And we have sleeves

Further investigations into the deep vaults of old external hard drives makes me 95 % sure that it was in 2001 that I started on this gown.

I wrote in a previous post about how it was put away then and never finished, but that I decided to finish it now.

I had to make the existing sleeves larger, and luckily I had one small scrap to piece them with.

Now all that remains is to hem the sleeves. And make a kirtle to wear under then, here I'm wearing a modern top.

Losing weight in the bust wouldn't hurt either. It fits so good below the ribs, then it gets a little tight because my ribcage got much wider after my last pregnancy in 2004, and then the boobs gets really pressed together. But I'm working on that.

Tri-Kingdom University and Scandinavian Sumptuary Laws

 Last weekend was the Tri-Kingdom University, a combined online university by the SCA kingdoms of Drachenwald (Europe), Atlantia (US) and Lochac (Australia and New Zealand).

It is nice to be able to both teach, and learn new things from your own home. I'm at my work space in the kitchen, wearing 14th century clothign, drinking tea from a 13th century replica mug. It is not an immerisive experience, like going to an event, but you can listen to teacher's from all over the world. 

I listened to classes about necromancy, the clothing of Queen Catherine Jagiellon of Sweden (16th century), and Bronze Age Aegean incense, potions and perfumery.

I taught a class about Scandinavian sumptuary laws before 1600.This is a subject that I have published about, so I thought that I'd add a list of my articles that discuss sumptuary laws here.

"Dangerous Fashions in Swedish Sumptuary Law" in The Right to Dress: Sumptuary Laws in a Global Perspective c. 1200-1800 edited by Giorgio Riello and Ulinka Rublack - 2019

"Foreign Seductions: Sumptuary laws, consumption and national identity in early modern Sweden" in Fashionable encounters: perspectives and trends in textile and dress in the Early modern nordic world edited by Tove Engelhardt Mathiassen, Marie-Louise Nosch, Maj Ringgaard, Kirsten Toftegaard and Mikkel Venborg Pedersen - 2014

"Inget scharlakan för dåliga fruntimmer: Dräktregleringar och sexuella normbrytare i medeltidens Skandinavien" i Det våras för medeltiden. Vänbok till Thomas Lindkvist, Auður Magnúsdóttir, Henric Bagerius och Lars Hermanson (red.) - 2014

 

Progress on the striped gown

I am terribly busy these days: I am evaluating a manuscript for a PhD thesis and writing a report about it, I have a class at Drachenwald's Online Kingdom University, this time in collaberation with the Kingdoms of Atlantia and Lochac, so it's actually the Tri-kingdom University next Saturday, which is far from finished. My apprentice Alfhild de Foxley is not only the University chancellor for the Drachenwald Online University, but also was theone who took initiative to make this an intervcontinental event - I am insanely proud of her. I am also doing calligraphy and illumination for Nordmark's Coronet Tournament, and I have started a knitting project. Having a really bad flare in my psoriatic arthritis, and sinusitis doesn't help at all.

But I have hand sewn the body of the striped surcoat. Next Step is ironing and felling the seams.

But first more writing.

Another Italian 14th century gown

As you might remember I got tipsy from mimosa in Hans-Gunnar's market tent on Tuesday of the Medieval week. And ended up buying this fabulous wool fabric from Historiska Rum.

I had first planned to make a pretty straight forward late 14th century gown with horisontal stripes, maybe buttoned. But then I remembered this fantastic gown on a fresco by Bonamico Buffalmacco.It is from the Piazza de Miracoli in Pisa, an dwas made  between 1336 and 1341.

And the idea wouldn't go away. This gown had been a part of my life since I was a child in the 1970s. Because in my mum's "Housewives's lexicon" in four volumes there was an article about fashion history. There were modern drawings of clothign from diefferent ers, and one of those reperesenting the Middle Ages, was thsi one. Though I didn't realise this until maybe ten years ago.  

So the idea to make a diagonally striped gown kept living in the back of my head.

I knew that I would have to be extremely careful when cutting out the fabric, and try carefully if it was even possible to fit it on the fabric. This is a littel unusual for me - I usually freewheel a lot of my cutting. But I now I had to actually make a full size pattern, and a full size mock-up. After fitting the mock-up I unpicked the seams, so that I could use them as pattern for cutting.

That wine red linen is actually going to be a non-medieval dress.

There was enough width to make a diagonally striped dress, and enough remnants to make short , hanging sleeves. After I have made mock-ups for that too.

I am not particularly good at focusing on one project at a time, by the way. I have finished one of my cut work sleeves, and I am working on the other one. I am also knitting a fair isle slipover; becuse why not?

working on my 16th sleeves

I have been busy working, and making a modern wool skirt, but I AM also working on my cut out velvet sleeves.

The flowers are not perfectly even, but perfection is rare in period.

The wool skirt in question 

Yes, we have lots of snow for Gothenburg right now . 

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.