Old Favorites

I've gotten to wear a lot of new things this year but sometimes it's nice to break out an old favorite! This grey wool kirtle is comfortable and fun to wear and I just love it!

It might not be the most flashy outfit but sometimes you don't want to be flashy.

I also wore my faux fur partlet. My husband thinks it looks a bit silly but it's nice and warm.

The drape of the wool is fabulous and the skirt is super swishy! The pleating plus my own natural bum padding gives a rather fashionable shape to the skirt.

Some sass taking off the partlet! I guess this would go under the heading of Elizabethan pin-up. ;)

People wore a lot more clothes in the 16th century than we do now! I know they were in a mini ice age and in England but it does take a bit of getting used to. I really still needed to wear a pair of sleeves but I don't really have a good pair of sleeves that matches this outfit yet.

 Everyone was bundled up in capes and fur this weekend! I'm sure it will get colder before the end of the season but it was still quite chilly in the morning.

This past weekend was the annual camping trip we take with our friends and we got to hang with them at the faire all weekend! It is so much more fun to go in a large group! 

We worked on making sure we got around to seeing all of the shows we hadn't seen yet this year. There really is so much to do that you can't see it all in one day. Plus, some of the performers don't do the same show every time they perform so there's even more to see.

Alas, we won't get to go back for a few weekends. We got some weddings coming up and we'll be busy busy busy. Hopefully, this will mean some more vintage outfit posts over the next few weeks.

HSF: 19 and 20 Catch Up

I'm a bit behind on finishing and documenting some Historical Sew Fortnightly challenges so let's get caught up!

The Challenge: #19 Wood, Metal, Bone

Fabric: 3.5 yds wool flannel, 0.5 yds cotton voile for lining, 1 yd cotton twill for interfacing, 0.5 yd mystery wool fabric for guards

Pattern: Self drafted from tutorial on elizabethancostume.net

Year: 1570s ish

Notions: 4 steel bones, 2 plastic bones, ribbon for lacing

How historically accurate is it? As far as materials go, linen lining would have been more accurate and I should have completely lined the kirtle and not just the bodice but I was going for cheap on the parts you couldn't see. I handsewed almost the entire gown using the tutorials here and here. The only things I sewed by machine are the boning channels and one side of the guard and one side of the skirt facing. So yay for historical accuracy on the construction!

I think that for the next go around, I'll hand sew the bodice only and do the skirt by machine. I really like they ways the bodice went together and how the hand sewn eyelets looked but the skirt was loooooong and boring.

I really like the shape it gives me with just 6 bones! Eeep! And it's so comfy to wear! I plan on wearing it under my court dress instead of a corset when it's cold.

Hours to complete: I lost track somewhere around 30 so I'll say about 40

First worn: October '13 to the Ohio Renaissance Festival

Total cost: $30

The Challenge: Outer Wear

Fabric: cotton voile and faux fur

Pattern: self-drafted

Year: 1570s

Notions: none

How historically accurate is it? I did find some evidence of fur lined parlets in portraits so it's good in theory. Real fur and wool would have been much more accurate but I wanted to do a quick, stash busting project. It does keep me quite warm so I'll call it a success.

Hours to complete: 2

First worn: September '13

Total cost: all stash so free :)

Fur! Woot woot!

I'm a bad blogger who didn't do a dress diary but here's some in progress shots of the kirtle.

On My Sewing Table

I have been sewing a lot this month, but instead of working on one thing at a time, I have a couple of projects going on at the same time. So progress is occurring. It's just that nothing is finished yet.

Lightly boned hand sewn wool kirtle

So, I ordered some wool flannel online for a petticoat to wear under my Elizabethan court dress. But when it arrived, it just screamed that it needed to be a full kirtle. Then I got carried away and decided to hand sew the whole thing..... More on that later but so far so good.

Eyelets! I've sewn half (12) so far but still have 12 to do. They are not super pretty but I'm ok with that.

The skirt has a black guard made from some mystery stash fabric. I did a burn test which said it was some sort of animal based fabric (wool, alpaca, lama, etc) which makes sense since you can actually see hairs in the fabric.

Gold Bullion Pearl Embroidery

I've also been doing a lot of embroidery lately too. I'm trying to finish off this piece from a class at Costume College so I can make it into a muff. I've even got some rabbit fur to line it with.

50s Halloween Dress

Instead of doing a Halloween costume this year, I've decided to do a Halloween themed dress instead and here's my fabric. I'm keeping the pattern and final design under wraps for now but I'm super excited about this project!

What's on your sewing table right now?