OK, let's do this.

[margotvankapelle]

I've cut out a generic side-lacing 16th century kirtle.  The fabric I'm using is a linen herringbone with a very subtle silver stripe...It was once very light blue with a very bright silver stripe, but then I attempted to dye the linen a darker blue.  It's now a steel-blue/grayish blue color (Number 930 is the closest on my monitor) and the dye really toned down the silver thread to where it can hardly be seen.  When I dyed it, there were also a couple of weak spots in the linen, which meant I had a couple of fist-sized holes to pattern around.  This is one of the reasons I chose this particular fabric; the other reason is because the dye did not take evenly, so it's pretty splotchy.  I've tried to cut it so that the most even color is on the bodice pieces and the super-splotchy areas are in the skirt.

Here's hoping.