Planning for Camping

I've been thinking a lot about what I want to focus on for Historical Sew (Fortnightly) Monthly this year. It doesn't look like I'll be making it to Costume College this year but I am hoping to be more involved in SCA so pre-1600 is where I'll be doing most often. My big project for the year is going to be the Borgia dress. I've got the fabric for it already but I still need to buy trim. That plus feeling a bit nervous about cutting into my silk means I'll probably be pushing that off to later in the year and working on it on and off.

I do really want to try and do all of the challenges this year since there are half as many and I've made at least half in the previous years. So I had to do some brain storming to plan out the year. One thing I think that I want to do is attend an SCA camping event. I'm not huge on camping but I love the idea of an extended SCA event. Plus I love the fact that many of my lower class costumes feel more like clothes than costumes. I'd love to get away with wearing them on a regular basis in real life.

So what do you need to in your kit for camping?

Shifts, shifts, shifts! Preferably one per day but less if there is access to washing facilities. I'm not planning on anything as intense as Pennsic so I think my four shifts are a great start in this direction.

Moving outward, petticoats are next. I only have one but a spare would be nice! I could probably whip one up easily for a challenge.

Kirtles are the main piece of an outfit for 16th century Elizabethan peasant. I have three although one is technically a bodied petticoat so a new kirtle is not a priority althought I really do like them. Depending on the location and time of year, my wool kirtle will not be too useful.

I've got a nice set of accessories-coif, apron, sleeves and pocket. But you can always need extras. For February, I'm planning on a wool apron since wool is great for working near fires. It doesn't burn like linen. Expect loads of these small projects this year. They are easy and budget friendly plus I'll have time to handsew them!

I do have one nice pair of shoes but they are definitely not camping shoes! While I do want to learn how to make shoes one day, I'll probably be buying this year if new shoes are in my future.

Lastly, are layers for warmth. Florida is pretty warm but can get chilly in the evenings and mornings. I do have my English fitted gown, but I think that will be overkill for most of the year. I purchased fabric for a wool jacket to fill in this gap and if that goes well, I may make a linen one too.

And, if camping becomes a reality, I'll have to outfit my husband too!

Have you ever been to a costuming or re-enacting camping event? Any tips?

HSF 2014 Round Up

It's been a busy year on the Historical Sew Fortnightly costuming front as well. Since I didn't make it to Costume College this year, I focused most of my costuming on things I could wear to the Renaissance Festival. I also did a few vintage projects since the dates were extended to 1945.

The first big project for the year was to remake the bodice of my court gown to fit over a boned kirtle instead of a corset. I am super happy with the fit now! (HSF#1: Make Do and Mend)

I couldn't wait to make this Wearing History pattern when it came out! I made it in a dreamy rayon. (HSF#2: Innovations)

Another vintage rayon project, I made up a shirtwaist dress for the pink challenge. It was just in time for Valentine's Day too! (HSF#3: Pink)

I remade the bodice on this red kirtle although it was remade again later in the year. (HSF#5: Bodice)

I beaded the forepart of my Elizabethan court dress. Originally, I started it for challenge #1 but got side tracked so it was perfect for the UFO challenge. (HSF#8: UFO)

Not all of my projects were big fancy dresses. I made some underpinnings too. See this new shift and boned kirtle. (HSF#9: Black and White and HSF#12: Shape and Support)

I also finally made an apron for my Renaissance wardrobe! (HSF#13: Under $10)

 I also ventured into outerwear this year! I dreamed of making a fitted English gown for a long time and when I scored some wool yardage on the cheap, it was a match made in heaven. (HSF#15: The Great Outdoors)

Since I used my old petticoat to make the boned kirtle for Shape and Support, I needed another one. (HSF#17: Yellow)

And a quick easy project to finish out the year-a 1930s plaid skirt. (HSF#21: Re-do)

And this 1930s dress which you all just saw. (HSF#23: Modern History)

There is also a project that never made it to the blog-a corset for my Borgia dress project that I'll be working on in 2015 (HSF#20: Alternate Universe). Hopefully, it'll both end up on the blog in January so you can see them! So that's a total of 13 challenges out of 24! My goal was at least half so I did good. Next year, the HSF will be monthly instead of twice a month so maybe I'll make all of the challenges! I've already got my supplies for the January challenge and hopefully the sewing room will be ready soon!

HSF #23: Modern History

This was perhaps the easiest challenge of the year for me to find something to do, but difficult to get photographed with the move and the gloomy Ohio weather. But I snuck it in right at the end of the year. So modern history-sew something historical or historically inspired that you can wear in an everyday context (ie what I wear everyday).

The original project for this challenge was a 1930s blouse which I made to wear when we drove to Florida. It did in fact get made and worn but I seriously underestimated how exhausting the whole moving bit would be so no photos got taken. 

This dress is a great 30s piece that was almost finished before the move. I ran out of snaps and couldn't decide on a belt buckle. A quick trip to Jo-Anns and a Christmas present lot of vintage belt buckles made this a quick finish post-move.

The Challenge: Modern History
Fabric: 3.75 yds 1930s repro quilting cotton ($9/yd)
Pattern: Wearing History Tea at Two
Year:1930s
Notions: vintage buttons ($4), piping (stash), white cotton scraps (stash), belt buckle (~$1), snaps ($2)
How historically accurate is it? Quilting cotton is not really the accurate weight fabric for this period and the buttons are 50s not 30s so I'll say 8/10
Hours to complete: didn't keep track...
First worn: December 2014
Total cost: ~$40

 I really wanted fabulous buttons. One trip to Jo-Anns was enough to tell me that actually vintage was the way to go. I looked around a lot because I really wanted white buttons! Buttons, like everything else white, have a tendency to yellow over time but I did score some fabulous 50s buttons that were just perfect!

The belt buckle was another sticking point. I had a really hard time finding a white belt buckle that was wide enough for this belt. Luckily, for Christmas, my hubby purchased a lot of belt buckles that was on my etsy wish list and this blue belt buckle was in it! I'm not 100% sold on it but it will do until I find a white replacement.

I had a lot of fun sewing up this pattern. It's got the original 1930s sewing directions which could be tricky for a beginner sewer but was a fun challenge for me. The biggest construction detail I didn't like is that the peplum is topstitched to the skirt after the skirt and bodice are attached. I think it would be much more practical to sew all three piece together at the same time.

I did have a few hiccups.  Somehow, the peplum came out too big! I made an inverted box pleat in the back for an easy fix. I think it probably was a me adjusting the pattern issue rather than a pattern issue but I'll definitely fix that for my next version. Also, the top is very blousey! I didn't make a muslin because I don't like muslins so that's one more thing to fix for the next version. The wide belt over the waist seam helps a bit to hide this and make this one wearable.

The white accents made my American Duchess 23Skidoos a perfect match! I love these shoes and I'm so happy to have the opportunity to wear them more often!

My hair was a bit of a flop but that's what I get for using a curling iron on a humid day. I can't wait for more 1930s fashions!

HSF #21: Re-do

This Historical Sew Fortnightly challenge was the re-do challenge. You could re-do (or do for the first time) any of the challenges. I decided to pick an easy vintage project to whip up over my sewing weekend. I had this great plaid fabric in my stash and when the paisley and plaid challenge came up earlier this year, I was in Elizabethan mode so both paisley and plaid were out.

The Challenge: #21 Re-do (#14 Paisley and Plaid)
Fabric: mystery plaid suiting (a wool blend I think)
Pattern: Vintage pattern lending library #1047
Year: 1930s
Notions: zipper, thread and some seam binding
How historically accurate is it? A metal zipper would have been more accurate (or snaps) but other than that pretty good
Hours to complete: 4 and a lot of that was spent in the cutting process to get the plaid to match up
First worn: to church
Total cost: less than $10-I got almost 8 yds of the plaid fabric for $7 and the only thing I got full price was the zipper

I took a lot of time making sure the cutting would help me with the plaid matching. I'm pretty impressed if I do say so myself!

I still have quite a bit of this fabric left and I plan on making a matching top at some point in time but I have to find the right pattern first. So I decided to go with the sporty separates look instead.

This fabric is actually grey and black with grey and orange stripes but it always looks brown to me from far away. So I went with a classic white blouse and my blue sweater. It turned rather chilly this weekend so I also brought out my faux fur booties to keep my feet warm!

I also tried some finger waves. I've never been amazing at finger waves so I think I'll need some practice before they become predictable. Plus my hair is a weird length in the front for finger waves.

But I'm really excited about how flattering this skirt shape is on me! Bring on the 1930s!

HSF#17: Yellow

This was a surprisingly difficult challenge considering the fact that I love yellow! Originally, I did have a yellow UFO that I was saving for this challenge but I decided it was a wadder. I had so many Elizabethan projects to do before the end of the faire that I didn't think I'd have any time to do anything.

But then the weekend before faire, I decided that I needed a new petticoat since I turned my last one into a bodied petticoat.

So I scurried off to Jo-Anns for some linen. Originally, I was eying some lovely green linen rayon but then I spied this golden yellow color and I knew it was meant to be!

The Challenge: Yellow
Fabric: 3 yds linen/rayon
Pattern: none-it's just a rectangle pleated to a waistband
Year: late 1500s
Notions: thread, hook and eye
How historically accurate is it? the rayon part not so much, but otherwise pretty good.
Hours to complete: 3 hrs
First worn: September 2014 to the renaissance festival
Total cost: ~$20

Now, you may have noticed that I'm wearing the petticoat on the outside, which is definitely not where it is supposed to be.

Originally, I was wearing it under my bodied petticoat but the bulk of the waistband was too uncomfortable so I decided to layer it on top.

So really, I'm missing a lot of layers in this outfit but it's faire and I was still one of the most historically accurate people there.

And maybe next time I will wear it as an actual petticoat!

HSF#15: The Great Outdoors

This Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenge was all about outdoorsy activities-hiking, swimming, and playing all varieties of lady like sports. All things I don't care for. So this one was quite a challenge just to think of something to do for the challenge!

Since my idea of a good outdoor event is being warm and bored, I thought I'd make some outer wear. I've wanted to make a fitted English gown for quite some time and I had already stashed some wool for the project so I got to work.

This was my first time using a pattern drafted from the Tudor Tailor. It was actually easier than I thought it would be. The fitting was a bit different because I don't usually sew for over a corseted figure so I couldn't use my standby alterations. In the end, I'm quite happy with the fit.

The Challenge: The Great Outdoors
Fabric: 3.5 yds wool ($7), 2 yds black linen ($16), 1 yd orange linen ($5), 2/3 yd black silk cotton (free-left overs), 3/4 yd cotton velvet ($6)
Pattern: Fitted English Gown from the Tudor Tailor
Year: mid to late 1500s
Notions: hooks and eyes ($2)
How historically accurate is it? I feel like I did really well on the fabric with the linen and wool. The velvet wouldn't have been cotton in period and there shouldn't be any cotton in my silk but it was a leftover piece from another project that I thought would look smashing on the inside of the collar. I followed the construction suggested by the Tudor Tailor but I did machine sew most of it. Their construction method wouldn't work with the hand sewing method I'm familiar with so I decided to play it safe and machine sew the first one.
Hours to complete: heaps and heaps
First worn: Just for pictures but I will be wearing it to the Ohio Renaissance Festival which is technically outside....
Total cost: $36 (woot woot! I got some amazing deals on fabric for this project!)

 This is the first time I've ever come close to wearing the period appropriate number of layers. It's definitely a lot! I could still use another petticoat and maybe a hat but other than that, I'm looking good.

We did have to take these photos early in the morning when it was chilly, but even inside it wasn't as hot as I expected it to be with all of those layers and wool. All the same, I'm hoping for a chilly faire season so I can wear this a lot!

Also making their costuming debut are my American Duchess Stratfords. So pretty! :D It's amazing how much of a difference proper footwear makes to any look whether historical or vintage.

My favorite part of this outfit is probably the decorated pocket slits. Since I did black velvet on navy blue wool, they don't show up to well in the photo but you can see them in the Lucas de Heere sketch c. 1570 on the lady on the left.

I got to wear a lot of previous challenge items with this outfit- bodied petticoat (#12 shape and support),  apron (#13 under $10), and the sleeves (#18 from 2013 remake, reuse and refashion).

Silly photo time! :D

HSF#13: Under $10

This Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenge was to make something that cost less than $10. So I tried to think up something small and stash busting for my Renaissance costume that I could whip up for less than $10.

The Challenge: Under $10
Fabric: 0.5 yds cotton lawn ($5/yd)
Pattern: self-drafted
Year: it could work for quite a few eras but I'll be wearing it for 16th century
Notions: thread ($0.50)
How historically accurate is it? It should really be linen. But I did hand sew the whole thing. It's the first thing I've ever entirely hand sewed so that's an accomplishment.
Hours to complete: quite a few (4-5)
First worn: not yet
Total cost: $3

In other costuming news, I've been working on trimming my court dress. Right now I'm adding green velvet trim. I'm still pondering other ideas for trim but progress is being made. 

I've also been working on my Italian dress. I made a dent in the eyelets but there are more to go!!

But my eyelets are looking nicer so I must be getting better at them.