This black silk robe a la francaise is about 80% hand-sewn, more than I ever intended. I've retrimmed it 4x now!
Recreating the pink portrait of Mary Queen of Scots had long been a dream, & I finally did it for my birthday.
My drag alter-ego is Leonard Autie, hairdresser to Marie Antoinette. He sometimes gets a new suit for Carnevale.
I was perusing my links of “random costumes I dig,” as one does, and what rises to the top but this pretty pink dress, aka, La jeunesse painted by Santi di Tito in the late 16th century, I’d guess 1580s-90s. Omg, that is exactly what I need to cure my ‘not feeling pretty in anything
Finished and worn at the SCA West Kingdom A&S event. Was originally going to wear it with a white shirt, but that looked to stark. So I rooted around in my closet and found a black gothy peasant dress in cotton gauze with full sleeves. It worked visually, if not accurately. Must make a coordinating
I’m *this close* to being done with the new outfit. I cartridge-pleated up the black wool skirt and attached the waistband (note: I really do a lot of hand-sewing for someone who hates hand-sewing). Let it hang on Sunday so I can hem it tonight or tomorrow. Hemming will be by hand (see note). I’d
I finally trimmed the neckline of the black and grey kirtle, so it’s presentable. I’d like to add trim to the sleeve wings and maybe add guarding at the hem, but those are not crucial. I could wear it as-is. So yay, I have a new outfit to wear, instead of wearing the same things
I hate the sleeves I put on the loose gown yesterday. They look like Henry VIII being an asshole. Another Reconstructing History pattern FAIL. Also, the collar is way too big (again, a reason not to follow the RH pattern; it’s so freakin’ *off* as far as size goes, either too big or too small,
No pix, but I made ginormous sleeves for the loose gown. Not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, I like obnoxious fashion details. On the other hand, these are pretty freakin’ obnoxious, and it’s a good thing I didn’t pad them like I was tempted to do. I almost feel up to
Well, I wore the gown in England at our 16th-century feast at Blo Norton, a moated Tudor manor house. And I was much more pleased with the effect this time! I bought a gold choker necklace with black and red faux gems and pearls that coordinated nicely, and I did my hair up in big,
While the sewing is on hold, the research continues! I just returned from the U.K. where I finally got to see both portraits in person — and, wow, they are totally different! It’s not merely a difference in image reproduction. The originals may show the same person in the same pose and gown, but the
I set a strip of hook-and-eye tape in the late 16th-c. loose gown, which I started work on. Goal is to have this wearable for June A&S (yeah, yeah, planny-pants here is thinking ahead even though I’m still finishing stuff for the UK trip). Got the main body finished last night, letting it hang, and
I ironed a bunch of pre-washed fabric for my loose gown. And I had a little epiphany … this gown will make me look matronly. But in the 1580s, I *would* be a matron! I’m 41 years old, my SCA persona is married, manages her estates in her husband’s many absences, and has grown children
For once (or maybe twice) in my life, I’m drawing something of a blank when it comes to trim patterns. Maybe because the outfit is outside of my usual style or maybe because I’ve been cranking through a bunch of other costumes recently. So, I’m looking to the LJ hivemind, you’re my only hope! I
At the SCA March Crown, I was quite impressed by Elena’s short loose gown, and Jauna also let me try on her Spanish ropa over my gown, which looked pretty darn nice (and hey, we’re the same height ;-). I’m thinking the burgundy/red cotton damask in The Stash would make a good loose gown, and
Was not overly pleased with the test-run of the Valois gown at March Crown. I’d tried it on at home the week before, and it looked fine, the only potential issue was the sleeves seemed a bit slippy on my shoulders. But when I put it on Saturday night, the whole thing felt an inch
The Valois gown is done! All trimmed, bodice, sleeves, and petticoat. No pix for you because, well, it looks a lot like the last two pix only with more of the same. Would look better when worn, and that probably won’t happen until May. Now, I could test it out at March Crown, ‘cept what
