Mid 16th Century Italian Camica

Except for the final pleating on the neck and sleeve cuffs, I have finished the camica for Cecilia.

The white linen fabric is a fairly loose weave with a small square pattern woven in. It was necessary to finish all seams so all pieces were serged separately before seaming to reduce the fabric unraveling in the wash. The sleeves and neck have been hand-finished with a narrow hem.

The gussets were sewn to the upper sleeves first, then to the front and back of the camica. The front of the camica is set 5 inches lower than the back because of the design of the gown to be worn over it. The width of the camica is 45 inches before seams.

The underarm gussets are 8 inches square before seams. The front is set about 2 inches into the sleeve.

The cuffs will be knife pleated with a small frill with a thread loop and Mother-of-Pearl button closure. I left the bottom 3 inches open and hand-hemmed the opening to make a placket.

Cecilia has woven Altavia color trim (green, black and white) for me to use to stabilize the pleating on the cuffs and the neck.

Sometimes you have to satisfy the curiosity of the resident cat.