It’s a known fact that I love wacky hairstyles (also, hats). Big, weird shapes sprouting off one’s head please me inordinately. So naturally, I’ve been drawn to the horn-shaped style worn by Venetian upper-class women in the mid- to late-16th-century. I’ve given one try at making hairpieces to replicate this style, tho’ I’m not quite
At the Valhalla Renaissance Faire, I wore the completed & “proper” version of my Venetian courtesan gown, this one made in a luscious raspberry-colored silk damask that I’d hunted for months to find (& oi, it wasn’t cheap! but sooooo pretty!). Sarah made the gown, same pattern she designed for the tourney version, & I
At the start of this week, Sarah dropped off my new Venetian courtesan gown. This is the “real” version, in the expensive silk damask, as opposed to the tourney version in cotton damask. I need to hem & trim the gown & make the sleeves. The first two tasks are pretty straightforward, but the sleeves
This is the first version of my Venetian courtesan gown, made by Sarah. We decided to do a test-run in tourney-friendly cotton damask fabric to make sure the pattern worked before cutting into the $38/yard silk. Also, who doesn’t love having two dresses? Sarah draped the bodice based on period designs with some specific tweaks
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