La Strisciata

Having determined to make a gown from the Italian 16th century milieu, I first searched for just the right gown. I have always loved the gowns with the big poofy upper sleeves. Jen Thompson's site "Festive Attyre" has one of the best collections of portraits from this period that I have found. When I came across this one I knew I had found the right inspiration gown for my first attempt at reproducing the dress of this period.

A few months before, I had come across some beautiful blue linen with a slight greenish cast that set my eyes off nicely, and bought 8 yards. Although the original gown was most likely wool, it's very difficult to find tropical weight wool in Southern California in colors other than the dreary ones suitable to men's business suits. The linen was, in my mind, a good substitute. I'm a late convert to linen, having been convinced that the wrinkling attendant to the fabric was enough to avoid it at all costs. I've learned much about the fabric since, and now love it dearly.

The strips after which I named this gown were clearly gold satin in the inspiration portrait, and I had no reason to change this. However, though Signorina Sofferoni's satin guards were undoubtedly silk, mine was a modern simulation.

Here are the fabrics I used:

So that the guards would easily follow the curves and corners of the gown, I chose to cut them on the bias. I then ran them through the serger to make a neat edge to fold under. I used the serger for much of the construction of this gown to control the raveling of the linen. A serger replicates the cast-over stitch of many period seams.

Satin Strips:
Edged Strips:

I decided to try the triple guards on the sleeves first. I stitched the first side down, right sides together, to make sure there was a clean line on at least one edge of each strip. I then pressed them to the other side, tucking under the finished edge of the strips and pinned them down. Topstitching each side of each strip finished the application.

Sleeve Layout:
Strips Applied:

Signorina Sofferoni's sleeves are different from most of the big puffy sleeves of this period in that they appear to be gathered with a flounce at the bottom. I turned up the hem on the sleeves, adding two parallel lines of stitching to create a casing for a drawstring. Here is the completed sleeve, prior to insertion in the armscye:

Upper Sleeve:

When it came to cutting the bodice and skirt, I found that I did not have quite enough for a self-lined bodice and a skirt as full as I wanted. I had a choice of a narrower skirt or a different lining. Fortunately, I had another linen of the same weight, so I cut the lining of the back of the bodice out of a plum linen. Thus, I was able to cut the skirt on a 2:1 gored layout, ending with a 6-yard hem. Attaching the guards (two journeys) was accomplished by the same method as on the sleeves.

Cut Bodice Pieces:

The skirt was knife-pleated into the waistline, radiating towards the side seams from a simple box pleat in front and back.

I assembled the bodice and started to attach the guards. I noted that in the inspiration portrait, the guards wrapped far enough across the chest that they were tucking under the arm. Signorina Sofferoni has significantly sloped shoulders. I felt more comfortable with the shoulder straps of the bodice sitting more securely on my shoulders, so for the same neck opening, my shoulder straps had to be slightly narrower. Thus, you can see here that the guards are disappearing into the armscye. Getting these guards evenly placed was difficult, and I had to enlist the help of my beloved, patient husband to pick them off so I could re-do them!

First Neckline Stripe:
Bodice Stripes:
Patient and Loving Husband:

One of the most interesting details of the Sofferoni portrait is the split piping at the neck edge. I made short pieces of bias tube and lined them up along the seam line. Many pins and much frustration later, I stitched on the bodice lining. Unfortunately, the final line-up of the tiny picadils was uneven. The next time I do this detail, I plan to fold them over a thin line of cord to keep them even.

Neckline Treatment:
The Finished Bodice:

The back of the bodice had its own detailing, involving guards along one side of the side-back openings. I used size 00 metal grommets, which are simple and discreet in appearance, along both edges of both openings. I have spiral-laced one side closed permanently, but the other opening is completely functional. I used a gold rayon twisted cord that coordinates nicely with the gold satin guards.

Back View:

The final touch to the bodice was neatly stitching the lining to the waistline.

Inside View:

The inner sleeves in the inspiration portrait are also gold satin. I echoed this in my re-creation. The lower sleeves are whipped onto the inside top of the armscye.. I may go back and slash the sleeves for more mobility and to better reproduce Signorina Sofferoni's gown, however, I am quite pleased with the effect, even without the slashes. The wrists have a small picadil frill similar to the neckline edge, but somewhat larger.

Lower Sleeves:

The camicia that I wear with this gown is made of a fine handkerchief weight linen with bobbin-lace cuffs and a collar decorated with an Italian Blackwork design charted by Claudette Ziemann, in her late lamented Bronwen's Blackwork Library. Ms. Ziemann tells me that she will be publishing her blackwork patterns in book form in the relatively near future.

I wear this gown with a mid-16th century style corset and a Spanish farthingale. Although I have worn it with my hair simply braided, I anticipate adding a balzo similar to Signorina Sofferoni's.

The Finished Product:

Copyright 2005-Steve Montgomery

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