Making Progress

I got my silk organza in the mail and it works PERFECTLY for the veil. When they say "crisp," it means wirey! The stuff was so crisp that I had to mold the hem, and it didn't even need pinning, 2 hours later! The fabric stays up nicely, the way the ladies on MedCos claimed it would. Soooo glad I listened to them. I got 2 yards (more than enough for me and my mom) from Dharma Trading ( http://www.dharmatrading.com/ ) and they shipped it out a half hour after I ordered and sent me an automatic confirmation too! What an excellent company to do business with. Good prices, cheap and fast shipping, quality products. You cant ask more than that!

However, the next day was I also got Christian's blue wool (9 yards to be exact!) and I was very disappointed that the seller on eBay (a fabric store no doubt!) neglected to inform me that it was a gabardine, a thin, tightly woven twill from the 19th century and up. I was expecting, from the picture, that it was a flannel (basic) weave. It's definitely a quality wool - it feels so good that I was worried it WASN'T wool but upon really feeling it, it IS a teensy itchy. Since we paid $80 for the whole thing (with shipping) and because it is a really nice wool and we don't have a place to order wool from, and we don't have time to waste, I'm going to use it anyway. I don't think the twill will be so noticeable with the whole thing being pleated.

On the up side, I found some nice dark red calico solid at HL and got it for $7.50 for 2 1/2 yards; I also lucked out and got some bright red knit (95% cotton, 5% lycra) for $20. Either way, one of them should work, and if both work, then he'll have his choice of two.

I was able to also get some more black velvet, because a 1/2 yard just didn't cut it for the cuffs and collar like I thought. I spent probably only about $9, so it was a cheap but pretty trim. I'm thinking of making my mom a hennin like mine, only black taffeta with a different drape to the veil since she's not a big fan of butterfly hennins. I've got plenty of silk chiffon and buckram, so that's not a problem. The biggest expense will be the lightweight boning, which will cost about $8-10 for two packages.

I'm still waiting on the garment bag and necklace from Castle Garden Creations ( http://www.castlegardencreations.com/ ) and it's been almost 3 weeks since I placed my order. I sure hope I didn't waste my money there, as they have misplaced my order and still are figuring things out. I'm not impressed with their lack of communication either. If you want to do business with these people, I would advise you to order way in advance and only buy what you can't find elsewhere.

As for garments that are near completion, I'm almost done with the commissioned pirate breeches (just need the buttons) and mom's houp (got it hemmed yesterday, just need to make cuffs). Tomorrow I'll be working on the pirate waistcoat, which should be quick and easy. The button holes will probably take up the most time.

I ordered the Medieval Tailor's Assistant from amazon.com and it should be here any day now. I figured it might help me out with the chemise, which I'm having problems with, specifically the low neckline and the tightness of the sleeves where they meet the gown. I'm sure there's probably a real simple way of fixing it, but I just want to make sure that I know what I'm doing when I re-make it, as I have nearly ripped all the seams apart. Funny how the simplest of garments is the most difficult to make. No one carries a 15th century pattern, either for free or for a price. Seems to me that the 15th century is the stepchild of the Elizabethan era, since it seems to be forgotten compared to the latter. Too bad, because I think it has been a wonderful experience researching the period, and it's a period that is good and "cheap" for beginning-fair-goers-in-costumes like us.

The US Post office will never go out of business with people like me around

I've ordered a bunch of things online this weekend. Now that I am FINISHED with the lady's pirate frock coat (YAY! My first comission!) I can now turn back to focusing on a bunch of small concurrent projects.

I had a bunch of ladies on MedCos offer me advice on veling; it looked like either handkerchief linen (too expensive) or silk organza (we have a winner!) could do the job. I need a stiff ("crisp" as fabric sellers call it) fabric that will stand up, not go wimpy. Also has to be sheer enough so people can see the 400-500 faux pearls I sewed on, as it would a travesty if the fabric were too thick to see the pearls.

I think the silk organza will work well. I'm looking forward to working with silk, as I have never owned nor worked with something 100% silk before. Hopefully the hem will come out better than the faux chiffon, which kept slipping and was not so fun to work with.

I'm still waiting on the garment bag/necklace - ends up it took them over 2 weeks to ship. (grr....) I honestly thought it was lost in the mail, and was so upset about it I actually lost some sleep over it (I would REALLY hate to lose $65 worth of products I need, especially the much-needed garment bag!) Today I got an e-mail saying that she'll ship tomorrow, and since it's priority, it should come by the end of the week.

Using the automic buy option on eBay, I bought 9 yards of beautiful navy blue wool for Christian's gown. I've been doing research online about how to clean wool without shrinkage, and many buy up to 40% more (which we TOTALLY couldn't afford - is $70 not enough??) so when they pre-wash, it's about the right length. Give me a break, I'll just pay the price and dry-clean it and have it guaranteed to be not shrunken and I won't have to press it. It's not exactly period, but I don't go washing it in the nearest brook or stream either. Some other wool I bought for my mom is dry clean only, so I'm going to go by their rules.

Lastly, I ordered 250 business cards on www.giggleprint.com . I only had to pay $12 or so on priority shipping; the cards were free. They had a really nice tan textured background with black scrollwork as a boarder - something that was diverse and could be used for both TRF and Dickens. I'm going to see how good of a company they are and see how many are passed out each weekend, and then order more accordingly.

Other than the frock coat (which turned out SOOO well with the buttons! Pics will be posted later, I promise!) I've been working on my hennin. The buckram frame was starting to crunch from the weight of the wire, so I reinforced it with 2 more rows of lightweight boning. It worked, and the frame is sooo stiff now. There is still a wee bit of crunch, but nothing like what there was before. I took it off the headstand and stuffed it full of newspaper for support. Hopefully that will keep it good to go.

I also worked on the black velvet fillet. It was really too wide, but didn't know that till I had already made the thing. I had no directions; just a kind lady's advice on what it looked like. Now that I cut the excess, it works beautifully. Now if that silk organza works as it's supposed to, there should be no wardrobe malfunctions in that department! :)

I finished the basic part of my mom's dark red wool Burgundian gown. I got 1/2 yard of black velvet at HL this weekend, but I just found out I'll need more for the cuffs. Boo. I didn't want a whole lot extra, so I thought 1/2 would work. No such luck.

She doesn't want trim (e.g. velvet or fur) at the hem, so I'm trying to think how long I should make it...mine is a little on the long side, but the fur protects the hem. (I can always replace the fur if needed, as I bought more than enough.) This is a pretty easy project. I even made the shoulder seams wider when I was cutting the pattern, so she could wear a bra with it. The only problem was, the neckline now wasn't big enough to put her head through! However this was easily taken care of by seam ripping 6" into the back seam, hemming it, and placing some extra metal eyelets and lacing I had.

I've been mulling over ripping apart my whole chemise and recreating it. I hate the low collar line, and the gussets under the sleeves are too small so it's a tight fit. I also had to work on my kirtle, because the shoulder seam sat too high so I had to take the sleeves off and take off 3 inches each side to make it a good fit. I also relaced the kirtle, since I recently found out in Renaissance magazine that the typical criss-cross lacing is an American invention. Looking more closely at period works, they are right. And actually, the way I relaced it works BETTER than the American way. Silly Americans for making it more difficult than it needs to be.

And lastly, the bad news about shoes and hose: I just got an e-mail from Armlann, a wonderful period shoe company that does custom-fit items. Alas, he is backlogged, and truthfully stated that he would not be able to make any for Oct 6. At least he was honest, and didn't pull me around with empty promises as others probably would. But still a great disappointment, as his work looks good and his prices are even better, which is probably the reason why he's backordered!

I've found some black boots for Christian at various shops online; they are all the same boot so they must share the same supplier. Says leather, and they are only 60 bucks each, although they only come in whole sizes. Hopefully they will fit, because I can't think of another shoe that would work. It's not pointy or really period, but it'll work. At least if one place doesn't have it in stock, another might.

As for hose, it seems like a fruitless effort. I've given up buying any for myself, because why bother if you don't have period shoes? Saves me money anyway, I guess. I'm thinking of going in some black ballet flats because they are comfortable and weather-proof. As for Christian, I'm bidding on the last (plain black) of The Purple Unicorn's hose, as they are liquidating (like many, some even going out of business) which is so sad. Where do ren faire entertainers get their hose from then??? There's one company at TRF, but they don't have a codpiece, which I heard is really necessary since a) guys like form and function and b) it's a place where you stuff your chemise into. I never thought of that until I asked about it on MedCos, and it seems like a pretty important item.

I really don't think I'll have the time to tailor him a pair, as I do have the Period Patterns #43 hose pattern in 3 designs. I have a one-track mind, and kept thinking I HAD to make them out of linen (I guess I was stuck on that idea) but finally thought out of the box and figured I could easily get some calico solid from HL (which has a pretty good assortment of colors) and buy enough for 2 pairs, one if I mess up or have to alter, 1 to definitely have complete and tailored to perfection, and if the first comes out perfectly, then he'll just have 2 good pairs. I really don't want to have to pony up the dough for more linen and s & h, and have to wait wait wait, so cotton is a decent alternative.

I found other companies that had awesome particolored hose like SeamLyne and Moresca, but they are all out of business or don't carry them anymore.

I honestly think I've spent more time surfing the Internet for ideas and hard-to-find stuff than I have actually making the garments. How sad is that. : (

Well I better get going and quit whining. After cleaning house, I'll be a sewing fiend for the rest of the day : )

One down, many more to go!

Crunch Time has begun. I'm getting more commissioned projects than I thought I would originally and I still have to tweak a few things in my wardrobe to get things right:

Kirtle - yoke is a bit too loose at the seams - thinking of what to do about that....Also I'm deciding whether to change the lacing to zig-zag lacing or leave it as cross lacing. I just read in Renaissance magazine that cross-lacing is an American thing....wonder if this is true or not. So far the examples I found seem to support that idea, so I'll try it zig-zagged.

Chemise - I cut a bunch off in the center front and back and resewed it and it's still too big in the yoke and too small in the gussets....looks like an all-day project to me, but I'm going to leave well enough alone for now as it is a priority to get things done first, then tweak.

Hennin - I'm having problems with the veil drooping. The man-made chiffon just isn't cutting it. It's too slippery and every time I try to re-pin it, it runs like pantyhose. That was the last straw. So now I'm asking for advice on MedCos, and hopefully will come to a conclusion. So far it looks like silk organza is my best bet, since it is both crisp and thin. Second place is hankerchief linen, which I could starch.

I also have to glue more boning in the hat because the wire is making it droop too. Gravity has not been kind to this hennin!

Might make another belt for my houppelande, it seems a bit tight and makes me look top-heavy, but then it's awfully hard to cover that fact up. :-P

I'm still waiting for the garment bag and necklace...I really hope they come soon. The company who I ordered my feather fan called and said they couldn't fill my order until mid-September...I told them as long as I get it before Oct 6 everything would be fine. Still wish I wouldn't have to wait so long...

Projects I have yet to start and finish by Oct 6:

Commissions:

• man's pirate frock coat


• young lady's waistcoat (a la Elizabeth Swan)


• young lady's breeches (ditto)


• young lady's frock coat (?) (ditto)


• lady's frock coat made from extra material from the first one I made, although much simpler in design

Family:

• Christian's houppelande


• my drawers


• mom's chemise


• mom's kirtle


• mom's houppelande


• mom's hennin or some other hat

Geez, looking at this list I feel like I haven't finished even half of what I need to!

And I still have yet to finish the lapels (half done) and put the collar on the frock coat. It's almost done, though. This should be the most difficult project of the season - everything else should be relatively easy. This weekend I'll be getting the buttons and the whole thing will be finished.

I'm thinking all my finished projects will be posted on my Webshots homepage since I think I'm limited on space here and it would be easier to post pics there anyway, and other people can see them too, as my Dickens '06 album has gotten quite popular.

finishing up

I'm trying to finish up so I can concentrate on my commissioned item and also ones in the near future. I finished Christian's doublet, which came out pretty nice-looking actually.



I didn't get the lacing quite even because he was grumpy and wanted to go to bed, so the photo was taken haste. He hasn't ordered his hose yet so I had to er....crop it. Hehe

The silver-colored eyelets were actually super-easy to do. I always thought they were hard because the tool my mom used in the 80's and early 90's was extremely difficult to handle to the extent that my dad had to put them in. I got a new eyelet tool a few years ago, and I wasn't using it correctly so I was making it hard on myself for nothing. Ends up it makes the hole and punches the eyelet in - last time I used it I was making holes with a pair of scissors, then punches the eyelet in, which didn't always come out right since the holes weren't uniform.Now I'm thinking, if this is so easy, I might make a real corset for myself for Dickens this year, since that was the only real reason I was holding back from making one.

Christian's eyelets were cheap - I got all of them plus extra at HL for like $5. Of course, I wanted gold, which was more difficult to find, so I had to buy a silver and gold mix at Wal-Mart for $5 a pop, and since it was a mix, I got 3 packages just in case. With historical costuming being so popular, I don't get why stores don't offer a better variety of these things.

I ordered the fan and the necklace. Just waiting for them to come in. I'm planning on finishing the frock coat this weekend, as well as figure out the yardage for Christian's cioppa (there is a discrepency on a popular pattern review website) using some 108" wide (!) muslin I got from Wal-Mart. I also plan on putting the eyelets in my kirtle and hemming it, as well as making some drawers out of my extra linen.

I haven't spent much lately on the outfit with the exception of the fan and necklace, of course. I also got a $9 garment bag with the nacklace - it's 70" long with a 10" wide gusset! I might be able to fit everything in there!!!

So far I have recently spent:

$2 each for correct lacing (I lost the first one, and the other one wasn't what I wanted)

$9 for Christian's muslin to cut out the 3-in-1 pattern pieces, evidently what Period Patterns is notorious for

$10 for Christian's second doublet (the first one came out too small! Boo!)

$15 for my gold eyelets

$5 for Christian's silver eyelets

$39 for the fan, plus $12 for the plastic fan holder (they don't do well in rain!) plus shipping, as yet uncalculated (waiting for confirmation e-mail and invoice)

$41 for a gold, pearl, and sapphire blue glass beaded collar-style necklace

$9 for a (hopefully) awesome and long-awaited garment bag

That's all I can think of for now.

almost finished

Less than four days after I was given the fabric, and it's almost complete! Once I made the muslin prototype, it was a lot easier, although the corner seams where the pocket is were kinda tricky and had to go over them a few times.

Last night I put the black velvet boarder on. I just went to HL yesterday so I got more of the quilter's grid I needed to draft a pattern for the collar and lapels. Now I have a boatload of hand-sewing to do, as the black fabric goes all the way to the seam on the underside, so I'll have to use invisible stitching. It's turning out so lovely and because it's a reversible fabric, there is no need for lining - thank GOD because it sure is heavy enough!!!

dramatic back view of tails

Front view

Front up close

Arrr! Pirates be wantin' me services!

For the past 2 weeks I have been working on the commissioned project for a lady's pirate frock coat, which is evidently very difficult to find, and when found, very expensive.

The (honestly!) overpriced Bailey coat from Samiah (http://www.samiah.com/Samiah-Bailey-Coat.htm) really is beautiful and is the only one currently on the market on the Internet. Being over a thousand dollars, and taking sooo long to make, I figured I could make one similar yet still unique for my friend.

I used Simplicity pattern #3677, which makes a lovely frock coat, especially when contrasting lapels and boarder trim around the hem are added. I made the tails drop longer in a more dramatic way, and had to change all 3 godets so that the drape was correct, because the original just cut straight across at the hem. It was remarkably easy and just a bit time consuming. I used muslin for the prototype and my friend was ecstatic when she tried it on today, which made me VERY happy!!!

The last thing I need to do is create the lapels, which is a bit difficult since a) the shoulder seam is too far back for the front lapel to meet with it, and b) I ran out of quilter's grided interfacing, which I use to create/alter patterns. Boo. At least I have the rest of the fabric, which is GORGEOUS!!! The red and gold brocade was easy to cut (I made sure to sharpen the shears beforehand) but took about 3 hours to do. Lots of laying out, measuring. pinning, and cutting. But it will be well worth the effort.

This is the main part of the coat:

This shows the lovely contrast; the black will be the lapel, boardering trim, cuffs, and faux pockets.

The only disappointment was the velvet; it was $11 a yard and it ended up being sprayed-on crushed velvet. I really hope it holds up, because it's a lot stiffer than crushed velour, and would otherwise work well for the outfit, if it doesn't bald in the near future! (You can thank Hancock Fabrics.) Honestly, for $11 I would expect more than that. Also it's a bit sparkly and looks really nice.

Been working on this project since I'm waiting on some gold eyelets I bought on eBay about a week ago. They should be coming in an envelope, so I'm hoping they will come soon, as they aren't heavy. I ordered like 100 or more of them, thinking we'll use a lot and could probably use the rest in the future for a corset, if I'm feeling really gung-ho between Ren Faire season and Dickens. Once they come in I'll have my kirtle and Christian's doublet finished.

Between yesterday and today I worked on making my chemise smaller. I don't know how big that lady is who had the pattern online, but it came out absolutely huge. The neckline is just too low. So I had the ingenious idea (after thinking for a week or two) to make a large seam starting about 2 inches from the top and widening to about 8 at the bottom. Came out perfectly straight. Weird how I know how to do things I never did before. So happy it came out right, because linen is expensive, and I would hate to make another one with all these other projects going on.

I also finished my purse last week. Some paintings from the 14th century inspired me with the tassels, and also the fact that it's not a typical rectangular shape of a drawstring purse. It isn't much, but I hope to upgrade to another one, preferably gold. I found a fantastic place that does wonderful beadwork (http://www.mayhemltd.com/garb-pouches3.htm). It's probably not period, but then I have yet to see any 15th century purses of any kind for women - it seems the men held the money and such. Such a contrast to today's culture!

Pretty soon I will be ordering my fan (a must-have in Texas - I hope this will jinx the weather and it will be cooler than usual!) and the necklace. Depending on how much the s & h adds up to, I might get the shoes as well, since these are from individual sites that do not have anything else Christian or I need.

That's all for tonight, as it is getting very late. Tomorrow I should get the main part of the coat finished, but I probably won't get too far as I should be going to the beach with Christian.