How to Starch a Ruff: Update
I have made another ruff, this one without any pleating, just straight gathering.
The ruff is attached to the neckband of a shirt so I can wear it under gowns
(the old ruff, which is just a ruffle on a neckband, can only be worn with
doublets). The shirt caused all sorts of interesting variations in the process.
I had to make sure only to dip the ruff into the starch, and I draped a towel
around below the ruff during the starching so the shirt would not have drips
all over it. Since it's attached to a voluminous shirt, the ruff can't easily
be turned upside-down during the starching. I did it all right-side-up, going
around until I felt the figure-eights were really holding up, then suspended
it upside-down (so that the ruff itself was still around the neck of the bottle)
to dry.
I was very satisfied with the gathering as opposed to the pleating/gathering of my other ruff. I had to do a little figure-eight adjustment towards the end of the process so that they were all even, but it worked fine. I also pinned each spot where the figure-eights touch each other with quilting pins (the kind with the colored ball--so I could find them again later) and left the pins in while the ruff was drying. Once the pins were removed, the ruff kept its perfect arrangement.
This ruff worked well open and closed, though it was still stiff enough that when I wanted to wear it open, I had to pin the ends to the section of shirt I wanted them to lay on. My other ruff has a hook and eye closure at the front neck, which works very well. Since I wanted to wear this ruff both open and closed, a hook and eye was out of the question (because it would show when the ruff was open). So I made ties with little tassels on the ends (as can be seen in several 16th-century portraits). This works well, but I have to get someone else to tie it while I hold the ruff together. If you want to try the ties, be sure to use something that won't slip. Satin ribbon and nylon string will not work well. I made the string by doing a little finger crochet to make a single-strand braid (the same way you would make a thread loop for a belt loop or to pair with a hook at the top of a zipper).
A word on materials: this ruff (and the shirt, of course) is 100% linen.
Linen works better than cotton. It has a natural tendency to crispness that
works well with the starching. Also, the lace that I used for this ruff is
one of these poly/rayon blends with the shiny, satin-stitch-looking motifs
(it was on sale--what can I say?). This did not hold up as well as the stiffer
100% cotton lace of my other ruff. The fibers don't really have the strength
to withstand the part where the iron sticks to the starched lace and you have
to pull it away. I've never tried silk lace, so I don't know what it would
be like. It may be that my technique is unnecessarily harsh, but at this point
I'm not sure how to make it gentler. Suggestions from other experimenters
are welcome!
In the picture below, you can see the figure-eights of the new ruff. Still not perfect, but getting better!
Below, you can see how the fabric springs from gathers into the figure-eight of the ruff.
Below, a view of the body of the shirt and the sleeve (which has matching lace as a ruffle and a hook and bar to close). You can very faintly see the tassels as well.
How will I launder this creation, you ask? I plan to spot-clean as necessary,
without getting the ruff wet! The ruff should only need
re-starching every six months or so (as I don't wear it THAT often), and I'll
certainly want to rinse out the shirt more frequently. Wish me luck!
