New costumes start from the skin out, so that means new undies. Sure, I have shifts / smocks / chemises (depending on how historically accurate you want to be & which specific century you’re talking about). But for playing a Venetian courtesan at renaissance faires this year, I needed a specific type of undershirt, the
Some time ago, my good friend Sarah collected some historical images documenting 16th-century women wearing crowns, because it often seems like a rare thing. We see queens & female nobility of earlier eras decked in towering regalia, but crowns / coronets / tiaras / diadems & the like almost go out of fashion for the
I wore the completed heuke & the Flemish gown at the SCA March Crown, & everything worked wonderfully! The weather was supposed to be rainy, but it ended up overcast yet dry until we were ready to leave that night. However, it was windy all day, giving the heuke a real workout & proving that,
Or why experimental archeology is sometimes better than pure research. I could have wracked my brain & search-fu & the library hunting down references to the heuke & this elusive duck-bill cloak. (Hell, it’d be easier for this anti-gun pacifist to learn to shoot & then track down & kill an actual duck!) But I
I’ll have to sew every night this week, but I *will* be wearing that damn duck-billed cap thingy & the Flemish gown at March Drown Crown this weekend! There’s a 50% chance of rain predicted at the site, plus chilly temps, so I’ll be glad of all the wool & cape-like layers. No time to
I haven’t been able to sew for weeks now due to an eye infection that’s limiting the fine, detail vision in my right eye. So I’ve made minimal progress on the actual Flemish gown — I did pleat the skirt & try to sew it to the bodice, but it kind of looks like monkeys
The heart-shaped cap most famously worn by Mary Queen of Scots goes by many names and its construction has been up for debate. The style was not just worn by this queen — it was common among upper-class women of the late 16th century in England and France. While modern costumers may know it as
The Flemish gown research has become an excuse to make funny hats. YAY!!!! Because there are few things I love more than wearing crazy things on my head. First, I thought, oh sure, I’ll need some nice little linen cap. Then it looked like maybe a new type of wired cap a la Netherlands (because,
And not just because I’ve had a head cold for the past week (yeah, Flemish, not phlem-ish, har har). I started a little sewing this weekend. Kendra gave me an old project of hers, when I bought a bunch of wool from her last year. It was originally her 1560s nuremburg dress from ages ago,
Here is the finished gown, in photos taken by Wendi Koble, right before Sarah’s Laureling ceremony at the SCA West Kingdom 12th Night 2012. The only thing I’d change is that the silver, black, & pearl girdle I made ended up a few inches short (but I swear, I measured!), so I couldn’t wear it
I couldn’t help but add a few more little bits to my 12th nite outfit. First, some new pearl-drop earrings because all my 16th-century-esque ones are gold-based. That took about 10 minutes. Then, a silver, black, & pearl girdle. I had bought this silver beaded necklace on eBay to use for parts — look at
I hemmed the 12th nite gown on New Year’s Eve before the obligatory visit to a party (followed by champagne in the hot tub at home ;-). However, I took the cheater’s way out on that hem — my pal, Steam-a-Seam. Aw yeah. Because done is better than perfect. Which also left me time on
Kendra came over yesterday, & we sewed, sewed, sewed. We worked on skirts for our gowns & got to the point where we could sit on the couch, watching “Elizabeth R,” hand-sewing vast piles of black silk whilst drinking cocktails. Good times! Well, I cartridge-pleated the skirt & attached it to the bodice, so the
I was a little bit surprised when I sewed up the sleeve side seam, turned it right-side out, & *ta da* the sleeve looked liked I’d hoped & planned it would look all along. Sure, there were some fiddly bits to fix like trim not lining up perfectly & basting lines still showing, but those
I’ve spent a week on these sleeves, & they’re still not done! Took three nights to trim them (piping, two kinds of trim by hand, then pearls), & a full day to figure out the stiffening for the panes & the best way to attach them. Then I redid the white silk taffeta inside puff