collar issues,and right fabric

[silasraven]

im trying to sew a fine shirt with a Shakespeare collar im not sure how to even to the old collars like that. is there a way to sew the waves without just crimping it all together?

[Butch]

Go to this site:  http://www.elizabethancostume.net/

About 2/3 of the way down there is a section titled "Dress Accessories".  Look at the articles about ruffs.

Now, when I construct a soft ruff, I usually knife pleat the material into the collar band.  I prefer that look to box pleats.  Good luck!

[isabelladangelo]

Hi again!

I'm guessing you are on the young side of the age spectrum based upon your use of grammar.    How much sewing experience do you have?  Elizabethan ruffs of any era aren't really something a newbie to sewing would want to tackle right away.  The style I think you are concerned with requires a lot of pleating to a collar band.  Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion 4 discusses ruffs and other garments at length.  You might want to see if you can get it through your local library if you don't want to buy it right away.  

The more elaborate ruffs were not sewn directly to the smocks.  Although some high necked smocks do have a small pleated ruff around the neckline, the full Elizabethan "head on a platter look" is from a separate ruff.  Collars themselves were often separate from a shirt until the 20th Century.  

I hope that helps.  

[silasraven]

ha ha thank you so much. both of you helped tremendously. yes yes i am. but the teacher didnt help any

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

Elizabethan Ruffs. Some of my favorite things to do.






I uise this method of the Double Stacked Box Pleat.

I make my neck Ruff strips 2 1/2" Tall by 3 to 3 1/2 yards Long depending on the size of the neck.

Serged on all sides, then I sew the lace on one of the sides covering where I serged. I fold over the edges and sew them down, anchoring the lace.

Then I take a  Yardstick, I mark 1/2" from edge, then 1" from then on until I get to the end.

Then I fold the edge, then make a fold over that to start the Box Pleat. Use the Long Quilt Pins to hold your pleats down. If I come to the end and there is fabric left over, I cut that, serge, sew the edge down, and fold it to complete the end.

With pin side down, I baste the folded pleats down. With thread and needle, I then make stitches 1/2" apart as if I am Cartridge Pleating.

Pull thread to even out the pleats. This should give you the Figure 8 shape. Then attach to neck band. I do the same for the Wrist ruffs. They tend to be 71" inches long for a 9 to 9 1/2" wrist.


Hope this helps.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

Ruffs can be made with Dupioni Silk, Cotton Voile, Broadcloth, Soft Linens, or Silk Organza.

Here are some from The Renaisance Tailor Shop http://www.renaissancetailor.com/ that uses the same procedure I use.  It helps looking at Ruffs made to get the idea as to how to make them. There are many ways to do it.

[DonaCatalina]

Do you mean a shirt with a ruff?  Like this?



The shirt and the ruff are twp separate articles.

The best materials for making these is fine linen.  To make the ruff stand out like that you need lots of starch and LOTS of patience!   

The shirt itself is just lots of rectangular pieces and lots of felled seams.  The quickest way to get a reasonably accurate version of this type of shirt and ruff is by following these instructions: http://www.renaissancetailor.com/demos_shirt.htm

For the ruff, look here: http://www.elizabethancostume.net/ruffmake.html#easy

And the best advice on starching it:  http://www.faucet.net/costume/period/ruff4.html

I'm presuming you know how to sew...  If not, learning basic sewing and felled seams will come first.

Welcome to the madness that is historic costuming!   

Even a cotton linen blend or a silk linen blend would work for this.

[isabelladangelo]

In period, as far as I can recall (and a quick search through my books) all ruffs were linen.  The reason is due to the need for starch to keep them nice and pleated.  Cotton will work but cotton wasn't common in England during this period.  (You had to get it all the way from Egypt or India which wasn't cheap)  Now, silk may have been used for the lace decorations on the end, but not the actual ruff.