tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1273586635112526082024-08-31T12:03:18.748-05:00Welcome to my costuming blog! Maybe someday I can make a career out of this sort of thing, but for now I am simply a hobbyist doing research and re-creating garments based on medieval sources - archaeological finds, wardrobe accounts, paintings, sketches, and sculptures. My goal is to have fun, learn some new things along the way, and share my experience.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-38621014721112452102014-08-03T17:43:00.000-05:002014-08-03T17:43:08.126-05:00

My 10th century red tunic/gown/thingy and linen cap can be seen behind this link.  Super comfortable and absolutely effortless to wear.  Not pictured is my dark blue wool shawl.  Here is the inspiration article, which discusses the outermost garment seen on Norse depictions of women and presents some interpretations for constructing something that behaves accordingly.  My

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-39163867937032540302014-05-12T21:04:00.000-05:002014-05-12T21:04:04.532-05:00

Whew.  The past few months have been a roller-coaster.  It's nice to have my own space - and a real bed! - again.  I'll be spending several months at my mom's house while I take care of some personal and legal matters, then focus on building some cash reserves for when it's time to move into an apartment. While I was couch surfing I took a commission for four undergowns to be

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-46704394862965257802014-01-01T07:06:00.004-06:002014-01-01T07:06:51.775-06:00

Hi, Friends.  Due to a pretty dramatic shift in Life Trajectory, I will be out of the loop for a while.  I have some projects in progress, but won't be able to document and share them like I would prefer.  Hopefully the transition period won't take very long, but until I get re-settled, Thank You for keeping up with my blog.  I hope to return soon, and full of enthusiasm for

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-755521672293859662013-11-23T13:35:00.002-06:002013-11-23T13:35:30.878-06:00

Still making progress on the madder-red gown for my Viking ensemble.  Seams.  Lots of seams.  Tiny little stitches ... Since my last update, I received my brooches (shiny!) and my book (informative!) in the mail.  I also got to work breaking a large bag of walnut hulls into smaller chips for use in a dyebath, and put my wool cloth through some mild torture to remove any

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-86115415828692962352013-11-17T17:32:00.002-06:002013-11-17T17:34:03.093-06:00

Sometime back in the past, I wasn't terribly interested in Viking garb ... My friends, that has changed.  This past week I've ordered some Viking-themed birthday gifts for myself - a pair of bronze tortoise brooches from Raymond's Quiet Press (these, for the uninitiated, are used to fasten the shoulder straps on an apron-dress) and a copy of Medieval Garments Reconstructed: Norse

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-34087243483859188572013-09-27T12:35:00.000-05:002013-09-27T12:35:00.810-05:00

Sitting in camp at Gulf Wars, a Viking friend took notice of my blue linen hood and asked if I might make her a hood.  No problem!  It's a simple 3-4 piece pattern (depending on the fabric width) and uses less than 1 yard of material.  I took her measurements and we discussed materials. Fast forward to summer, and the fabric (vibrant red wool) was delivered safely into my

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-31086194741177640622013-09-26T12:25:00.000-05:002013-09-26T12:25:16.837-05:00

Sooner or later, garb is going to start showing signs of wear - a popped seam here, a tear there, and how did I not notice that singed spot?! (Thankfully I've avoided setting myself on fire, but you get the picture.) Some people may choose to let it go, and replace the garment when it is well and truly beyond salvaging.  I see it as an opportunity to make my garb more authentic. 

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-1343469126501600382012-12-03T13:27:00.000-06:002012-12-03T13:27:26.121-06:00

Just finished cutting out my new wool cloak - did I mention how much I lurve the deep red color?  It's so fitting for a Christmas Revel debut!  Anyhoo, I've got it draped over a bundle of hangers to stretch out a bit before I finish the bottom hem.  I'd recommend to anyone working with a heavyweight fabric (as is fitting and proper for a good winter cloak) to look for a bunch of

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-83850889053600565352012-11-28T10:52:00.001-06:002012-11-28T10:52:10.262-06:00

It appears Mississippi has decided to jump on the Winter is Cold bandwagon, leaving me in need of a good wool cloak before Christmas Revel ... which is a little over a week from today.  Merp. Never fear, though.  I already have some yummy deep red wool yardage and some silver silk (from the remnant bin - Pro Tip: always check the remnant bin when you set foot in any store that sells

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-83736729861279678192012-10-09T12:25:00.001-05:002012-10-09T12:25:07.343-05:00

This morning I found a very curious envelope in my mailbox (i.e. something addressed to me from an unfamiliar sender that was neither a bill nor a credit card offer).  I could see before I unfolded the enclosed letter that it was Something Important, since it had very bold olde-fashioned script as the heading.  It was from the Sardonyx Herald for the Kingdom of Gleann Abhann.  My

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-45812892200134419322012-07-31T08:25:00.002-05:002012-07-31T08:25:34.384-05:00

Dropping in once more to let the blogosphere know I'm still alive and well.  Mundane life has been especially interesting and distracting of late (not "baby" interesting, though).  My crafting focus for the next couple of weeks is an alpaca sweater for the Ravellenic Games.  Still working on preparing the Big Box-o-Linen for laundry torture. During the impromptu re-shuffling of

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-71111347998160324172012-06-01T22:43:00.001-05:002012-06-01T22:43:07.836-05:00

I'm still alive, despite the continued radio silence. During the past several weeks I've changed jobs - back to the "casual dining" scene for a few months, until DH can secure a transfer to a more metropolitan area (and a promotion, if things shake out as promised).  Not much to report.  I've been focusing on knitting - cranking out socks for family members, browsing sweater patterns,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-87173953938837612582012-05-06T23:04:00.000-05:002012-05-06T23:06:13.444-05:00

Not an actual "hey, I made progress" post, just popping in to let you know I'm alive and well.  Lots of non-garb stuff has been on the front burner, and a good bit of that non-garb stuff wasn't even fun non-garb stuff.  (Some of it was ... Finished a pair of stripey socks!) Anyway. Working on getting all my ducks back in one cohesive clump.  I don't think linear formation is

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-45758559210313805532012-04-15T13:55:00.001-05:002012-04-15T13:56:31.713-05:00

This weekend Gleann Abhann celebrated the coronation of Their Majesties Uther and Kenna. During court Saturday evening, Mistress Margot du Bois approached the thrones with a request to take a new apprentice. The Crowns gave their consent and the court herald summoned me to join Mistress Margot and give a public answer to her invitation. I accepted, and received a hand-woven green belt as a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-5719243828938238952012-03-30T10:13:00.002-05:002012-03-30T10:18:01.320-05:00

I'm moving my knitting research to a companion blog - Mathilde's Medieval Knitting Circle.That's pretty much it for today. Lots of reading and some laundry to do.Boo.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-6715089533435943502012-03-25T13:54:00.003-05:002012-03-25T14:05:57.352-05:00

Meet my lovely new assistants!Sure, they're not terribly handy when it comes to production, but I have the Musical Sewing Mice and the Knitting Octopus for that. I only require two things of them: 1. approximate the size and shape of a human head (mine, in particular) for blocking and display, and 2. sit very, very still for photographs. So far, they do these things rather well.But they need

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-40467478828373079812012-03-22T21:35:00.004-05:002012-03-22T22:24:32.124-05:00

Today I was pretty bad. But I have some awesome stuff to show for it. And I didn't pay full price for any of the sewing or knitting supplies. Just for the styrofoam heads. (Yes, I have a pair of styrofoam heads now.)And I bought DH a tiny model USS Enterprise kit. The naval ship, not the spaceship; he has one of those already. So he should be content for a little while.Step one was to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-69565376853365155402012-03-22T11:04:00.003-05:002012-03-22T11:27:11.263-05:00

I've been home from War for a few days, and I'm happy to report that I did not get sunburned, nor did I catch War Plague! Huzzah!AND I will now attest that wearing the right medieval clothing - layers and all - is superior to mundane clothing in terms of comfort and practicality. Case and point: setting up my tent (80 degrees and humid, mid-day) nearly made me overheat. Walking back to camp

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-56914401348180244922012-03-06T12:46:00.003-06:002012-03-06T13:00:14.672-06:00

Just make sure I'm inside it!I've started my A&S submission for Gulf Wars (a new Monmouth cap) and the documentation. I have a sketch of my device proposal for a herald consultation, and somewhere on my harddrive is documentation for my name submission. I picked up some muslin for a quickie chemise, along with bias tape for use on my wool gown and a new box of ball-head pins. I manage to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-35282003356129588932012-03-01T23:40:00.002-06:002012-03-01T23:47:32.915-06:00

Toe-up knee-high socks, knit from red fingering weight wool. Will I be able to resist the temptation to cast on another pair before I come home from Gulf Wars?

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-80308461208998061162012-03-01T14:20:00.002-06:002012-03-01T14:27:36.260-06:00

I got the last of my pattern-fiddling done Tuesday and tortured a cut of heavy cotton/linen fabric (not quite canvas weight) to use as bodice lining. Before work yesterday I cut out the four cotto-lin lining pieces and the left front panel, including the skirt length, from the blue wool yardage I bought in December. I've since sewn the lining to the wool and whip stitched over the edge that

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-23263834056010640792012-02-23T18:24:00.004-06:002012-02-23T18:43:21.883-06:00

I had a short day at work today, so when I came home I sweet-talked DH into taking a new set of tailoring measurements. He wasn't absolutely useless, once I developed a system of directions he could follow with his male, non-tailor-y brain. After jotting down all the figures I spent a little time drawing out miniature patterns on quarter-inch grid paper, and once that produced a shape that

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-14330976088634698142012-02-14T17:19:00.004-06:002012-02-14T17:53:38.728-06:00

Hi, everybody! I'm still alive and being a slacker, at least when it comes to expanding the garb wardrobe. Since my last post I've completed one knee-high wool sock and have made it past the heel turn on the second. I fear my Dear Husband now harbors a secret wish to possess a pair for himself, perhaps something with a split after the big toe so he can wear them around the house with his

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-31950228461240917592012-01-30T22:30:00.004-06:002012-01-30T22:46:56.290-06:00

According to Jonathan Coulton, who is, hands-down, the most thorough researcher in the world, he played for the Black Socks, and he always wore his black socks, but he never wore no shoes.Coulton is actually a very talented and hardworking musician. Information about the song referenced above can be found here.Now, back to the next-most-recent tangent:Waa-Laa! Yeah, I know it's red, not black,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127358663511252608.post-37501684820695446632012-01-27T17:20:00.003-06:002012-01-27T17:51:59.119-06:00

Yep. I'm having one of those episodes again. I've recently come to grips with the fact that I'm weighed down by an unfulfilling job that leaves me with little time or energy to do things I actually enjoy. Deep down I know I should be working on my fitted gown, but I'm finding it so much more convenient to pick up some knitting instead of hauling out yards of fabric, cutting board, and all the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0