Genevieve's Journeys

EDIT: click on pics to see more in my Scrapbook 'Bliaut' gallery

In the spirit of the 3Rs, I decided to test out a cutting pattern for fitted early period tunics, that my household cousins Wilhelm and Cristabel developed. I posted this pattern in June.

I had an uber-large linen tunic, that I'd hand-stitched in my make-everything-tent-like spell I went through about 10 years ago. It was marvellously roomy, and the fabric was wonderful and sturdy, but I wasn't wearing it much these days.

So I took it apart to test out their fitting theory - that you can make a self-supporting t-tunic, simply by making the bodice piece quite narrow (very close to your rib measurement), and adding a 4" gusset for ease.

Tunic starting measurements (tunic lying flat on the floor): all measurements include SA
Body piece - 26-27" wide
Sleeve length - 17"
Armhole depth - 12", narrowing to a cuff of 6.5"
Length of front gore - 32"

Finished tunic measurements (tunic lying flat on the floor): includes SA
Body piece - 17"
Sleeve length - 18.5"
Armhole depth - 6.75"
Gusset - 4" square
Length of front gore - 40"

Method:
Take entire tunic apart at the seams. The flat felled seams had eaten a lot of fabric - I regained an inch out of several of them! and only used 5/8" SA for the second fitted tunic.

Measure desired width of tunic, and cut the excess out of the centre (where I already had a slit up the front, remember). This gave me 2 strangely shaped pieces about 9-10" wide at their widest points.

Trim and re-shape sleeves into straight rectangles. Cut 2 small gussets.

Piece gores, from the excess taken from the centre of the body piece. The side gores now have 4 skinny triangles in each side, and the front gores have been pieced to extend them.

Before inserting gores, put on tunic (just sleeves and body piece assembled) to see where to insert gores. The fitted model requires that you place them at the start of your widest point (usually tum and hips).

When I first put it on, it fit to a T, literally. I had a beautifully supported bosom, sitting practically under my chin. The wrinkles around my middle looked just right! The gussets gave enough ease for me to fit into the tunic, just.

Unfortunately, when I set the neckline (rounded instead of a T-slit), the tunic somehow shifted, so that the tightest point of the bottom edge was no longer under my bust, but cut across the bottom of it. Humph.

HOwever: I was immensely pleased with how well the piecing worked. I was amazed at how little I had left over (see pic). And very pleased that I have an almost-working prototype of a self-supporting tunic.

Because we don't know how 12thc women bound their busts, if they did at all, this is as good a solution as I can think of for wearing 12th c. gowns w/out modern support. Maybe they didn't bother - maybe they did - until we unearth the Romanesque 'diary of Brygyt of Jones', we won't know. But given how much whining some clerics did about tight clothes and court fashions, this might well have been one possibility.

	starting point This is the huge T-tunic, handstitched about 10 years ago.
	The tunic as worn by me
	finished gown bodice
	my leftovers This is how much fabric I had left over - that's all.