From what I understand it, woad produces blue, which was cheaply available for everyone in the period. But Woad blue is not very light fast, so fades quickly. The intense blue would be more expensive to produce. I think that you may be thinking about lapis blue on illuminations - where blue was used in the very fancy books of hours because patrons could afford it and wanted to flaunt it. There it was used more than in real life to show it off.
But blue is certainly a viable colour for middle class English I'd think. I'm not a dye expert, or even amateur, so I can't speak to detailed facts about processes and dyestuffs.
But you can also think of it in terms of the second-hand clothing trade that was thriving at the time. You may not have afforded the best blues that were hideously expensive as new cloth, but you're retro-fitting the gown already - you could have bought it as a second-hand item in period and thus get a slightly bleached out version of the fine expensive blue.
Well, that's my random thought process of the entire thing. And definitely make sure that the skirt is firmly attached to the bodice in some manner. Lacing it in place works if you don't stitch it on.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2008-12-14 05:55 pm (UTC)But blue is certainly a viable colour for middle class English I'd think. I'm not a dye expert, or even amateur, so I can't speak to detailed facts about processes and dyestuffs.
But you can also think of it in terms of the second-hand clothing trade that was thriving at the time. You may not have afforded the best blues that were hideously expensive as new cloth, but you're retro-fitting the gown already - you could have bought it as a second-hand item in period and thus get a slightly bleached out version of the fine expensive blue.
Well, that's my random thought process of the entire thing. And definitely make sure that the skirt is firmly attached to the bodice in some manner. Lacing it in place works if you don't stitch it on.