In an ongoing quest to figure out 18th-century men’s pants for me / Leonard, I started a new pair of breeches that were just going to be to test out the pattern but have developed into a whole new suit. I made umpteen mockups of the fall-front breeches from the original pattern by Eagle’s View
For a change, I’m not making anything for myself, and instead, I’m sewing a bunch of stuff for other people. In time for the SCA’s 12th Night, I took on a bunch of commissions to sock away a little money. It’s both stressful because I’m doing this after I work 40+ hours at my office
And it has to be, if I’m going to get all these outfits done before I leave for France in May! Holy moly, I’ve got so much to do. I had to cancel a bunch of social events on weekends (tho’ I’m still obligated to attend two SCA events & one faire with Bella Donna;
At first, when one of my BFFs Sarah said she was having her birthday party at Castello di Amoroso & asking people to come in medieval costume, I figured, whatever, I’ll wear some of my usual 16th-century garb. It’s what I like, she wouldn’t mind, & it would fit in at the 14th-century-style Italian castle
There’s not much to show for it, but really, I’ve started and am, in fact, well on the way with my gown to portray Veronica Gambara at the Collegium class “A Feast in 1530s Correggio.” The gown is a loose interpretation of the portrait shown on the right. Except I’m using burgundy velveteen from The
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
The only kind of pattern drafting I enjoy is making sleeves. Not sure why, but it’s something I feel like I can handle. Maybe because the fit isn’t as weirdly tricky as going over the bust & around the waist. There’s only the armscye/sleeve head to deal with & then it’s done. The fit is
Finished the smock. Seems like such a little thing — it’s just underwear! And, indeed, most of it went swimmingly. I used my pattern from ye olde smock generator from Drea Leed’s site. I remembered to add some width to the body, but not too much (I have a history of not trusting this pattern’s
Despite the insulation, my sewing room is 5-10 degrees hotter than the rest of the house, thanks to a corner bank of windows facing whatever direction the sun is most of the day. I need blackout curtains there, although that would make the cats sad (the window seat under said windows is their faaaaaavorite place
This was a random little project done in about two weeks. I was asked by Duquesa Juana Isabella de Montoya y Ramirez if I could contribute to the gift basket given by the King and Queen of the West at the SCA’s West-An Tir War over July 4th Weekend 2010. Knowing my predilection for purses,
I hate the sleeves I put on the loose gown yesterday. They look like Henry VIII being an asshole. Another Reconstructing History pattern FAIL. Also, the collar is way too big (again, a reason not to follow the RH pattern; it’s so freakin’ *off* as far as size goes, either too big or too small,
Finally got something started here! I thought I’d just use the same bodice pattern I made for the black and grey 1570s kirtle — just needed to cut the back of the neckline squared. But when I did that, something changed in the fit of the shoulders, so I actually had to futz with the
Had a strange itch to sew today, so I tinkered with the Slipcover Kirtle pattern to make it work for this project. That previous kirtle ended up a smidge too loose the one time I wore it at an event, which irritated me. Took out the pattern and fussed with the straps and the armscye
Not the I’m bragging, but I don’t see what the fuss is about sleeves. They’re pretty easy. My sleeves probably don’t look that good to anyone else, but I like them. They go together fine, no big stress, not like the strum und drang I hear from so many other costumers when it comes time
After all those muslins, it was time to cut some real fabric. I had a nice mid-weight black wool for the outside (it’ll be interlined with something sturdy and lined with something soft later; I may add boning at the center front to keep the closure tidy and straight too). I sewed up the sides