it) for women.

All of the smocks I have made over the years are, frankly, terrible! The necklines, in particular, never fit whatever I am wearing, are badly finished and are at worst indecent! The wrist hands tend to be either unfinished or have cuffs which don't meet! Hems aren't sewn and seams have bits of thread sticking out or come apart when I'm wearing them!

Though there is really little excuse for this shoddy work, I do plead a serious lack of time - as a smock is usually not seen in Kentwell, I tend to focus mostly on the main gown and rush the smock. Not any more!

Reason for making Embroidered Linens

It is thanks to my friend, Lynne, that I now have the fabric to put towards a superior kind of smock. When at Kentwell this year (2004), she spied, for sale, a very superior linen which was 4 yards by 60 inch wide. Lynne wanted a small bit of it for a blackwork project - I, on the other hand, immediately thought "SMOCKS!" With that sort of linen, I can certainly make a smock, the like of which I have NEVER made before!

Research and Design

Of course, the first question is what style of smock? There are a few extant ones about - not many but enough to give costumers and costume historians a taster of period "lingerie".

I think I have enough linen (with very careful and non-wasteful cutting) to make two smocks - one low square necked and one high collared. I will initially focus on the high collared smock.


	Italian Camicia,	A smock and a shirt
	Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.	Museum of Costume, Bath, England.

All three of the above smocks/shirts are embroidered. The Italian one has embroidery all the way to the hem and is quite exquisite. I do wish I had a better image of it! The Bath smocks are probably closer to the one I envisage making, especially then one on the left. Something like this would do very well.

Now I had decided on a style (collared, high necked), a few more questions spring to mind:-

~ What pattern should I use?

	- I would like to use one that is known to be historically accurate.

	~ *How should the pattern pieces be sewn together?*

- I could simply French seam them, but my initial research shows other more decorative methods.


	~ *What Embroidery Design and Technique should I use?*

- Again, the pattern should be period and it is likely to be Blackwork - so Geometric or Elizabethan? I would

like to use Voided work within the blackwork. I think this is possible. Do I use just black? Or could I use a

little gold thread as an accent? Or perhaps red work?


	~ *What other decoration could be used?*

- Lace edging, Drawn threadwork or cutwork. I have some delicate little lace but do I want this smock to be

solely Elizabethan or one that can be used throughout the sixteenth century? Could simply use a ruffle on

the collar and cuffs?

Before cutting into this gorgeous linen, I need to do some more research to answer the above questions.

More to come....

	Many thanks for the Images to:-