The Compleatly Dressed Anachronist

Kara's Housebook- minor setback

2012-01-27T00:08:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd figured out how to put Kara's Housebook dress together, but when I got everything down on the scrap fabric (which I cut to be the same size as the wool I'll ultimately use) I didn't have the right shape of fabric left to get sleeves. I'm going to need to re-think doing the gores as separate pieces, and see if I can get the front and back pieces cut out side-by side with an angle on the skirt to account for them instead.

I was really looking forward to getting the test gown pieced together and trying it on her today. Bummer.

A Housebook Dress for my Daughter

2012-01-21T15:59:00.000-05:00

The other day, on a fabric buying spree, I picked up a remnant of wool to make a dress for Kara. It's the exact same navy blue wool I have for my Garb Quest. It's a single yard piece, and it should be just enough if I don't do long sleeves.

Over on my other blog, Growing Up Medieval, I wrote a post about kids' personas. Owen is only just now coming into the age where he'll want to make his own decisions about what he'd like to wear, but my other three children are still too young to know the difference between a Viking outfit and an Elizabethan one, which means I still have final say. Lee's barrel chest and skinny legs are very well suited to Viking, and Archer's stockier build screams 13th century. Kara's personality, on the other hand, made it a little harder to pinpoint a persona to start her with. At first, I thought she'd like the physical flexibility of the Viking apron dress, but her personality is just a little more "girly" than that. She's a full-blow dress kind of girl. She's also a firecracker. That kind of rules later period (16th century) styles out, since they would be too restrictive for her.

My instinct was to start putting her in 15th century styles, like my own, but it still didn't seem right. She's got a quirkiness that 15th century Flemish just doesn't do justice (which is pretty funny, considering 15th century Flemish is pretty quirky already.) But the later Medieval period seems to be the best option. Then I got thinking about late 15th century German styles, and the light bulb turned on.

Kara is definitely a 1490's Housebook dress kinda girl.

"Housebook dress" and "Durer dress" are often used alternatively to describe gowns of extreme-late 15th century German middle class women, but neither of these names really identify a particular dress. The most popular style, however, appears to be one with a panel of pleats in both the center front and center back.

Left and Center are by Durer, Right is by Master of the Housebook

The pleating on the front appears to be split in the middle to allow an opening to get the dress on, the hidden lacing secures it closed. There also appears to be a waist seam that doesn't carry over into the pleating. I've seen various recreations of this style online (including here, here and here) but they each approach the dress in differing ways. Adding in the fact that I'll be making a dress for a toddler and that it needs to last at least until next winter, and I've really got to start from scratch.

So, my concept is to cut the dress like a normal waist-seam kirtle, but with a lower, wider neckline. Then, create the three pleated panel sections (one full width and two half-width), which will also encompass the center front and back gores. The remaining skirt panels will include gores at the sides. Then, I'll notch out the bodice pieces to accommodate the pleated panels and insert them. This is all wild theory, but it makes logical sense to me!

I've got a matching linen that I can use as a lining, but I'm not sure that's necessary. I will need to make a smock for her, though.

I'd also like to attempt the "grande assiette" sleeve, but only make them 3/4 length. This may not work too well on a little girl's torso, but it will at least give me a challenge.

Kara's not a hat girl, though she does let me at least put them on her, so I'd like to make her a wulsthaube-type headdress, even if she won't wear it for very long. Just because I'm into that kind of frivolous hat making.

Now that I've figured all this out, I've just got to wait for her to wake up from her nap so I can get her measurements!

Wimple Headwrap Tutorial

2012-01-20T13:34:00.002-05:00

Sophia, from the Shire of Isenfir, just shared with me a link to a wimple headwrap tutorial I'd not previously seen. The site is in German, but the photos are easy to follow. I think I definitely need one....

Outfit for Archer

2012-01-12T15:05:00.001-05:00

I haven't been slacking off, I promise! I'm just not making any real progress on much of anything other than some garb for Archer.

We'll be going to Better War Through Archery in February with just Archer (fitting, no?), so I needed to come up with some suitable garb for him. I decided to sacrifice one of the gowns we'd make for the twins (Kara's brown one, in fact) to create a new tunic. Essentially all I did was cut it down and remove the excess in the "skirt". Combined with a pair of modern tan pants, the look is kind of boring (though the pleating detail on the tunic is pretty cool). To punch it up a bit, I grabbed the leftovers from Dearg's red hood and will make a little pair of wool booties and a tiny linen hood.

The hood is kind of a fake- it's not really meant to go over his head, but I cut it to look like it could. I'm going to do some kind of fastener at the front (maybe velcro) for easy removal. For the booties, I found a tutorial from The Purl Bee I came across on Pinterest, but instead of leaving the seam allowance on the outside, I'll turn the shoes inside out. I'll probably also put together a little linen coif for him, just to make sure his head stays warm.

In addition to Archer's little outfit, I'm making a quick cover for a pillow to help me breastfeed him at the event. It's nothing special, just some herringbone upholstery fabric I've been holding onto for a couple years.

I've also done some experiments and decided that my new linen apron will be finished just using a sage green linen floss I received for Christmas and nothing fancier than a regular hem stitch. The green is subtle enough to not be glaring, but might catch the eye of a closer glance. My objective is to achieve the most even stitches I can over the entire length of the (rather sizable) hem. This pretty much translates to: "Take your time, Edyth."

In other news, I decided to jump on board with the 2012 Pay It Forward challenge that came across Facebook the other day. I signed up to receive something handmade from one of my friends, and in return, I had to offer to make something handmade to the first 5 people that posted to my status. I was only able to get 3 people to sign up (who have to pay it forward as well). I'm still waiting to hear from two of them to find out what they'd like from me, but I will be doing at least one illuminated painting. I haven't done any illumination for a while, so it will be nice to pick up a pen and brush again. For the remaining two items, I've decided to still do my part and make two veil and pin case sets to give to my Baroness for her to use as gifts however she sees fit.

This has prompted me to re-evaluate my project pile, but there's nothing like having too many fun things to do- at least I won't get bored!

Tres Riches Black Fur Hat Complete

2011-12-27T00:52:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure why, but at a certain point I started avoiding getting my Tres Riches hat completed. It's not at all that it was daunting- I just didn't have the urge to think about it. I got over that, though, and finished it on Friday!

please excuse how tired I look!

Except for realizing that an over estimation of size was necessary after a few trials, the hat went together rather easily. It's really just a tube of fur (faux), sewn into a ring. It's capped in the center with a circle of black wool. I opted for one of each of a yellow, white and pink plume, since that would probably be the most neutral for my wardrobe. Wish I could figure out an easy way to make the feathers curl backward, similar to the original. They might not seem so ridiculous that way.

It's ludicrously over-sized, but I don't think it's that far off from the scale shown in the original image. And it's not really as though I would wear it for a whole day- it's best reserved for court (especially an outdoor spring court) or to wear upon arrival to an indoor event in the winter.

I don't have a single dress in my collection worthy of this hat right now, but the dress I've chosen to create for my garb quest will be suitable (though still not "right"). For now, it will just have to wait for that perfect debut opportunity.

Once again, I have a detailed page brewing for this to share on my new site, which is taking much longer to assemble than I expected. But good things come to those who wait, you know.

Looking for that groove again

2011-12-08T00:32:00.001-05:00

Life with four children has certainly been exciting thus far...and it's only been 12 days! While Dearg and I were at the hospital welcoming Archer, Kara decided to start really walking. We'd seen her first steps the week before, so we thankfully hadn't missed that. So, one of our twins is now officially a toddler. Lee's not too far behind- he'll stand up, but hasn't attempted the whole stepping thing yet. They've both, however, gotten to the "Toddler's Rules of Possession" phase, which makes for a lot of frustrated yelling between them and Owen, who still thinks it's OK to pull toys away from them. Archer is not at all disturbed by all this, though, and has been very easy on us. Except for sleep. His longest sleeping stretch is only 4 hours (not even really enough to qualify as missing a feeding.) Since I'm nursing, however, this means that I really only get 2 hour periods throughout the day to do what I want to do. Which is not conducive to getting "extra" projects done.

Right now I'm working on making a few items for Kara for Christmas, and I've started a German brick stitch project for her as well (it will be a small pouch). I haven't touched my black fur hat in three weeks, and my apron linen has been patiently waiting for something other than a run through the wash to happen to it. I feel so far behind, yet when I look at what I've accomplished lately, I've done quite a bit. I'm particularly liking this new-found interest in doing fun easy mundane projects- they give me an opportunity to really focus on craftsmanship in small doses.

Right before going into the hospital, I finished a project I hadn't shared with you yet. I wanted to keep it secret since it was going to be a gift. Now that it's with its new owner, I can show you what I've been up to!

It's a veil pin case using a 14th century German cushion brick stitch pattern. You can see the original here. I completed the embroidery with pearl cotton, then finished it with linen on the inside.

I also had the opportunity with the case to use a fingerloop-like edge finishing technique. There are a few places you can find instructions on how to do this, but I used Crafty Agatha's video tutorial.

This wasn't my only attempt at German brick stitch embroidery, but my previous tries at the "satin stitch" variety were not really successful (or I just haven't gotten back around to completing them). This pattern uses a single stitch length, making it easier to focus on the overall pattern, rather than focusing on the stitch length of the particular stitch I'm in the middle of.

I gifted the completed case to Sarah Jane, author of the Romantic History blog, who I have had the immense pleasure of getting to know through our blogs and Facebook. It's very nice to have projects come along that you know you'll be giving away, and when the recipient is someone you respect and admire for their own talents, it encourages you to strive that much harder to do the best you can on the item. I'm jazzed that Sarah will have this veil pin case for many years to come, and maybe we'll get to see it in one of her lovely photos soon!

I've created a more thorough page for this project to be included in my new website. Which is another thing on my plate that's having a hard time fitting into those 2-hour increments....

Introducing...

2011-11-28T20:46:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure if I'd mentioned this before, but my husband and I had chosen to not find out the sex of baby #4. We'd found out with Owen and the twins, so we figured that leaving that as a surprise would be a nice difference this time around. In the weeks leading up to my scheduled C-section, we had pretty much decided on a girl's name, but a suitable boy's name completely eluded us. Nothing seemed to fit. Only a few days prior to going to the hospital, we were between 2 names, one of which was a very recent and quite random find. Laying on the operating table, my body numb and the surgery just about to start, I turned to Dearg and stated this newest name firmly, still with no idea if it would be a moot point. With a heave to my body, the doctor's voice range out- "Hope you wanted a boy!" With a smile, Dearg looked down at me and said "Archer Patrick" in confirmation of our choice.

The photo above is pretty silly, but Archer lived up to his name a few hours later. Dearg stepped to the bassinet to see that our newborn boy had positioned his arms and hands to look like he was holding a drawn bow. Drawing in the missing pieces was just too cute to resist. And if you follow the Zodiac, you might find it also interesting (and completely coincidental on our part) that his sign is Sagittarius- the Archer.

He is very much like Lee in looks (and also very much like Dearg) and is also pretty laid-back like his next oldest brother. It's very odd to have only one newborn again, but it's refreshing (especially when it comes to the breastfeeding schedule!) When we came home from the hospital, it was remarkable to us how large the twins were- before we left I still thought of them as babies- now they are HUGE!

There is an event this coming weekend, but it may be too soon for us to attempt to go. If we do, he'll probably wear an hand-me-down outfit. With 3 children growing up in garb (and my tendency to keep all of it) I just can't justify making new garb for him right now!

While I'm healing, I'll finish up my black fur hat, and if I feel like I've dropped down in weight enough, I'll get my new linen apron cut out and started. There's always something to work on, even with a house full of kids!

Important Announcement

2011-11-23T21:23:00.001-05:00

Concerning my separate website: My website domain and hosting are up for renewal at the beginning of December, and I have chosen to not renew them. I decided that I'd like to switch hosts and domain names, but I've yet to find the hosting company I'd like to use. I've considered switching to WordPress, but I like Blogger, and having both just seems too silly. So, if you go to visit my website after December 3rd, it won't be there. As soon as my new domain and site are up, I will, of course, post them here.

Mundane Sewing Projects

2011-11-15T10:18:00.001-05:00

I decided a month or so ago that I wanted to complete a few mundane projects before the baby was born, and I wanted to specifically look for projects that would allow me to try techniques I had never taken a stab at before. I found three projects that I really wanted to make, but offered three levels of effort: a nursing cover, a toiletries bag and a diaper bag. I think they were successes in terms of the process, though there are a few things I could have improved. I used three tutorials I found online (after some extensive looking!), and here are the results:

First, I made a toiletries bag, using some leftover gray wool and a cotton for the lining. It's a good size for a whole mess of travel-sized toiletries. It will also double as a quick-grab bag for diapers and a small bag of wipes. I used a boxy bag tutorial and included a little handle. The lining is hand sewn in. I found on my second trip to the hospital that packing a bag of travel-size toiletries was SOOO much better than trying to get my full-sized items packed. This way, I've got all the toiletries I need ready to go, and if I accidentally leave any at the hospital, it's no big deal. I had never sewn a zipper on anything before- so that was the major challenge on this project.

The second project was a nursing cover, which I made using this tutorial. The cover uses D-rings for the strap around the neck (which I hadn't sewn on before) and uses boning at the front center to keep the cover open at the top for easier viewing and air circulation. The boning was interesting to work with. I actually either didn't follow the directions exactly, or the directions had an error, and I had to pull the boning out of the casing to turn it around, because I'd already sewn the casing down. That was interesting. I did a very poor job of keeping my lines straight during sewing, so a close up isn't very pretty! After trying to breast feed the twins at the hospital with no cover, and nurses and doctors always coming in and out of the room, I was really feeling the lack of privacy. I decided that a nursing cover was definitely in order this time!

The final project, and the most complex, was a diaper bag. It's not really a diaper bag- it's more of a purse that's large enough to hold kid's stuff. I used the Not Just Another Pretty Purse tutorial. I made several modifcations to the pattern pieces (made the bottom and sides wider, and changed the shape of the inner pockets.) Adding magnetic clasps, a key fob, an interior pocket with a zipper, AND piping (!) were the challenges on this one. I discovered that, though I wouldn't call it "easy", sewing piping on is a lot of fun! I used a thick flannel between the layers, but in retrospect, I probably should have also used a stiffening interfacing to prevent the sides from drooping so much. There are three layers of plastic canvas in the false bottom, as well as a piece of cardboard placed under it, to try to keep the bottom stiff so the sides are forced to stay up a bit more. The main purpose of this bag at the hospital is to hold the toiletry bag, the cover and some items for the baby (like the outfit he/she will wear home). I'll also toss in a few items for me, though it's not large enough to hold my clothes for going home (I'll just leave those in the car and have Dearg bring them in when I'm ready for them.) I'm interested to see how long it "lives" before it starts to fall apart!

I've got less than two weeks before my C-section, but I have a few random projects that I might pick up and work on a bit between now and then (like my new Tres Riches hat). We'll see how much I can get done before the baby arrives!

Tres Riches Fur Hat

2011-11-06T09:30:00.000-05:00

I don't have any linen for the apron right now, but in the process of setting up the craft room at the new house, I came across the materials for a project I've been meaning to do for over a year now- the black fur hat from the April page of Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.

Now, if we're following the rules of research, it's pretty obvious that this hat is most likely a flight of fantasy. I've personally never come across another hat like this (in this time period) and even in the Tres Riches calendar illuminations, it's a one-of-a-kind. Doesn't stop me from wanting one, though!

Now that I've narrowed my persona down to about 1435, I have a renewed interest in headdress appropriate to that time period, even upper class pieces and fanciful concoctions like this one. Plus, I found the piece of faux black fur in the remnant bin for only $3 and it's absolutely perfect!

I wrote out my thoughts on the construction of it yesterday, and I'm a little concerned that it might want to sit lower than the image, and I don't precisely know what to do about that, but I've got some ideas. This is one of those nice prototype projects that help me think through construction issues and that's exactly what I need in preparation for really taking on my Garb Quest. Even if it's a flop, I can learn from it, and since having the materials for it was a pretty random act of chance, I'm not really out anything for trying.

I'm almost done with the few modern sewing projects I've been working on (which I'll share when complete), so while I'm waiting for my order of linen for the apron, I think I'll make myself a silly fur hat!

15th Century Apron

2011-10-22T20:19:00.000-04:00

For a while now, I've given some thought to doing a new apron. I have already tried my hand at smocked aprons (first doing it the wrong way, then doing it right but with a colored thread), and though I don't think that I've really gotten the hang of that method, it isn't actually appropriate for the 15th century. Looking around, including over at Larsdatter.com, at a narrow span of years between 1420 and 1440, I've seen very little variation in apron types for women. There is one primary type- a plain, long, wide apron with a waist tie- as well as a rarer type that uses a triangular piece on top that secures at the center chest in some fashion. This later version seems to be pretty task-specific, so in terms of an apron for any use, the simpler apron is the better option.

It's kind of a bummer, really, that an appropriate apron isn't anything fancy, but it does present an opportunity to really take a look at craftsmanship applied to simple construction.

Most of the samples indicate that a wider apron was preferred, wrapping at least to the very sides of the hips. One example is from the Tacuinum Sanitatis Butter illumination (pictured). The apron's tie doesn't really look like a separate band. It looks more like the top corners of the apron that have been elongated (through cutting or stretching them that way) to tie around the waist.

This doesn't really give me much to work with in terms of technical difficulty, unfortunately. I'm wondering if I can also work in a bit of drawn work, like this, to achieve something slightly more special. I've never attempted drawn work, but this seems fairly beginner level.

Not sure I have the linen on hand at the moment, but aprons were almost always white linen, so that shouldn't be difficult to obtain. Plus I've got some modern sewing projects I need to do before the end of next month (for the baby). And my website redesign, which I had to put on hold until we get a bit more settled in.

Duchie Award

2011-10-22T10:37:00.000-04:00

I just popped over to Romantic History and saw that not only did she receive a very well-deserved blogger award, the Duchie Award, she passed it along to me as well. Thanks so much Sarah Jane!

The rules for receiving the Duchie Award are to post on your blog, in any order:

Five things you love about historical costuming
At least three blogs to pass the Duchie Award onto
A link back to the blogger who awarded you the Duchie

Since I already gave a shout-out to Romantic History above, I suppose I could keep going backwards and pass the award on to three others next. My picks are:

Medieval Threads- Whenever I read a new post from Heidi, I'm convinced that she's my reenacting soul sister. She's always got a nifty project going on, and has a very wide range of crafty interests. I love her creative approach to costuming problem-solving, and I've enjoyed watching her projects as they unfold.

A Most Peculiar Mademoiselle- Sarah has such a sophisticated way of approaching her projects, and the word that always comes to mind when I read her blog is "graceful". She's a fellow mom-to-be (due soon, as I understand from what she's shared) so I've really enjoyed seeing how she's handled her pregnancy with her garb and all the neat baby items she's made.

Neulakko- Since coming across Elina's blog some time ago, it has become one of my standard inspirational go-to's. She is a master seamstress, has a wonderfully engaging sense of humor and surprises me often with timely posts that always seem to somehow relate to things I'm currently working on or feeling.

Alright, so that leaves the 5 things I love about historical costuming. This was actually tricky for me. If you've been reading for a while you may have realized that I have something of a love-hate relationship with my garb. It took me a moment to realize, however, that this was probably due more to my technical skills in terms of dress construction than what I really feel about historical costuming. So here are the 5 things I came up with:

Historical Costuming is iconic fashion that's easy to understand. Though this blog is primarily about my attempts at making garb, my true focus is researching medieval fashion. When you understand the context of fashion trends, you begin to see their logic. While this still holds true to modern fashion, it's harder to see. Looking back 500+ years, it's easier to see the way people used clothing for both practical and function purposes.
The level of construction skills required for historical fashion require an appreciation for craftsmanship. While I definitely feel that I lack in this area, I still love the challenge it poses. We don't take quality and craftsmanship in our clothing as seriously in the modern world as we used to. We typically equate quality with expense now, which was not the case in the past- even a peasant had well-made clothing.
Historical clothing is more comfortable. I can say that, though, only because my time period of choice doesn't require a corset! Seriously, though, there's something infinitely more comfortable about a custom-made dress than any pair of jeans off the rack.
Making historical clothing provides the perfect opportunity to use and appreciate natural materials. This is something I've come to realize only in the past year, but I get a real feeling of satisfaction and luxury wearing linen or wool which completely overrides the comfort of cotton.
There are very few patterns to follow, making historical costuming a great learning experience. It may sometimes seem tedious to figure out the pattern on what should be a simple dress, but doing so provides not only that wonderful moment of "look what I made, it also provides the perfect outlet for creative ingenuity that might otherwise be wasted. It's one thing to use a modern pattern and follow directions, it's completely different, and much more rewarding, to wing it and still come up with an awesome, period-accurate outfit.

So, there you have it- my response to the Duchie Award! Thanks again to Sarah Jane for awarding it to me!

Checking In

2011-10-08T20:23:00.000-04:00

We've moved to our new house, but we've still got a long way to go before the new craft room will be together and I can get my hands on my projects. In the meantime, however, some fabric swatches from Wm. Booth Draper arrived... and I'm in love!

My eye was recently caught by the pink worsted wool on their website, and I wondered if it might be a new solution to my Garb Quest underkirtle. As soon as I pulled the swatch out of the envelope, I knew I'd found my wool. The color is a perfect rosy pink- not too bright, not too red. It's got a great weight, as well. Some worsted wools can end up being really thin in order to achieve a lighter weight. This pink, however, is a good weight, but is also a solid weave.

Problem? It's not cheap. I know from my blue test dress that going with less than 5 yards is asking for trouble, so to get the minimum amount, we're talking $100 plus shipping and tax. That's less than I spent on the blue wool (which the pink goes perfectly with), but I don't have that much money to spend on fabric right now. So for the moment, at least, this gorgeous pink worsted wool will have to wait.

I also got a swatch of their "light colour'd" flannel. I was concerned that it might be too heavy for my tastes, but it turned out to have a great heavy-looking texture in a fairly reasonable weight. It, too, is pricey, but it would make a great addition to my wardrobe as an overkirtle. I've been looking for the right kind of dress for this pretty, but plain tan wool, but so far nothing has spoken up. I think it needs to be slightly utilitarian, but still something that elevates the simple color to something appropriate to the middle class. I'll just have to keep my eyes open for inspiration.

I am still ironing out the changes to my website, but I've been making some subtle changes to this blog to go along with that. You may have noticed a new link to my "Garb Quest", located in the top of the right sidebar. I realized that I really needed a place to put the overall garb quest concept, for my readers' sake as well as my own. I've also created a secondary blog, The Compleatly Dressed Fabric Stash, which you may have been linked to if you clicked on any of the "blue wool" links in my most recent posts.

These changes are mostly for more continuity and to help you stay on top of what I'm talking about, so I hope they make sense and help!

I need your feedback!

2011-09-17T12:25:00.001-04:00

My new website is coming along fairly well. I've had to stop working on it for long sittings so that we can get moved (admittedly I'm supposed to be packing right now, but I'm only able to do it in bursts). I'm really excited about some of the organizational things I've come up with, and hopefully it makes adding new class notes easier in the future. I've also been coming up with other ideas as I go to really use the web to my advantage.

Blogger recently updated and now I can track page views on the blog and see what is bringing people here. I'm not surprised that Google searches are my number 1 traffic source, but what does surprise me is the search terms that are the top hitters. Interestingly, 3 of the top 4 are topics that I have either posted little about or have to do with projects I haven't yet undertaken.

I enjoy that this blog appears on Google (and there are some months when it feels like I'm all over Google- even under search terms I wouldn't think I'd show up under), but I do wonder if it's really to this blog's advantage. I don't want to be exclusive, obviously, but I also don't want to inadvertently mislead anyone into believing that the information I share on this blog is anything more than my attempts at understanding medieval fashion for the purpose of recreation- not archeological research in the scholarly sense. To that end, I find the links to this blog from other costumers' blogs (in blog rolls or links within posts) much more valuable in terms of my intended audience.

So, for those readers that come here often (and I'll let you decide what "often" means), please leave a comment to this post and let me know how you found The Compleatly Dressed Anachronist. If it was a Google (or other engine) search, do you remember what your search term was, and did you use a website search or an image search? If it was through another page, what page was it? I appreciate any feedback you can give me- it will help me to understand the best course for future content and organization within this blog!

Event Recap & Dress Success

2011-09-11T21:07:00.002-04:00

Summer event season is now over for me and the family- Harvest Day is typically the last hoorah before we pack up the camping gear. We had not had an opportunity to take the twins to a camping event earlier in the year, so this was the first. It did not go well. It was pretty chilly Friday night and the twins aren't accustomed the having to sleep in their playpens. Somewhere around 2am, we brought them into the bed with us, but they did not like the air mattress any more than the playpens (though they clearly enjoyed how much warmer it was sleeping next to us). The camp itself was not at all family friendly, and it was very difficult for us adults to actually fall asleep. So, about 3am, we retreated to the van in the parking lot. Dearg slept in the back with the twins and I stayed in the front so I could turn the heat on if it started getting chilly. It wasn't ideal, and the twins still had issues, but we all got at least an hour of uninterrupted sleep sometime between 4 and 6am. During the day, it was hard for everyone to make it out of the camp, since we didn't have a day camp set up near the field, and it was a bit of a walk. Owen was also being a stubborn 3 year old, which worked pretty quickly on everyone's nerves.

My class was during the first time slot, which is pretty tricky to have success with. My first students were about 15 minutes late, and another group showed up about 10 minutes after that. I rushed through everything to get it all in, but I don't think I missed any really important things. Overall, I think it went very well (all things considered) and it is definitely a class I will teach again. I'll be uploading the class notes when I re-do my website, so keep an eye out for that. I think you'll like them- they're a coloring book!

What was really good about the event, however, was how successful my blue linen test dress ended up being. I got it to a mostly-finished state Friday morning (finished enough to wear) but there's still work to be done on it. I sewed the sleeves up, rather than doing the buttons, and there are no lacing eyelets (mom literally sewed me into the dress Saturday morning!) There's also the finishing work on the sleeve and hem that still need to be done. I do think, though, that I will open the sleeve seams back up and do the buttons. And the eyelets.

The fit was great! It stretched, obviously, but even at the end of the day, it looked good. And it was very comfortable. There are a few adjustments to make: it ended up being a bit too long, so I need to turn the hem up a bit, and I think I may need to tighten the sleeves a little. I'm pretty proud of myself, though, for finally achieving a dress that performed so well, looks good in photos, and was so easy to wear. So, in terms of the end result (and not having anything to do with the test aspect of this dress) I count it as a success!

I didn't manage to get a good picture of my mom's outfit, but she and I inadvertently matched. She wore her blue kirtle (a bit darker than mine) and her 14th century red hood. It was kind of silly, but at the same time it was pretty neat that we were, as a pair, showing the same look in two different centuries.

I also scored an awesome deal on a very nice worsted wool- 5 yards for only $35!! It's one of those great ambiguous colors that looks different depending on the setting- it's a greenish-brownish-gray. Lightweight and smooth, too. It will make a very nice kirtle... perhaps to go under an overkirtle made of this.

So, for the time being, I've got no projects other than my website update. We're moving into a new house this month, so once I get my sewing stuff together and settled, I'll have a better idea of what to work on through the winter.

Garb Quest Extension

2011-09-08T16:14:00.001-04:00

I've had to take several more step backward with my blue linen test dress than I expected, so I'm not entirely sure it will be ready for this weekend. When I really stopped to look at the areas we identified that needed to be taken in after I'd worn it around for a bit, I realized that I had probably not gotten the sleeves positioned in the right place and that was the true culprit. So I removed the sleeves and I also removed my finishing along the lacing edges, since that wasn't quite right either. I decided to go ahead and wash it. Here in a few minutes, I'll put it on, figure out how the armscye needs to be adjusted, and wear it for about an hour.

If it's going to be done for this weekend (and it really needs to be, because I don't really have any other long sleeve dresses) I'm not going to be able to do the handsewn finishing I'd intended. I'm not actually worried about this, because the dress has already fulfilled its purpose- a test for my garb quest, to help be better understand the work involved in creating two dresses by hand. The results? I've failed the test. I'm not disappointed with myself- I didn't have any real expectations about my skill level prior to starting the blue dress- but I have realized what my garb quest has thus far taught me.

When I read back through some of by garb quest posts, I came across these two statements:
"...the bottom line is this: I need more experience with garment construction."
"The point is to create an outfit with as much authenticity and craftsmanship as possible based on the criteria."

What I came to understand, through my blue linen test dress, is that failure is part of the process. As I explained it to my mother- I don't want to enter the outfit next year and feel that it wasn't as good as it could be. I need to go through the process of figuring out what's acceptable to the goals stated above and what isn't. And so far, I don't have what it takes.

I've spent much of this past year focusing on research. That's been fun, but that's not where I need improvement. I already know (from the huvet) that I can do fine stitching by hand (just short of finishing details like buttonholes and eyelets.) I also know from the blue dress that I can do flat finishing with running stitch on a long seam fairly well and quickly. It's the actual construction and fitting of the dress that I fall short, and it's that overwhelming feeling of laziness that creeps in and tells me to be OK with less than perfect. Turning to the work of others I find inspiring (some examples are here, here, here, and here), it's easy to hold my own attempts up to critical lens. I don't want to fall into a self-pity spiral of "I'm not worthy", but I do want to be honest with myself. Though I have my moments, all-in-all, my dress construction skills are mediocre.

To that end, I am extending my garb quest deadline another year, so that I will enter it the spring of 2013, rather than next year. Since I've only completed one item (the huvet), and it was only recently finished, I won't have any problems with everything being completed no more than 2 years prior to the entry. There are some mundane reasons for this extension as well (pregnancy being only one), so for the time being, I'm putting the quest on hold to re-evaluate exactly how the quest will allow me to accomplish my original goals.

While I'm sorting that out, like I mentioned earlier this week, I've got some major plans for my website that I'll be putting together. I also need to take a longer look at my fabric stash and make some decisions about how to use it and what more I might need. Therefore, it may be pretty boring here after this weekend, but it won't be for a lack of progress.

BTW, I put the blue dress on about halfway through writing this, and it fit almost exactly as it had before. I can already see where the arm holes are the problem (as well as one of the shoulder seams).

Handsome Little Man

2011-09-06T21:37:00.002-04:00

I can't resist sharing this beautiful photo of Owen from this past weekend:

Thank you to Her Excellency Hypathia, Baroness of Fenix for the well-timed shot.

Gearing Up for Some Changes

2011-09-04T13:28:00.001-04:00

I'll post later this week about the progress on my blue linen test dress. For now, I'd just like to mention that I'm getting ready to do a major overhaul of my website (and probably this blog as well). I realized this morning that I hadn't been keeping up with putting new notes online, so I've kind of got a backlog. I've also been meaning to do a better job designing the site, since the one up now was sort of an experiment for me to learn a bit more about website coding, and it's got some issues. I've got some fun ideas kicking around for the new site, so I'm excited to focus on that for a while and get-er-done.

Oh, and I made Kara a kirtle and open hood for this past weekend:

Lee was decked out in a new cotehardie and hose:

And Owen was his usual self:

One step forward...two steps back

2011-08-25T18:01:00.000-04:00

I sewed the sleeves onto the blue dress this afternoon, and when I put it back on for some photos, I discovered that something had gone wrong with the fit. I had been wearing it when we started the manhunt for the camera the other day, and it had started to loosen up. I believe that it fits so poorly now because of that. There are too many areas that are now wrong, though, for me to try to fix myself. So I'm recruiting the big guns for help- mom to the rescue!

This has actually enlightened something for me, though. I've never had a dress so tight that I couldn't pull it off without unlacing it. I'm wondering now if this has less to do with my narrow shoulders (as I previously thought) and more to do with the natural act of the fabric being too tight when I make the dress. Giving the fabric a chance to stretch out by wearing it for a bit, I have an opportunity to make it tighter. After I wash it, the next time I try putting it on, I'm likely to find no alternative but to actually use the lacing for its real purpose.

This is certainly turning out to be quite a lucrative test dress!

Lost Camera

2011-08-20T19:45:00.001-04:00

I was getting excited about how well my blue test dress was coming together, so I put it on (sans sleeves) to share with you. I can't locate my camera though. It may be lost for good. The real bummer is that I hadn't taken any photos of the dress yet!

So, you'll just have to take my word for it- the dress is coming along nicely!

EDIT: the camera has been found- a tricky toddler hid it from us! I'll try getting some pictures of the blue dress posted later this week!

Getting things done

2011-08-18T23:28:00.000-04:00

I've been plugging away at the blue test dress, and it's coming together fairly smoothly. I'm glad I decided to do a test before going headlong into my garb quest kirtle since it's made me aware that 4 yards of 60" is barely enough for a long sleeve gown. I only had enough fabric left after cutting the four panels for one gore! I put it in the front seam, since that seemed to be the best place for it. The fabric for the sleeves is the leftover triangular pieces left between the panels- also barely enough. I think I've only got 4 yards of the rust linen for my garb quest, so (unless I want to change my mind about the color again!) I'll need to get at least another yard of the rust to have more than one gore.

I sewed the dress together, minus the sleeves, and went to finish the seams on the machine but ran into issues with my bobbin. I was getting too frustrated with it, so it ended up sitting by the sewing machine for a few days, being ignored. Eventually, however, I decided that I'd be better off just finishing them by hand, so I pulled out the finishing seam I'd started on the machine and plunked myself down on the chair with the thread and a needle. I'm using a simple running stitch (using some 100% cotton thread) to flat fell the seams, so it's going fairly quickly (all things considered).

I've also got a tunic of Dearg's I'm trying to finish, since I've already passed the date I'd originally said I'd have it done by, and he finally called me out on it. It's a long tunic- a very simple early Irish leine. This is NOT the fake leine that you may find in a Google image search that's extremely loosely based on a 16th century illustration of some Irish soldiers. Basically, it's the Irish idea of a kilt, but it's really just a fancy tunic. Ideally, it would be highly decorated with embroidery all over, but I'm not that adventurous! For now, I'm just flat felling the seams using a hemstitch to really give is substance and so that the finish stitching isn't that obvious from the outside. I'm using #5 pearl cotton, since I had perfect color matches of that on hand. Eventually I'll also be making a green linen jacket with an embroidered collar to go with it, but that will probably have to wait until I get my garb quest completed.

Once I finish all this finish stitching, I've got to draft the sleeves for the dress. I know, in theory, how to do it, and it's not really all that scary, it's just so darn easy to goof up. Plus I need to figure out how to do ensure that the sleeves can button properly (and exactly how many buttons/buttonholes I want to do). Then it'll be time to do the eyelets for the lacing. I'm thinking this project will come in just under the wire!

It's an extremely light dress, since the medium weight linen from Fabric-Store.com leans more to the light side than heavy. This is another good reason for the test- the garb quest kirtle will definitely need to be lined. I don't think I could get away with wearing this blue dress as a supportive dress on it's own, so I'll need to wear my old fitted dress under it. If the linen wasn't blue, or was any lighter, I probably couldn't get away with having it unlined.

I'm also steadily completing the "notes" for my new class on 14th and 15th century Northern Gothic women's fashion. It's fun doing the drawings, but I'm getting a little backed up on them while I try to break down the accompanying text to the basic info that makes sense with the images. I had planned on having actual pieces of garb on hand to show, but I realized that would basically mean bringing my entire garb wardrobe with me, and that's just too much to pack! If you'll be at Harvest Day, my class will be at 10am.

Alright, enough chit-chat. Back to sewing!

Miss Me?

2011-08-07T21:33:00.000-04:00

Shamefully, I have to admit I've done absolutely nothing on any projects for the past two weeks. Several mundane-world things all happened at the same time, and I also haven't been interested in doing any hand-sewing lately. I'm also holding out for a break from the heat- it hasn't been very conducive to productivity. Especially being pregnant.

I've been working on something special for the next event. I'll be teaching a class on 14th & 15th century women's clothing in France, Flanders and England, and I thought it would be nice to present the basics in a similar format to the drawings I did to visualize my garb quest. So, in addition to actually pulling the text for the class together, I've got several fun little garb drawings to do.

It would be nice to have a new dress to wear at the event, so I'm putting my garb quest hose and smock on hold just to get the blue test dress done. I've decided that I'm not going to to line it, except to line the hems for strength. I need to make some adjustments to my straight front pattern (the one I developed for the grey wool dress), including making it work as a front-laced pattern with integrated skirt, instead of a waist-seam kirtle with no front seam. There are also some adjustments to the arms, shoulders and neckline that need to be made. Since this is just a test dress, I'll sew the major seams using the machine, but leave the button and buttonholes on the sleeves, and the eyelet holes for the lacing to do by hand. Just need to figure out what thread I have that I can use for that. I'll try to force myself to finish the seams too, since I'm fine with doing that with the machine as well.

Hopefully I have enough fabric for long sleeves- I think I only have 4 yards of 60in linen- but if not, I may have enough to do some Christine de Pisan-type flap sleeves, fully lined with white linen.

Press-Ganged

2011-07-24T21:00:00.002-04:00

So, I had every intention of sewing my black wool hose this weekend, but that didn't exactly happen. I cut the hose out and sewed the back seam on the legs of each using my black linen thread and a backstitch. I realize now that I don't like backstitch very much. I think I got spoiled by how well my running stitches hold on the huvet, that the backstitch just seems wasteful. I used it, however, because the London hose fragments indicate that hose was one of the only typical uses for it. So now I'm at the dreaded step- sewing in the 4 gussets.

I'll admit. I've been procrastinating. But I truly had planned to tackle those this weekend. Except that on Saturday, I got it in my head that I needed to make new tunics for the twins. So the entire afternoon was spent making one of those. And I went a bit overboard. Some time ago, I stopped really paying attention to the materials I use for my children's garb, pretty much because I only have linen, wool, or linen/cotton blend laying around in large enough remnants to use for kid's clothing. I also picked up so may spools of silk thread when they were marked down to 75% off that I have more silk than cotton thread these days. So I ended up using a natural colored 100% linen and a red silk thread for finish stitching. And did the whole thing by hand. Finished seams and all. And if this blog has indicated anything about my sewing habits, finishing seams is not my forte.

Just my luck. It ended up being a little too small for either of the twins.

But I'm proud of the effort I put into it, and now that I have a completely finished garment under my belt, I'm that much more likely to follow through on finishing seams from now on. In fact, it ended up being such a nice little tunic, I'll be make a gift of it rather than holding onto it for baby #4.

That left me with today to do the gussets. Then, sometime a bit before lunch, when I would have probably otherwise picked the hose up, Dearg press ganged me into converting an old long-sleeve tunic of his into a sleeveless one. Since he's outside in the sun at the archery range most of the day, the sleeveless tunic is more comfortable for him. The original tunic was the first one I'd made for him, and my craftsmanship left something to be desired. Since I was removing the sleeves anyway, I ripped off the old collar and trim, re-cut the neckline, inserted a new collar piece and hand-stitched it all into place using both yellow silk thread and yellow pearl cotton. It ended up with "wings", since the sleeves were no longer in place to weigh the shoulders down, but since he raises his arms up to shoot anyway, they'd stretch out that way in the long run. Check out the transformation:

We'll see what next week brings. If I can stop procrastinating, and focus on my own garb, it should bring a new pair of hose.

New Blog

2011-07-17T09:31:00.000-04:00

This weekend I made the decision to close my other blog, The Anachronits' Encampment, due to a veritable lack of having anything to post there. When I started it, we had a different financial situation, but shortly afterward, we had to channel our extra funds to other projects and improving our kit ended up being at the bottom of the pile. I had really hoped for that blog to be successful, but it's difficult for anything that relies on money to be successful these days! Thank you to all of you that supported it while it existed!

The decision to close that blog was also instigated by my desire to start another. I'd like to introduce you to Growing Up Medieval, a new blog dedicated to the "lifestyle" of being an anachronistic family. I will be sharing a wide range of things, including experience and advice, but also projects and inspiration. I've outlined a few of my plans within the first post, and I expect to add more as the blog grows.

I know that my experiences with children at events aren't unique. I hope that, by sharing my perspective as a parent with such an "unusual" hobby as medieval recreation, I can help other anachronists find the balance and fun in including children in our hobby. There's an important line, however, that I also hope to show. Our children, especially young ones like mine, must understand the difference between (in my case) the SCA world and the modern "real" world. We all want our children to be well-liked at school, and helping to define the boundaries between our pretend world and the mundane world is a challenge and a requirement. Growing Up Medieval, therefore, will approach child-rearing from the point of view of a modern family with a medieval hobby.

I'll begin posting regularly in mid-August (after giving everyone a chance to settle back in after Pennsic). If you're a "modern medieval" parent, please check it out. If you aren't, please share the link anyway!

I will, of course, also be maintaining this blog, but please bare with me over the next month as I get my ducks in a row between the two. I don't have any projects to share with you this week (I focused on modern sewing this weekend), but I'll be starting my black wool hose this week. Stay tuned for that!

Garb Quest - Saint Birgitta's Cap Complete!

2011-07-10T20:11:00.000-04:00

Throughout this project I've been referring to my new Saint Birgitta's cap as a "huvet". The term "huvet" is a French word that Camilla Luise Dahl & Isis Sturtewagen list among the many they located in their research into the possible origins of the extant linen cap now known as the "Saint Birgitta's Cap". Limiting the name of this type of headdress to an extant example doesn't do its somewhat ubiquitous presence in the Gothic period any justice. A huvet, being any number of a variety of linen caps belonging to women, is a term more open to individual interpretation, and, therefore, recreation. The huvet I have endeavored to create for my garb quest is similar in appearance to the Saint Birgitta's Cap, but it is not THE Saint Birgitta's Cap. It is Edyth Miller's Huvet, created through contextual research into my particular time period and class. I encourage all of you to think about your recreations (of any item) with this perspective- it's a great exercise in persona development.

I purposefully made the cap a little over-sized so that, come next spring when my hair is longer, it will not be too small when I wear it for my A&S entry. The cap is 3.5oz white (bleached) linen from Fabric-Store.com, and was sewn by hand using 100% linen thread (white, size 60/2) from Wm. Booth Draper (machine spun). The thread comes unwaxed, so I had to run each length of thread over a beeswax cake before sewing. The embroidery along the front binding is also linen, a slightly off-white, hand spun 16/2 thread, that I also manually waxed. My mother picked that up for me at an event from White Wolf and the Phoenix.

I closed the center seam instead of filling it with the woven herringbone stitch from the extant cap. I closed my previous attempt as well, but this time I did not add any decorative embroidery. The primary reason for this, in the context of my garb quest, is because it is intended to be worn as an undergarment, and going through the extra effort of applying embroidery to an unseen area of the cap would not have been appropriate.

The embroidery along the front binding is a modified herringbone stitch that I sewed through two layers of the binding on top as well as the cap itself. The stitching is then covered with the rest of the binding on the bottom (inside). This helps to keep the binding from shifting or twisting during wear.

One thing that I discovered as I went along is how critical the gap is at the end of the center seam. I originally left about a 3 inch gap, then stitched it shut, thinking that it was too large. When I finally got the binding in place and tried it on (before the loop itself was attached), I realized that I'd left no room for the cap to overlap in order to make it tight. That meant ripping out the stitching to open the gap back up. Turns out the my original gap was exactly right. We'll see when my hair is longer if this is still the case.

Perfecting my craftsmanship is a huge aspect of this garb quest, and the fine quality of this particular piece was a great way to set the bar for myself. I tried very hard to keep my stitches tight and even, and to make the entire cap a well-finished and sturdy piece. I don't feel the band is quite up to par, though. The stitching is good, but I only used two straight pins that I moved along the band as I went, and I realized a bit late that some ares of the band are wider than they should be, and there's also a twist in the band (which is very surprising, since I was trying to pay attention to that detail.) I do want to remove the band and do it again, but I'll have to save that until the end of the project, since I can't devote any more time to the huvet right now, or I'll risk not having the quest completed in time.

There is much more I can say about this cap, but I'll save it for the end of this project, when I make my complete documentation available. In the meantime, however, I would be happy to answer any specific questions you may have through this post's comments.

I'll be moving on to the black wool hose next, as well as a few minor projects laying around that I need to complete. Now that I have a successful pattern on the hose, though, I imagine they will come together fairly easily- knock on wood.

Internet Round-Up: July

2011-07-09T10:47:00.007-04:00

This month's Internet Round-up focuses on some of the websites I enjoy browsing through when I need that extra boost of inspiration.

Most of these sites are personal websites of other folks doing medieval recreation, and all of them are involved in groups with stricter authenticity standards than the SCA. It can be helpful to use the resources provided by these more authentic groups to paint a picture of where you'd like to be in your own authenticity journey. I love getting lost in the photo galleries provided on these sites, and I imagine my next event with the beautiful clothing and kits these people have created. I'm thrilled that they don't mind the anachronism of cameras at their events so that we can get a glimpse into their worlds.

First is Diu Minnezit, the website of Jens Börner and Myriam Gateault. They recreate 1250, 1350 and 1475, with different personas in each year, and primarily deal with German recreation. Their site, not surprisingly, is in German, but Google Translate does an OK job of translating it. Along the side and top are several links (which are images and don't translate) that go to a wide range of information. Of particular interest is the "Galerie" link. In addition to sharing images from recent events, they also share photos (and some research) of the items in their kit (accessed using the links along the left after you click "Galerie".) Their events are often demos, which is good for us, because it means they show a lot of different crafts and goodies. I usually find my self pouring over every photo, looking at all the details going "ooooh- I'll take one of those, and those, and definitely that!"

The second is the page of Nina and Konrad who mainly recreate the 15th century and operate a merchant group called Jazwiec. They haven't updated for a while, but take a tour through their past event gallery for some great images. Nina also shares some of her documentation and crafts on the site as well.

I've only recently found the website of The Company of Saynt George (which several of these other folks are members of, btw), and I wish they had a branch in the US. The company is very much like a specialized, smaller, more authentic version of the SCA, focused very exclusively on the late Burgundian era (1460 -1480). They don't offer many photos on their website, but the site is very nicely organized and the blog is worth keeping an eye on.

Deventer Burgerscap is another specialized, small group of reenactors, this time focused on the late 14th century. They are members of the larger Die Landed Van Herwaert Over, a Dutch group, and they specialize in recreating the year 1370 in the German city of Deventer. They don't have too many photos on their main site, but they often post project and event photos on their blog. In addition, a few members also share photos on the Medieval Silkwork blog.

There are many other sites out there, and I suggest taking a look at Atlantia's A&S Links for Other Living History Groups, which are broken down according to the years represented.

Another good source, of course, is the hundreds of bloggers sharing their medieval recreations. You can start with any of the blogs I have listed in the right-hand sidebar, and literally spend hours surfing!

I'm thinking that next month we'll look at headdress resources. If you have any suggestions for future Internet Round-up topics you'd like to see, please let me know!

In other news, I've finished my huvet, but Dearg has the camera this weekend, so you'll have to wait until my regular Sunday post to see it!

Finishing Fingerloop Braid Laces with Beeswax

2011-06-27T18:44:00.006-04:00

Recently, Heidi asked about alternative methods of finishing laces when aglets (metal lacing points) aren't available. I'd like to re-post my answer here with some additional information in response to a concern that was raised.

I finish all my fingerloop laces with beeswax. I don't know the true period, authenticity of using beeswax for this purpose, but it makes reasonable sense and it works.

With the ending knot still in place, dip the section before the knot (where you intend to cut) into the wax. Blow on it to cool it while you pull the lacing tight. Once the wax is cool and you can touch it, trim off the knot, leaving about a half-inch of wax at the cut end. Roll it in your fingers until it takes the pointed shape and the wax is set. The wax will spread up the lace a bit while you're working it. The beeswax stays pliable (unlike paraffin wax) but will hold the lacing together. If it starts to lose its point, simply rub it back into one with your fingers. I've never had to re-wax any of my laces- even my most used ones.

The concern that was raised was that the wax may liquify and stain your garb at hot summer events. It occured to me that others might have the same concern, so rather than answer it in a comment on someone else's blog, I though it deserved an answer on my own.

I can assure you that I don't have wax spots on my garb! (What sort of dimwit would I be if I kept using beeswax if it ruined all my garb?!) I tuck the end of the cord down inside my dress, next to my cleavage to keep it out of the way. It gets pretty warm in there, and I've never had the wax turn liquid. Even at hot summer events. It's not like there's a whole candle's worth of wax on it- it's just a light coating that's very thin. Plus, the oil and even trace amounts of dirt on your fingers rubs off on the wax as you work it into the point, effectively creating a coating on top of the wax.

Most times, your lacing ends aren't getting the kind of direct heat (like from a flame) that's likely to cause the wax to do much more than slightly soften, and since beeswax doesn't "sweat" like a piece of cheese might, there isn't a resulting stain. Remember that beeswax is not the same as paraffin wax- which is a petroleum byproduct- and beeswax has a higher melting point. In addition, consider that linen and silk hand-sewing threads are coated with beeswax to prevent them from fraying- if there was a chance that the wax could stain the fabric, that practice would have stopped long ago!

I'll also point out the my lace ends are always tuck in- hidden from view. The beeswax method isn't particularly aesthetic, so it's obviously not going to replace an aglet for dangling laces.

Obviously, there are always exceptions to every rule- I can only speak from personal experience. My mother also uses wax tipped laces and has also never had a melting or staining problem. However, I don't want anyone sending me nasty notes about how my beeswax method ruined their garb, so use this method at your own risk. Remember that you have to work the wax into a thin coating into the lace and up from the end. Do a test lace and wear it with an older piece of garb first to make sure the the beeswax points work for you. Treat your laces with respect- don't put them in a place in which the wax is close to its melting point. For me, the rare chance that my lace might stain my garb is worth the risk to save money- a pure, natural beeswax candle can be purchased from several different sources and one taper candle melted down into a votive can last for years if you reserve it for your laces. Just make sure that it's a chemical and preservative free beeswax.

If nothing else, it's worth a try in a pinch- you can always cut the waxed end of the lace off and try a different lacing point. But like I said, it works for me, it's how all my laces are finished, and until someone raised the concern, the wax melting and causing stains never even registered as an issue for me.

Not to mention that a little bit of warmed beeswax at your bosom would make a nice, subtle perfume!

Nothing to Report

2011-06-26T16:54:00.003-04:00

This week was mostly reading and not much else, so I've got nothing to report project-wise. I've had a pretty mundane-heavy weekend, so all of the projects I intended to finish up before today haven't even been touched. I do have the huvet close to completion, though, so look for that next week!

Frustrated With Colors

2011-06-20T07:16:00.003-04:00

It figures that the color I finally settle on for my underdress, Rust from Fabric-Store.com, is an impossible color to match. I need a silk yarn for the fingerlooped lacing. The closest I can locate is Rainbow Gallery's Elegance Silk in Pumpkin, which is much lighter than the fabric.

I also need silk thread for the finish stitching on the underdress. I'm completely in love with the linen thread I got from Wm. Booth Draper, which I've been using on the huvet, and that I'll be using for my (hidden) constriction stitching on everything else. They have a couple different red silk threads, and it looks like the closest match, the madder red, is available in the buttonhole twist. I'm not sure that the buttonhole twist is the best choice for the other finishing, though. I would settle for using a linen for the finishing of the seams and hems, and reserving the silk for the buttonholes and eyelets, but finding a color match in linen is proving difficult as well. Londonberry's Terra Cotta comes in a 50/3 weight, which would be suitable, but once again the color isn't a close match. The next darker, Redwood, is too red. Wm Booth's madder red in the linen is a bit too red also.

Then there's Au ver a Soie's Soie Gobelin, which is the perfect weight, but no one in the domestic US seems to sell color #614, which would be a near exact match.

Grumble. Grumble.

Garb Quest- Some Progress

2011-06-12T10:49:00.003-04:00

I spent some time yesterday working on my huvet, and now it's ready for the embroidery along the front edge. I had already decided that I didn't want to do the diagonal stitches on the Saint Birgitta's cap, which Machteld reproduced recently. I thought perhaps a chevron stitch, done in two lines would be nice, but I couldn't find any real information about the stitch to date it to the 15th century. I settled on the herringbone stitch, which is pretty plain, but relatively easy. I don't like that the stitch is pretty loose, though. So when I was doing some sample stitches to help me make a decision, I randomly stitched across a few of the X's in the stitch to tack them down. It made the overall stitch look tighter, and also added a nice but simple flourish. So now I'm just brainstorming the best way to keep the stitches even without having to resort to marking up the linen or using more than the 8 straight pins I allotted myself for the garb quest.

This morning I decided to sacrifice one of my purple linen hose for the sake of a pattern. I marked out the changes I needed to make to the pattern while I wore it, then cut along my new lines. I uses a scrap piece of flannel and made a new mockup that I'll keep as my pattern. The fit is nice, though the ankle isn't as tight as I'd like. If I made it tighter, though, I won't be able to get my heel through when I put it on.

I really need to be meticulous when I sew the gussets on. I made the same mistake on both when I sewed the mockup together this morning- my stitches at the top were visible when I turned it inside out and flattened it. I think I'm stitching too far in at the top point. Sewing nice clean gussets is pretty important on the hose, so I'm thinking that I need to pull out some scraps and practice a few times.

Speaking of practice, I did a quick little button hole yesterday as well and it turned out really well. I've never done button holes by hand, so that's pretty encouraging. I made the hole itself too small, but the buttonhole stitch was nice and even. I'm not going to rest on that, though- I need to do some more practice. I also need to practice making the buttons. So maybe I'll just do the whole shebang- make the button, stitch it on, then sew the button holes. I'd rather take the time to practice on scraps than wing it and screw it up on the real deal.

The final project for this weekend is to get the measurements for the smock together, and maybe marked out on the linen. I've settled on the pattern, and since the smock is loose in the body, I need to get it done soon- before my baby belly really starts to get in the way. I already know that the gowns will have to wait (since I can't be guaranteed that my fitted pattern will still be right after I have the baby), so everything else needs to be done before December, including the accessories I've decided to make myself.

Productivity is nice- even if it only comes in spurts.

Conducting Research

2011-06-09T20:13:00.003-04:00

A year ago, I received the Middle Kingdom's Order of the Silver Oak award which is given for beginner level skill in a science. My science was research- specifically the research I've done into women's period headwear, but I consider research in general to be my interest in the Society. Not too long ago, I sat in at a round table discussion on research at an event, and though it wasn't as lively as I think the moderators hoped it would be, it did raise a question I'd like to answer here. In the process of answering this question, I'd like to share with you my personal research perspective as well.

Q: How do you get to that point when you take all the "on paper" research you've done and turn it into action?

A: While it is true that research usually begins "on paper" or with your face planted in a book or two on the subject, the true value of research is that it brings about a scientific process that, in one way or another, requires experiment. That's why many branches of the SCA consider research to be a science instead of an art. Experiment doesn't always have to be a messy process (though it certainly can be in some cases, such as period cooking). Experiment in this case means something a bit more cerebral- finding a hypothesis and proving or negating it.

If you've truly been doing research, even just the "on paper" kind, you've probably already formulated at least one hypothesis. The trick is to recognize it. Fundamentally, you need to think about everything you've learned thus far in terms of provability (or at least acceptable theory). The best example I can give, which most SCA researchers will run across, is proving or disproving a statement made by someone else (scholar, historian, re-creator, me, etc.) that you've accepted as a workable hypothesis. For instance, perhaps you read somewhere, "Medieval sumptuary laws prohibited the wearing of cloth of gold by all but the royal family." This is a pretty reasonable statement, and seems to be a workable hypothesis. For all intents and purposes, you believe it. But what's the source for this statement? Did it come with a footnote or citation? How did the author of this statement arrive at it? If you can ask these questions about your hypothesis, and realize you don't have an answer to any one of them, your real research is at the starting gate.

In some cases, such as the example above, a hypothesis may be provable simply through more reading. In such instances, your reading would start to narrow in on primary or extant sources. (If it doesn't, you're not doing real research- you're just hobby reading.) You're not necessarily experimenting in this proving method, but you are employing a scientific processes nonetheless. You're locating at least one primary source for the hypothesis and verifying that it supports it.

In most cases, though, a more traditional form of experiment is required. Let's say you've formulated a hypothesis on your own, through reading and observation of primary artwork and extant examples, that goes something like: "The set-in sleeve as we recreate it today uses a greater curve amplitude than those used in during the 14th and 15th century." You've established your sources- many primary and a few others from scholarly publications, but actually proving it requires action. You must make a set in sleeve using the shallower curve your hypothesis suggests, and prove that it matches your primary sources.

If you've been doing research- true, hypothesis formulating research- and you haven't experienced a natural reaction to go into action, there's one of three things going on. 1) You're lazy; 2) You're not serious about your hypothesis; or 3) You're afraid of being proven wrong. All three of these are unpleasant, but are a reality. It can be hard to admit when you're being lazy, but if you've been making statements and perpetuating them without proving them simply because the proving process requires more effort than you want to invest, you've definitely taken a turn down the lazy path. I think it's safe to say that most people who haven't hit the action stage don't fit this category, but it's a very easy one to fall into, even if just for a short time.

The second inaction category, not being serious, is also easy to fall into, especially in a re-creation group like the SCA. Groups with a casual attitude about authenticity almost seem to encourage taking a non-serious approach to researching your topic of interest. That's not to say that good, quality, hypothesis proving research isn't recognized and rewarded. More to the point is that side-steps to your research that fit the general (or "popular") mentality are usually well-received if not well-researched. An example of this is: Your hypothesis has suggested that Norsemen used half-round cloth banners for the "heraldic" display of their time, but the popular thought among the Norse persona in your Kingdom is that the quarter-round banner is correct, so, because you're not serious about your hypothesis, you make a quarter-round banner instead.

The last one is probably the most populous, but not everyone has the same reason for being afraid of being proven wrong. Some people don't want to be proven wrong out of an overblown sense of ego. Those people are probably not reading this blog. They've formulated their hypothesis and they're running with it, unproven, because they decided that it works for them and there's no point in changing. These people are most likely falling in one or both of the other categories as well. The other people in this category, however, have more innocent reasons to be afraid. I find myself in this category every time I'm ready to prove my hypothesis with a piece of very expensive material. I don't want to be proven wrong because I don't want my money (and to a lesser extent, time) go to waste. It certainly does take a major amount of suck-it-up gusto to get out of this, but if you're not lazy and you're serious about your research, you'll do it. Another way to be in this category is simply out of a fear of embarrassment. No one likes to admit that they were wrong, and some people can take having to do so very much to heart. They best thing I can say to those people is this: if you've done all the work up to this point, and the only thing standing between you and proving you hypothesis is your inaction, have confidence in your research thus far. Explore all the other avenues you can (have you found primary sources that back you up?). If you have a body of research to support you, you lessen the chances that your hypothesis is a dud. Not only that, but all failure is an opportunity to learn- take what you can from your experiment and formulate a new hypothesis.

The bottom line, and the short answer to the question, is this: Research requires action, namely through experimentation. If you're not turning "on paper" research into action, either you haven't formulated any hypothesis to work from yet, or you've fallen victim to one of the three inaction categories above.

I know this was kind of a serious one, thanks for sticking with me to the end!

Garb Quest - Fabric Choices...Once Again

2011-06-05T17:25:00.006-04:00

I kinda let a week slip by there, didn't I? Sorry about that!

A large amount of my time these past two weeks has been spent on the research aspect of my Garb Quest and doing some initial edits to my roughly sketched out documentation. I find that I'm at a particularly interesting point in the compiling of my documentation that I know what needs to be said, but I need to locate a credible source to verify the statement. It's a lot of trolling around Google's Book search and checking to see if I can get certain books through my local library loan system. I'm taking anything I can get at this point that has anything remotely to do with any aspect of my quest, which has resulted in a few interesting diversions (such as a history of business in the middle ages). I have been surprised, however, by the very limited number of books dealing with medieval tailoring and sewing techniques. Every reference I've been able to locate though Google has lead me to the Museum of London "Textiles and Clothing" book. This can't be the only source for this information!

I have only written a small percentage of the documentation thus far, and I am continually making edits throughout, but it's turning out to be quite a treatise. My rough estimate, and not including any images, puts it around 50 pages when complete. That's a pretty hefty bit of documentation, and it's making me a bit worried. I can sometimes be verbose, and I've done a fair amount of editing already to try to stick with the barest editorializing, but I don't want to sacrifice my voice for the sake of a tidy little paper. I'm spending countless hours (and I've already dropped a pretty penny) on this project- it deserves as many pages as I can give it. I think I'll contact the Regional Minister of Arts & Sciences, though, and express my concern that, if I present the entry with a 50+ page long documentation, I'm going to get stuck with judges they could afford to "lose" for the day (as in they wouldn't make good judges for any other entry anyway), but that are not necessarily the best judges for the entry.

I have also given another thought to the colors of the dresses, based on some of the things my research has pointed out, and have reconsidered whether I should line the overkirtle or not. You might remember that I polled my readers a while back with the choice of a blue, pink or peach underdress, and the blue dress won. I was perfectly fine with the choice, as I was thinking that I would use the ginger linen as a lining for the navy blue wool, and that would create a color barrier between the two blues. I have since then realized that not lining the wool is both an acceptable alternative (based on the number of apparently unlined overkirtles found in period artwork), but also makes sense in terms of re-creation. If I don't line the wool, I have more of an opportunity to wear it during the year, rather than restricting it to just the cool months. If I don't line it, however, that eliminated the color barrier, and I'm not sure I can get behind a double blue outfit.

The original plan was to line the blue underdress with a rust-colored linen, but I recently decided that I didn't want to waste the rust as a lining. Plus, a natural linen would be more suitable for the lining of the underdress (another realiation derived from my research.) The ginger linen, though not a natural linen, would be suitable as a lining, as the color is easily achieved, and would have been fairly inexpensive. More than that, using a cheaply dyed linen would have been preferable to my persona over using an undyed linen, if for no other reason than because she could easily afford it.

So I was still stuck with two blue dresses. Then I decided to take a look at using the rust linen instead of the blue for the underdress. The rust has a very strong red hue, rather than being a more yellow-toned orange, but it contrasts against the navy in a nice way.

Going this route provides me with two good things. First, it allows me to finish the two dresses in two different ways. With the wool unlined, I can show my knowledge of seam finishing, while still showing that I know how to do a lining on the underdress. Second, I make better use of the colored linen, and even reduce the whole outfit by a layer.

I haven't been doing too much actual work on any of the pieces. I had to start over once again on the huvet, but I was getting frustrated at the odd shape of my own head that I had to put it down and work on something else for a while. I also haven't returned to the hose, figuring I'd better stick with one piece at a time. I think I'm comfortable with the huvet's shape now, though, so I'll get back to that and make it ready for the embroidered front binding and loop (which I still need to create). Before I do the band, though, I'll probably go back to the hose. That will give me an opportunity to find the exact embroidery technique I'd like to use on the band.

I've also done the preliminary pattern plan for the smock. I'm using compilation of a few patterns from The Medieval Tailor's Assistant. The body will be basic rectangular construction (with gores), but the sleeves will be a bit more tailored by using a lozenge gusset in the underarm, instead of the traditional square, and by cutting the shoulder seam on an angle toward the neck. The neckline will be pretty low and wide on that, which means I've got to be really careful. I don't have a good track record when it comes to cutting very specific necklines.

In my frustration with the huvet, I moved on to doing two mundane baby quilts for the twins I've been meaning to make (they're almost done- just need the bindings put on.) Then I started a new brick stitch embroidery that I'll reveal more about when it's complete. I need to be really diligent- I've got a few too many balls up in the air at the moment, and too many projects not getting finished. That's a dangerous cycle, you know.

Garb Performance

2011-05-22T18:18:00.004-04:00

I took my camera yesterday with every intention of taking photos of my outfit, but alas, no pictures were taken. It was one of those events.

Very last minute we decided to day trip Spring Faire in Columbus instead of camp at Border Raids in Kentucky. We found out on Wednesday that there wasn't going to be archery at Border Raids, and since that was the primary activity Dearg wanted to do, it didn't make much sense to spend the money to go to an event he'd just sit around at. Spring Faire ended up begin a great choice, however, since there were several archers and three tournaments. Dearg won all three.

I spent most of the day chasing after Owen, who decided that he was hard of hearing and insisted on running toward the archery range or several yards away to find whichever one of us was missing. Therefore, though I'd brought several things to work on, I didn't work on any of them (except for a few stitches on a German brick stick I've had kicking around for a long time now.)

I did, however, discover a few things about the garb I'd worked on all week.

First, the lavender hose worked well (though my leather garters had an issue by the end of the day.) I did have a few instances when the seam at the bottom bothered me as I walked. I didn't get a blister, but I think that was pure luck. I did not finish the seams on the hose, and that was no doubt the issue. I think I may just go back in and tack the seam allowance down at the seam to keep it from bunching up. The wool hose probably won't have that same problem, but it's made me re-think going with the full sole instead to avoid the seam under the foot altogether. I wasn't able to get my black hose cut out before going, which is a good thing now. I'll need to go back to the drawing board on the pattern.

I was pretty accurate about the starching on the fretwork veil. I did not have an opportunity to re-starch it, so I knew that the center was going to collapse. By about 2 the very center 2 inches had completely flattened. By the end of the day, the rest of it was still open, but was no longer stiff. If it had been more humid, I'm sure they would have collapsed more. I think the issue was two fold. I did not lay on a thick enough layer of starch in the center and I think the starch needs to be more concentrated. If I put the liquid back on the stove and boiled it down a bit, that might do the trick.

I also wore the huvet under the veil. It was perfect. The bumps did effect the way the veil draped from the top of my head, but I'm probably the only person that noticed. I'm glad I finally upgraded. Since I didn't get my wool hose cut out, I cut out my second huvet attempt. I redrew the curve of my head with some chalk, then double checked it using my 15-minute huvet (which I know is right) before cutting out. So that's the project on my plate right now.

The sideless surcoat was nice. It's a little long, but I think a quick turn under on the hem will fix that. The top kind of had a mind of its own, but I don't think that would have been a problem if I were wearing a different dress. The neckline on my black dress is so wonky, if the surcoat wasn't centered on my shoulders everything looked off. It will be a nice piece of garb, though, during my pregnancy, since it's pretty accommodating.

Not sure what event I'll be going to next, so I'm going to go back to my regular pace for at least a bit. I'm still working on the hose, but since I have the huvet cut out, that's probably the main project I'll be working on. At least until I see something shiny.

The Gates of Hell

2011-05-20T15:42:00.009-04:00

No, this isn't a post about the impending rapture, but rather about my final project for the week: my new sideless surcoat:

I'd been in a debate about doing a true sideless surcoat (versus the sleeveless dress I just did) for some time. Most evidence suggests that by the 15th century, the "gates of hell", as we so lovingly refer to the sideless gown these days, was primarily a symbolic or ceremonial gown. By the middle of the 15th century, it's almost always shown worn by either queens (or other exceptional women) from the past, or allegorical/saintly figures. I thought I would do an earlier version from the 14th century, but then decided that since my goal is to have more 15th century garb, I should probably delve a little deeper and see what was more appropriate.

I could find enough evidence that in the very beginning of the century simple versions of the sideless surcoat were at the very least an out-of-date style. Since I had no desire to do a fur trimmed gown, the simpler version seemed valid enough.

Image 1 above, from Belles Heures de Duc du Berry, 1408-09, shows my primary inspiration. The top of the gown looks almost like a yoke- wide at the shoulders, then cutting rather dramatically inward. The side opening is also pretty low, showing a fairly good amount of the hip below.

It is very much like Image 3, From Tristan de Léonoi, first quarter of the 15th century, though the later clearly depicts a queen and is probably one of the allegorical versions. This one does not have as deep of an opening, but the "yoke" effect at the top is enhanced by the fur trim.

I include Image 2 to show a different version of the back. This one is much later, from Speculum Historiale, 1463, but this woman is a maid to another woman in the image (cropped out) that is wearing an ermine trimmed sideless surcoat. That leads me to believe that her gown is probably not meant to be allegorical and is probably more akin to what had been worn in reality. While the backs on the other two are clearly cut wider, this back is cut in much the same shape as you would expect the front to be cut.

My surcoat is completely symmetrical- the back and front are exactly the same. I decided not to go with as much of a yoke look as the examples for a pretty simple reason- my chest is big and if I went too narrow in the front it wouldn't be flattering. After taking a few measurements of my length and hips, I used the pattern piece for the front of my gray wool to get the neckline and shoulders drawn out, then added what my measurements (and some math) came out to be. The front has a slight angle into the skirt, as do the gores at the sides. There are four gores, so that the pattern for the front and back look like this (though not so "yoke-y"):

I used a dark silver-gray linen that I'd scored when my local JoAnne's had their moving sale. I only had 3 yards, but since there are no sleeves, it was pretty much exactly enough. I also used a nice brown striped linen I had kicking around for the lining in the top. I couldn't really get away from doing a lining- there's a pretty good chance the inside will be visible as I move around, plus it adds something nice to the silvery gray of the outside.

I'm pretty jazzed about how well it turned out. It's also probably the most "done" gown I've ever made, since most of the seam allowances needed to be finished because it's so open. There's no hand-sewing here, though- the seam lengths are all long enough, with very easy curves, that I could do all the sewing on the machine. I think it will look great tomorrow over my black linen dress, and with my lavender hose and fretwork veil!

On a completely different note, this may be of interest to some of you (it is to me):
The Morgan Library & Museum Exhibition: Illuminating Fashion: Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands

New Garb for the Boy

2011-05-19T19:02:00.004-04:00

So with some of my pressing projects done or well underway, I took some time to create a new outfit for Owen. He isn't really in need of one- we've got a couple of good hand-me-down tunics that still fit him well- but sometimes I just feel the need to make nice new clothes for my little boy.

Owen's built for 14th century. He's lean and has a long torso. He's at the stage now, however, that I need to make things a little loose in order to last longer than one wearing, so I can't make his tunics quite as fitted as I'd like. He's kind of small still, but I'm pretty sure he'll keep his long and lean frame even as an adult. I think Dearg's pretty much resigned himself to me dressing Owen 14th century garb. Not to would be a huge waste!

He's been wearing garb since he was 2 weeks old, and he loves it. He even already seems to understand that we wear garb for special events, and though we try them on at home, they aren't regular clothes. I'll be so sad if the day ever comes that he thinks dressing up dumb.

He's got three new pieces. The short-sleeved undertunic is white linen. The parti-colored tunic is also linen. The gray is yarn-dyed, and the natural is solid. I counter-changed the sleeves as well. It took a little extra sewing, but the result was worth it. The hood is from the leftover wool I used for my goller. It's a bit big, but that just means he'll be able to wear it longer.

It's nice to take some time to make quick little garb like this. It's almost instant gratification, and I get a well-dress toddler out of it!

Hose Success!

2011-05-18T08:02:00.000-04:00

My second hose pattern works! I have to make one or two modifications to the foot, but I now have a viable hose pattern for my garb quest hose!

I had just enough of this lavender linen. It's fairly stretchy which means it slides on really well. My hand sewing on the gussets (barely visible in the photo, but there are gussets on both the inside and outside just in front of the ankle bone) needs a little work, particularly at the points. I use Tasha McGann's method, but I think I need to take a little more time with it.

I'm going to re-draft the pattern to make my adjustments, so I'll start documenting the process of making the wool hose there to share with you.

I've got a handful more projects to get done before this weekend- hope I'm not going too fast for ya'll!

Hooray Headdress!

2011-05-17T08:43:00.000-04:00

In addition to getting some chores done around the house, I spent this past weekend diligently getting some overdue headdress projects done. I starched my frilled (fretwork) veil and I completed my first huvet attempt. Since the veil is older, we'll start with that one.

I used Elina's method almost exactly, except that my starch was made from barley (more on that in a moment) and instead of heat-setting in a sauna, I used a blow dryer. It turned out well, and thus far is holding up. The ultimate test, however, will be when I wear it on Saturday. I think I rushed the heating in the middle, so it's not as stiff as I'd like. I may go ahead a re-starch that section just to be thorough.

I made the starch from 1.5 cups of whole quick barley. I used 2 cups of water and boiled according to the directions on the box. I did end up putting 1 more cup of water in about halfway through. When the directions called to remove heat and let sit, I strained out the barely at that point, before the water could soak in. Then I let the liquid cool in the fridge for about an hour. I ended up with a liquid about the consistency of runny snot, and it left a viscous coating on my fingers. Though it was sort of off white in the bowl it did not leave a stain on the veil.

Before dipping the front of the veil into the starch, I got it wet with regular water. Then I pinned the frets open and worked the starch in with my fingers to the places it didn't go when I simply dipped. Then a blow dryer on high heat dried it and set the starch.

I expect that it will stay stiff for most of the morning, but any humidity in the air will start to take its toll by the afternoon. I think re-starching, paying more attention to how thick the starch is on the fabric, would help. Hopefully I can work that in this week.

And now, the huvet:

I already discovered that the huvet's curve was shifted back, causing ugly bumping, and preventing me from using it for my garb quest. It took a little mental persuasion to get myself to actually finish it, but ultimately I decided that I couldn't use my 15-minute version forever, especially since I tout the benefits of the Saint Birgitta's Cap in almost every single class I teach. A finished huvet, even one that isn't quite right, is definitely in order.

All I really needed to do this weekend was cut out and sew the band that formed the loop and the front edge of the cap, but since I wanted to continue hand sewing, it took a bit of effort. I decided not to continue to use my linen thread (which I'd used on the rest of it) since I need to save that for the garb quest. I used silk thread instead.

It's a good thing that this ended up not being an A&S entry. I thought the linen I used for the band was the same as what I'd used for the cap itself, but when I started to pin it on, I realized that they were not at all the same. You can't tell in the pictures above, but the band is white, the cap is off-white! Though, they did find that the band and the cap were not cut from the same linen on the extant SBC, so I guess I'm not all that far off!

I'm glad this one is done. It's comfy, and a bit larger than my 15-minute version, which will take a little getting used to. I got a good number of tips out of it that will help me on my second (hopefully for-real) try. The major ones being to pay more attention to the angle of the curve, and to use linen embroidery thread instead of the stretchy crewel wool.

I'm still playing around with hose patterns, as I would really like to take my black wool garb quest hose to work on this weekend. I'm also toying with the idea of throwing a new, non-fitted dress together for this weekend. Maybe a sideless gown? Something kind of Lutrell Psaltery?

Internet Round-Up: May

2011-05-15T15:28:00.003-04:00

I apologize that I missed April's Round-Up. The month kind of ended on me before I knew it!

May's Round-Up is brought to you by Baby Number 4 and focuses on pregnancy & nursing garb, as well as a few related topics. There are not too many links here, basically because there aren't that many good links out there.

One thing that has always bothered me about trying to find information about garbing a pregnant body is that there seems to be a void of truly inspiring information. Many photos or pages online display garb that is not necessarily well researched or well crafted. The misconception that to be pregnant and comfortable in the SCA, you must wear what equates to a mou-mou, AND give up your chosen persona, abounds. This is completely false. EVERY period had pregnant women. Otherwise civilization would have ceased to exist and we wouldn't be around today to recreate it.

If you're in the early stages of pregnancy (in the first trimester), take heart- unless you've been over indulging with the excuse that you're eating for two, you won't need to worry about accommodating garb just yet. In fact, if you've been wearing kirtles or cotehardies, your current garb may be suitable well into your second trimester. Just expect the skirt hem to sit a little higher in the front as it raises to go around your baby bump.

Once you're in modern maternity clothes, however, new garb may be in order depending on how big you get. Don't over anticipate growing out of all your garb. If you're pushing the limits of your modern maternity clothes, pregnancy garb me be a given, but until you reach that point, don't waste the fabric and effort on large garb you may not ultimately really need.

As the copious images Karen at Larsdatter.com has collected indicate, pregnant women didn't just toss out their fashionable tendencies the moment they grew out of their dresses. Expectant mothers wore the fashions of their time, sized appropriately to their frame. What this means in a general sense is that most of your garb efforts may just mean subtle alterations on the garb you're already used to wearing. For example:

Garb for late 14th century into the 16th century can utilize a loose front lacing over the belly.
Gores can be inserted in gowns (particularly useful for earlier styles) and later removed to fit your non-pregnant frame.
Viking apron dresses can be opened in the front and secured at the top with a brooch.

If you plan to breastfeed (which is the period thing to do!) this is where new garb, or at least a better appreciation for the way your current garb works in necessary. I can only speak from failed experience here. When I attempted to breastfeed Owen at his first event, I wore a cotehardie with a button front. I wasn't prepared for the emotional issues involved with trying to maneuver my dress open, get my chemise out of the way, get my breast properly uncovered AND get Owen to latch in a public setting. A nursing shirt a bra are one thing, a 14th century outfit is something entirely different. When I tried nursing the twins, I encountered a similar issue. I skipped the chemise and wore my nursing bra, but I realized that I couldn't just lace my dress back up as easily as I'd undone it. I ended up using my pump in the rather public bathroom the rest of the day.

This isn't to say that trying to nurse at an event is an exercise in futility, but instead my message is this: be prepared for the emotional toll it will take to find a system that works for you and your baby. One thing I did not do, that I will be sure to remedy with this baby? Practice at home first.

One of the important things to remember about nursing in period is that it was rarely ever done by women of high class. If your persona is wealthy or of high rank, you may consider adopting the persona of a wet nurse during your breastfeeding time. This essentially allows you to use lower class garb with nursing access instead of trying to make higher class gowns work.

What Nursing Mothers Wore is a great little page with many period images. The images are grouped by nursing accesses method.

Let's not forget that after your trial of pregnancy in the SCA, you'll have a new bundle of joy to take to events as well. There are many points of view out there on clothing infants in garb, but I personally subscribe to the thinking that my children should be just as well dressed as I am. I have used Mathilde's Infant Gown paper as inspiration for all three of my babies. For the twins, we used a vintage christening gown pattern and it has been extremely successful thus far.

Finally, The Lady in Waiting is an email group for expectant mothers in the SCA. They don't post often, but if you've got specific concerns, other pregnant mothers can give you their advice.

Like I said, not too many links here, but I hope you find this information at least a little helpful!

Hose Saga: A New Hope

2011-05-13T17:01:00.006-04:00

I was getting pretty frustrated with trying to create the pattern for my hose from scratch, but I really didn't want to cheat and use a pre-made pattern since I intend to include a pair of hose in my garb quest A&S entry. Being able to create a fitted hose pattern is kind of a crucial element to proving that I know what I'm talking about.

I tried three time to do the pattern on myself, but failed miserably each time. Then, in a blog comment to Heidi over at Medieval Threads (who was also going through the cloth hose pattern dilemma), I suggested using a duct tape leg dummy. She beat me to the punch and ended up with a great result. Check out hers and the instructions for making one.

I decided to only go to up to just below my knee because I wasn't sure I'd have enough duct tape to go higher. I'd taken measurements of my leg (in one of my pattern making attempts) and decided that I could make up the rest of my leg with those if I really needed to. Mine's not particularly pretty, but man does it help!

One of the things that made me question whether I wanted to go this route or not is because I do intend to enter my hose in an A&S faire. Using a modern duct tape leg to help me create the pattern is not an authentic method, obviously, and has the potential of knocking my score down. Ultimately, however, I decided several things justified the use of the dummy.

Fifteenth century fitted hose (of the luxury level I intend to recreate) were more than likely created by skilled tailors, not average housewives, which would have eliminated the fit-to-self issue. By creating an independent leg, I can treat the patterning as if I were the tailor, not the wearer.
I want to be able to try out a few patterns in order to find the foot style that works best for me. The dummy allows me to cut the time-consuming effort of that.
Because I can look at the dummy from more than an above angle, I can see more clearly fit issues and alternatives.
Finally, I'm pregnant, and being able to bend over and fit on myself is hard and uncomfortable.

So, with my new leg, I was able to do my first hose. I chose to use an off-white linen/cotton blend with a subtle stripe in the weave. Linen doesn't fit the same way wool does, so getting the snug fit is a little more difficult, but I had it and didn't have any other plan for it. I decided to do what seemed like the easiest pattern from The Medieval Tailor- what's typically known as a London style hose- but when I got to the actual sewing together portion of making them, I discovered that they weren't as easy as they looked. Because of the cut over the top of the ankle, you end up essentially with three alternating gussets in a row (!!!). After a few attempts, I did finally get them sewn together, but it's not pretty.

They're not perfect, but they are comfy. I'm not going to worry about finishing the seams or even hemming the top, since they're more of an experiment than anything else. I think I'll just keep them around for those cold camping nights.

Random Bits

2011-05-08T21:29:00.003-04:00

Well, first and foremost, I have some news. Baby #4 is due December 1! We are obviously surprised, as the twins are only 8 months old, but we're happy about it. So ya'll know what that means- more pregnancy-related projects! Which is pretty funny, since someone recently posted and asked for more information about garb during pregnancy. I missed my Internet Round-Up in April, but May's Round-Up (which I'll post next week) will be pregnancy related.

I kind of let a bunch of projects sit around for a while, since I wasn't feeling well, being prego and all, so I don't have much to report. I made a very quick case for my bow out of a scrap I had left over from my gray wool dress. I used it as an excuse to do button holes (3 of them). I didn't do a wonderful job, but by the third hole I had a better sense of what the heck I was supposed to be doing. Since my Garb Quest supportive gown will have buttons on the sleeves, I figured I could use all the practice I could fit in.

I also (finally) did the gathering bits on my failed huvet. I figured out what went wrong as well. When I'd cut the curve, it was slightly rotated clockwise, causing the curve to fall on the wrong part of my head. When I shift the whole thing forward, the curve fits, but it's super long on my forehead and too short at the back. Glad I figured that one out, though, so I know what NOT to do next time. I've got to find a strip for the loop and front edge binding, then I can finish that up.

I also tried to do my hose pattern again. Either, it's really difficult to do on yourself, or I've just got no talent for it. I can get the leg part- that's easy- but when it comes to the ankle and foot, I screw it up. After reviewing this time, however, I believe I know what I'm doing wrong. I cut straight up from the bottom to the ankle bone on both sides. This ends up giving me too little of a heel to work with. Essentially, but cutting to the ankle bone, I'm cutting too far back. If I shift the cut forward about an inch, I can cut straight up, then across the top of the foot (where it joins the ankle). That would give me something like the London Hose. I'm also thinking that I may try to work off of measurements first, instead of trying to fit directly on my legs.

I think I'm going to experiment with making starch for my frilled veil out of barley. It would certainly be more period than potato!

I've got a bunch of little projects to get done in the next few weeks gearing up for Border Raids the weekend of the 21st. I'd really like to have the hose pattern done in time to work on sewing the hose while at the event. It's also the first camping even of the year for us, so we've got some things to pull together to make sure the kids are set.

So that's all I've got for now, but stay-tuned. The hose saga isn't nearly complete yet!

Starching a Frilled Veil

2011-05-07T17:00:00.001-04:00

This post from Elina is a life saver. Now I just have to figure out the best starch to use.

Award!

2011-05-02T07:51:00.001-04:00

Cristina over at Cristina's Ramblings chose my blog to pass along this award. Thank you!

So I'm supposed to answer the following 5 questions, then pass the award on to 5 other blogs.

1. When did you start your blog?
Hee-hee. I just wrapped up a two-week celebration from my blog's anniversary. My first post was April 17th, 2008.

2. What is it about?
In general, I write about my experiences creating a more authentic wardrobe for my 15th century, middle class, Flemish persona. I also try to incorporate my research as well as provide "stepping stones" for others on their own garb journeys by sharing what I find.

3. What are the differences between this blog than others?
One thing you'll find on The Compleatly Dressed Anachronist is that I'm pretty open about screwing things up, and I show my trials and errors. I'm not a sewer, and the process of creating my own garb is a huge learning experience. Not that I'm happy when my projects don't turn out as well as I'd like, but if I can help someone NOT make my mistakes, I'm happy to share them.

4. Why did you start it?
To think back, my main reason for blogging was because I didn't want to feel like I was creating garb and learning so many new things in a bubble. I started with the hope that I could be part of a global community of garb enthusiasts, and luckily that's come true! I'm thrilled that my blog is one of many re-creation blogs that have created a community of shared knowledge and know-how.

5. What would you like to change in your blog?
As I listed out that the beginning of the year, I'd like to incorporate more of the back-end "production" and research involved with my projects. I've also been considering moving to a different platform to bring my blog and website together.

My five picks for the gorgeous blogger award:

Congratulations!

2011-05-01T10:15:00.003-04:00

And the winner of the linen veil is...Vanessa!

Vanessa's entry: "I'm up in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada). I would love to win this veil because I'm super new to the SCA. I don't currently have a veil... because I tried to make one out of the leftovers from my first (and currently only) under tunic. ... but it wasn't enough fabric!"

Thank you to everyone that entered! Don't fret if you didn't win- there will be other giveaways this year. Look for the next one shortly before Pennsic!

Vanessa, please email me with your full name and mailing address so I can send your new veil to you!

Not Too Late!

2011-04-30T16:09:00.001-04:00

It's not too late to enter my giveaway! Contest ends at 11:59pm tonight!

Anniversary Giveaway!

2011-04-24T17:01:00.000-04:00

This past week, The Compleatly Dressed Anachronist turned 3! To celebrate, I'm giving one reader this:

A hand-made (by yours truly) medium-weight, 100% linen veil (perfect for any time of year), hemmed with 100% silk thread. The veil is an oval measuring (roughly) 32" x 40", which is an ideal size for an all-day veil. This veil is a great way to impress your friends with your awesome stylishness! It would even make a great gift!

HOW TO ENTER: I'm making this really easy! Simply add a comment to this post that includes:

Your (mundane) geographic location, and
A brief statement about why you need or would like the veil.

You must enter by 11:59pm Saturday (the 30th). I will select and announce the winner next Sunday. This giveaway is open to everyone, so please enter!

Gray Dress Wrap-up

2011-04-16T19:14:00.006-04:00

Overall, I'm happy with the way my new gray wool dress turned out, and I'm sure it will get a lot of wear. I did have a few issues and learned a great deal from this project. But first, here's the final result:

First, the cons:

The waist seam ended up a few inches higher than it should have been. In the photos, my belt is sitting exactly on top of it. A slightly dropped waist would have offered a bit of lengthening to my torso and been a little more flattering.
The seams are very visible. I should have risked a bit of aggressive washing first to full it a bit more to help conceal the seams.
The shoulder seams ended up about 1/2" to the front which isn't awful, but does make my chest look like it's weighing the front of the dress down. I knew it was doing that when I did the pattern, but I overlooked it because I wanted to get the dress done and I didn't want to risk losing the fit everywhere else if I tried to correct it.
The shoulders and arm holes are not identical and are off- the arm holes are just a hair too small, and there's a bit of pulling toward my left shoulder.
My hand sewing is on the sloppy side at the neckline. I've got some rippling that I wouldn't have gotten if I'd paid more attention.

Now the pro's:

The length is perfect. It just skims the floor, and the weight of the skirt feel "right" when I walk. Though it could be fuller with two more panels, it's actually full enough.
The flat front on the bodice did amazing things to my curves (though I'm not happy with how my breasts look on the front-on view- I think my bra is to blame.) It flattered my left-over baby belly.
It's a very nice weight in general. Because there's no sleeves, I didn't have temperature issues. I don't think it will work for summer events, but it's good for spring and fall.
It's a new style for me! I would classify the overall look as late 15th century. It's extremely utilitarian. It works well on its own, but I can also see how it would do wonders under a lightweight houppelande.

I wear a bra regardless of how well my dress may be fitted- I'm just too large in the bust to feel comfortable without one, and thus far I haven't been able to make a dress that supported me well enough to make up for a bra. The bra, unfortunately, doesn't do me any favors- as I mentioned earlier, I'm really unhappy with the front-on view above, which makes my breasts look heavy and low. Granted that's what they really do look like, but that's not the medieval look. I think it may be time to invest in a very good sports bra that will create a uni-boob effect that's more appropriate.

However, undergarments aside, I think I've got a much better grasp of how a flat-front, waist seam kirtle can work as the outer dress of my garb quest. The difference will primarily be that my kirtle will not require the fitting that this gray dress does, and because of that, I'll have a great deal of opportunity to fix the areas that need adjustment.

So, onto the next thing. The hose, I think. I really must not be afraid of the hose.

EDIT: Right after I posted this, I saw a new post on Princess of Bob that showed her new waist seam kirtle. I have to say, she did a really good job. It's making me wonder if a front lacing on my garb quest kirtle might not be the better thing to do.

Stuchlein Information

2011-04-03T21:12:00.001-04:00

I haven't read the whole thing yet but this is very cool:

How to make a Stuchlein
Posted over on Textile Time Travels

Day at Home

2011-04-02T21:38:00.002-04:00

Last minute yesterday, Dearg and I decided it would be best if I stayed home with the kids instead of all of us going to the event. I really wanted to go, but between our daughter's new-found lactose issues, the cold weather and the fact that he had a million and one commitments at the event while I had none, there really wasn't much of a decision there. Oh well.

Since I wasn't planning on having today free anyway, I took the opportunity to get a couple of projects done that have been getting shoved aside. First, I removed the ribbons on the backs of the twins' gowns and replaced them with buttons. The ribbons weren't working- they were narrow satin ribbons that just kept untying. The buttons will be much better, and probably a bit safer. Plus it kind of tidies up the look of the gowns.

Then I completed the honeycomb on my "frilled" veil. I basically used a modification of a smocking stitch. Instead of going to the back of the fabric, I simply passed the thread through the hem on each layer from one stitch to the next. It's not much to look at right now since it's still flat. I've got to get a dowel and cut it down into setting sticks, like Isis demonstrated. I'm going to try to make some potato starch. I know that's not period for the middle ages, but it's better than modern starch.

It was nice to have a quite day to just do some stuff. I spent a fair amount of the day goofing off with Owen, and I played a succession of movies while I worked. Though I was sad to have missed the event, the day certainly wasn't a loss.

Gray Dress Complete

2011-03-31T20:25:00.003-04:00

The gray dress is (mostly) complete! The only thing I haven't done is to finish the interior seams. Since I'd like to wear it on Saturday, I've decided to hold off on that for now- there isn't enough time to finish them. The dress is not perfect, I knew it wouldn't be, but at least it's a new dress! I'm saving the final photos for the event so you can see it "in action"!

Teaser

2011-03-30T19:29:00.003-04:00

Here's just a little teaser of something else I've been working on.

If you're in South Oaken (Midrealm), come to the Regional A&S Faire (even if you don't have an entry) and find out what this is all about at my new class!

Gray Wool Dress Part 2

2011-03-30T07:40:00.004-04:00

So, last I left off, I had the dress skirt and bodice ripped apart and two additional panels inserted, ready to be sewn. When I pinned the skirt to the bodice, I decided to go with two box pleats at the front, and two at the back. Back to the sewing machine, and after getting REALLY frustrated that I only had 8 inches more to do and the thread tension was messing up, I finally got it sewn back together.

My idea about the placement of the pleating was completely bogus. It was not flattering (I would have been better off with the original 8 pleats). As my husband so eloquently put it, it looked like I had a load in my pants! Suffice it to say, it was not photo-worthy. So, I took the dress apart. Again.

On the second try (or would this be third?) I decided to do 1 simple pleat on each panel, so that the pleats were evenly spaced all the way around. Sewed it together one more time, and:

These photos don't do it too much justice- it was kind of a "take a picture quick, before I take it off", and the skirt length is affecting the drape, but the pleats are a vast improvement. While I had it on, Dearg helped me once again by using some chalk to mark some modifications to the arm and neck holes.

I started the hand sewing last night- stitching the neckline hem- and it's slow going. I may not be able to get all the seams finished before Saturday, as I still need to trim the bottom and hem that. I'm going to cheat there, though, and use the machine.

I still need to decide what I'm going to wear underneath. It's a very tight fit, so I don't think I'm going to be able to wear my black dress. That would probably be too warm anyway. I may just pull out some leftover material and make a short tunic with long sleeves that I can wear over my sleeveless chemise.

I'm learning a lot of valuable lessons from this dress. The more panels the better. Eight was too few. 10 is OK. 12 would be better. I should have cut the bodice longer. Even pleating is generally better. I'm satisfied, though, with how it looks so far. I didn't have too many expectations about what it would look like, so I'm not disappointed, but I think there are a few things that would have made it better.

Gray Wool Dress Part 1

2011-03-27T13:46:00.004-04:00

With my new pattern ready to go, I was able to get a good start on my new gray wool dress. The outer layer is a suit-weight gray twill wool and the lining is a lighter linen. The dress will be light as far as weight goes, but will be on the warmish side (which is part of the reason I opted for a sleeveless gown.)

Speaking of which, here's a reminder about my inspiration for this gown:

This detail from Rogier van der Weyden's Saint John Altarpiece leaves much to the imagination, but you can clearly see that it's a sleeveless gown with a fairly full skirt and a fur lining. I'm skipping the fur lining, obviously. Since this figure is so small, and the gown in black, it's impossible to know where the seams are and if this is a waist seam kirtle or not. I knew, however, that I wanted to attempt a waist seam kirtle, so this seamed to be a good opportunity for it.

After cutting out my bodice pieces according to my pattern (with generous seam allowance), I went to work cutting out the panels to form my trapezoidal panel skirt. I wasn't sure how many panels I would be able to get, but I knew I could get at least 8, so that's what I went with. Using Mathilde's instructions, I calculated a 7" top. I had to use my linen, folded in half, to determine the bottom measurement. That ended up being 20". From one end, I measured a length of 40"- my length plus seam allowance- marked 7" in from the left on one end and from the right on the other, then drew a straight line to join them. With my folded fabric, that gave me 4 panels from one 40" length. Lather, rinse, repeat, and I ended up with 8 panels each of the wool and linen.

What took the longest was matching the linen to the wool and pinning them all together- that alone took me an hour and a half!

Now here's an important note: If your fabric has a wrong side, and you fold it to make your panels, you will end up with two mirrored panel sets! They will not match up straight edge to bias edge on the two ends. So, I had 4 panels in one orientation and 4 in the other, meaning that the front seam matches straight to straight and the back seam matches bias to bias. No big deal, though- it just means I have to pay attention to where the seams are in relation to the bodice.

After a short break, I sewed the bodice together and gave it a try. I had to rip the arm holes open a bit for them to fit, and at first it seamed like it may be too tight, but after wearing it a bit, it wasn't bad. It was a little short, though.

So, for next time I just need to not cut it off so high- it needs only about 1.5" more of length to be perfect. This is cool, though. It fits and that's all the matters at the moment!

After sewing all the panels together and sewing it to the bodice, I held my breath and put it on for the first try. Not great.

It's not so clear on the front view, but the side view shows that the skirt isn't as full as it needs to be. There are no pleats in the seam on the skirt, and clearly there needs to be. I'm also not too keen on how visible the seams are, but I think that's just the way the fabric is, and I'm not sure there's much I can do about it.

Luckily, I had enough wool left for two more panels. In order to get two more linen panels, I had to cut them across the grain. I took the dress apart and pinned the new panels back in, but I still need to sew it all back together.

So stay tuned!

Hooray Pattern!

2011-03-25T14:25:00.001-04:00

After several days of being frustrated with my new fitted dress pattern, and wondering if I wasn't going to be able to get away without a center front seam, I finally buckled down and worked on it yesterday. I put it on, figured out some of the areas that were wrong, took it off and started making some the changes. I was really flying by the seat of my pants, but I determined that the problem was two fold. First, the shoulders at the front needed to be brought up considerably (I cut off about 2" on both sides). This removed the weird pulling I was getting at the top of the bust. The second problem was caused by the side seams being too loose. That, in turn, made their respective curves wrong, which is why my chest was getting squashed in that unpleasant manner.

I'm still getting some wrinkling at the side-most under-breast areas, and there's also a bit at the back. My new seam at the back didn't meet the original in the right spot (highlighted area on the photo). I was extremely happy with it, though. It gives me a nice shape overall, and supports and flattens my bust without smooshing it.

I had Dearg help with with some last minute things before I cut it down. He measured and marked for length and figured out the real curve at the small of the back for me. When I asked him how it looked, he said "Tight". I couldn't have asked for a better answer!

Now that I have the pattern, I can make my next dress- the gray wool sleeveless dress. I plan to do a trapezoidal panel skirt (with a waist seam), and I'm also going to attempt French seams, just because it actually makes the most sense. I'd like to machine sew the panels together, then hand sew the finishing stitches. Hopefully I'll have it ready for Unicorn next weekend.

Garb Quest - Huvet Progress Update

2011-03-21T19:26:00.006-04:00

I completed the herringbone stitching on the huvet, and was eager to show you my progress, but when I put it on yesterday, I realized that there is a bump at the crown as a result of the curve along the center being slightly off. I'm not sure how that happened, as the curve was right when I did my initial test. Regardless, I'm going to just start over. I could remove the stitching (the herringbone and all the inner stitches), re-cut the huvet and then re-do all the stitches, but that would be a huge waste. I'm going to complete it as is, since there's no harm in having an extra huvet around, but it won't be for my garb quest.

Even though I fretted about the best way to create even stitches and keep the two halves together, I ended up just freehanding it. I used some floss every 1.5" or so to keep the two halves lined up, and removed each when I got to them. Once I got into the rhythm, it wasn't hard to keep the stitches even.

The bump is really just a convenient excuse, though. My real reason for wanting to simply start over is that I decided that I really should have used a linen embroidery thread for the herringbone instead of the wool. The wool is too stretchy for this project, which meant that I had to go back and stitch the two halves together on the inside to keep it from gaping more than I intended.

So, until I can get a hold of more linen and linen embroidery thread, I'm going to move on to a different item. I think it's time to tackle the hose.

Internet Round-Up : March

2011-03-20T16:07:00.005-04:00

This month's Internet Round-Up is brought to you by aprons!

First and foremost is Karen Larsdatter's Aprons page, with tons of links to a huge variety of period examples.

A Viking perspective on aprons from Cathy Raymond

Matilda la Zouche's Smocked Apron
Machteld's apron & tutorial list on Medieval Silkwork
Mordenvale Magazine pages 5-12
Martelle's example
Various images on the Luttrell Psalter Film site (and obviously in the film itself)

Cristina's apron tag shows both smocked aprons as well as other types

A simple apron for 16th century Flemish in this Flickr photostream
Another by Alina Silverthorne
And another over at The Sinister Spinster blog

This is Me

2011-03-19T18:06:00.003-04:00

Not that I'm thrilled that I was wearing my make-shift garb for this, but check out this wonderful portrait that Master Phillip took at the event today. I could sit here and criticize myself until the cows come home, but that would completely negate the fact that this is a very lovely photo. The food, by the way, is completely fake.

This really is just the kick in the pants for me to get some new garb done. So the next time there's a photo booth, I don't look so uncomfortable in my garb.

Did you spot the ferret?

Issues with Pattern

2011-03-16T15:59:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to create a new pattern for a dress with no front seam, and the results thus far have been extremely disappointing and not remotely flattering. I have never been able to successfully create a fitted dress that is truly fitted. Every single dress I have can be pulled on over my head without having to undo the lacing. Even the newly fitted black linen dress. In this new experiment, I'm completely at odds with my boobs. It's not so much that the dress really needs a center seam (which would completely ruin the point of this pattern), it's more that, in order for the dress to be small enough for my shoulders but still large enough for my chest, my boobs get flattened in a completely uncomfortable and ugly manner. Down the road I might find a flattened chest useful if I ever decide to start wearing Burgundian V-necks again, but at the moment it is not the look I need.

I don't know what I'm missing, or what I need to do differently. I do know, however, that if I'm going to be successful at my garb quest, I've got to buckle down and figure it out.

Did you see the flying pigs?

2011-03-11T20:54:00.002-05:00

I tried to avoid this as long as I could, but with my husband very much into it, and some other, more professional reasons, I've finally activated my Facebook account. It must be a cold day in you-know-what. So, if you'd like to friend me, please do! Just be sure to note that you read this blog when you send the request so I know where you came from!

And the Winner Is:

2011-03-07T07:42:00.005-05:00

It looks like I'll be making a BLUE underdress for my garb quest!

Thanks to everyone that voted!

Garb Quest- CAST YOUR VOTE!

2011-03-03T21:35:00.004-05:00

I received the swatches for the peach and pink linen today, and, simply put, I can't make up my mind. So, I'm going to use the power of the internet, and see what you all think. I put a survey up on the sidebar. Pick your favorite:

BLUE

PEACH

PINK

Don't be shy! Poll closes Monday morning. You can also leave a comment on this post if you'd like.

Garb Quest - Fabric Choices...Again

2011-02-27T14:45:00.004-05:00

I thought I'd gathered all the material for my garb quest (except for the scarlet wool for the open hood), but a couple things changed. I was originally looking for a navy blue wool for the kirtle, and though I found a really nice one from William Booth (for a good price) I ultimately ended up purchasing a very luxurious dark blue wool from Joann's. Though quite a bit more expensive, I love the color and feel, and since I could see more than just a 3" swatch of it, I was more confident in choosing it for the kirtle instead.

I had gotten the ginger linen for the outer layer of the supportive dress, but was feeling a bit unsure about how "right" the color was for the dress. Then I found a couple of interesting images here that got the gears working. There are a few examples that use either a blue outer color and a brown lining or visa-versa. After some thinking on this, I decided that I could get behind using the ginger linen as the lining on the blue wool, instead of as the supportive dress.

That left the supportive dress still a huge question mark, however. I have a rust linen as well as the blue bonnet linen I originally got to line the navy wool kirtle. The rust, though a nice red-orange, is a bit of a strong color, and is a little too much like a certain other rust linen (linen/rayon) I already have. The blue isn't a strong color, but there are two issues. First, I only have 4 yards (which might be doable, but 5 yards would be better). Second, would the blue bonnet be too close to the now lighter blue wool? It's a tough call.

I'm giving myself one more possible option. I looked around for a light-pink/peachy linen. Fabric.com has a handful of light-colored linens that may work. I ordered some swatches to check the weights. I don't want it to be too flesh-tone, but a pale pink would add a nice girly touch. So, here's what we're looking at:

I suppose that while I'm waiting for those swatches, I should probably get some other things done....

Trying to Save Some Garb

2011-02-26T20:43:00.003-05:00

Completely last minute on Friday evening, I realized that I'm sick of not having any garb that fits. My black linen dress fits, but has issues (a little too short, wrinkles in the back, off center neck/shoulders, not quite big enough around the breast.) My other garb is either too large, or doesn't really work well with the rest of my garb. In my frustrated bout of putting things on, I made two decisions.

First, the black linen dress functions well enough as an underdress, and will thus be relegated to that purpose. Second, while I'm waiting to have fresh new garb to wear (waiting until I make it, that is), there's nothing that says I can't try wacky things with the old stuff.

Sooo, knowing that I could wear the black linen dress as my first layer, I pulled out my old rust linen dress. You may remember this dress from this or this post. I removed the sleeves and took the side seams in (but didn't touch the other seams). It's kind of a precursor to what I decided to use the gray wool for. Here's the result:

I also decided to pull out my Flemish Kerchief for this one- it's been a while since I wore it last. I'm holding Lee in that bottom photo. Here's some more pictures of the family:

So, does Owen have enough attitude for you? Do you recognize that teal tunic? Maybe it reminds you of, say, this? Recycling=Good!

Garb Quest - Stitch Tests

2011-02-23T17:18:00.005-05:00

So I did some experiments with different stitches to decide which I'd like to use to sew the two halves of the huvet together. I started with the three I picked, then I goofed off for a bit. I don't know how period the basque stitch is for 15th century Flanders, but I figured I'd give it a try, since I was fooling around anyway. It's cool, but not the right choice for this project. I think the herringbone will do the trick, particularly the smaller version.

The trick will be, just like the regular herringbone stitch, to keep things even. I may have to employ some kind of measuring system. When I do it for real I'll be using white. I think I'd like to get some linen embroidery weight thread, rather than using pearl cotton. The linen would be more authentic.

For the time being, I need to figure out what I can do to get the pieces in the right spots to make it easier to keep things even. I'll have some time to figure it out while I'm waiting for the thread.

Garb Quest - Huvet Progress

2011-02-20T10:41:00.008-05:00

The huvet progress has been pretty slow, mainly because I've only been able to work on it a bit at a time. I've sewn the hems along the back/top edges of both sides, but that's all. This was my first time sewing with linen thread, and sewing a hem without pinning it into place first. The thread is interesting. I got unwaxed thread, so I have to draw the thread across the beeswax piece Dearg molded for me. It makes it a little stiff, and it doesn't pull through the linen the same way the silk thread I'm used to using does. The best way I can describe the feeling of the thread going through the fabric is "uneven". The results, however, have been perfect.

It takes a lot of focused attention, though, since I'm literally grabbing (or trying to grab) one thread out of the fabric from both sides, so the sewing thread is basically lost when you look at it. It's a modification of a typical hem stitch- instead of coming up all three layers, I'm just grabbing the thread closest to the inner fold and the thread directly below it on the ground layer.

I can go two different ways for the next step. I can either do the gathering at the bottoms of each side, or I can sew the two pieces together. That part's going to be a bit tricky, since I'll probably need to put them on a rounded form to keep everything from going wonky as I sew. I'm not going to do the fancy interlaced stitch that's on the original (like the recreation Joanna did), it will probably look more like Sarah's version. There are a few types of stitches I'm looking at using, so I'll probably take some scraps and test each to see which I like the best (and which I find easier to do). The three I'm looking at are the double blanket stitch (Fig. 25), herringbone stitch (Fig. 6) or fishbone stitch (Fig. 42).

I've also got to get going on Dearg's garb and a new dress for me. There's not enough time in the day....

Dress Fitting

2011-02-13T20:16:00.003-05:00

I've got nothing new to report on any garb progress, so instead I wanted to share a link to Maistresse Mathilde Bourette's WordPress website. The site includes her dress construction and fitting articles which are both well written and easy to follow. I've used Mathilde's dress fitting instructions twice now as the starting point for my own dress fittings, and I was excited to see her instructions for self-fitting. I highly recommend reading her dress construction articles in conjunction with her patterning instructions.

Garb Quest - Huvet Experiment no. 2

2011-02-09T21:22:00.005-05:00

I cut a new piece with the measurements that included seam allowance and the extra 8cm at the bottom and had a much more successful result!

This is just stitched very roughly together without adding hems, but it obviously fits much better. I am seeing, however, that the 8cm gap may be too much for my head. I also think that a slight bit more of a curve at the center forehead is needed to get rid of the looseness around the face (though some of that will go away with the tension of the loop when that's added.) The curve was free-handed, but it's almost right. I'm thinking this one's a go, though, with those adjustments.

I'll need to toss it in the wash, however, as some fool left it sitting next to an orange crayon, and it does look an awful lot like a nice, clean, white piece of paper....

Face Palm

2011-02-07T11:22:00.003-05:00

If you attended my 15-Minute Headdress class this weekend, you were the unfortunate recipient of incorrect instructions. I thought I'd caught them all and gave you each an Errata sheet, but I realized in the shower this morning that my Flat Cap instructions probably had one more error. So rather than try to correct that, can you do me one huge favor? Draw a huge "X" through that entire section and use this PDF instead!

I will be correcting the instructions before I place them on my website.

Garb Quest - Huvet Experiment

2011-02-06T18:01:00.006-05:00

I decided that I'd try an experiment to use the dimensions of the Saint Birgitta's Cap (from the article in Medieval Clothing and Textiles, Volume 4), and use some simple math to calculate a proportionate size to fit my own head.

I measured around my head at the back (at the largest point) to my temples (to where I want the finished front edge to be), divided it in half, and got a measurement of 20cm. Using the measurements from the article of the size of rectangle required for the extant cap of 19cm wide by 22cm tall (as the article provides a range, I rounded the measurements down), I calculated that with a width of 20cm, my cap, in order to have the same proportions would be 23cm (rounded down) tall.

I then quickly stitched it together, included the pleating at the base of each half, and discovered quite rapidly that, well... see for yourself:

Sooo... I'm not sure what to conclude from this, other than that a rectangle of 20cm wide by 23cm tall is obviously too small for my head. I suppose some of the too-smallishness is due to not including a seam allowance, plus some of it may come from not including the gap that's on the original but not in mine. Those aren't really that much in the grand scheme, though.

So, I thought I'd revisit some of the blogs that show recreations to see if I could find any answers. Arachne's Blog was helpful. She discovered that a smaller gap worked better for her cap. I kept the 8cm gap on my mockup, but I think it ended up as part of the forehead to nape measurement (the curve) instead of additional to it. I couldn't actually get the 38cm curve line on the 20cm x 23cm rectangle. That should have been my first clue that the 23cm length wasn't going to work.

Archane's Blog pointed me to this paper. Unfortunately I can't get a great translation out of Google Translate, so I'm not sure what she's trying to show with her diagram.

I think on the next try I'll go with a rectangle of 23cm wide (that's the original 20cm wide plus 1.5cm seam allowance on each side) by 35cm tall (that's the original 24cm plus the seam allowance plus the 8cm for the gap). I have a curving ruler around here somewhere that I can use to get the curve of my head right, since that's another problem I'm having.

On a completely different note, here's the hood I made for Dearg:

It fits him very well and he said that, despite it being a heavy wool with a linen lining, it wasn't too hot to wear all day.

After I find that ruler and do a new mockup, I'll share what I come up with!

Internet Round-Up : February

2011-02-05T21:43:00.000-05:00

You may remember that one of the items on my "blogolution" list was the addition of monthly features. One of those is about to have its debut today- the Internet Round-Up. This will be a selection of links from various pages on the web that relate to a specific topic (which will be different each month.) These may be links to other blogs, dress diaries, articles, books, etc. It is my hope that this feature will become a mainstay of this blog and that you will find it helpful (if for no other reason that it introduces you to the websites of other people!)

This month's Internet Round-Up focuses on fabric buttons.

A comparative study of extant garments in North-Western Europe (p.21)
A Stitch in Time (video)

So, that's it for this month's Internet Round-Up! Next month? I'm thinking aprons.

My Apologies in Advance

2011-01-28T16:39:00.002-05:00

Our internet has cut out at home, and I have no idea when it may kick on again, so if you don't see a post from me on Sunday- blame the internets!

When I am finally online again, I'll be introducing a new blog feature (still working on a name for it) that I hope you'll find helpful and enjoy. Until then, have a wonderful weekend!

Detour

2011-01-23T10:18:00.006-05:00

I spent most of this past week working on a hood for Dearg. The outside is a dark crimson red wool and the lining is a brighter red linen. It's complete, though he'd like a little bit of decorative trim along the inner hem around the face. It's ready for him to wear, though. I've got some photos of it, but I'm hoping that someone can take a picture of him next weekend when he's wearing it at Better War Through Archery to share with you.

The black and white linen thread for my garb quest arrived on Friday- very exciting! We have plenty of beeswax around the house, so Dearg made me a little cake of it to use with the thread. The linen is also on the way, all but the lining for the fitted dress. I have some rust colored linen that I may use for that instead, just to save money. That leaves just the wool for the kirtle and hood (plus the thread for the hood), but that will have to wait until I've got more money.

I'm a little distracted at the moment by the idea of putting a period sewing kit together. Now would be the perfect time, since I have the perfect opportunity to use all the tools with my garb quest. It would add one more level of authenticity to the project. I'm still researching what to have (not so much because I don't know what tools to include, but because I want to pick the right things/styles for the 15th century.) I found this page from the West Kingdom Needleworkers Guild incredibly helpful for getting me started down the right path. Dearg's been doing a lot of work with antler, so I've asked him to make a few of the items for me, but I may try my hand at making them myself if he doesn't get around to it soon.

I've been reading many articles for my documentation, many of which aren't necessarily directly related to what I'm actually doing. It's nice to expand my knowledge base, though. I'm sure it's information that will become useful at some point.

Garb Quest and Misc. Items

2011-01-16T18:37:00.003-05:00

Well, I would have been happy to report that my hose pattern is done, but I screwed it up. Not surprising, which is why I wanted to do a pattern first! There were too many things to figure out at once, but what ultimately messed it up was that I fitted them once, removed them to make sure I could get them on and off, then didn't get them in the right place once they were back on. Thinking that I'd just not fitted them enough the first time around, I fitted them more and made them too small!

I was trying to do a pattern from Medieval Tailor's Assistant with gussets, but I think I'll do a different version with no gussets. Racaire's red wool hose were a version of the non-gusset type and turned out great. Plus, I think they're better suited to my patterning abilities, which are definitely at the beginner level.

I wasn't able to get any white linen at Joann's, and the only neutral colored linen was a dark gray that there wasn't enough of. I got the gray anyway, almost 3 yards, not sure what I could do with it. It may become a Viking apron dress. My mom made a heraldic tablet-woven trim, but I never had anything to put it on. There might be just enough to decorate the top of an apron dress.

I've been doing a lot of reading lately. I've picked up several books from the library, including a few volumes of Medieval Clothing and Textiles, and a couple of other similar clothing/textile article collections. Not all of it is useful for my garb project in particular, but it's been helpful for just general knowledge about the 15th century.

Garb Quest - Fabric Choices

2011-01-15T08:52:00.005-05:00

I've made my final fabric choices! After looking at my options, I decided that I really did like the ginger linen. It has a golden tone to it that saves it from looking like burlap. I also decided on a pretty blue linen for the lining of the navy wool for the kirtle instead of my original choice of gray.

I can't order everything right now, but I've chosen some pretty affordable fabrics. The linens will come from Fabric-Store.com and the wools and linen thread will be from Wm. Booth Draper. The most expensive item (based on per yard cost) will be the red wool for the hood. As this is scarlet colored and of a very fine quality, the higher cost is actually pretty accurate for the 15th century as well, when a full year's wages would have been required to purchase enough scarlet wool just to make a hood! There's a very interesting article about the switch of the preferred "luxury" color from scarlet to black in the 15th century in Medieval Clothing and Textiles Volume 3 called The Anti-Red Shift - To the Dark Side: Colour Changes in Flemish Luxury Woollens, 1300-1550 by John H. Munro. In it, Munro provides some valuable information about the relative cost of these so-called luxury fabrics. Such information has been truly helpful in determining the material limits of my persona in terms of economics.

I'm hoping that I can find a suitable white linen for the smock on sale at Joann's this weekend to save a bit more money. If I can also find a nice linen to use as the lining for the fitted under dress, instead of the natural colored linen I picked out online, I'm will to make a compromise there in terms of color for the sake of price.

Now that the business of choosing fabrics is out of the way, I can move on to creating patterns. I think I'll start with the hose, since I already have that material (just need thread). I'm fairly sure I'm going to use one of the patterns found in The Medieval Tailor's Assistant, but I obviously want to do some tests first, since I only have one shot at cutting the wool, and I don't have a particularly good track record for getting things right the first time....

Fun in Garb

2011-01-11T19:30:00.000-05:00

I love stuff like this. I wish there was more of it around!

Garb Quest - Swatches

2011-01-10T11:54:00.001-05:00

As promised, let me introduce you to My Garb Quest:

This shows the outfit as it will appear in the A&S entry (except for the apron). The colors are not finalized, however, but they are close to my idea. The key to success with any project is research, and I'm not just talking documentation. This is a major undertaking, and I can't afford to make a poor choice with materials and colors, so, since I'm waiting for books from the library for more research into the history of these items, I'm evaluating my material options.

I've got a lot of swatches I'm reviewing, with 2 more sets still on the way, to make sure that I'm getting exactly what I need. At the moment, I've got two blue wools in contention for the kirtle. One is a deep blue-green and the other is a traditional navy. I've also been looking at scarlet wools for the hood. Once I saw the larger swatch of the ginger linen, I decided it's not going to work for this project. Though it's a nice color, it's a bit too drab, especially next to the deep blue and bright red. I think a more gold-toned color is in order, but I haven't found one I like yet.

I also have samples of linen thread weights to make sure I know exactly what to expect when I order the spools. I'm glad I did, not because I changed my mind about the ones I wanted to order, but because I confirmed my choices. In other words, I realized I had a better sense of thread weights than I thought I did!

If all my swatches show up next week, I should be able to make a final decision by next Sunday then place an order for at least some of the materials (the thread definitely, since I can't start anything until I have that).

12th Night

2011-01-09T08:58:00.006-05:00

I know that not all groups celebrate 12th Night in this manner, but we generally exchange gifts. We attempt to make the gifts appropriate for the SCA- things fitting our personas- as opposed to modern "Christmas" gifts. This year, mom gave me enough gray wool and linen for a new wool dress!

The wool is an absolutely beautiful shade of light-charcoal gray, and the linen is a perfectly complimentary dove gray. I stopped in to the local Joann's, which is moving so everything is on sale (75% off!), and picked up a spool of gray cotton thread for it. Though I plan to use linen thread for my garb quest, which will be hand sewn, I use 100% mercanized cotton for machine sewing- which I usually do for sewing the garment together, then I complete the finishing by hand. While at Joann's I picked up 5 yards of 90 in. wide muslin for pattern making, a spool of white silk thread- which you can never have enough of on hand if you make a lot of veils like me, and a yard of brown striped linen I found in the remnant bin. Not sure what I'm going to do with that, but you know how it goes. Someday it will "speak" to me.

As for the gray, however, I do have a few ideas. I've always liked the "Christine de Pisan" dress, which is a simple fitted gown with attached tippets (I call them "flaps"). I think the gray wool would be lovely in this format, which is just a little earlier than my year range of 1435-1445, and it would be perfect to wear with the furry black Tres Riches hat I've been looking for an excuse to make. The other option is actually a two-piece outfit. It's a tiny detail from the The Saint John Altarpiece, but with a closer look, you can see that the maid of the guest wears a black sleeveless overgown (with a fur lining) and a gray fitted dress underneath. I think this outfit is practical and pretty. I'd skip the fur and use the dove gray linen instead, then wear it with a long sleeve linen fitted dress, maybe the one I create for the garb quest, or the rust-colored one I still need a lining for.

I'm going to have to think on this. I like both dresses, so it's one of those tough calls- what would be better for the fabric? I think I really like the idea of the sleeveless because it would be a match across a century to my mom's early 14th century sideless surcoat, which she made out of a mottled gray. On the other hand, the flap-sleeve overgown would be just as functional, but give me a slightly higher-class option (my persona falls within the same economic class as Christine de Pisan). It's a matter of utility versus appearance.

I was only able to give one 12th Night gift this year. I did a small illumination for my mom that's a family portrait of sorts. It shows her and I with the children, then Dearg and my (mundane) brother are represented by a longbow (Dearg) and a shield with the colors of the US Border Patrol (my brother).

And, not that it really matters, but I'm holding Kara and Mom's holding Lee. I don't actually have a dress that color, but it seemed to work better with the composition than any of the colors of dress I actually have. You may recognize the two headdresses though [1, 2].

Garb Quest - Final Breakdown

2011-01-02T08:39:00.000-05:00

One of the primary questions I had to ask myself in regards to my garb quest was whether it was better to create a high-class (read "fancy") outfit in keeping with my time period, or to create something that was more appropriate for the daily needs of my persona. It wasn't a difficult question to answer, really. An outfit that I'll actually get use out of just makes more sense, but I can't deny that the tendency to create "showy" garb for A&S is a strong one. A costume with all the bells and whistles certainly dazzles more than garments with none of the extra detailing. The point, however, is not to dazzle. The point is to create an outfit with as much authenticity and craftsmanship as possible based on the criteria. My persona has more of a need for sensible daily garb than a fancy gown, so, for the entry portion of the garb quest, I'm going to focus on creating beautiful, well-made, sensible clothing without compromising who my persona is.

If I understand the criteria correctly, only the main garments of the outfit will be judged on an individual level. Then the accessories I choose to include in my display must be explained, and will only be critiqued as far as their appropriateness is concerned- not their actual construction. So, the first step was identifying what items are involved. To do this, I drew some pictures, which I will post as each item group comes up. (They still need to be scanned in at this point). The pictures show the layers of mid-15th century clothing as my research to date has indicated. My drawings go from the bottom-most layer (undergarments) to the top-most and "richest" layer (houppelande). This final layer will not be part of the entry, but will be part of the quest. The garment items that I considered the judged portion of the entry are:

Smock- a calf-length white linen garment, often referred to as a "chemise" in the SCA.
Hose & garters - black wool fitted hose (just below the knee in length) with white linen garters.
Huvet - I have begun using the term that Camilla Louise Dahl and Isis Sturtewagen discussed in their article, The Cap of Saint Birgitta. The term "Saint Birgitta's Cap", on this blog at least, should be used to indicate that specific extant piece, while the term "huvet" will be used for any linen cap of a similar variety to the SBC. This will be white linen.
Supportive Dress - a linen dress of the "Gothic Fitted Dress" type. This will be ginger brown linen lined with a natural-colored linen.
Kirtle - a wool overdress based on the pattern of the supportive dress. This will be a navy blue wool lined with dark gray or black linen.
Open Hood - a 15th century woman's hood with a liripipe. Scarlet red wool, lined with matching red linen.

Then, the accessories to go with the outfit will include:

leather shoes
leather belt
veil pins
apron
scarf - I'm still trying to find out the correct term for this, but it's a lightweight neck-scarf that can often be seen in many period images.
pouch

The end result should look very similar to the maid in the St. John Altarpiece, with additional items and other alterations according to my persona and the time period (roughly 1445).

The items of the final layer replace the kirtle and hood to create a look more appropriate to being a hostess or for leaving the home. These are a fur-trimmed wool houppelande and a horn & veil headdress (which I've been wanting to make for several years now). The houppelande will most resemble those found in this version of La Decameron in its simplicity, but the construction will be taken from clearer examples such as this detail from The Decent from the Cross by Rogier van der Weyden. Color is still unknown, but gray rabbit is most likely for the fur trimming and either olive green or royal blue wool for the exterior. A beautiful woad blue wool/silk blend is also in the running, though I previously ruled out silk for my persona. A case could be made, however, for the blend, especially with the woad instead if indigo dye color. There will also be a walnut/iron dyed silk tablet woven belt and black poulaines. I am considering both of these items as either inheritance or purchased as used- both very period ways to acquire clothing a bit more expensive than your means if made from scratch for you. In addition, I'm on the lookout for silver or gold rings appropriate to my class and time period.

As I'm sure you can see, I have much to accomplish in the next two years. I've started organizing my documentation, but there is still a lot of information to find out for all of these items. I'm collecting materials as I have them, but I'll need to purchase linen thread before I can begin producing anything. The creation process won't be as straight-forward as it's been for me in the past. All my steps must be documented and all my decisions accounted for. Not all this will end up on the blog, but I intend to keep my readers in the loop on this project (mainly for support, I must admit.)

It will be a fun process, but it will be a lot of work. If all goes according to plan, the result will be well worth the time, energy and expense.

Blog-olutions

2010-12-31T10:36:00.007-05:00

In 2011, I resolve to:

Update The Compleatly Dressed Anachronist more regularly. More specifically, to post at least once a week (probably Sundays).
Post more of the research and analysis of period clothing and accessories I've typically done "behind the scenes".
Include more information on the steps I take to complete my projects, creating less of an "after the fact" gallery and more of a garb diary.
Provide more regular "features" on a monthly basis. These include Image Analysis, Movie Review, Link Lists and more.
In general, post more images. With 3 young children, busy adults and lots going on at events, it can be difficult to get photos taken, but I feel that images of garb "in action" are much more inspiring than staged photos (be they posing at the event or staged at home). That's not to say there isn't a place for portrait-style photos, but I think I'm right in believing that most of you read this blog because of what I'm creating. It's important, therefore, to provide you with more images of the process, details, etc. than just a quick "oh, yeah, and here's me."
Include brief versions of my classes as I teach them. My class notes will still be housed on my website, but class "abstracts" will find a home here for quick reference.
Open commenting on certain entries (like this one). When I need feedback or when I'm looking for information, I'll enable commenting.

I'm excited for the next year in the Society. My new garb quest- to make a complete outfit for the 2012 Regional A & S Faire- is a challenge I have so far enjoyed taking on. Much of what I post in 2011 will be about the items I am creating for the quest, but it's an extensive list, with many varieties of items- garments, accessories, leatherwork, metalwork...the whole shebang. (I'll be posting more about that on Sunday, so stay tuned!)

I hope that my "blog-olutions" will not fail, and that that you will stick with me as I continue my endevour to become The Compleatly Dressed Anachronist!

In Memorium - Teal Wool Dress

2010-12-16T07:17:00.006-05:00

Things started out so well. I laid my new pattern pieces out on the panels of my teal wool dress, and tried to align everything so that I didn't have to cut a new neck or arm holes. I cut everything out and sewed it all up. Then, just to check that everything was alright, I put it on.

Nope. Something somewhere got screwed up. It was so tight, I could barely get into it.

So my initial worry was that the pattern was wrong. Maybe I'd gained some weight back and the pattern wasn't valid anymore? I had to come to the ultimate and hard decision that I'd ruined the dress completely. Even if I added more back into the dress using the leftovers my mom still had from when we initial made the dress, my seams were off and it would end up being more trouble and ultimately more of a headache than it was worth.

I was worried, obviously, about the pattern being wrong, but I didn't have the new piece of muslin yet, so I pulled out a piece of bright orange Hawaiian print cotton I've had kicking around for years and transferred the pattern to that. Robin Netherton suggests in her lectures, that cotton isn't the best choice for the fitted pattern because it's "stiffer" than linen or wool. This particular piece of cotton, however, moves, stretches and bends similar to linen, just with a tighter weave than most of the linen's I've used lately. The cotton pattern doesn't fit that same, though, but not because it's too small- it isn't correct in the bust.

It took me a moment to realize what had gone wrong with the teal dress, which ended up tighter. My error was that I tried to use the existing neck and arm holes. When I pull the dress up about 6 inches, the stomach and hips fit better, but when I wear it where the shoulders want it to be, the bust fits better (but not perfectly). In trying to recycle the old cuts, I'd inadvertently stretched the pattern.

I'm going to try to use the teal wool for 3 new things. First, I'm going to make two tunics, one for each of the twins. Then, I'm going to make Owen a new cote. Finally, if there's enough left, I'd like to make a pair of 3-fingered gloves like these, lined with linen, or maybe with some fur. That would be nice. I'm still terribly bummed about the loss of the dress, but I'm also excited about these new little projects, so it works out.

At this particular point, I'm just waiting for the opportunity to get the linen for the lining on my new supportive gown. I'll use the cotton pattern on it (which is the cleaned-up version I was going to do in muslin), but cut it roomy. Then we'll do the fitting again directly with the lining. Before I sew the whole things together, though, I'll transfer the body block we end up with on the linen to something else (probably some of that blank pattern paper they sell now), and that will be my new pattern.

My new supportive dress will be rust linen on the outside, and probably white, gray or natural as the lining. I'll also do long sleeves with fabric buttons. I am woefully low on long-sleeve options in my garb. I'm not really intending this orange dress to be the fitted dress to go with my garb quest, but it might be. I still haven't settled on what gown to do, but I know I want to aim for as period as possible. I'd prefer that everything is naturally hand-dyed, which the orange linen isn't, but I also don't have a lot of money to put toward this project. Got to make do with what I've got!

Turban-Style Open Hood

2010-12-12T09:01:00.009-05:00

I didn't point this out yesterday, but I feel that it's worth a mention, so it get's its own post. Let's take a look at the young woman from the Seven Sacraments Altarpiece again, this time focusing on her head.
Upon a quick glance, you might say that she's wearing a turban. While it's true that turbans were well known to Western Europeans because of the Crusades, and turban-like headdress can be found on religious figures in paintings of the era, it was not a particularly favored style. There are a handful of portraits featuring treatments that look like some sort of messy turban- Van Eyck's "Man Wearing a Turban" obviously comes to mind- but these are men. There is speculation that these examples aren't turbans at all, but instead are chaperons that have been twisted up on the head. Are these real examples of fashionable male headdress? Probably not. Art history 101 teaches us that artists tend to contrive things to show off their skills. A headdress with lots of folds and complex twists would certainly do that.

There is, however, something to be said for the practical aspect of converting a chaperon, or hood, into a turban, and this is where the young woman from the altarpiece comes in. I wasn't able to locate a file large enough to really zoom in on her head, but hopefully this is detailed enough that you can see where I'm headed with this. The black "turban" has all sorts of flaps- not what you think of when you conjure turban images in your head, right? That's because this is not a turban- it is an open hood.

If you've been reading my blog for some time now, you may already know about the prevalence of the feminine open hood in the 15th century. (If not, you can use my "open hoods" tag to see what I'm talking about.) The open hood is remarkable as being probably the only fashion item of the 15th century to start with the lower class and work its way up. The open hood found its greatest supporters among the peasant population because of its practicality in many different work-related scenarios. By the mid-15th century, however, we begin to see open hoods on wealthier women- starting with the peasant middle class such as what is seen in certain copies of Boccaccio's Decameron, many examples of which can be found in the "Women's Hoods" section at Larsdatter.com.

Try to see the tree through the forest (to reverse a cliche). In the image at left, I've highlighted the portion of this headdress that is the "dead-giveaway" that it's an open hood. It bears the short neck and folded-back wing-like brim that is the primary characteristic of the 15th century open hood. This detail is easily lost in the look of the headdress as a whole, in part due to the dark coloration, but also because our eyes aren't expecting to see an open hood with that overall shape.

Let's go back to yesterday. Remember that in my analysis, I concluded that this woman was no doubt on the fashionable side based on the transitional nature of her gown? It makes sense to me then that she would be wearing an open hood- after all, it was the trend. Yet she's wearing it in a different manner that what fashion dictated. Rather than wearing the liripipe down along her back, she's wrapped it around her head. This serves a practical purpose in that it prevents her from sitting on it. If we are to assume that she's stationed herself at the bedside of her relative until his death, the accidental sitting on her liripipe (which might dislodge it from its proper position on her head) might be a terrible inconvenience. But let's also assume for a moment that she's seen peasant women wearing the hood in this manner. There are a handfull of examples out there that show peasant women doing this, including this one. I have a parallel to draw here that I've presented in a few of my headdress classes and it goes something like this:

Blue collar workers have been wearing sleeveless "wife beater" under shirts for decades, and they have been stereotyped to always be wearing one, often with nothing over it. This stereotype is not a pleasant thing- it groups those laborers with "white trash". Yet a few years ago, a young woman named Brittany Spears showed up outside her house in a wife beater. Granted, not everyone thought it was a good idea, but that didn't stop 16 year old girls the world over from filling their dressers with wife beaters. A celebrity- the fashion elite of our time- made that style trendy and removed (or at least made us forget) the stereotype

I suspect that this is exactly the scenario that caused the low-class open hood to become a high-class fashion. (I am basing all this on a survey of images I've collected showing the open hood through the 15th century. When laid out in chronological order it is easy to see that the open hood climbed the ladder of fashion.) If this young woman is part of the fashionable elite, then she would have had no problem with "stealing" this look, and as other portions of her attire demonstrate an understanding of where fashion was headed, she could be confident that this turbaned hood would come across as fashionable, not a faux pas.

My black open hood is cut somewhat different than hers, so I can't recreate it exactly, but in the photo above I'm wearing it in the turban style. All it takes is twisting the liripipe around the head. Hers may be so bulky on top (compared to mine) because her liripipe is longer and/or thicker. And to take this one step further down the practicality road- I'm not using any pins. The turbaning process secures the hood on its own, and without the chance of accidentally sitting on the liripipe, there's little that would move the hood once in place.

So there you have it- the Turban-Style Open Hood. Both fashionable and practical.

Garb Quest - More Houppelande Inspiration

2010-12-11T09:09:00.006-05:00

Though the Seven Sacraments Altarpiece by Rogier van der Weyden was painted about 10 years after the year I'm aiming for (it was painted between 1445 and 1450), I've found some inspiration within it. There is, of course, nothing wrong with shifting my goal to be a costume of the 1440's at this point, but I've yet to decide what finished look I'd prefer to have in my wardrobe. [On a side note, I'm doing some research into the 15th century to present to our local A&S group that has brought to light several changes I must make to my persona story. Since my persona is currently in flux because of this, my garb quest may in fact steer me to a different year range altogether.] So here's what I've found:

The altarpiece is an interesting piece of art in that it not only contains a large number of well-dressed figures, but those figures represent a fairly wide range. There are members of the royalty, nobility, wealthy classes, peasant classes, and of course Christian figures involved in the crucifixion scene at the center of the composition. We are lucky that (for the most part) Weyden stuck with contemporary costuming for this scene, as was the trend in the Northern Gothic period. Therefore, we are given a pretty nice view of fashion across the range of classes represented. Two women in particular stand out to me in my search for houppelande inspiration.

The young woman on the left above appears in the right hand panel of the altarpiece in the "extreme unction" (or "last rights") nave of the cathedral- perhaps a daughter or other relative of the dying man, reading her bible for comfort in her grief. Her houppelande is the type I often refer to as a "transitional" gown between the closed necked early houppelande and the later, open v-neck houppelande. In fact, the wider collar, typical of the v-neck, is clear evidence that the style was on its way in at the time this was painted. There is also no pleating on this gown- a mandatory feature on houppelande's before this point- though there is some gathering caused by the cinching of her wide belt. I've always liked this figure, for many reasons beyond her gown, primarily because she looks very comfortable. She's not encumbered by her clothes, and she wears them with ease. Given that she's clearly a member of the fashion-forward, given the transitional nature of her gown, she still appears approachable. I'd always imagined that a chat with this woman might consist of topics on music, fine foods and harmless gossip about what so-and-so said the other night.

The woman on the right above is one of the holy women in the central scene. She's not wearing a transitional houppelande, but instead wears one typical of the fashion leading up to this time. There is not really a collar here- it's just the fur lining peeking out. The pleating on the torso is clear, stretching from the cinched waist up to the shoulder seam. I would have to say that in comparison to the other woman, this one represents a lower social class- a non-indentured peasant woman with enough means to keep up with fashion. There is one thing about this houppelande that I find very interesting- the fur lining.

From left to right above, a detail from the wealthier woman, the holy woman, and just for comparison's sake, the Magdalen from The Magdalen Reading (which I posted yesterday, and which is from the same time- 1445). The fur lining on the left has been pieced together- you can see the seams and the changes in nape. It is a light fur, and the color is consistent and even. The fur on the left is the same way. These furs are short hair, whether naturally or trimmed is hard to say. The central fur, however, shows that several pelts of the same animal (with the same coloring) were squarely cut and pieced together in a grid, turning the natural coloring on the animal into a pattern. Is this fur treatment indicative of a cheaper method? I'm not sure, but I can see the logic behind saying yes. In order to create a fur lining with even color throughout, the craftsman would have had to inspect each pelt and cut out any portion that didn't match. This left him with a series of odd shapes that then had to be pieced together like a puzzle. The grid method uses straight seams with no regard for imperfections in the color- if it occurred within the squared piece, it as included. And lets face it, sewing straight lines is always easier.

Another thing to note is that the under dresses worn with the left and right gowns are patterned. The Magdalen's is a clearer pattern, and on close observation you can see a tone-on-tone damask-style pattern on the wealthy woman's dress as well. The holy woman? Her under dress is solid colored. Yet another indication of the different social classes in play here.

So what does this mean to me? Well, my goal is to produce a gown for a middle class woman- not a leader of the fashionable trends- so I must put aside my love of the wealthier woman's gown style for something more akin to the holy woman's. There are many examples of this style houppelande- the Magdalen's being one of them- but it's the nature with which is was crafted that provides valuable insight into its proper recreation. A grid-style fur lining that doesn't cater to even coloration, a solid colored under dress, and a gown neckline that is typical of those seen in the previous years, not a trendy alternative, are characteristics to match.

There is, however, one question I still need to answer- wool or silk? I've developed a theory that silk might be appropriate for my persona as a wedding gown, in which case the craftsmanship described above may or may not apply. I pulled out the chapter on silk fabrics in the Museum of London's Textiles & Clothing, to try to get more information on the use of silk, and will hopefully start finding the answers I need in order to move forward.

The Problem with Houppelandes

2010-12-10T23:27:00.004-05:00

So, to start getting my mind around the whole mid-15th century houppelande idea, I decided to type "houppelande" into Google image search to see what was out there. Obviously I take anything I find through Google with a major dose of skepticism, but I've always found it helpful to get a visual reference on an idea and to see what others have done (correctly or not). I did locate a few beautiful gowns that, to my knowledge, are fairly accurate at least in concept.

Morwenna's green houppelande is a good take on the Rogier van der Weyden houppelande. Then there is this green damask houppelande that has a lovely shape. Also, sevenstarwheel's houppelande and Catrjin's simplified houppelande are both wonderful examples.

I think I'm in good company here, but I also think that the houppelande (of the mid-century variety I'm aiming for) poses two major challenges that these examples, as well as countless others out there, show. First, houppelande recreations tend to be very bulky. I'm not just talking about heavy materials. I'm talking about an amount of fabric (when the fabrics are period ones) that does not seem to show ease of wearing. I get the impression that, besides being weighty gowns, the houppelande makes it difficult to move around, or even comfortably put your arms down to your sides without the feeling that they're still 5 inches away from your body. This is doubly true of fur lined examples.

Yet period images of houppelandes lack that feeling of bulk. Sure, Mrs. Arnolfi is wearing yards and yards of fur lined fabric in that gorgeous green houppelande of hers, but there's still a light-weight feeling about it. It doesn't look thick. Or how about the Magdelan's beautiful houppelande that looks casual and comfortable, as if the dress was just a summer sweater thrown on for the sake of wearing a sweater? I certainly will give the artists props for adding their own stylizing to these garments, but I've seen this time after time with different artists.

The second issue with recreation houppelandes, especially the earlier variety, is that it makes the chest look larger. I don't need any help in that department, thankyouverymuch. But the feminine ideal of the time was a small chest- high, small round breasts. So why would a dress that created the exact opposite effect as what the ideal called for have been so popular? Unless, in period, it didn't have that effect. Look at the artwork again- the two ladies above have small chests. Could they have been painted with the ideal body shape, even if the model looked different? That's certainly a possibility, but perhaps there's also something to be said for the cut of the dress. Which is more likely- no woman in the 15th century had breasts larger than an A cup, or garments were constructed in a different manner than what we've been using for our recreations? I'm inclined to lean towards the latter.

So what does this mean? Primarily, it entails going back to formula and building the silhouette from scratch. The fit of the houppelande and the supportive dress underneath can not be successful recreations if they don't provide the same qualities we see in the period examples (artistic license aside). The dress needs to be constructed so that it is light in appearance and minimizes the size of my chest. Could this, perhaps, open the door to the case for using silk? I look forward to finding the answer.

Garb Quest

2010-12-09T22:41:00.005-05:00

Every year, my mom (the head of my household), gives each of her dependents an A&S quest (challenge) that helps us get closer to our personal goals in the Society- at least as far as A&S is concerned. My quest needed some revision, as the original quest wasn't panning out the way it was intended, so mom and I discussed some options, and the bottom line is this: I need more experience with garment construction.

So my new quest is this: create and enter into the 2012 regional A&S Faire a complete outfit. (The judging criteria for this can be found here.) I've been giving this a bit of thought, and I think I've decided to do a complete outfit from Flanders circa 1430. Middle class, of course. I need to do much more research into many of these items, but here's a basic list of what I know at this point is involved:

houppelande
supportive dress
smock
hose & garters
headdress
shoes
belt

I'm drawing on this concept from August:

I had originally thought that I wanted to do silk in either blue (A) or raisin (b), lined in white linen, with a gold fitted dress (C), but I didn't (and still don't) know if silk would be accurate. So I'm going to need to delve deeper into this concept and see what this outfit entails so I can get to work on it.

This means that I definitely need to clear my project pile pretty quickly to be able to complete all this stuff. Time to get the whip out again....

Bust

2010-12-06T11:09:00.004-05:00

Every so often an event comes along that feels like a complete bust. I just had one of those.

I knew it was probably not going to be the ideal day when I experienced a major garb crisis Friday night. I'm in the middle of redoing my teal wool dress. I had planned on sewing it back together Thursday night, but as soon as I put the first part on the sewing machine and started to sew, the needle broke. I had no idea where my replacement needle was. The only other dress I have that fits is my black linen dress, but it's got some issues. I only have 2 long sleeve dresses and neither of them are correct for my period. I ended up wearing one of them, a brown wool 12th century dress (which I'm not at all sure on the accuracy of). It was comfortable and warm enough but here's the issue- I was going to teach a class on the fitted dress. And there I was, not wearing a fitted dress.

It took 3 hours to get to the event, and the weather was kind of bad, but it was an indoor event. In doors meaning EXTREMELY crowded. We were literally wedged in. With three kids. And it was very hard to hear since the building didn't have any noise buffering properties and the heavy weapons pretty much took all the sound space!

So, we were barely settled in when I had to find out where the classes were being taught, since my class was at 11. By the time I found it, it was already 11:10. And no one showed up for my class. Bust.

Oh well. After that, I was pretty much done. Lunch was good, and I got to work on some embroidery, but I was ready to go home. Luckily, no one else I was with seemed to be having the same day, so I wasn't in a bad mood about. We did head out early, though.

It's kind of a bummer, especially since coming up with site fee isn't the easiest thing for us right now, but you figure that there's probably some kind of mathematical equation that tells you how many event busts you're going to experience in a given year. My number was apparently up.

I was able to wear my new veil. It's not technically a frilled veil, and it's not officially done, but it was nice to wear it. The linen and the layers in the front are perfectly weighted. I only had it pinned in at the top of my head- just one pin- and it stayed on. I'm planning on doing a honeycomb style stitch (or "fretwork"). That's Kara on my lap. The garb mom made for them right after they were born is still working out. We've got to do something a bit different on the back- the ribbons on there now aren't staying tied. And here's Lee on mom's lap:

So, I'm thinking I'm going to finish up my teal wool dress and complete the veil, then move on to Dearg's garb for a bit.

Natural Dyes

2010-12-02T20:14:00.009-05:00

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, our local A&S group did some experimenting with natural dyes. On Friday, we applied the mordant to our materials, then on Saturday, we did the actual dying. The largest batch we did was of black walnut, then there were smaller batches of 2 types of madder, mums and osage orange. Here's a chronicle:

1. Mordants and a scale. All mordants and materials needed to first be measured out to ensure that the ratios were correct to achieve good results. We decided to mordant the entire batch in alum with cream of tarter. 2. Several of the dyes had already been created, including both mum heads and mum stems (two dye batches) and sassafras. 3. A large number of whole walnuts soaked in water over several days. 4. To generate a useful dye bath, the bucket was poured through a strainer to remove the walnuts. The walnut dye had a unique and unpleasant odor.

1. The walnut dye was further refined by pouring it through some nylon hosiery. It was clear in this stage that the dye bath would offer a good amount of color. 2. Mom and I used 100% wool yarn. All 6 skeins were placed in the mordant bath, placed over heat and stirred occasionally. 3. After the wool simmered for about an hour, we removed it from the water and rung it out. 4. The walnut dye bath had meanwhile been heating up, so that the wool and dye were close to the same temperature. We placed 3 of the skeins in the walnut.

1. After another hour or so of simmering in the walnut (occasionally stirring), we removed it and 2. placed it in a bowl to cool off some. 3. Once it had cooled slightly, we put water in the bowl to rinse the wool and keep it wet for the next stage. 4. Interestingly, a gray wool roving that had been mordanted the same and also placed in the walnut bath came out significantly lighter.

1. The following morning, Dearg went out and harvested about 2.5 cups of osage orange (or hedge apple) bark. Mom and I had previously found the tree and mistakenly gathered the fruits. After doing some research online, we realized we needed the bark to make a dye. The bark was in small pieces that were placed in a pot of water. 2. I slowly brought the pot to a boil then let it simmer for roughly 2 hours. 3. After straining out the bark, I jarred the dye to take to the workshop. 4. Once there, 1 skein of the previously mordanted wool went in and it was heated in the same fashion as the walnut. A linen bag was also getting its mordant.

1. We'd decided early on that we wanted to try and achieve the darkest possible shade with the walnut, so iron was added to the bath and our first batch of wool (now brown) was placed back in. 2. The same process of slowly heating and simmering for an hour or so was employed for the walnut/iron bath. 3. The wool was rinsed in cool water until in ran clear. 4. The walnut/iron dye was successful in creating a very dark brown- barely visible in the bowl. The un-dyed wool in the bag shows the original color.

1. The osage orange bath simmered for 2 hours (maybe a bit more), then the wool was removed and rinsed. 2. The result was a very pretty pale orange (not peachy). A darker shade may be achievable with more bark than what we used soaked in water overnight before heating. 3. We also dyed a skein in the mum head dye bath, using the same method for about the same amount of time as the osage orange. 4. This color was a surprise as we thought it would generate a tan-yellow based on information we'd found online. Instead, it turned out to be a vibrant green-yellow (which the photos don't do justice).

1. The final skein was placed in a dye bath of old-world madder. Immediately after putting it in, the skein turned pink. 2. The linen bag that had mordanted earlier was placed in a bath of new-world madder. The difference was clear- the old-world was brighter while the new-world had a more earthy rust quality. 3. We kept the wool in for only an hour (or maybe it was a half an hour?). Straight out of the bath is was a pinkish red. 4. Interestingly, once the wool was rinsed, the color was a deep orange-red instead.

Once all the skeins were rinsed, I took them home and hung them up to air dry. There's still a small amount of color coming out of the walnut, but only with excessive handling (like untangling it from the knotted mess it had become). The madder skein had been tied together a bit too tightly so there were small sections that received no dye. Overall, however, all 4 colors were a success as far as they were pretty much a test. We learned a great deal about the process, and a few lessons on what to do next time.

Thank you to everyone that participated, especially to Shadow Harper for lending us your knowledge and guiding us in these experiments!

This batch of wool, by the way, is now slotted to become the fancy embroidery for Dearg's Irish jacket which will be a dark green linen. Also, I now have the knowledge to dye the silk yarn I've been holding on to for my wide 15th century belt. There's a slightly different process for silk which I still need to research, but I am now confident that a walnut/iron dye will get me the dark color I want. There is still plenty of the dye left for use, but I may wait until next autumn to gather walnuts from my brother-in-law's yard and make my own simply because the belt provides the opportunity to apply a variety of skills on one object, and it would be neat to be able to say I did the whole thing from scratch (except for spinning the silk, but I had to draw the line somewhere....)

Cue Maniacal Laughter

2010-11-14T11:18:00.006-05:00

I'm not sure how long it's been there, but last night, in a random session of Googling myself, I discovered that my "15-Minute St. Birgitta's Coif" blog post had been linked to on the SBC page on Larsdatter.com. After the initial shock of seeing my name on a website that I've often referred to, I started laughing uncontrollably. Dearg described it as "maniacal". This is so cool, and I'm so proud to have my personal attempt to share this headdress to the masses included among the recreations of researchers and reenactors I greatly respect.

Ketchup

2010-11-10T21:40:00.009-05:00

Ok, this is going to be a long one- hope you like ketchup. Ketchup. Catch up. Get it?

Alright. Moving on....

Last we left off, I was showing you the results of my black linen dress re-fit, but I stopped just short of showing you the complete outfit. So here's the dress in final form as I wore it at Royal Hunt:

Overall, after having worn it for a day, I'm happy with the way it turned out. I wish I hadn't rushed it, though, because in order to make the neckline not so weird, I had to pin it into my smock. The pin, of course, kept poking me. Luckily, my red hood did a good job of hiding the poor cut at the shoulder. The other issue I had was that, no matter how hard I tried, the lacing wouldn't tighten completely at my bust. Ultimately (sorry, no photo) I ended up loosening the lacing above this trouble spot to make it look more intentional. Not precisely period, but it was a solution none-the-less.

The event was very nice. It was small, but still fun. Friday night was freezing, and our air mattress sprung a leak, so we ended up sleeping almost directly on the slats of our bed. We had every blanket, cloak and even my teal wool dress on the bed to keep us warm. A few days before the event, I found one of my first items of garb- an 11th century brown wool dress. I wore that Friday night. I was glad to have a warm dress that didn't require lacing.

Since it was just Dearg and I, we tried to make every effort we could to limit how much mundane stuff we had out. This included our food. We had intended to make a fire to cook over, but there wasn't much communication about where to get the firewood. Luckily, we brought our camp stove just in case. It was very nice to have a hot bowl of bean and chicken stew Friday night, and a plate of warm salmon and eggs Saturday morning.

With my black dress re-fit complete, I could move on the the second tailoring project- creating a new fitted pattern. This time around, we used muslin instead of linen, which helped in that it didn't stretch as much, which was the major problem with the last fitting. Mom came over this past Saturday and we did the fitting using Mistress Mathilde's instructions as a guide. We did two rounds of fitting- once making it semi-tight, then a second time refining the fit and making it supportive. I'm just, personally, not comfortable without a bra, and I need to wear one anyway to keep my breast pads in place, so I wore my nursing bra to do the fitting. I wouldn't normally wear this bra outside of my house because it's not supportive. Achieving a supportive fit with this bra was the real challenge.

What we came to realize as we did the fitting was that, with the size of my bust in relation to the rest of my body, a straight front seam is probably always going to gap at my bust- the way that it does on my black linen dress- if it's going to be tight enough everywhere else to actually show off my shape. So we put in a curved front seam, but the curve is very shallow.

I've cut the pattern pieces out, but I need to transfer them to something else so I can make them better. I think I'll just opt for another bit of muslin, cut out the pieces and actually sew them together to be sure everything's right. My main concern is how I cut them out below the belly. I just need to make sure all my seams are straight down there. Once I'm satisfied that the pattern is good, I'll take it all apart and transfer it to paper.

With the pattern complete (even in it's rough form) I can now redo my wool dress. The first step is to take the whole thing apart. I'm going to discard the lining- it was the linen we used for my initial fitting, and it's so loosely woven, it frays just by looking at it. I've got a light-weight white linen to use for the new lining. With the dress apart, I'll lay the new pattern over each piece and re-cut them. Then I'll sew the whole thing back together.

I wasn't able to complete my frilled veil for Royal Hunt, and I actually still haven't completed it. Come to think of it, I haven't picked it up since the event. Hand sewn projects tend to be like that for me- if I can't get them done in a matter of days, I kind of put them aside for long periods of time. I really want the veil, though, so I may start working on it again this weekend.

I also taught a new class at the event, and I'll be teaching it again at Christmas Tourney. It's a class devoted specifically to the fitted dress. It truly amazes me that more women in the SCA haven't embraced the fitted kirtle, but it's probably just because they don't know about the superior qualities of a tailored dress over a princess-cut dress, or even a pattern-following Greenland gown. There's a time and a place for these types of dresses, but when it comes to creating a truer medieval silhouette- nothing beats the fitted dress.

Was that everything? I think so. Stay tuned- there's lots more on the way!

Black Linen Dress Re-fit Complete

2010-10-17T16:06:00.006-04:00

It's not perfect, but the black linen dress re-fitting is now complete. In general it was not that difficult, but I think I rushed a bit too much and ended up creating a couple problems which I could only partially do anything about. Straightening the front, however, was very easy and worked just as I expected. I think I'll be doing straight front fitted dresses from now on.

So before I show you the result of the tailoring, let's start by looking at how the dress fit prior to any adjustments. (To see how it fit when I first made it, check out this post.)

Not very flattering, to say the least.

Just for fun, I went ahead and put my undergarments on as well to show you. On the left, I'm wearing my sleeveless linen smock, gray knit hose and new (made by Dearg) leather garters. On the right I've added my Saint Birgitta's Coif and a scarf.

Now for the finished dress! The lacing at the bust isn't as tight as it's supposed to be, so you can see the orange scarf through the lacing. The fitting also brought the dress back up to its original length (see the before image and note that the skirt touches the floor). On the right, you can see one of the problems I created when I took it in- wrinkles on the back. On the left, if you look at my left shoulder, you can see that I'm also having an issue with the neckline, which I opened up from the original. Something went weird when I cut it, and though I tried to correct it, the damage was done.

I need to make sure I position my bust properly to help the straight front do more of a lifting job, but overall the effect of minimizing my bust and belly was achieved. I had Dearg take some photos of the completed outfit, but I look very squat, so I'd rather not show them. I'll be sure to have someone take a few photos this weekend, however.

So, that's one dress re-fit project complete. I'll need to create my new fitted dress pattern before moving on to the other- my teal wool dress.

P.S. Truer words were never spoken.

Re-fitting the Black Linen Dress

2010-10-16T12:39:00.004-04:00

So I pulled my black linen dress out of the closet to start working on tailoring it, but Dearg's gone to bed for a nap and I'm at a loss as to how I can do anything with it by myself, since I can't see my back and sides. It would be one thing if I just needed to take the seams in a bit here and there, but the entire dress, except perhaps the sleeves, needs to be taken in. Even the fullness of the skirt needs to be taken in! So, in my waffling about what I was going to do so that I didn't waste time, I tried to make some decisions about what I really wanted to accomplish with the re-fit.

There is enough extra in the whole trunk of the gown to completely remove the lacing holes in the front. This is a very good thing, because the curve of my bust has completely altered with the combination of the weight loss and the breastfeeding. Read: bigger boobs on a smaller frame. (Which is pretty funny, considering that I started this blog on the topic of my big boobs and how self-conscious I was about them.) With my altered bust, the original curved front doesn't fit correctly. Let's compare:

This first image was taken when I first made the dress (I'm about 4 months pregnant- right after I found out I was having twins). The curve of the front, along the lacing, is smooth all the way from the neck to below the bust. There is also no extra fabric along the front of the arm hole, so I had a nice, wrinkle-free chest that followed all the curves properly.

This second photo was taken at my first event after having the twins (obviously). As you can see, not only is there way too much fabric in front of the arm hole, the curviest part of my bust isn't curvy enough to fill out the curve in the dress, and there's a "flat" area. Now, I believe I was wearing my not-very-supportive nursing bra, which probably accounts for the ill-fit of the upper chest, but even with a better bra when I put it on here at home, the flat area is still there.

In order to correct this, the front seam of the dress needs to be re-cut (and the original lacing holes completely removed), so I wondered if I might be better off finding the grain and cutting straight on that to turn this curved front fitted dress into a straight front fitted dress. The very top of the front, at the neckline, ended up needing the least amount taken in, so I can use that as the cut point.

I wasn't willing to commit to that right then, however, so I decided I'd waffle a bit more and waste some time reading some blogs online. In the process of doing that, I went to the Stuff & Fustian blog and discovered that she is tackling a very similar issue with her current gown project. She had previously created a straight front fitted gown, but realized that it didn't provide the same curve of the bust as her inspiration, so she's opted for a curved front. When I look at her straight front, however, I feel that this is the direction I want to go. Yes, yes, I know. My black linen dress was originally inspired by a dress in the same manuscript, with the same silhouette. I've changed my mind about the dress now because I just spent 9 months being pregnant, and I definitely looked it. Now I'm not pregnant, loving my new shape, and I want to show it off. A curved front dress would accentuate the baby belly I haven't quite lost, and make my already large breasts look larger. A straight front would ultimately (I hope) show off my smaller waist and butt because it would diminish my breasts and belly. (Sounds like a good theory, right?)

So that's my game plan. Once I've straightened the front, Dearg can help me by pinning in the side and back seams to re-tailor it.

Snooze

2010-10-15T10:38:00.003-04:00

I haven't made much progress with anything in the past several days, not sure why. Probably because I'm working on little sleep, and I'd rather veg out when I get home after work than pick up a project to work on. I've got to get cracking, though.

I normally attend Red Dragon, but with the kids, Dearg's work schedule and lack of funds, I have to skip it this year. So I'll be home all weekend, and though my house needs major cleaning, I really need to reserve a good chunk of time to adjusting my black linen dres for Royal Hunt. I'm hoping I can do the dress on Saturday so I have the rest of the week to get my frilled veil completed for the event as well.

So stay tuned. If everything goes according to plan I'll have something to report before next Saturday!

Event Re-cap and Garb-Weeding Underway

2010-10-03T18:10:00.005-04:00

Despite the lack of attendance and the un-planned-for cold rain, Mischief and Mayhem was a actually a fun event for me. It was almost just a practice event, really, and we had no real problems with having all 3 kids there. Only downside, though, is that there weren't a lot of people there to see Owen's awesome 13th century-esque outfit:

He got pretty wet, but I'd planned ahead for the cold by making the hood, and we were able to keep him warm by keeping the hood up when he was outside the shade. This outfit will still fit him when we go to Royal Hunt later this month. With the twins, it's harder to coordinate making new garb for Owen, so anything that can last a while is good. The twins, by the way, wore their gowns again, but I didn't get any photos of them this time since they spent most of the day bundled up under a blanket in the playpen.

Right before leaving, I'd wondered if I really needed my teal wool dress to stay warm. Ultimately I decided to wear it, and I'm really glad I did. I wore an old light blue linen/rayon dress underneath, and I was quite warm enough. For most of the day, I wore a wimple and oval veil (which you can see in the photo with me and Owen), but that had gotten pretty wet and wasn't comfortable anymore. I switched to my German kerchief and put my goller on (above), and still maintained a comfortable warmth level.

It's kind of hard to tell in this photo, but I tucked the ends of the kerchief up under the edge which was pinned tight around my head with a single pin at the nape of my neck. I've previously had a hard time getting this veil to work for me, but now I realize that it was because I was doing it wrong. Now that I've figured it out, I'll definitely wear this veil more often.

Today, I pulled all my dresses out and decided which ones to keep. This was just the dresses I had in my garb closet and didn't include garb I'd packed away (that's a project for a later day). All I've decided to keep are my black linen dress (which I'll take in), my blue linen v-neck gown (which I won't worry about adjusting- I'll just use it as a throw-on layer for camping events), and my teal wool (which I will completely take apart, remove the lining, re-cut according to my new pattern (yet to be created), re-line, and reassemble). I'm also going to keep the pink jacket I whipped together as a camping robe, but I'm going to sew up the front to make it a tunic instead. I've also got the new sleeveless smock I just made and my fitted underdress in the keep pile. The underdress will be replaced, however, when I get the linen for it, and decide it's time to create my new pattern (which will probably happen in November). This leaves me dismally low on garb, I realize, but what better excuse to buy more fabric and make more clothes?

The Amazing Disappearing Woman

2010-09-29T19:54:00.003-04:00

Believe it or not, I've come out on the other side of my twin pregnancy 55lbs. lighter than when I started. I've dropped 2 pant sizes (one for each twin, as I like to say), so I basically need a whole new wardrobe- which includes my garb, of course.

At the moment I've got a few items that fit well enough that they'll pass, but it's time for a closet clean-out. I'll need to first weed out the pieces I know either won't fit and can't be adjusted or that aren't worth adjusting. Then I'll try everything else on and get an idea of what's salvageable and what isn't. That'll leave me with a new project pile- all the stuff I want to keep that now needs to be taken in. I suppose I'll need to evaluate each of those pieces to decide if I'd rather just make a new one instead- I have a lot of pieces that have had their hey-day and probably need to be retired.

In the meantime, I've been plugging away at some smaller projects. I returned to work early, and didn't have as much of a maternity leave as I expected, so I've been working on accessories and the like more than larger projects. I've started my frilled veil (hand sewing all the frill edges is a pain in the you-know-what, but it's totally worth it!), and I finally broke down and started working on a German brick stitch pouch front. I'm using my heraldic colors and this pattern from A Stitch Out of Time. It will be a small pouch favor for Dearg, but I haven't decided what will go in it yet.

I'm still working on the under tunics for the twins, but I did whip out a hood for Owen last night. I've only been saying I was going to make him a hood for about a year now. I used black fleece and made it kind of tight so that it would stay on. It's a bit too tight at the neck for pulling over his head and it kind of scares him, but once it's on and he's used to it, he likes it. And it's just too darn cute.

I'll be going to Mischief & Mayhem this weekend with the kids, and since it's supposed to be on the chilly side, I've decided to wear my teal wool. It fits relatively well enough as long as I get the lacing as tight as I can, but since I've lost most of my gut and butt, the skirt is significantly longer. I don't plan on doing much walking, though. I'll need to experiment with headdress/goller combos to decide what looks good, will keep me warm, and what won't get in the way when I try to burp the twins. Ah, burping... always an important consideration.

Double Trouble

2010-09-15T13:47:00.006-04:00

My new bundles of joy have finally arrived, and though it's been hectic and at times frustrating, I couldn't be happier. Lee (on the left above) and Kara are doing well and are healthy. Lee is about 2 pounds heavier than Kara. Owen is getting accustomed to them, though he's still not quite sure what to make of them. He's entered the "I'm not listening" phase, which has made things a little tough, but we're doing our best to remain patient.

We ventured out to Harvest Day this past weekend with all three kids. It wasn't the easiest thing, and I certainly exerted myself a bit more than I should have, but it's an experience we needed. Going to an event with a young child is hard enough, but adding two infants into the mix adds a whole new dimension of logistics that you don't really know exists until you test it out. We've got several adjustments to make to not only our set-up and take-down routine, but also with how we can schedule personal time into the day. Dearg desperately wanted to get to the archery range all day, but never made it. I got to the merchants once, right as it started to rain, but we had the twins with us, and it just made more sense for me to carry them back to our shade.

My mom made gowns for the twins, which are a bit large so they'll be able to wear them for a while. We used a christening gown pattern that worked out very well and looks very nice. We used a brown linen/rayon blend for Kara's and the same blue linen/rayon for Lee's that I made my v-neck gown out of. I have the pieces for their white linen tunics still sitting by the sewing machine- hopefully I can get those completed before the next event.

I was also able to mostly complete Dearg's new tunic. I haven't done all the contrast stitching nor the decorative stitching around the neckline, but it was finished enough for him to wear. It was nice to see him in a different tunic for a change!

As far as my other tasks, I've made the updates to my website (except for cleaning up the code on the main page), but that's about it. I decided not to create nursing garb, as we've found breastfeeding the twins too time consuming and difficult when not home. Instead, I pump right before or right after they eat, and we bottle feed the breastmilk. So I don't need nursing garb, but I do still need to be able to access my breasts to pump regularly at an event. For now, this just means that anything I wear needs to either lace or button up the front. I'm not sure that it requires any special type of garb beyond that.

I started working on my "Beyond the Burgundian" class notes by re-reading them and making some edits. I want the full notes to be highly extensive and informative, so for the moment I'm taking my time with them. I don't think I'll put them on my website when they are complete though, since I think I'd like to submit them to the Compleat Anachronist for publication.

Finally, you may notice that I swapped the nursing garb for a frilled veil in my project pile progress bars. I haven't decided which style of frilled veil I'd like to do, but I know that I'm going to raid Isis' extensive thesis for information on the topic and let her knowledge help me decide!