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.

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.

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 clothing from different eras, and one of those representing the Middle Ages, was this 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 test carefully if it was even possible to fit it on the fabric. This is a little 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; because why not?

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.

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.

Medieval week Friday and Saturday

 I got busy moving around thigns in our flat, plus visting my sister and her family on Friday, and my mum on Saturday, but here, finally, are photos from Friday and Saturday.

On Frday Sara and I went to have a look at the Battle of Wisby camp. Battel of Wisby is a large re-enactment of a battle from 1361, which takes place every three years. They also have an open camp, and on Friday it was market day.

Some photos from that visit.

Then I went for a swim. No surprise there.

Italian cotton dress and reed hat.

And in my supportive linen shift after the swim.

Then we had dinner and I decided to go out and see if I would run into friends. The sun was strong and we had spent a lot of time outdoors in the middle of the day, so my skin felt hot, and I decided that it would be nice to wear some cool, soft silk.

I also thought that it would be nice to actually wear all the clothes that I had brought with me. So I wore a blue ca 1320-1330 gown that I made in 2006. I  wore it to the medieval week that summer, but I also wore it to my viva party that year , after I had defeneded my PhD thesis, and spilled gravy on it. I twas possible to hand wash but the colour got a little unven after that. To hide that I printed a pattern on it with "gold" textile paint.

I went to the market and had a beer with Hans Gunnar, and ran into some people that I know from the early 16th century group ProKnekt. Then I went down to the sea. It was magical.

And I took a really good selfie.

Well, actually, more than one.

Here you can see the whole dress. In the dark, woth the phone perched on a ruined church wall.

Then bed and a good night's sleep.

Next morning I Sara, her partner, and their other partner went to Kapitelhusgården and the market for some last day shopping.

Sara and I looked silly together at Kapitelhusgården.

And she looked rather regal in her Germanic Iron age peplos, when on her own.

More market. This is the Polish folk group Daj Ognia playing on the market.

And more swimming, more walking, more market beer, and then to bed for the trip home to Gotheburg.

Home is nice too.

Medieval week Wednesday and Thursday

 Another image heavy post from my recent visit to the Medieval week on Gotland. Wednesday started with a lovely morning concert and presentation of the history of the medeival Celtic harp. Held in a ruin. Of course. Very relaxing and full of atmosphere. The harpist was Ell, one of the few people these days who play the medieval Celtic harp with metal strings: gold, silver and brass.

    

Then it was time for the Great Visby Tournament, a traditional SCA tournamnet held since the 1980s. Sara isn't keen on that kind of thing, but my friend Erika, who saw it for the first time enjoyed it a lot. It helped that they had a good presenter, telling what was going on. And probably me giving explanations too. It was also a reasonable short tournament with only really good fighters. We started it all with a procession from the medieval Chapter House - Kapitelhusgården - to the old,dried up moats, outside the city walls. The King and Queen of Drachenwald in the lead. But I have no photos of that, I was busy walking,

Me and Erika 

My veil had blown back, that is not how it was supposed to look. More like this.

The finals - between Sir, Duke Padraig, and Sir, Viscount Ludwig. Ludwig won, and got the coveted lambskin.

Then their Majesties, his excellency the Prince of Nordmark (SCA Sweden) and their excellencies the Baronesses of Styringheim (SCA Gotland) held court.

Then Sara and I had dinner at the B&B, which also had a kitchen where we could cook our own food.

That evening was the free fre show by the group TriX, and I made an honest attempt to attend. But it was too much people and I got overwhelmed. So I took a late evening walk, and then went to bed.

Thursday I has slept really badly, so I started the day with a morning swim in the sea. The waves were fabulous.

Then I went and bought some bubbly, before exploring the various medieval camps while looking for people that I might know. The camps are all situated just outside the medieval city walls.

Then market again, where I shared some bubbly with Hans Gunnar, and Marketa, a Czech expert in medieval book painting and calligraphy. 

Not everybody dresses in medieval clothing, there's quite a lot of fantasy stuff too (and 16th century, and fatnasy pirate style). I thought this was cool.

Home for dinner, and amother swim to keep me awake. We lived almost at the highest point from the sea, so there was lots of climbing up and down the cobblestone roads, and stairs.

After the swim in my 13th century wool gown. It wasn't particluarly warm, but the water was still lovely.

Despite being sleep deprived I went to the the Chapter House to see Medeltidsbandet Själ . I like authentic medeival music more than medeival rock with gigantic drums and bagpipes, and half naked men, so this was a treat for me. They are both very good, and lots of fun.

The Chapter House is also a very nice place to just hang out, even if I got stung by a wasp that enjoyed the lavender as much as I did.

I also got to hang out with the three Black Metal Sisters, as I call them. One is obviously missing in this photo.

Rabbit to the left, fox to teh right. The snake turned up later.

Sing-along to one of the Cantigas de Santa Maria.

Then it was bedtime. Next post will show the Battle of Wisby camp. And some really pretty photos of yours truly.