Good thought process, Saragrace! You're right about the Shinrone Gown sleeve -- it really has very little to do with the armhole at all since it's attached to the back of the garment by means of a gore. But the armhole is created by cutting straight across, parallel to the floor, and folding that fabric inside to make a kind of self-lining rather than discarding it. (The same "lining" technique is done at the bottom of the bodice as well and these two "linings" meet at the bottom of the shoulder strap.)
The Dungiven Jacket, however, is the one that really bears a resemblance to the flat-bottomed armholes in these pictures. The fabric in the armhole is cut down the center and those pieces fold out to make shoulder wings on the garment. The sleeves actually attach to a pinch of fabric inside this, not to any cut edges. Neat, huh? The thing that fascinates me is that these garments are late 16th century -- contemporary with many of the garments Janet Arnold patterned in PoF. And yet all of those have armholes cut in what I would term "the modern shape". To me, this is evidence of a difference in the way that the (guild) tailors of the rich and the (amateur? or just rural?) tailors of the poor cut their clothing. Kass <http://www.reconstructinghistory.com/> -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Saragrace Knauf Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 6:51 PM To: Historical Costume Subject: [h-cost] Flat Bottomed Armholes WAS: New Topics-- please!!!!! Those are very interesting observations Kass. I just love that kind of experimental investigation. Now I will have to think about the progression from "sleeveless" to sleeved - where/when did the style become less driven by fabric limitations and more driven by fit and style.... (If I remember correctly the Shinrone gown sleeve is just another rectangle sewn in the top of the armscye and ties around the wrist?? Monica, I thought I was talking about new topics.... :) Sg _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
