The Spanish Saga Continues: Making a Saya
Project Specs:
Pattern: sort of self-drafted
Fabric: Sand Cassimere from Burnley and Trowbridge, 5 yards and maybe a half yard each of cotton duck and linen.
First event attended: Fall University 2020 on my couch
My two pieces of Spanish undergarments went so well that I got excited and decided to just keep trucking on with the next layer.
The Final Fitting
My new favorite dress in all its glory.
This layer is effectively the kirtle of the ensemble, called a saya. I used the Tudor Tailor's kirtle bodice to begin the drafting process but made some key adjustments for accuracy and comfort.
First and foremost is moving the straps up and in. English necklines tend to be low and wide, and there's a decent amount of discomfort with them cutting into my shoulders. Art from Spain indicates the different placement of the neckline so this feature contributes to both the style differences as well as my comfort. Second, according to the research I have available to me, sayas were only open on one side, unlike Italian dresses which are open on both, or English which lace in the front.
This is made of a tightly woven but lightweight wool called Cassimere from Burnley and Trowbridge. I love the feel of this fabric- it's got great drape, but is also light enough to not be stifling.
I'm pretty thrilled with how this sits with the camisa. The neckline of the camisa falls right where I want it to without much adjustment and mirrors what I've seen in portraiture quite well. It does however corroborate my idea of making my next camisa gored. It's not uncomfortable, but the excessive amount of fabric is definitely noticeable.
The back and its challenges.
I do have some changes I want to make the next time I make a saya. First, the waist sits a little lower than it probably should. On my next iteration, I plan to move the waistline up about an inch to better line up with my natural waist. Second, as you can see in the back view below, the shoulders on the back need some adjustments, particularly to the angle of the shoulders. The interlining doesn't sit quite as flat as it should. I can mask that with some decent ironing, but I think the angle of the back shoulders needs to be brought in a little bit to better accommodate the position of the straps in front.
All in all, I'm really thrilled with how this whole project is going. I plan to add some embellishment to the neckline of this saya in the form of a gray silk ribbon just to make it pop. I think the tawny color will make this piece very versatile in my garb closet to go with a variety of outerwear colors. My next project now that this is done will likely be to use the remnants of this fabric (I only used about 4 out of the 5 yards on the saya itself) to make a couple of pairs of sleeves to match this- one full sleeve, and one set of sleevelets.
