New Project: Part Two, Kirtle, postponed

I had a wonderful day yesterday.  I was out the door early to meet up with local moms followed by a terrific lunch with a dear friend.

I also recognized that I do not want to rush my latest project.  As such, yesterday I made the decision to postpone my new gown until after Twelfth Night.

I still have a lot to do.  The kirtle bodice and skirt were all cut out and partially assembled, for both the fashion fabric and the lining.  I still need to sew the skirt lining to the skirt; sew the bodice lining to the bodice; and then butt those pieces together and sew.  Hemming, finishing still left, of course.

And the over gown hasn't even been patterned yet.

After all the holiday bustle is over and the dust settles, I'll pull out the sewing machine again and get back to work.  Stay tuned!

New Project: Part Two, Kirtle, in progress

I'm stalled.  Not for lack of trying, though.  I am at a stage in construction where I need to fit part of the garment to me.  It is nearly impossible to do this without help, and help is hard to come by at the moment.

I am running out of time, but I may just be able to do this.  We will see.


In other, related news, I have decided to alter the chemise neckline a touch to lengthen the opening slit down the front.  This change will not alter the overall look.  I have also decided upon fabric for the kirtle and the over gown.

For the kirtle, I am going to finally use a gorgeous green silk satin that has been sitting in my stash for years.  Satin was a commonly used fabric for kirtles between 1485 and 1520, so that part is accurate.  Green, however, wasn't a widely used color during that time.  It was used, just not as much as others.  Black and tawny were more prevalent.

To line it, I have some green linen.  The shades of green are not identical, but it will be fine.  Particularly if I decide to bind my edges since the only places where the lining should be visible would be at the bodice edge.

While velvet was a very popular fabric choice for over gowns of the period, I only have about 7 yards of velvet to work with.  (The pattern speculates a need for about 6 yards for a smaller size than myself.)  It's a gorgeous green fabric, and would be beautiful with the kirtle fabric, however I have decided to use a worsted wool instead.  I have some lovely russet wool, and some luxurious green wool cashmere in abundance compared to the velvet.  So it makes more sense to me to put this dress together the first time with one of those.  Once I am familiar with the pattern, I'll revisit the idea of using the velvet.

I did agonize over the idea to use one of my worsteds, though, since the research did not show the use of worsted for over gowns then.  But I had to err on the side of practicality this time as I would be cutting it very close with the velvet.  One the plus side, it'll make a fantastic war gown, too, being wool.

Left to do:

-Finish chemise (handwork)
-Fit kirtle bodice muslin
-Construct kirtle muslin
-Adjust muslin, if necessary
-Cut, construct kirtle
-Draft over gown pattern
-Fit over gown muslin
-Adjust muslin, if necessary
-Cut, construct over gown
-Draft hood pattern
-Cut, construct hood

Phew!  Yeah, I may not make it in time...

New Project: Part One, cont. Chemise

I am pleased to report that all machine sewing for the chemise is DONE!

Now I am faced with a few decisions:

Neckline--do I leave it high? Square it off? Gather it into a rounded neckline? Trim it later to match the neckline of the kirtle? Oh, I cannot decide! Thankfully, I can always finish it as is and change it later.

Sleeves--how long should I keep them? i usually keep them a touch long, but note that in this slightly-earlier-than-what-I-have-been-playing period, the smock sleeves are just about arms length and no more.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Haikus?

New Project: Part One, Chemise

The evening of the last post, I did manage to locate my white linen, cut the yardage desired, and launder it.  The next day, I pressed it.

And then the fabric just languished while life--and a few holiday parties--happened.


With some happiness, I can report that the fabric is no longer languishing, and has--in fact--been cut!  The edges of the pieces have all been zig-zagged.  And a few pieces have even be sewn together!

While numerous of my friends would chortle and deride such lack of progress, at least one that I know would/will/and does COMPLETELY understand what an ordeal it can be attempting to sew with a toddler in residence.

Declan fell asleep on our way home from this morning's archery practice.  As my spouse wanted to work on straightening up the garage, we simply let the boy nap while Daddy worked within a few feet of the car.  I took the opportunity to get the dining room transformed into my sewing studio.  I was also able to measure and cut out all the pieces of the chemise before Declan rose.

Once awake, the baby played with Daddy in the garage for a time.  I used the chance to stay-stitch and edge stitch all of the linen pieces.  But soon it was my turn to play parent.

Husband and I traded off similarly for most of the evening, and as of now--I can say that progress has been made!


A few notes about the chemise thus far.  I debated whether to use french seams or flat-felled seams.  I ultimately chose french seams, mainly as I was running dangerously low on white thread.  However, I didn't get too far, so could switch over after a trip to Jo-Ann tomorrow for thread.

Typically, I do neither, instead simply serging or zig-zagging the edges to prevent fraying and pressing the seam open. However, I do want to get back into the habit of creating clothing--not just "garb" or "costumes," and nicely finished seams, particular on items worn close to the skin, feel much nicer.

How to you finish your chemises/underclothes?  Do you have a preference?

New project at last!

After taking some time away from the sewing machine to relocate (too long, if you ask me), tonight I finally decided to dust off the brain meats and decide on a new project!

Holbein portrait of Jane Small (c1540)

At this last Great Western War, I took a class on kirtles and underclothes taught by the very knowledgable Lady Joan Silvertoppe.  That, plus the newly released book from the good folks at The Tudor Tailor, The Queen's Servents, have given me much inspiration.  As my persona is from the era, I've been eyeballing images of Englishwomen from around 1520 to 1540.  For YEARS I have wanted to create a version of the dress worn by Jane Pemberton Small, but I've let the blackwork intimidate me.     So to warm myself up for the task, I have decided to create an earlier silhouette.  The first step is deciding upon a smock/chemise!

A Young Englishwoman (c1520s)

The Queen's Servants lists a few neckline options; from squared to rounded, gathered to smooth.  As they're producing workable patterns to cover from the late 1400s up to about the 1520s, I decided to look to some portraiture (again) for inspiration.  I found two that I like: A Young Englishwoman by Hans Holbein, and Catherine of Aragon miniature by Lucas Hornebolte.

At the neck is seen either a partlet or the top of her smock.  It features a close round neck with a slit a button (or other) closure.  As I am the sort to need to slather sunscreen all over, the idea of covering my decollete is rather appealing!

Catherine of Aragon with a monkey (1525-6)

The miniature of Queen Catherine features a similar shape around the neck, only this time with some simple blackwork.  Though hers is most likely a sheer partlet and not her chemise, I like the style of embroidery and may try something like it on my smock.

Now that I have an idea in mind, it's time to get to work!  With the help of my husband, I've located the box with my linen stash and brought into the house.  Tomorrow I hope to bleach it, wash it, and at least prep it for cutting!  Wish me luck!

Great Western War 2012

Canvas pavilions, four poster beds, candle-lit evenings under a starry sky....  Yeah, we don't really "rough it."

Declan helps

Last week was our family's annual camping trip to Great Western War.*  As we had Declan to contend with leading up to the event, I was unable to get much done in the way of sewing prior to the war.  I usually like to make at least one new outfit for myself and, if possible, for the spouse.  Alas, not this time.

Our modest home-away-from-home

Despite the lack of new clothing, I still had a good time.  Declan was certainly a handful, but he had such a grand time playing with our friends' children, and generally making a mess of himself.

Playtime!

We arrived on Wednesday afternoon, the same day as most of the other campers in our camping group. The afternoon was spent putting together most of our shared camp.  Raising pavilions, unpacking, setting up our kitchen.  By the time we were finishing up, night was falling so we escaped to a local (well, only a half-hour away) restaurant for dinner.

The following day was rather mellow.  I spent much of it chasing after Declan as he was still getting used to the new surroundings.  Our camping spot bordered the road, sand, and the lake--a LOT for a toddler to avoid.

Fascinating dirt

On Friday, our camp neighbors held a Pas d'Arms tournament.  In years past, my Fin has participated, but he decided to abstain this year in an effort to help keep Declan from trouble.  As much as I missed seeing him fight for the amusement of the gallery, I was very glad to have his help.  Friday is also when my daughter arrived in camp.  While it was only a day and a half that we were apart, it was great to see her again.

Procession

Fin's main goal for the war was to fight again for the Guardians, our Barony's fighting unit.  On Saturday, the Barony of Gyldenholt makes a great show of support to all its fighters, heavy and rapier, by processing onto the field.  Declan rode in a wagon to march with Dad, but lost all patience once we arrived to the fighting field.  Fair enough, I rarely spend much time on the field myself.

Couple of clowns

By Sunday it was time to pack up camp and return to the mundane world.  I did have time take a class on Tudor-era underclothing that morning.  (Thank heavens for the class being offered twice!  I missed the first offering on Saturday as I had the baby.)  The class was so inspiring!  I left with my head absolutely spinning from sewing ideas.

I returned home late Sunday afternoon/early evening exhausted, but happy.  Another great war come and gone...



*The SCA has several multi-day camping events called wars.  One of our local wars is Great Western.

an introduction

As much as I loathe the idea of having a dozen or so different blogs, I decided to finally create one to focus on my older, historical pursuits so that my other blog, The Moderne Hausfrau, can focus on the day-to-day and deco-period.  I felt that it was getting a touch "muddied" with the rare, though occasional, SCA-related post.

While the title of this blog currently is "A Tudor Lady," I should note that this--like my SCA persona--is a work in progress.  Currently, I am very interested in creating and playing a dynamic Tudor-era persona.  But it is true that when I started playing, I had a more medieval idea in my head.  I even entertained the notion of an early period persona, too.  In short--this blog my ebb and flow as my persona ebbs and flows.

In my first Tudor ensemble

The other day, just prior to our large, local war, I decided to update my page on the Caidan-wiki.*  (Note to non-SCA folk, I'll provide "footnotes" when applicable, but if I miss one--do comment with your question.)  Currently, my page is little more than a template.  Plus, it even has the older spelling of my name.**

In trying to decide what to write about my persona, I decided that perhaps a blog like this would be ideal to allow me to "brainstorm" about certain ideas and to showcase my journey in learning more about what the life of a Tudor-era lady would be.  I already have good ideas and information about questions like: what would she wear? what would she eat?  But I do, ultimately, want to figure out more.

Additionally, I am awful with dates regarding my own, mundane, life.  Even just listing dates, offices, and awards on the wiki page was daunting as I cannot easily recall exactly when any of those things happened.  

This blog will not only chronicle my exploration and research, but also my adventures in costuming, cooking, other arts & sciences, and even event recaps.  I do not claim to be an expert in any of the subjects that I'll be posting about, please DO keep that in mind.  I suspect that, eventually, this blog will contain solid evidence of mistakes in my work.  That said, I hope that if an expert ever does decide to give this little blog a read, that they will offer constructive criticism, and will help to point out my errors while celebrating my successes.

*: Caid is the name of our local SCA Kingdom.  The kingdom was its own wiki, complete with information on many individuals who play in kingdom.
**: In the SCA, one may create a name for their personae.  Certain rules do apply.  The original name that I submitted was judged to have too old of a spelling for the time frame that I want to play, so the spelling was updated.