A headband for my 14th century Italian Cocharelli outfit

 Like any normal person I had started on/prepared for two hand sewing projects for my New Years Eve celebration.

The first was this headband made from a piece of vintage metallic trim, faux peaels and glass beads, and thrifted vintage grosgrain ribbon on the inside.

This is how it is supposed to look:

I realised when I was going to take the photo that the braids should have been made in a way that covers the ears. But by hten I wasn't interested in re-doing my braids just for a photo. For the next event, well, that is different.

As a very 1980s barbarian princess look.

And yes, I started on the sleeves too, after all: we had the whole "Chicago" and "Gentlemen prefer blondes" to watch through before the clock struck twelve.

Happy New Year everone! May it be better than the last one.

Third time's the charm? - another green Venetian 16th century gown

 So the 16th century Venetian that I made this spring is too large. Not by itself, it has taken some effort to lose some of that weight.

And the one that I made in spring 2019 is (still) too small.

So here we go: another green Venetian gown. This time from second hand cotton velvet curtains. The inspiration is this fresco by Giovanni Antonio Fasolo, from c. 1560-65

Since I have white cinquefoils (five petaled flowers) on green in my heraldic arms (for the SCA) I tend to be drawn to anything with white flowers, especially on green. 

The fresco isn't detailed enough to show how the flowers were made. It appears to be the same fabric as the gown, just with added decoration; so I think we can exclude woven pattern. That leaves embroidery/applique, and cut out patterns. Both are known techniques from the periodm but I have decided to go for the cut out patterns, which is very common in portraits.

This is my trial, on scraps of red cotton velvet.

Yesterday, when I really needed a break from reading up on the Cold War for a lecture that I am holding on Friday, I constructed a sleeve pattern and cut out the sleeves. First in white silk dupion (of the even kind), and then from the green cotton velvet.

And today, having another break from the Cold War, I started marking where to cut the flowers. With the help of a gingerbread cutter.

Now I will return to the Cold War, but this will be an excellent hand sewing project while I watch costume films with my neighbour, as we do every New Year's Eve.

Finally good photos of one of 12th century gowns

I made this dress from slk shantung back in 2014.  But I never managed to get a good photo of it, just very dark ones from Double Wars 2015

Or sitting down, at Double Wars 2014

But I wore it to Gotvik's Christmas party today, and my friend Mattias took a couple of photos.

I will make a page about it too, maybe even this year.

Buttonholes and buttons

 So now the very old dress that never got finished, that I wrote about in my previous post, is hemmed and has got hand made buttonholes, and brass buttons.

I made the armscyes bigger, which may have been a mistake - but I like being able to move my arms ;)

I have made a toile for sleeves, but haven't tried it on yet. It won't be finished for Gotvik's yule party this Sunday. Mostly because I have taken up knitting again, and that tends to consume me.

Picking up where I left it - 23 years later

I think that I cut out, and started on this dress in 2002. But it might be as early as 1999 or 2000.

It is sewn together, it is not hemmed, nor has it got lacing holes or button holes. 

I have taken it out from my wool cupboard several times the last two decades, but sometimes I was too large for it, or too small. Now it fits, except that the sleeves, which are elbow length, are a little bit narrow. Luckily I have a scrap large enough to make small gores in the sleeves, to make them wider.

Right now I am finally hemming the bottom of the dress, while watching "The Antiques Roadshow"

I might wear it to Gotvik's Yule party on the 7th of December. If it's finished. And if I find an underdress somewhere among my stuff.

A mi-parti Italian gown from the first half of the 14th century

 Yes, indeed: another old gown getting its page. Though not as old as my husband's outfit that I just posted about. That one was from 2004, this one is only from 2016.

I wear it a lot, so it is strange that I don't have more photos of it. Or haven't done the page until now. But now it is here.

A man's outfit from the Codex Manesse

 I am on a roll! Three updates in as many days!

Anyway, while looking through my categories of costumes in the left panel I realised how many of teh costuems shown that had the little notation "no page yet". And who had had this notation since I started this blog in 1015.

So I decided to do something about, and actually create pages for them. This is the first. And I only have one photo of Rickard in it, from 2004. But there are other images: inspiration, details etc.

Rickard's green and pink outfit.