A Labour of Love - How stiff is stiff?

The title of this week’s post refers to stiffened belly pieces in 16th and 17th century men’s doublets, and is not the double entendre that you may have in mind! We have been constructing one of the 1640’s doublets featured in the V&A book “17th Century Men’s Dress Patterns” and some matching breeches as a banqueting outfit for my husband, David. You may have seen some photos of it recently, or even in person if you were at the 50th Anniversary Sealed Knot banquet.

I thought that you might be interested in our experiences with stiffened belly pieces, something that we have never done before. This doublet has been a real collaboration, with David doing much of the work. However, the following section describes work that I did as an experiment. Firstly, I had to match the original materials - namely cork and baleen (whalebone). Having asked various Facebook Groups about the cork and been told there is not really a modern alternative, I got a response from the lovely Angela Mombers, who makes the most amazing costumes. She told me about the sheets of cork used by model railway enthusiasts (for example her husband) that she has used. After a trip to a model shop, David returned with just the thing. I already knew about artificial baleen as it is what I use in corsets and stays and it is a fantastic alternative to the real thing.

Rolled cork sheet used for the stiffening

The cork David bought was 2.5mm thick and has a very dense structure. The structure is of very fine cork particles, bonded together in some way. However, it gives a lovely fine, even texture unlike the cork wall boards or mats that you see, which are large pieces of cork glued together in an open and uneven structure. Having read the description of the original, I decided to use two layers of the cork, instead of one, to give the correct thickness. The cork was rolled when we bought it, so it retained a rolled shape when it was cut - this was useful in helping to get the shape needed for the rounded pieces.

The original belly pieces were a kind of triangular shape with the top corner cut off. I had no pattern for this so I looked at the x-ray photos in the V&A book to see how it should sit in the doublet and then, using our half completed doublet, traced the equivalent shape onto paper. This approach seems to have been successful, based on the results below. A craft knife was needed to cut the shape and then to trim down the edges into a profile, giving a sort of ramp at each edge to soften the edges of each block.

The cork is cut into triangular shapes with one corner removed

In the V&A book, it describes covering the cork triangles in the lining material (I am using some pink cotton and I know it is not authentic but it looks and feels good) and pad stitching it through the cork layers. There is no indication in the book whether this pad stitching is to create a shape but I chose to shape the pieces in the opposite direction from the pre-existing curve. This gives an interesting rounded shape that sits well on the bottom of David’s chest/top of his belly.

Two layers of cork pieces covered

The covering is pad stitched through the cork layers

Having covered the triangle in its own little bag, a larger piece stretching from the neckline down to the front points is created with artificial baleen strip stitched into the straight edge. This gives a soft rigidity to the front faces of the doublet, which takes the pressure off the buttons down the front and keeps the fabric curved down over the chest.

Cork and baleen encased in fabric are attached to the front lining of the doublet

The front linings are now ready to be fitted to the doublet body where the outer, interlining, tabs and gold braid are all complete. There is just one more thing to add. The original shown in the V&A book had a feature that many high class doublets show - a small tab used to lace the doublet closed from the inside, which reduces pressure on the buttons and takes the strain of keeping the very fitted doublet closed. If not done correctly, these tabs would simply pull on the lining and tear the seams. However, the tabs are stitched through the lining AND the cork. The lining AND cork are then attached through all of the outer layers of the doublet using pick stitches that show up on the outer as tiny, self-coloured stitches. In this case, these stitches appeared directly under one edge of the gold braid and so cannot be seen, however, it was acceptable for stitches like this to be visible in 16th and 17th century clothing if they are small, regular and neat.

Tensioning tab made of canvas covered with lining fabric

Tab stitched strongly to the cork and then the lining attached through all outer layers

Oops - two identical tabs means one of them is UPSIDE down!

Pick stitches appearing just under the gold braid - the stitching is travelling from bottom to top

Doublet without the cork and lining

Doublet with the cork and lining stitched in

Once the whole thing was completed, the impact of the cork pieces in this design is very subtle and not instantly obvious. There is no peascod effect. However, it does give a pleasingly smooth and full effect in the front and means the buttons are under no strain at all. The effect of the whole suit is very striking and the belly pieces are just one of several aspects in it.

Unfortunately, the only photo I have of David in the doublet is the very grainy one used for the thumb nail, taken in poor evening light.

Was it worth the effort?

Yes, undoubtedly. Once I had mastered the details and techniques of making these pieces and attaching them to the doublet, it was not more than a few hours work to do them. In comparison, the pad stitched tabs were very time consuming and had a good but insufficiently marked effect for me to repeat the process. I would consider this technique to be both effective and cost effective when making an authentic doublet for someone willing to pay for and wear authentic clothing. The last statement is because truly authentic clothing is not easy to wear for modern people and some re-enactors do not want to be troubled by complex clothing when they can instead play with complex weaponry or complex drill and battle plans.

I would highly recommend trying this technique out at least once if you are interested in making 16th or 17th century doublets. I have lots of cork sheet spare if you want some too!!

Quote from David

“This turned out to be the most comfortable doublet that I own. The effect of all various tailoring in it, such as the pad stitched shoulders, the stiffened high collar and the belly pieces, means that it stays where it is meant to be once it is all on. I have plenty of movement but the doublet has a shape that it wants to retain when I stop moving. The collar ought to have restricted my head movement but it did not at all. It takes a while to put on and take off but once on, it is easy to wear and does not rub in any of the common places such as armholes or collar.

“There are only two minor issues. It is very slightly too loose - we left too much growing room and I don’t want to grow in to it! The other thing is that hooks and eyes holding up the breeches tend to come apart when going from standing to sitting and vice versa. That left the breeches suspended by the points at the front. Some 3/4 inch hooks that I have bought should fix that.”

What is next?

This is the last post on this particular subject, but please feel free to comment or contact me if you want to more about the construction. Next I am working on a Medieaval surcote to go over chainmail armour. Although a much simpler construction that 17th century clothing, it might make some interesting photos for the next post.