I already started a major undertaking of constructing complete outfits (including underwear!) for my fiance and I for the upcoming season of the Texas Renaissance Festival. We went there a few years ago, and it just wasn't as fun without costumes. I've been meaning to make some for a while, but I've been concentrating on Dickens on the Strand in Galveston, Texas for the last two years. Now that the two of us (and even his mom!) are almost completely outfitted for that, we want to go to the TRF in style.
It all started with the beautiful pale blue tapestry fabric I got at Hobby Lobby for a song: $5 a yard, marked down from $20!!! They were clearancing a LOT of home dec fabrics, and this definitely caught my eye. It was May, and summer was approaching, which is the dreaded time when a substitute teacher is more destiute than usual. I had already starting saving money up to survive the summer, but this was a big gamble, since it cost $50 (a lot for me to spend) and it kinda looked light greenish in the flourescent lights in the store, and did not literally show its true colors until I got it home. Didn't have any idea at all what to do with it, but got 10 yards of it (just to make sure I could make any era of dress) and ended up getting the pattern later.
I stupidly got the pattern (McCall's 5155) before I did any research. I just liked it. Luckily my good sense of historical accuracy wasn't too far off and I got a fantasy pattern that was easily tailored to be less fantasy and more period-correct. A lot of people online whine and complain about this pattern, but I think the basic part of the houppelande was extremely easy to make and was period-correct. I decided, after making those type of sleeve bands that lace up, showing the actual chemise, that this was really too late for this type of style dress so I decided to make simple straight sleeves.
Once Hobby Lobby/Wal-Mart/Jo-Ann Fabrics get their fall/winter fabric in, I'm planning on buying a medium brown fur to trim the collar and especially the hem of the gown, which will protect it from getting frayed, especially in the train. I had to cut a lot off, especially the train, because
the original pattern is really made for a taller person (I'm 5'1"). I'm also going to get pale gold satin for the placket/plastron (not sure what the difference is except for the spelling) which is the filler for the V-neck, like a dickey shirt, because ladies did not show the girls off in that era. I'm also thinking of making a simple belt (different from the pattern) because I don't like the one they have, since back then they did not close in the front.
Just finished Christian's shirt today, which I am wearing under my dress in the above pictures because of the low neckline - it's just until I make my own ladies' version. We got the fabric off eBay for about $40 with shipping - 4 yards of 100% flax white linen. It was wonderful to work with, especially with the iron, since I never had to worry about scorching it, as linen is the highest setting on an iron. I used a rather unique pattern-maker, Period Patterns, which I got
online for a pricey $23.50 with shipping. I normally wouldn't spend so much, but between McCall's, Butterick, Simplicity and even Burda, no one had the right style of shirt (Italian c. 1450-1475) and especially the Italian gown that he wanted. He says he wants view V for the gown and I for the doublet from PP #43, but it takes a whopping 8 yards of fabric for the gown, and it only touches his knees! It's actually directly taken from a famous fresco from the period, Pope Celestine III granting the privilege of autonomy to the Hospital, by Domenico di Bartolo, which is located in la Sala del Pellegrinaio (hall of the pilgrim), Hospital Santa Maria della Scala, Siena, Italy. You can see the fresco here:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Pellegrinaio_Santa_Maria_della_Scala_n4.jpg
Needless to say, we have not gotten the fabric for his gown yet.
Finally my hat: I patterned it from a painting I kept seeing online as an example of common Burgundian fashion during my specific period. You can see it here:
http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/sca/15th/ainsworthp133.jpg
It's by Petrus Christus, a very famous painter of the time, from 1450. I got some faux pearls, some big and some small, and made a diamond pattern a lot like hers. The only problem is, it's a bit difficult to start off the pattern on a plain piece of satin, and I wish I had been able to simply buy some satin or silk that had that same pattern on it so I could just sew on the pearls. I'm almost done with it, now that I spent like 20 hours on it, between sewing and resewing ones that fell off (knots came loose) and just plain redoing whole rows that came out wrong. I think after doing one it'll be all downhill from here, but I'm not quite sure as if I would actually make another one. Also what was frustrating was the book that I got the pattern from (Patterns for Theatrical Costumes: Garments, Trims, and Accessories from Ancient Egypt to 1915 by Katherine Strand Holkeboer) did not scale the pattern properly and the first buckram frame I made ended up being a toddler-sized hennin, as it fits both my 3 1/2 and 6 year old nieces.
Hobby Lobby should still have home dec fabric clearanced, as it wasn't going anywhere last time I went, so I'm hoping to get my mom some red and gold fabric (same pattern as mine, different colors) so I could make her a houppelande too. She's not too excited, but that's the way she is until things start coming together. I guess we'll see if the bolt is still there and if there is enough, as I have put my finances in order and would very much like to treat my mom out to something special.
Well that's it for now. I will soon be posting pics and a list of what I plan to make and what I have finished, as the other online seamstesses do in their blogs.
It all started with the beautiful pale blue tapestry fabric I got at Hobby Lobby for a song: $5 a yard, marked down from $20!!! They were clearancing a LOT of home dec fabrics, and this definitely caught my eye. It was May, and summer was approaching, which is the dreaded time when a substitute teacher is more destiute than usual. I had already starting saving money up to survive the summer, but this was a big gamble, since it cost $50 (a lot for me to spend) and it kinda looked light greenish in the flourescent lights in the store, and did not literally show its true colors until I got it home. Didn't have any idea at all what to do with it, but got 10 yards of it (just to make sure I could make any era of dress) and ended up getting the pattern later.
I stupidly got the pattern (McCall's 5155) before I did any research. I just liked it. Luckily my good sense of historical accuracy wasn't too far off and I got a fantasy pattern that was easily tailored to be less fantasy and more period-correct. A lot of people online whine and complain about this pattern, but I think the basic part of the houppelande was extremely easy to make and was period-correct. I decided, after making those type of sleeve bands that lace up, showing the actual chemise, that this was really too late for this type of style dress so I decided to make simple straight sleeves.Once Hobby Lobby/Wal-Mart/Jo-Ann Fabrics get their fall/winter fabric in, I'm planning on buying a medium brown fur to trim the collar and especially the hem of the gown, which will protect it from getting frayed, especially in the train. I had to cut a lot off, especially the train, because
the original pattern is really made for a taller person (I'm 5'1"). I'm also going to get pale gold satin for the placket/plastron (not sure what the difference is except for the spelling) which is the filler for the V-neck, like a dickey shirt, because ladies did not show the girls off in that era. I'm also thinking of making a simple belt (different from the pattern) because I don't like the one they have, since back then they did not close in the front.Just finished Christian's shirt today, which I am wearing under my dress in the above pictures because of the low neckline - it's just until I make my own ladies' version. We got the fabric off eBay for about $40 with shipping - 4 yards of 100% flax white linen. It was wonderful to work with, especially with the iron, since I never had to worry about scorching it, as linen is the highest setting on an iron. I used a rather unique pattern-maker, Period Patterns, which I got
online for a pricey $23.50 with shipping. I normally wouldn't spend so much, but between McCall's, Butterick, Simplicity and even Burda, no one had the right style of shirt (Italian c. 1450-1475) and especially the Italian gown that he wanted. He says he wants view V for the gown and I for the doublet from PP #43, but it takes a whopping 8 yards of fabric for the gown, and it only touches his knees! It's actually directly taken from a famous fresco from the period, Pope Celestine III granting the privilege of autonomy to the Hospital, by Domenico di Bartolo, which is located in la Sala del Pellegrinaio (hall of the pilgrim), Hospital Santa Maria della Scala, Siena, Italy. You can see the fresco here:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Pellegrinaio_Santa_Maria_della_Scala_n4.jpg
Needless to say, we have not gotten the fabric for his gown yet.
Finally my hat: I patterned it from a painting I kept seeing online as an example of common Burgundian fashion during my specific period. You can see it here:
http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/sca/15th/ainsworthp133.jpg
It's by Petrus Christus, a very famous painter of the time, from 1450. I got some faux pearls, some big and some small, and made a diamond pattern a lot like hers. The only problem is, it's a bit difficult to start off the pattern on a plain piece of satin, and I wish I had been able to simply buy some satin or silk that had that same pattern on it so I could just sew on the pearls. I'm almost done with it, now that I spent like 20 hours on it, between sewing and resewing ones that fell off (knots came loose) and just plain redoing whole rows that came out wrong. I think after doing one it'll be all downhill from here, but I'm not quite sure as if I would actually make another one. Also what was frustrating was the book that I got the pattern from (Patterns for Theatrical Costumes: Garments, Trims, and Accessories from Ancient Egypt to 1915 by Katherine Strand Holkeboer) did not scale the pattern properly and the first buckram frame I made ended up being a toddler-sized hennin, as it fits both my 3 1/2 and 6 year old nieces.Hobby Lobby should still have home dec fabric clearanced, as it wasn't going anywhere last time I went, so I'm hoping to get my mom some red and gold fabric (same pattern as mine, different colors) so I could make her a houppelande too. She's not too excited, but that's the way she is until things start coming together. I guess we'll see if the bolt is still there and if there is enough, as I have put my finances in order and would very much like to treat my mom out to something special.
Well that's it for now. I will soon be posting pics and a list of what I plan to make and what I have finished, as the other online seamstesses do in their blogs.
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