New 15th century Italian dress

Since I don't need to make new clothes to go to events, except for shifts and hose occasionally, I only make new outfits because I want to.

Like this late 15th century Italian outfit made from brushed cotton.

Ever since I started reading about cotton in Europe in the Middle Ages, I've wanted to make something from brushed cotton, since that was used as a cheap substitute for wool in medieval Italy. (My article on cotton in medieval Europe can be found in the left hand column.) But to my surprise (well not really) it is not as easy to find in fabric shops as it was in the 1980s. So both the green and the red fabric is from charity shops. In fact everything except the lacing cord which is from a factory museum , is from charity shops.

I am going to wear it at the SCA event Double Wars, which starts this Friday.

Sunny Venetian prettiness at Spring Crown

Last  weekend - the 10th to 12th of April - I made the nine hour train trip down to Hamburg for Drachenwald's Spring Crown. I planned this as sson that I realised that it was only nine hour on train from Gothenburg where I live. I want to go to events in outher countries that are opartof Drtachenwald, but I also want to avoid flying forenvinronmentla reasons. I DO fly occaisonally, but if I can, in a reasonable amountof time, I take the train or carpool.

Then I got this honour of being an opponent on a PhD viva in Iceland in late March, and held (with a colleague)  a workshop at Lund University about clothing and textiles in probate inventories yesterday, the 18th of April. So there has been  a LOT of travelling. But now I am staying home for three weeks before the one week camping event that is Double Wars.

I am busy now too, but at least at home, or close to home. But enough of that, here are some photos of me in my new Venetian, and of the tournament. Which was won by my good friends Sir Padraig and Master Elsa.

Viking Age jewellery in the National Museum of Iceland

 While I was in Iceland to be an opponent on a PhD viva I visited the National Museum of Iceland (in the worst weather that I have ever experienced). 

Of course I took lots of photos that I plan to share here. And here is some Late Iron Age-Early Medieval jewellery.

Tortoise brooches:

Strings of beads

Various brooches, clasps, and pins:

Belt strap ends in top on this photo, then threefoil brooches

A green velvet 16th century Venetian gown from thrifted materials

 I have finished the gown that I have been working on on and off since before christmas. AND I have finished a page with loads of information about how I made it. And more pretty pictures. That page is here.

This gown is made from old velvet curtains, sateen bed sheets, pieces of sturdy cotton, vintage bobbin lace, and other stuff gotten from charity shops. I like making things from thrifted materials: not only is it much better for the environment, it is also much cheaper.

Documentation for my c 1790 gown

 It took over a year, but I have now made a page for my striped 18th century gown. It is here:

Diagonally striped like it's 1336

 My striped gown inspired by a fresco by Buonamico Buffalmacco in Pisa is not only finished, but has its own page here. 

I feel incredibly pretty in it. Now I just need to make a matching kirtle, instead of using the one from my Bernardo Daddi outfit.

Hanging upside down

When I make costumes with modern tools and techniques, and my green Venetian is definetely one of those because I am not going to hand sew a gown made from second hand velvet curtains, I have a few tricks that I use. One is to sew the lining and skirt together at the hem and then let them hang for a week, to ensure that any stretching is done before I start pleating the skirt to the bodice.

So here you can se 3,5 metres of skirt hanging. The lining is a thrifted cotton sateen bed sheet.

My plan is to wear this at Drachenwald's Spring Crown Tourney in Hamburg in April. It doesn't take a lot of time to finish it, so even including me working on the opposition for a viva at the Unviersity of Iceland, and going there in the end of March, that shouldn't be a problem. However, I am currently working hard to lose some weight, so I can't start on the bodice yet.

I will probably start making a lace partlet for it, because that is also less size sensitive.