French Hood

This is a few years old - 2014/15.  I had never taken a picture of me in it.  French Hood of Black Velvet.  There are two Billaments.  The front edge is Gold and Pearl,  The rear is a double strand of Pearls and Ruby Cabochons.  I have done little jewelry making, so doing these was a learning curve, but fun.  I started this hood at a Pennsic class, then like all good project set it aside for a while.  I was dusting it off for Coronation, and wore it with my new Gold and Black English.

All together.  Photo Brendan  Crane.

My Laurel's Pelican Hood.

My Laurel - Mistress Nest Verch Tangwistle, was elevated to the peerage of Pelican at the K&Q Archery Championship.  Debated on what to make.  Ended up making her an early period Viking hood out of Blue Linen.  The seams are all finished in Gold Silk embroidery. Mistress Nest colors are Blue and Gold.

I embroidered a Pelican in a laurel Wreath (to symbolize she is a Laurel and a Pelican)  It is done inm silk thread, split stitch, on linen.  This was then applicated onto the hood.  Do not have a final picture, but here are photo of the other parts 

Pictures do no show the deep blue color of the linen.

  

Black English Loose Gown - Long coat

Fitted out an English Loose gown based on a pattern draft from the Tudor Tailors book.  This is a heavy black wool, and is lined in black Satin.

The coat is edged with black velvet ribbon.  The overcast of the ribbon over the sleeve edge was tricky.  I took a lot of small tucks in the ribbon to get it to curve.

The skirt is done in large box pleats.  This is to date one of my favorite items, but alas I can only wear it in Winter.  Last Birka I paired this with a Velvet skirt with Bodice that had a forepart of the figured velvet.  Looks really nice.  Entered it into the Birka fashion show.  Didn't win, but Axel did with his outstanding men's English doublet and breeches he made.  No pictures. :)  

English Jacket

I drafted up, and constructed and English short jacket using some left over gold Linen I had.  The biggest problem I had was fitting over the bust line.  Clothing of this period does not use darts, so shaping when cutting is important.
I am not one to make something only from muslin, then discard it.  If I am going to make it, I will wear it.  I feel I am a good enough seamstress to do this.
Update:  I have taken the front seam apart and cut the bust line down, so there is not so much of a "pump" in the from.

Wearing the Jacket with bum roll.  

These shoot were taken during fitting of second Linen Jacket.  The back is too long, which is causing it to buckle.  The front is held together with safety pins, later I will install hooks and eyes.

Third Jacket.  This is a low neck Jacket. 

New Wardrobe Fall of 2014/2015

After several years wearing OK garb I worked towards making a more authentic Wardrobe.  I will concentrate on a 1500's English persona.  I will continue to refine this into a Lady from 1571.

I used as my base two pattern sources.  Ended up making, in Linen  4 Kirtles:  Blue, green, gold and red.  And two Bodices with Skirts:  Purple Bodice w/skirt,  Black Bodice w/Skirt, and 1 Tan skirt.  Also adjusted what was once a poorly made Kirtle into just a Red Skirt.  I salvaged an older Red Skirts I had made out of a stiff Cotton Broadcloth.  I use this as the underskirt for structure, also it is red (for my health, of course).  It has a modern Zipper (old Ren faire outfit) but no one sees it.  

 Added partlets and wired coifs from the Tudor Tailors. This is a blue wool Kirtle, with lots of skirt.  I wear this often when being a Merchant.  This partlet is black wool.  Made several styles of white linen partlets.  Also need lots of new Linen Chemises to wear under.
All told I made over 20 new pieces of clothing for my wardrobe.
Update:  This was several years ago.  Since then I have lost over 35 pounds.  As a result most everything is too large.  I tried taking in, but outside of deconstructing and reconstructing, nothing fits.  So I plan on giving away or selling, or Gold Keying most of these pieces, and going on another sewing spree.  Now to see when I will stop loosing weight.  Good thing I love to sew.

Black Velvet outfit - Maunche

The panels of blackwork above are for sleeves to be added to a partlet with blackwork collar I have.  I have taken these panels with me everywhere to work on them.  The most exotic spot was on a two Masted Schooner I sailed on off the coast of Turkey for a week.  The boat took us out to Malta, a wonderful spot where the Crusader stopped on their way to the Holyland.  The old fort and Halls of the different Knights, with their Heraldry are still there.  
Of course, once I had attached the sleeves, I needed an outfit to wear it with, soooooo

Black velvet Bodice based on pattern from Margo Anderson's Historical Patterns.  Bodice is closed in the front by numerous hooks and eyes.  Underskirt has a fore skirt of the Deco Fabric previously seen. which looks like stamped velvet.  Overskirt and Bodice is out of Rayon Velvet.  Sewing on that stuff is like working on moving water.  You have to use lots of pins.  This outfit is loosely based on a painting of Lady Mary Grey.  Someday I may add strips of Blackwork to the Partlet itself, to complete the look.

I finished this outfit just in time.  Unbeknown to me I was called up in court at Fall Coronation (2014) and awarded my Maunche. This is an award for excellence in the Arts and Sciences given by the East Kingdom, Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA).  This scroll was made by Baroness Nest Verch Tangwistle, and is entirely embroidered.  WOW.  

St. Eligius 11/2017 and the gloves

I entered my gloves to the St. Eligius A&S competition.  This event every year showcase some of the best A&S items prior to the K&Q A&S in February.  I usually enter each year in the experienced competitor level. One of the differences in this competition as to others, is we are the judges.  Instead of having a "group" of judges chosen to judge you, we get together with the others competitors in our level and judge each other.   I enjoy doing this.  I spend the day explaining what I am doing, how I did it, etc.  This year I was chosen by my fellow competitors as the best, or I won.  It is humbling.

The photo above was captured as I was explaining my gloves to this lovely Lady.  She so enjoyed my explanation, asked great questions.  As I finished she apologized that she had to leave to go to a meeting.  Turns out she was the Queen of the East.  I laughed with her.  And I apologized that I didn't know her as I don't pay much attention to that side of the Society.  I'm aware of it, but not involved with it.  She was actually delighted that I didn't know, and just treated her like I do anyone who stops and wants to learn about what I do, and not pander to her.  Lovely experience.

Last pair for now

One last pair for now.  These are made out of soft white deer skin, with brown faux fur cuffs.   This is the thickest leather I have used and I needed to be very careful pushing the needle thru.  I was not totally happy with my last pair of Elizabethan glove.  The front of the gloves the end of the V's on the front were not even,  Did it matter, maybe not,  but this pair (look at right hand) are nice and even across.  I notice.  They are not practical as the fingers are very long, and they are white, but look elegant.  

 

Elizabethan gloves

Elizabethan I(E1) was known to have very long fingers.  She inherited them from her mother Anne Boleyn.  As a result, most wealthy people of this period are painted holding gloves which show very long fingers to emulate their Queen.  These are not practical gloves, but indicate the required look of conspicuous consumption.
I wanted to make my gloves following the style of glove that belonged to E1 in the V&A book.  But at the same time I wished to match the embroidery to use with a Jacket and Coif I am making instead of using the blackwork pattern extracted from the gloves.  Also the gloves in the V&A are made of linen.  This is unusual as linen gloves are not strong, and mostly used as an inner glove when wearing leather gloves.  But this pair is beautifully embroidered, and show repairs made to them, so may have been more of a summer pair of gloves worn often by E1.  I decided to make my gloves from white leather.  They will be stronger.
First was figuring out the cuff embroidery.  The pattern I used from the Coif, the design was too large for the cuff.  It took several drafts to reduce pattern to a size I felt looked proportionate.  I started stitching the pattern, but the scale to the linen was off.  I had to go to a very fine linen (40ct New Castle linen).  I also need to reduce the size of the paillettes.  Ended up using #17.  These are so fine that to thread the center hole to stitch them down I need to use a very long tiny beading needle.

I finished the cuff off with silver thread using the Elizabethan Ladder braid stitch.  The corners have pearls.  This took several months to complete.  

I debated over a button hole edging or straight stem stitch edging to the silver thread.  Preferred the Stem stitch,  so Yup, I reversed stitch the button hole (pulled it out) and added the stem stitch.  I earned my next level of Crazy Embroiderer.  

The white leather I am using is a heavier suede, split pig hide, then used in my previous gloves.  When stitching on leather you must be careful.  Once you make a hole with the needle, you own the hole.  I was also using the V gusset, or fork, between the fingers, with Querks.  I did not photo these.  The V fork restricts the movement of the fingers to pull apart.  The small querk (small triangle gusset) at the base of the finger allows this movement.  The front of the V goes down the front of the hand adding to the long finger look.

Sewed the cuff, which had already been attached to a lining with buckram. To do this you have to whip stitch the cuff (front and back) to the leather.  

Once the cuff is attached you can then finish off the fingers.  I had attached the thumb earlier.

3rd pair of gloves a charm, and first leather pair.

The third pair of gloves I completed (bottom pair above) finally fit like they should.  I had added too much to my second pair (top pair above,  the look the same size due to camera angle).  These became my husbands gloves.  I only needed to add extra width on the sides.  Between the fingers you have a gusset, and didn't need the extra length (cut that off). These two are all made of wool, the cuffs of a heavy Deco fabric, and some JoAnn's lace or trim on edge.  Also the cuff shape, bottom pair, now resembles those on Elizabeth 1's gloves.  I added a layer of buckram to the cuffs for shape.  Sewing the cuff on is not straight forward.  You must sew it on both the outside then inside.  I guess I could have just gone thru, like a sewing machine, but that did not seem right to me.

Next step was to work in leather.  I have a very nice leather outlet about and hour's drive, Tandy Leather, and it is not hard to convince my husband to go on a field trip with me.  HAHA.   I got to feel all the different hides.  Ended up with a nice suede in tan.  Most of my reading said Tan was the most common glove color.  (Of course mine did not end up plain/simple, one of my problems.)  So I bought glovers needles and different twines for stitching. I was really on a learning curve here.  

I cut the leather out following the pattern I had developed for my third pair.  I am still using the U channel gusset between the fingers.  I experimented with two different ways of finishing off the finger tips.  One finger I brought them all sides to a point, the other I eased the side channel to a side point, with a flat top.  Second way was best.  Looks right.  I found the glovers needles easy to work with.  The are sharp on three sides, and pierce the leather easily (no outfit is complete without blood on it).  This was also not a thick leather.  You need strong fingers.  Found a thimble helpful, went thru many different types of them before I found one I liked.  A leather one on the pushing (middle) finger.  

I finished these off with a cotton velvet cuff, some cabochons and left over trim I had in the house.  For the first pair of leather, I think I did OK.   I can wear these come fall.     

New Outfit for Coronation

I decided to make a new outfit for Coronation in Spring 2016.  I made an English comfort gown, with a loose gown over.  The materials are not perfect "period" but it is hard to find or afford "perfect" period fabric.  

The Comfort gown is a pattern by Margo Anderson Historical Patterns.  I use patterns mostly as guidelines.  I have never actually cut these patterns, but they help me to understand the shape I need.  The front panel, the only one where you would use the "fancy" material, has the look of a stamped velvet. The sleeves are three panel sleeves out of the same material, pinched together about every 3 inches, so the chemise can be puffed thru.

The loose gown is out of a really "bad" novelty fabric.  But it looks great.  It looks like cut velvet on cloth of gold.  Well I can imagine.  The coat is lined with a gold silk(ish) fabric with black Fleur-de-lis.  Coat is edge with black trim, this also helps keeping the edges from rolling.

The Loose gown is actually and old Butterick pattern.  I have owned this pattern for maybe 20 years, from my early Ren Faire days, and used it for a previous out fit. You can find very authentic patterns within the Big Three patterns (Simplicity, Butterick, McCall).  This is good for novice sewers.  There is often just small changes you need to make to the pattern, to make it more authentic.  This is one of them.  It is period, except it calls for a front facing.  You can easily adjust this pattern to "period" by eliminating this facing and bringing the lining all the way to the front edge.  I decided because of the nature of the novelty fabric (it wanted to shred) I used a self facing with interfacing for stiffness.  Was a good decision.  This may not have been perfect Period construction, but out fit passed the 10 foot rule, for sure.  

 

1st pair of gloves

So I traced out my hand on paper, then cut it out of scrape linen.  Some quick stitches up the thumb and side, and tried it on.  Could not get my hand into it.  You have to allow extra room for the thickness of the hand.  First lesson learned.

Redrew the hand adding and extra inch everywhere.

I cut this out from some wool fabric I had.  I could get into these for sure.  Actually they are too big.  But that was OK, This is learning.  The pattern I am using has me doing a U channel between the fingers.  This is a standard glove channel.  Later I will do a more difficult style of between the finger channel.

The hardest part is finishing off the tips of the fingers.  Once I have finished these they I made a cuff from some material .  As these are wool I would eventually detach the cuff, turn the seams inside, reattach the cuff and add trim.  But the gloves are soo big, My husband now owns a nice pair of period gloves to wear.

Gloves - The beginning

About 2 1/2 years ago I decided I needed to make gloves.  Period gloves.  Elizabethan period gloves.

Now gloves have been around since, almost, the beginning of time.  Man (and women) having been making coverings to protect their hands from harsh work, the elements, to be decorative, to indicate authority, etc. Gloves have been found in the tombs of the Pharaohs.  The Ice Man, found in a Swiss Glacier, was wearing gloves.  So bottom line these are not anything new.

So what makes an Elizabethan period glove different.  First, Queen Elizabeth I have very long graceful fingers.  She inherited these from her mother Anne Boleyn.  The gloves made by her Master of the Wardrobe (who made all her gloves it is said) had very long.  It was said that during an audience she was seen taking here gloves on an off over 100 times, showing off her fingers.  (personally I figure she was bored and did this to keep herself occupied and not yell "off with their heads" , but then I am a synic) I found a beautiful pair of Elizabeth I's gloves in QEWU (Queen Elizabeth Wardrobe Unlocked).  It was only a small, tiny picture of a pair with a cuff of blackwork.  This I wanted to duplicate.  I looked everywhere for a larger picture.  I knew form QEWU that they were in the V&A.  But multiple searches thru the V&A on line inventory I could not find them.  Frustration!!!   It was several month later Looking thru my most reasoned acquisition of a V&A book, and boom there they were.  Not only a pictures but several pages of: how they were made, stitches used, repairs done to them, and even x-rays of them.  Well what I thought was something special or unique was now common, but still I needed to recreate them, so.....

First I had to learn How to Make Gloves.  Looked easy enough, but the Learning is in the making.

PolyChrome Coif

This is the second embroidered coif I have made.  This coif is Silk Thread on 40 count linen. Stitches include: Detached Corded Buttonhole, Stem Stitch, Extended Chain.  There size 12 gold paillettes.  The gold coils are done in #371 metal thread and done in the Elizabethan Plaited Braid Stitch (standard).  All stitches are from the book by Jacqui Carey Elizabethan Stitches  A Guide to Historic English Needlework.  This book is an excellent resource for those interested in recreating Elizabethan embroidered items.