In Italy, the pockets discussed here were known as saccoccia.
July 2020:
Inspiration & Historical Basis: The problem of where to hide the mundane things like car keys and cell phones is always an issue at any event with most clothing. Since my persona is a late period Italian Lady, I wanted something a bit more historically accurate and correct for my persona than the average leather belt pouch that is common in the SCA and I don’t always want to carry a basket. I came across pockets and purses while doing general costuming research for Late Period Italian women several years ago when I first got to look at a copy of Moda a Firenze 1540 - 1580 Eleanor of Toledo’s style and influence. In Moda a Firenze, pockets can be seen in two of Allesandro Allori’s frescoes as shown below. I discovered a third fresco of his later in my research that is also shown below.
“Woman at her toilet" Fresco by Allesandro Allori, detail 1575 - 1578, Church of Santa Maria Novella, Gaddi Chapel, page 138 of Moda a Firenze.
“Birth of the Virgin” detail from 1595, Cortona, Church of Santa Maria Nouvo page 82 of Moda a Firenze.
Fresco located in the Palazzo Pitti: The Maiden's Quarter by Alessandro Allori dated 1588 and detail of the ladies with their pockets:
Outside of paintings there are few extant pockets or purses from this time period. There is an extant embroidered Italian purse in the shape of a lyre from the late 16th Century that
is housed in the Museo Correr in Venice. The description of the purse from the website is translated as follows: “Cut velvet dark green silk embroidered in silver-gilt and silver yarn and curly, pearls, the application technique, the technique of blue silk satin stitch, silver sequins. Suspension and borders in gilt silver cord twisted yarn. Pink taffeta lining. The bag, unusual shape, could fulfill most uses: purses, como suggests chuisa front pocket with a cord, door dust or portaprofumi. Wisely suspended the waist of the dress, very much in vogue, the 'bag-shaped lute "and very valuable both for the quality of the embroidery and the richness of the materials for setting stistica. The plant motifs that adorn every part of the accessory are made with grace and richness of details highlighted by the many pearls placed in various parts in order to highlight the preziosita. This refined accessory, which certainly emphasized the sumptuousness of a ceremonial dress, it was probably a gift love, how can suggest two hearts pierced by two arrows, according to a custom widespread in the Renaissance.” (Wake, Realm of Venus).
At this point in time, I am unable to locate any extant Italian pockets inside of our SCA period, however, I was able to find one from Spain that is housed in the Costume Museum in Madrid or Museo del Traje. This pocket dates to 1575 - 1600 and the translation from the museum website reads “Bag (Faltriquera) Silk skirt in grana color with gold and silver. It has partial opening in the upper center of a face. It is decorated with an application embroidery that draws a bundle of plant branches in that link with a link, curled up and moved with flowers and a central tulip.” (Bolso, Museo del Traje)
The two extant pieces show that embroidery would have been done on dress accessories during this time frame while the paintings and frescoes show that the working classes may have had little to no embellishment on them or simply have been made of fabric with designs in them such as a brocade. The frescoes “Birth of the Virgin” and “The Maiden’s Quarter” show that the lower classes may have worn their pockets on the outside of their sotanas (kirtles) or the pocket was worn outside of the skirts in less formal situations while “Woman at her toilet” indicates that the pocket would be worn over a simple petticoat underneath the skirts of a sotana. A passage on page 86 of Moda A Firenze also suggests that the upper classes may have worn their pockets on the inside of their skirts while the lower classes wore them outside. “From the side openings of the skirt, corresponding to those of the bodice, such as those found among the folds of the funeral dress (of Eleanor of Toledo). These pockets could also be separate items - and mention of such items is made in the Guardaroba - tied at the waist, or even sewn to the stays, and left visible only in the costumes of middle and working class women.” (Nicolli and Orsini, p. 86) Janet Arnold noted “a single piece of ochre yellow silk taffeta, possibly half of a pocket bag for a long purse, was found among the folds of Eleanora’s skirt.” (Arnold, p. 104)
For my pocket, I went to the scrap bin, found a piece of purple linen and a piece of gold silk from other projects. I cut the pocket pattern that I drafted previously and have used several times, serged the edges of all 4 pieces, two lining pieces and two fashion fabric pieces.
I also found the coordinating pattern from Il Burato that goes with the embroidery pattern that was used on my stockings and drawers from page 200. I printed 2 copies of this pattern and then spliced the 2 pieces together to make the pattern fit my pocket pattern. I then transferred the embroidery pattern to water soluble interfacing with a washable marker and applied it to one piece of the fashion fabric. I have started embroidering the pattern in the same purple silk thread that was used for my stockings and drawers in a chain stitch.
August 2020 :Embroidery was completed on the pocket this month. After the embroidery was done, the silk was soaked to remove the water double interfacing and then washed.
After it was washed the pocket was stitched together, first the slit
seam stitching the lining to the front of the pocket, then the outer layers of silk were stitched together, followed by the lining layers of the linen.
After the machine stitching was completed, the top was folded over to create a self casing and hand stitched down with a slip stitch.
Last step was to stitch two pieces of the purple silk bias tape that I made for the trim of the sottana into a ribbon for the pocket, one seam was slip stitched and the second seam was whip stitched. I tied knots at the ends of the ribbon, and then strung it through the casing of the pocket.
If you are looking for a step by step tutorial with how to pattern the soccacia, the one I learned from is here: https://adventuresofawannabeseamstress.blogspot.com/search/label/Saccoccia