When I heard there was a Pre-Raphaelite ball at Carnevale 2025, I poured through paintings for inspiration. I love this style and have several pre-raph prints hanging in my house, so there were many to chose from. But being me, I also wanted something dark and gothy, which isn’t as typical of this genre. Then
Sometime in early to mid 2024, I got a hankering for a new 16th-century outfit. No reason, nowhere to wear it, just wanted one. And not necessarily a fancy one either. I decided to order the Tudor Tailor pattern for a woman’s round gown and see how that made up. Although first, I realized I
Lockdown was a drag, and I didn’t feel like sewing anything but I had the idea to commission stuff. At some point in 2021, I requested a custom version of this Spanish 16th-century gown from Fiorentina Costuming on Etsy. The fit and workmanship is great, and the style is exactly what I wanted. Highly recommended and
For the Investiture of the Prince and Princess of the Mists, I helped sew the outfit worn by her highness Marguerite. I made the yellow damask sideless surcote that was worn over a blue velvet gown made by Sarah. I also made a blue velvet and yellow silk hood that was worn under the coronet.
This is the gown I made to portray Veronica Gambara, the hostess of the “Feast in 1530s Correggio” at the SCA’s Collegium Occidentalis XLVII. I was running the event and wanted to cap off the day with a festive meal set in a specific time and place in history (which is not typically done in
At the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose.
Upon first blush, I think Society for Creative Anachronism events are a lot like science-fiction conventions. There are some scheduled things going on, and there’s a dealer’s room. But most of the fun is off in the fringes, what you bring on your own. It’s not like a renaissance faire where the event itself is