The White Linen Underdress

As I mentioned in my Blue and Burgundy Wool Gown article, I made another underdress with a smaller footprint than my brown underdress in January 2023. I captured much of the technique and information about how I created it in the Blue 16th c. Southern German Gown article.  There is a lot of discussion and ideas about the undergarments of 16th-century German women’s dress. I have seen some hints of the supportive underdress in drawings and woodcuts from the time. A good example is from an engraving by Georg Pencz of Joseph and his Wife (1546). The version I go with is supportive and shapely, but not too restrictive.

To create this undergown, I patterned it using the brown underdress. I used mid-weight linen leftovers I had sitting around(IL019 5.3 oz per sq. yard) for the bodice and a lighter weight for the skirt. I had some 4-ish oz per sq. yard shirt weight left over from another project. I traced the bodice of the brown gown onto the paper. Then I laid out the paper pattern, used a pen to make a new arm scythe opening and shoulder strap, reduced the width, and lowered the chest. I went with a seam down the back due to the size of the linen scraps I had on hand. I used three layers of linen for the bodice so it would be firm enough to provide some shape. I used a sewing machine for the straight seams and hand-stitched everything else. I went with spiral-spaced hand-sewn eyelets, which worked out well.

I love this underdress; it fits wonderfully! The Burgundy and blue dress looks great with it, and it works as an excellent bottom layer. One oops-sy, I used some yellow tracing wax paper and a pounce wheel and stained the fabric. There are some slight yellow dot lines here and there. Make sure to scroll down to see the black one!

Fine Linen Smock (Unterhemd )

I have several high-neck shirts (halshemden) but did not have a functional low-cut smock to wear as a cool base layer. This style has many names depending on the 16th-century geographic region of interest: Germany – unterhemd, Italy – Camicia, England – Chemise; different names but similar in construction. I’ve been thinking about switching to partlets to make some fancy collars instead of whole shirts, so I plan to make several of these.

I had some gauze linen (IL030 2.8 oz per square yard) on hand; it was already pre-washed and air-dried. So, I steam-ironed it and got started with the rectangles. I have made a lot of shirts and smocks, and I knew what measurements I wanted to work with to achieve a close enough fit, leaving a lot of room. There is no pattern per se; I figured out the measurements and cut them.

For the sleeve rectangle and width, I went with the circumference of the largest part of my arm plus 4 inches. I went with my arm length from the shoulder to the wrist plus 2 inches for the lengths. For the body rectangle, I went with the broadest measurement of my body, divided it in half, and then added 2 inches. I went with the length measurement from just above my chest to the knee. It gets in the way if it is too long, and it is hard to adjust if it is too short. For the gusset squares, I went smaller than I do for the high neck shirts, just 3 by 3 inches. I then cut a long strip 2 inches wide for the neckband. I just measured along the fabric and pulled the threads at the desired measurement; for the width of the garment, I pulled a weft thread and cut along the line, and for the length, I pulled the warp threads. I just cut along the line created as I pulled. This is the best way to go when cutting shirts with the rectangle pattern; they come out nice and straight, and the seams and hem are always perfect.

I start by sewing the very top of the sleeve rectangle to the body rectangle. I machine-stitched about 3 inches down, leaving the rest for the gusset to finish out into the armpit. I then set the gusset in articulating the front and back body/arm seam. After finishing the gusset, I sew the sleeve and side seams of the body. I left about a 10 inch side slit on each side.

I then flat-felled all the seams. I cut one of the seam allowances shorter than the other and then wrapped the longer seam allowance around it. Then, I pressed it down using a “bone folder” tool to press a nice crease. I also double-folded and creased a 1/4-inch hem on all the unfinished edges of the arm, body, and slit. I then stitched it all down using waxed linen thread ( I use a stitch I call a hem stitch, but I have also seen it called a fell stitch). If you haven’t sewn with linen hand-sewing thread and beeswax, I highly recommend it. It makes a huge difference. Also, nice needles like Bohin make a big difference.

Next, I ran a large basting stitch around the collar’s raw edge about 1/2 inch below the raw edge. I used one continuous thread and pulled the thread to create pleats. I then tried it on and adjusted the thread tighter until I was happy with the size of the neck opening. I measured the circumference and used this to get the neckband ready. I think it was like 20 inches; I wanted to leave enough room for the shirt to be dipped below the outer garment if needed or for me to pull it up if worn solo. I cut the band, allowing a little overlap to close the seam, and double-folded it like double-folded bias tape, then pressed it. Then, I sandwiched the pleated neck into the band and stitched it together. When I was done with the neckband, I decided to add some backstitch embroidery in the form of a simple outline stitch in black.

I’m thrilled with the way the unterhemd turned out. It was a fun, quick project, and there were a couple of events I went to that were too hot, so I opted to run around in my undergarments, which was perfect for that.

The Black Linen Underdress

I liked the white one so much that I wanted a black one. A side experiment was also to test eyelets in the supportive underdress to attach a brustfleck down the road. I constructed it very similarly to the white one; however, I went longer with the bodice as I plan to use this under a longer-waisted gown I’m working on.

Ultimately, I made a mistake; I used linen mixed with rayon. Although very pretty and functional, the end product is too hot; it traps that heat like saran wrap. It’s not a good idea for an underlayer. I don’t have black linen scrap lying around like I do white, so I went to my local box store on a whim, as this was an impulse project. When it cools off, maybe it will be viable.