Much-belated post RE: Loose Gown

I spent the vast majority of  the summer of 2010 doing appliqué and couching on HRMs loose gown, somewhat loosely based on an extant piece.  At the time, I was requested not to blog about it, and in the intervening years, have managed to lose track of the few pictures I did take.

However, thanks to the power of social media and Crystal prompting me to post....here are some pics of the Gown of Doom.  I have never, ever spent that much time on any one piece, and I honestly hope to never do so again!  (Although, I do have to say, I am kind of chuffed that I actually did it!)

(It's the red velvet gown worn by HRM on the left)

Each of those black strips is applique, and 3 rows of gold couching - the middle section being looped - the texture is pretty cool, if I do say so myself!  Her sleeves are also pinked.

It's a bit easier to see the loopy texture in this pic....

There are 3 (or 4?? I forget now...) large-scale applique and-couching patterns around the hem of the skirt

All pictures courtesy of Jason Connor.

Solstice 2011

I had a wonderful time at my birthday party Solstice!  John came to his first court event, and Jaquelinne kindly shared her table and spread as a 'home base' for our little crew.  (By the by, she shared the most delicious goat cheese I've had in quite some time.....I need to find out where she got it!)  Final court put a damper on our dinner plans with Aine's crew (*sad*), but a small cadre of people ended up going to dinner in garb (except for Jane) at Macaroni Grill.

I made a whole bunch of plain (due to potential nut allergies) toffee, and pawned it off on anyone who would take it.  The tub disappeared towards the end of the event, but I'm not to sad about that, since I technically met my goal of not taking a single bit of toffee home!

I wore my chopines all day long with a trained skirt and a very crowded hall, and managed to only have one close call! I (at the end of the day, wrestling with bags and skirts!)

I had multiple comments containing the words 'elegant', 'graceful' or 'statuesque'. Never, ever, ever have these words been applied to my person! It is amazing what happens to ones carriage when one is aware (and slightly terrified) of every step!

Hubby took some pictures of the event, and they turned out quite nicely, if I do say so myself!  It will be nice to have some more photographic evidence of events past; after the first year or two, I stopped taking pictures at events, and now, of course wish I had been taking pictures all this time!

Post of Updates

Collegium went very well, and was far better attended than I could have possibly hoped. From all accounts, it was a success. I still have some paperwork to do (ugh), and return the keys to the site. (bad Noelle!)
Just as Holly left to go home after an extended stay to get her gold gown completed, Other Noelle (from CA) is coming to visit. We have a full schedule of sewing to get done, and I am extremely excited!
My garb room (actually guest room) is getting a complete overhaul as Other Noelle is the first in many more house guests through the holiday season. (sorry you had to sleep in a mass of petticoats, Holly!)
Because no post is complete without pictures, here is one of Tiny, taking over the entire bed:

The NOT ACC dress

Holly was originally going to do this gown for her ACC entry, but she decided to pull out of the competition….but that also means that I got to do it for her instead!
The gown itself isn’t anything new, it’s the same side-back lacing bodice style I’ve been enamored with lately, with the addition of a teeny tiny train.  (This was a last-minute addition, so I didn’t end up doing a gore in the skirt, but it turned out quite nice nonetheless!) 
What I’m totally excited about are the freakin’ cute sleeves.  Holly wanted something ‘different’, so she brainstormed and surfed portraits to show me some of her favorite elements.  This is what we came up with:

The teeny tassels really make the dags *pop*…..I’m really excited about them. 
I didn’t really do any dress diary pics, but rest assured, I futzed and agonized over the best way to go about making the sleeves, and I changed my mind (as is my prerogative, right?) at least a dozen times.  I’m pretty pleased with how they turned out!

The jewelry, of course, is Holly’s own work, and more information on how and what she did can be found on her blog.
We only had a short while to grab pics before she had to leave, so the lighting is atrocious, but you’ll get the idea, right?  I’m hoping to get better pics this weekend at Collegium, with her own partlet and chemise, and hair done properly!

		Holly’s Gold Gown VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Still left to do:

• Second row of stitching on padded hem
• Steam iron the heck out of the hem
• Button/loops for sleeves

*Actually* sewing! OMG!

I started digging into Holly’s bodice this morning, and even took pictures!  (Ah, excuse the messy background, I didn’t realize how awful it was!)

Alas, it’s a pic of boring pad stitching that doesn’t even show up that well, so meh.  But my post now has a pic!
The remainder of the day is going to be divided between dinner (roast is in the oven, rolls are rising, and pumpkins are mashed for pies…..I’ll have to take breaks periodically to keep the kitchen magic happening!), and getting the bodice underway.  My own personal goal is to get the bodice 100% done so the evening can be spent eating nommy dinner and doing eyelets. 
Tomorrow should be skirt attachment and patterning – I’m hoping to keep up the momentum, last time Holly came up to sew, I was so sick I barely left the couch all week long! >.<

ACC: Muff

I finally got myself into a craft store and picked up matching floss, and while I was there suddenly decided I wanted a bigger button than I had in my stash, so I picked up a small package of bigger wooden beads.

I spent a couple of hours messing around with different thread wrapping patterns,  and finally came up with one that I can live with. I wanted the buttons to have a little bit of gold in them as well,  so I ended up with gold ribs.

I only have two more buttons to go,  but got bored doing them and moved on to the loops. I'm doing a seven stranded round braid with 4 gold and 3 red. Somewhere along the way, I messed up the cord,  so the pattern shifts a bit,  but it doesn't bother me enough to re-do it!

ACC: Muff

I'm still stuck on muff ponderings.  Right now I'm stuck on whether or not to use faux fur,  or the beaver pelt. (Below, beaver on left, faux fur on right)

I'm leaning towards the faux fur, just because if I mess it up, I wouldn't be terribly upset.  The color is kind of weird, however. 

Hmmmmm *ponder*

I'm going to drop by a craft store in a little while and pick up some floss either way, since I'm going to need it anyway. (I'm still a little shocked that I don't have an appropriate color in my stash, but at about $0.40 a pop, I'm not too worried about breaking the bank!)

ACC: Muff

I messed around for a day and a half with couching and different embroidery ideas, but finally settled on letting the fabric speak for itself.  I’m pretty sure I’m going to do a black (or brown) velvet muff in the very near future as well, so I’ll probably save up my embroidery energy for that project.

I decided to center the muff on the oblong motif on the fabric, and as luck would have it, worked out quite nicely. 

I remembered my nice, wide gold lace from my stash, and decided that it would give a little ‘excitement’ to an otherwise dull muff.  Here’s the trim pinned in place:

It didn’t take too long to stitch down the trim, and I quite like how it turned out. 

The only thing that concerns me is I’m not terribly enamoured of the finished size.  It seems a bit long to me, hmmmm.  If I can convince myself that I like the proportions, I’ll cut into my beaver pelt.  If not, I’ll use some of the faux fur I have lying around and do an embroidered velvet version for the beaver.

I thought that I had some embroidery floss is the correct colors to do buttons, but alas, I do not, so I’ll have to the first (of hopefully few) purchases for the ACC.

MMM Pics

I finally figured out the best way to get Lil Miss to sit still long enough to get her picture taken was to have her sit on my lap.  It was so hellishly hot, I finally gave in and took of my sleeves for a short while.  I promise, I wore them for most of the day!  (As a side-note, my sister came up with a cunning plan to keep my sleeves on properly – the trick is to twist the loops before buttoning.  Amazing!)

My nephew was so insistent on having his picture taken while roaring and screaming around – way too much energy! 

The trick to get him to pose properly is to get him to sit with his sister!

Here are a couple “in action” shots of Lil Miss in her kirtle.  She was twirling and spinning and dancing around so much, it was hard to get a good shot!

At the end of the day, there was a “torchlight” boffer tourney for the kids – with glow light necklaces taped to the swords, shields and helmets.  Michael was so excited!

I didn’t get any pictures of the red surcote, as she wore it last night (and apparently she wouldn’t take it off last night to go to bed!), and I didn’t remember to grab any pictures of the “owen incess” (roman princess) dress. 

Bijbel van Anjou

OMG, have you been over here?  (Be sure to click through all the pages and use the zoom in/out buttons)

Moar extant stockings!!!

 

Fabulous new pictures of stockings from the tomb of Tyco Brahe.

ACC Accessories: Muff

 

“Venetian Women of Mature Age, and Dismesse”Vecellio, Cesare, Margaret F. Rosenthal, and Ann Rosalind Jones. The Clothing of the Renaissance World Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas. London: Thames & Hudson, 2008. Print.  (pg. 136)

Muff detail:

“…muff of fine fur lined with silk, velvet or some other fabric for the winter…”

 

“Winter Clothing of Venetian Noblewomen and Other Wealthy Women In Our Time”Vecellio, Cesare, Margaret F. Rosenthal, and Ann Rosalind Jones. The Clothing of the Renaissance World Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas. London: Thames & Hudson, 2008. Print. (pg. 130)

Muff detail:

“At that time of the year they also wear a muff lined with fur, which protects their hands against the cold.  These furs are marten or sable, and the muff is of black velvet or some other silk fabric, fastened shut with buttons of oriental crystal or gold.”

~

I decided on a gold patterned brocade as the outer shell, as gold is fairly neutral and would match multiple outfits.

As I am not fortunate enough to have either marten or sable in my stash (and no, I’m not going to disassemble one of my precious zibies to obtain it!), I’m finally going to use my plucked and shaved beaver pelt*!  I’ve had this fur in my stash for about umpteen million years, and have always been terrified to cut into it, but now is the time!

This fur is the most soft and plushy thing I’ve ever felt in my life, it’s delicious!

The pelt is roughly 13” x 15” in the middle, with various hangy parts that if needed, can potentially be pieced for a larger finished fur.

I need to double-check my stash, but I do not believe I have any gold or crystal buttons or beads that would be large enough for buttons, so I most likely will be substituting thread-wrapped buttons for the closures.

Both muffs pictured below have a relatively thick border around the edges – I have yet to determine what exactly I’m going to do about that. 

I’m also wondering if I want to do some couching on the brocade to give it a bit more oomph – I guess it’s time to sit down for realsies and figure out exactly what I’m going to do!

 

 

*Say that phrase until you giggle!

Tufted Buttons

Holly came down to visit while Kao was away on business, but job interviews and a nasty cold has taken up pretty much every moment, up until now!

We looked at inspiration portraits and decided some design details for her ACC dress.

Her main inspiration portrait is this beauty:

Bronzino, Agnolo. Portrait of a Lady. 1550. Oil on canvas. Galleria Sabuada, Turin.

She’s using blue velvet from my stash (to be traded for probably jewelry at a later date) 

Because I’m still kinda feeling out of it, I suggested that we work on cording and buttons first, and do some pattern drafting and cutting tomorrow.

I kind of had a plan of how to create tufted buttons like the ones on the portrait, but I wasn’t sure if it would work until I sat down with needle and thread….And I had to figure out how to do it before I could teach her!

Here’s what I came up with, something similar looking, but not quite a copy:

1.  Start as you would a regular thread-wrapped button, but with extra length.  (I’m using a arm-span length)

2.  This is where it gets a bit different.  Tie off the thread on the bottom, then go back up through the top and use a needle as spacer for the loop, and go back down 2x…..if that makes sense.  (I may still be a little loopy….)

3.  Take the needle out of the little loops; now this is where the tufts are going to be anchored.  I used the back end of my favorite bone crochet hook as a spacer……loop through the anchor loops as many times as it takes to get a pleasing puffiness.  (In my case, 7x)

4.  Wrap around the base of the tufty loops to lock in place, and plunge the needle back through the bead core.  Firmly square knot, and voila! Tufty cute buttons!

5.  It’s a good idea to dab a bit of glue on the end of the button to make sure that everything stays in place, then all that’s left is to sew onto a garment!

Holly and I have dubbed these “Blueberry Buttons”, as Bethaval has “Cranberry Buttons” on one of her recent(ish) gowns!

AC Challenge

I’m just now able to sit down and ponder my options for the upcoming ACC.  In my stash, I’ve been collecting fabrics over the last few years for specific gowns, which fits into the challenge nicely. 
There is a $100 limit to spending, so choosing something I’ve had on my mind over the last few years makes a lot of sense, although may not be the most ‘wow’ thing in the world.
Here’s the basic information for the challenge:

• Layer 1: The skin layer.  Create underclothes that someone from your selected time period would have worn. Examples include braises, drawers, smock, chemise, camacia, shift, gomlek, corsetry and so on.
• Layer 2: The main garment. Create the main garment from your selected time period. Examples include kirtle, gamurra, kosode & hakama, chausses, sarafan, bliaut, cotehardie, doublet, the toga and so on.
• Layer 3: The outer layer. Create a garment that would have been worn for warmth or formal occasions. Examples include ropa, saia, surcoat, jerkin, coat, peplos, kaftan, entari, a stola and so on.
• Layer 4: An accessory. This could be shoes, jewelry, a hat, stockings, a handkerchief, gloves, a suit of ruffs, an almoner’s purse, and so on.

Blue gown ( s )

It’s on the plain side, but I love, love, love this outfit.  I have the perfect velvet and linen to do this outfit, and I’ve been meaning to do it ever since I saw it a couple of years ago.  What makes me hesitate is the plain-ness of it…..for a competition, it’s not very flashy, but it would be so nice to have the ‘excuse’ to hand sew the whole thing.

I recently found the second portrait, and would probably ‘steal’ the sleeve treatment for the gown underneath; not only is the color scheme remarkably similar, but the neckline and sleeves would lend itself fairly well to the over gown.  (I think…..)

Carracci, Agostino. Portrait of Anna Parolini Guicciardini. 1598. Oil on canvas. Gemäldegalerie (Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz), Berlin.

Anguissola, Sofonisba. Bildnis Eines Paares. 1570. Oil on canvas. Uffizi Gallery, Florence.

Have	Don’t Have
Blue velvet (coat	Embroidery floss (buttons, loops, trim on coat)
White Linen (camacia/sleeves)	Silk (veil)
Blue Linen (kirtle)
Organdy (partlet)

Brocade gown ( of some sort )

I really want to have a fancier brocade gown of some sort.  I’m not sure exactly of what style, but something with lace and awesome accessories.  Even if I don’t do this for the challenge, I’ll be doing this soon.

Vecellio, Cesare. Habiti Antichi, Et Moderni Di Tutto Il Mondo. In Venetia: Appresso I Sessa., 1598.

Have	Don’t Have
Various Green Brocades (gown)	Gold bits (belt)
Linen (camacia)	Fan bits
Organdy (partlet)
Lace (shoulders & partlet)
Pearls (jewelry)

Teal Gown

I’ve had this gown on my mental wish list for a very long time, and have had the teal silk in my stash for at least 2 years.  I’m slightly worried about the off-the-shoulderness of it (which is why I haven’t done it yet), but the portrait has lovely accessories, and is of a type that not a whole lot of people do.  I’d have to do some research on appropriate “Layer 3”.

De Kempener, Pieter. Portrait of a Lady. 1530. Mixed media on poplar wood. Städel, Frankfurt.*

I have this one listed as “Portrait of a Lady”, but no further info – googling has proved unhelpful, as has tineye.com. Would be grateful if anyone has further info…..

Have	Don’t Have
Teal silk (gown)	Gold bits (jewelry)
Linen (camacia)	Silk (partlet)
Gold cord (couching on gown)	Fan bits
	Glove bits

*Thank you to Hastings, who not only told me what my ‘lost’ portrait was, but about Google Image search!  WAY better than tineye.com!  (It’s Google, of course!)