Updated 8/29/2024
I’ve been obsessively working on a new to me (quite old) pleating style. Here is some of the info on my success so far.
I primarily focus on German clothing styles from the early 16th century in my art, particularly pleated shirts. I look at many paintings and images from the time and region. It’s not always obvious what is going on style-wise with collars of early 16th-century German hemden (and partlets / gollars).
There is a bit of mystery about what techniques were used; it doesn’t always look like topstitch or back-stitched pleats, darned pleats, smocking (modern styles), or counted thread shirring. There are a limited number of extant examples, limited documentation, and images. A lot of styles likely were used and occurring at the same time in this time and region. I’ve experimented with a lot of pleating and smocking and examined various styles (see Was it Honeycomb Smocking on 16th c. German Clothing – Or something else… for more discussion).
In my research, “Italian Shirring” has come up several times. Jenny Tiramani examined an extant example of a shirt with what sounds like chevron-patterned shirring in The First Book of Fashion (2015), and Thimble and Plume mention it in their smocking videos. In the new edition of Patterns of Fashion 4, there is an English example of Thread-Counted Shirring.
Looking around the internet I found some awesome modern and older examples of shirring in “folk” shirts and aprons from Europe, e.g., Sardinian Puntu Vanu, Romanian a type of încreț, Ukraine, etc. I have linked my Pinterest board for it below; of particular interest is the work by “puntu vanu ricamo sardo” board belonging to Patricia Pela’ on Pinterest and Polonets Olga soulful handmade.
The term “folk shirring” does not accurately represent the diverse regional styles. I will use puntu vanu from here out since I was able to find an actual book related to the Sardinian styles and techniques (thanks to Marion McNealy for making sure it made its way to my hands).
As I looked at the shirring works by these glorious artisans, I became convinced that this is probably the style showing up in some of the paintings and woodcuts from this time and region, deemed “Italian Shirring.” This does make sense; the Southern German Lands style had strong influences from the northern Italian region in the early 16th century. I went on an adventure to translate this into a style in some German paintings.
The Swatches
I embarked on a sewing adventure to recreate this style, inspired by the collars of early 16th-century garments. German hemden styles, and possibly aprons. Much of the Sardinian puntu vanu work is done on fine cotton, approximately 3 centimeters (little over an inch) wide and varying in length, suitable for cuffs, sleeve caps, or the front section of a shirt. I knew I would ultimately need to translate this technique into something a little bigger (2 inches in width and well over 14 inches long) on linen or cotton/linen blend. There are examples of linen and wide sections, like that of an apron, in the book. However, the tutorials and “recipes” focused on smaller sections and fine cotton. Another consideration is that I don’t speak or read Italian, so there was a bit of a language barrier there. Then, to add to the fun, the author indicates there is a bit of a secret recipe quality to the techniques.
Finished Hemd with Puntu Vanu Collar
Yay, I did it. I was able to take the information from these swatches and turn it into a finished project. I have documented this experience 16th Century German Men’s Shirt with Shirred Pleat-work Collar.
Swatches Part II
After completing the 16th c. shirred collar men’s hemd I decided to work on another pattern. Below are some photos of these efforts. My hope is to create a diamond row pattern that looks like some of the paintings. These current efforts are a bit smaller than planned, however it’s coming along. The blue thread is a guide frame and will be cut away in the finished version.
I’m also working on another pattern using black cotton thread. This is a repeat of one that was a bit of a fail in the first round of swatches, but it’s much better now. The pattern is from Luoghi e Volti del Punto Filza. The swatch is 20 inches long and shrinks down to 3.5 inches. The pattern is just about 1.5 inches wide.
16th c. Frauenhemd (Chemise) with Counted Thread Shirring
Check out my newest hemd with counted thread shirring (puntu vanu).
References
Arnold, J., Tiramani, J., & Levey, S. (2023 new edition). Patterns of fashion 4 : the cut and construction of linen shirts, smocks, neckwear, headwear and accessories for men and women c.1540-1660. New York: MacMillan. Print.
Lecca, R., Balestri, E. (2010). Luoghi e Volti del Punto Filza. Associazione Culturale “Labratorio – IL Tempo e lo Spazio”. Print
Rublack, U., Hayward, M., & Tiramani, J. (Eds.). (2015). The First Book of Fashion: The Book of Clothes of Matthäus and Veit Konrad Schwarz of Augsburg. Bloomsbury Academic. Print
Lee Ann Posavad
Website – https://medievalhandwork.wordpress.com
Thimble and Plume
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Polonets Olga soulful handmade
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