1520s Finite

I finally have a Spanish 1520s dress! If you’ve been around for a while you may remember that I started planning one about a year ago– initially for Great Western War, then Twelfth Night before I fell for that damask velvet.

This started as an experiment to see if I could completely machine sew a dress back when my hands were bad. As a result it’s better from a distance, although it gives the right effect.

Here I’m wearing it over my spazzy farthingale but looking back at my references it looks like farthingales were not commonly worn by middle class Spanish women in the 1520s, so I might just replace it with a heavy canvas petticoat. I think the farthingale is why the skirt is | \ shaped.

(See how the skirt is coming towards the camera a lot? That’s the farthingale being wonky. I think perhaps folding it in half sideways to pack it doesn’t help)

I’m also annoyed because I have never, ever had an issue with my handsewn eyelets but I’ve already lost a metal eyelet from the eyelet tape in the, oh, 20 minutes I’ve worn this?! Not pleased. I think I’m going to just replace it with a handsewn eyelet around a lacing ring to strengthen it a tad.

I was worried about the skirt length but looking back at Das Trachtenbuch most skirts do show the whole foot and the chopine clearly so it’s probably fine. If I nix the farthingale that’ll give me more length as well.

The pendant is from Pewter Replicas and it is very nice for the price– real freshwater pearl and a real stone cabochon, not enamel! Also for once it is a Spanish piece and not an Italian one! Free shipping from the UK, too, so I’ll definitely consider shopping there again.

I’m pretty pleased with this on the whole! The fact that some of the details are a little sloppy (machine sewn trim….grrrrr) does bother me, but the look is right, and for the first time in a new era/style I can live with it. I will be making a better dress (and better farthingale….) In future.