A short visit to the 1830s

 My sister Lena (her blog, which is mainly about food) has decided that her husband's 45th birthday party should be a 19th century dinner party. Only people insane enough to want to make outfits were invited. And of course I was one of them.

We could go for any part of the 19th century, so I could have worn my 1810s ball gown, which I haven't worn to any event yet. But making something new is more fun, so I ended up making an 1830s evening gown.

The fabric is cotton, and a gift from my friend Amanda, who was clearing out her grandmother's stash. It is trimmed with new velvet ribbon, new satin ribbon, and vintage cream lace that I have bought at charity shops. 

In addition to the dress I made a new pair of 1830s stays, a new corded petticoat, a petticoat with a ruffle at the botoom, and some padding to wear over my hips and bum.

You can see some of them here: the petticoat, the pads and the stays, and me making a toile for the bodice.

The two big cheats in this project are that I used the sewing machine for all the construction of the dress, stays and and pads, with hand hemming, lacing holes, trimming  etc. and that instead of making arm crienolines to keep the puff sleeves out I went for the theatrical solution of stiff tulle inside.

The corded petticoat is, on the other hand, entirely hand sewn.

For the hair I also used modern methods: I put more hair gel in my hair than I have since the 1980s. The decoration is made from scraps from the dress and artificial flowers intended to put around a candle, also thrifted. I was shoprt on time with both the hair and getting dressed, because I accidentally played computer games too long, and had to really rush it to catch the tram. In all I had 40 minutes to do my hair an dget dressed and I think it turned out rather well. 

And that gel was firm .- this photo is taken on the way home, after a dinner party and some rather brisk walking outdoors for 1,5 kilometres to get to the tram home. 

Actually, all the photos are from after the party, this one is the only one I managed to take before running to the tram.

The petticoat is too long, I have already removed the waistband to make it shorter. It is made from a decorative bottom sheet with a valance that I got at a charity shiop, like so many of my things.

A 15th century Propserpine

So, Gotvik had decided that our annual autumn event: Festivalo de Caderas, should include a masked ball. 

I had planned to do research on masked balls in the medieval period, but I didn't have the energy this autumn. However, what little I had read about it suggested that they were more common in the renaissance. It also appeared that Allegorical figures and Roman deities were common in masked balls and in masked parades. 

So, since the ball  was close to All Hallows/Samhain I decided to go for something related to the Underworld: Proserpine/Persephone, queen of Hades.

Read all about the gown, the sources, the making, and the accessories here.

A red early 14th century italian wool gown

I don't blog much these days. I tend to make things, rather than write about them. And often I am too tired to do much more than post photos on Instagram. After all, I did start my webpage in 2000, so there have been many years of writing about my historical costumes. Aside from my professional writing on clothing in history.

But maybe this is the re-start of blogging, who knows?

Anyway, my newest medieval project was a red wool gown that I wore to Medieval Christmas, and Styringheim's Lucia Feast in Visby in the beginning of December.

To keep warm I wore  thick sewn wool cloth stockings, a linen shift, my quilted sleeveless shift  a thin wool kirtle, and the red wool gown, naalebound mittens (not made by me) sometimes a wool cloak and a wool hood lined in silk, or a two layer silk veil. And very modern boots with wool pile lining. I wasn't cold at all.

For my sources, inspiration and further information on construction etc, see its page.

Too many things made - and too much work to document them

 I HAVE been sewing the last motnhs, but I have been too busy with my paid work - mainly recording lectures on fashion history for a course at Gothenburg University, where I work. 

I have also planned and cooked a medieval feast for 40 people, which took a large toll on my strength. My arthritis is really bad at the moment.

So, blogging has been very low on my priority list. I show my projects on Instagram, and that's about it. However, I will make proper posts about my three latest projects - later

Now you have to be satisfied just with some photos.

* A 15th century Italian masquerade outfit for the masked ball att Festivalo de Caderas, Gotvik's autumn SCA event

* A working class wool Regency wool spencer.

* An early 14th century Italian wool dress, of the by me beloved type with a seam over the bust. (I've written about this style here and here, and a little bit of everywhere, I really do love it)

Gotvik's autumn picnic

 My SCA barony Gotvik, and I, arranged a picnic for newcomers and old hands, and everybody else, last Saturday. You can never be sure about the weather in Gothenburg, but this day it was fantastic. Sunny and warm (for mid-September) and we had a lovely day, with severeal new people joining in.

I had chosen the place, Näckrosdammen Park, becvaus it is central, and close to the Faculty of Humanities, so it would be easy to find for students, who might be new in town. It is also easy to reach by public transport, and accessible with wheelchair.

What I didn't know  was that this year they had placed two picnic tables at the spot I had chosen - which made it even better.

We started out with one of the tables, but soon we needed the other one too.

 As you can see I brought one of my new bench cushions. I have made two now, but since I carried everything that I needed to teh picnic I couldn't bring both.

I did bring table cloths, and some of my pottery and bentwood boxes though. Lady Alfhild and I had both made cookies to share, otherwise we usually bring our own food. I hade made meat mince pies, which you can see on my lovely, thrifted, replica of a 17th century pottery plate from Karlstad in Sweden.

I brougth extra pottery plates for serving too, because I really need to use some of my enormous amount of feast gear.

And what did I wear? Well, early 14th century of course, one of my trusted Codex Manesse outfits.

This photo is from when we were packing up at 5 pm, when our site was in shadows, hence the cool colours.

A cushion for one of my benches

Camping events always makes you inspired to make more stuff for your medieval camp. And I have now made a bench cushion.

 In 2001, when I made my large tent my stepfather also helped us made a large table and benches, which has been used by both Nylöse and Gotvik, the two medieval groups that I have been member of for many years. They're very sturdy, and easy to take a part.

But it IS nicer if you have a cushion to sit on too. So when I found this embroiderd piece of fabric in a charity shop in the beginning of June I started thinking about making it into a cushion. 

The box, and the towel which you can see a little of was also from this charity shop, Erikshjälpen.

But, for something to sit on you want a sturdier stuffing than for a normal pillow, and I was thinking about what to use. Traditionally wool, cotton batting or feathers would have been a solution.

But then, while at another charity shop last week I saw all the cushions intended for outside furniture, and realized that the easiest way was to take one of those, cut it down, and use it.

And luckily, this Wednesday at Mölndal's second hand I found one that already was the right size.

Since ti would be stupid to have the emboridered fabric all around the cushion - after all the underside gets worn, I used another charity shop find: handwoven flax tow yarn twill, from Lindra Wieselgren.

And here is the finished project, on top of a chest, because the benches are down in the storage, and taken apart, and that would be just too much work just to take a photo,

Apprentice number two

 So, after much thinking, I decided just before I went to Double Wars, to ask my friend Alfhild de Foxley if she wanted to be my apprentice. 

This photo is from the Barony of Gotvik's picnic today, showing us together. Like Branna Alfhild got a painted glass with my badge on it, in the same style as mine, and with her heraldic device on it. 
And she also got a green belt. The leather belt was a gift from my Mistress, Mistress Helwig, upon my Laurelling, and the I bought the pewter buckle and belt end from my frist apprentice, Branna's shop, at Double Wars. This is also the first time I've fitted a buckle and belt end to leather - as they say in Swedish: You learn as long as you have students.

As with Branna, my first apprentice, I didn't, and still don't really know what and how much I can give to an apprentice, with my exhaustion and general bad health. But it appears that both my apprentices want the same thing: help to do more research and scholarly writing, which at least is something that I am good at.

So, overcoming my feeling of inadequacy, I have now asked two talented people, and two friends, to be my apprentices. And both of them said yes. Well, Branna asked me first, but that was years ago, and she could have changed her mind. 

A Laurel-apprentice relationship can take many forms. When I was apprenticed to my Mistress Helwig it was most of all a way to bind us together closer in our friendship. I don't live close enough to her to learn tailoring skills, and research I could already do. It was a way of formalizing the closeness that we've felt since we first met, many years ago,

I think that that is one of the things  that Alfhild's and mine Laurel-apprenticeship is about too. We already do lots of projects together, including holding all A&S meetings and courses in Gotvik. We are not exactly in the same field,  though overlapping, but we support and inspire each other. And as her Mistress I give her a place in my household, a place where she belongs, where she is home. While she lives further away I hope that I can be that for Branna too in some sense.

This photo taken by Margareta Arvidsdotter is an excellent one of me and Alfhild - always talking about different medieval and early modern material culture, and things that we want to make.