Call it Macaroni

Still adding finishing touches to the Jacobean...

Beth, the hubbies and I went to the PA and MD faires this past weekend (we had a lovely time!). So as to add a bit of variation to my costume, this time I stuck a feather in my hat! This is one of the ostrich feathers from the "Aunt Tina's Shopping Spree" stash. So thank you to both Aunt Tina and Beth for the gift. I didn't get photos of me wearing it, because we're getting notoriously bad at taking photos while wandering around faires, but it was so beauteous that I got pics later that night:


hat front


hat side

Wow, this is a short blog...

From start to finish, this whole project is under 10 posts? I'm either sewing faster or blogging slower. Mayhaps a combo?

In any case, Beth and I went to the VA faire in Salem over the weekend, where we volunteered our time with Mistress Margaret Sherley and the Guild of St. Hubert (see bottom).
It was wonderful getting to know the Her Majesty's Royal Hounds group (though I wish I could have had more time), and I had great fun with our 5 hounds, not to mention the rest of the faire workers. I was quite happy to dedicate my time (and poor accent) to their cause.

And now, some eyecandy (I'll leave beth to post pics of herself, as we have precious few, and I don't want to hoard them all!)

First, I must laugh at Beth for taking a photo of me that seems very at home on my blogs--a headless Julie:


blogworthy, no?

And then I must laugh at myself for my ability to show my...ahem...best side. In fact, all subjects of this particular photo are showing their "assets" quite well, and I couldn't help but make it public for entertainment. I'll have to work on the ladylike postures, cuz farthingale to the sky is probably not the best idea...


Does this dress make my butt look big? Yes? Well, that's the point, isn't it?

And a last bit of eyecandy where we all seem to be posing prettily. Yay, eyecandy!


I'd like to thank Beth for lending me her jewelry (hat brooch, girdle, necklace) and her spectacular caul (which I almost forgot, so I would like to thank Jennifer for tracking us down in the parking lot to return it).

I'd also like to thank Adele again for the beautiful fabric and lace that I used on the jacket. Even the Queen commented on it!

My to-do list for this costume (so I guess the blogs not really finished, is it?):
1) Make my own jewelry/caul
2) Make a more period-appropriate ruff (this one is flemish/italian, and I'd really like a crazy standing elizabethan one)
3) Add a second black guard to the skirt hem
4) Make sleeves for the kirtle so it can stand alone (I've got enough leftover blue wool)
5) Add braid to the guards for that completely silly black-on-black look?
6) Make a proper petticoat to cover my farthingale (i used an old one with inappropriate fabric). I'd like something red. Or orange. Surprise...
7) Make a chemise that doesn't suck (mine has way too tight arms and a droopy neck).
8) Finish decorating the hat
9) Make a headdress more like Margaret Latons, or a heart shaped bonnet. I think that would be more appropriate for the jacket than my hat.

This all will occur...um...later, of course...

Seeing Red.

Typical to Julie style, I had three ribbon colors--green, pink and dark red. Now which did I think I would choose? I don't even know why I bothered buying more options than the red:


ribbons close

Oh, and for the record. I HATE sewing on hookneyes. Hate it.

Left on the jacket: bottom hem, hem lace and cuff lace.
Left on the kirtle: groan.

Only Three Nights Left?!

Oh my, how I wish I didn't have class Wednesday night, cuz I need all the time in the world to finish this!

I spent the better part of this weekend holed up in my sewing room. First, a gratuitous hideous sleeve mockup shot, taken sometime on Saturday, when my hubby obviously wasn't home, as you can tell by the horrid photography.
Yup, that's log cabin sleeve fabric, for those of you with a keen eye. I had to redo the sleeve pattern so that it wouldn't be as unbearably tight as my first mockup (need to fit a smock in there, right?). Incidentally, this is a really bad shot of the very pretty blue linen I've used as a lining:


lining

This jacket didn't photgraph well from the front (oh my, this is defintley not a slimming print), and I was feeling vain, so you only get to see the back right now. The front's still rough anyway, since the closure isn't done (i'm all out of appropriate ribbon). I'll try to get that working when I get home from work and shopping tomorrow. The whole thing is together with the exception of the bottom and the front hems. I actually handstitched the cuffs and jacket gores. Beth, you'd be proud!


back

I'm working on applying the gold lace trim. Its slow going, cuz the gold thread I've got to attach it unravels a lot, but it looks pretty, so i'm gonna keep on using it. So far I've got lace on one shoulder wing and about 1/3 of the collar:


trim

Left to do:
Jacket:
1) Finish the front: hem, ribbons, hookneyes.
2) Hem the bottom (this'll be by hand, so it'll take a while)
3) finish applying gold lace (argh!)
Kirtle:
1) The hem is all puckery. If there's time i'll try to fix it.
2) I'd love to get the black guard around the neckline to cover the pulling lining--I have a feeling It'll be too warm for this jacket at least once on Saturday, and it'd be nice to have the kirtle presentable just in case. This probably takes priority over the hem...
3)Bottom guards? Probably not enough time. But if not now, later.
Accessories:
1) :( I still don't have a girdle to go with this, and I can't use the venetian one cuz it broke. I don't know that I actually have enough time to string up a new one, so I may be sans jewels.
2) Ruff? in my dreams. Not before saturday.
3) heart shaped bonnet--defintley later
4) caul? It'd be nice to have one under my hat, but i suppose I can do without or use my plain flemish one.
5) smock...my flemish one is too tight in the arms, so it'd need alterations. I might just wear my venetian one, even though its the wrong style. At least the arms are pretty if i take the jacket off. But if I use venetian, I need to fix the cuffs--the ties are pulling out.

Overwhelmed? Yeah, a bit.

The Perfect Hour Glass?

Cuz with a farthingale on the bottom and a hat shaped like this on top, that's what I'll be, right?



Anywho, I think the hat is finished except for some decorations/feathery bits, which I don't have yet. I forgot to snap a picture of the lining, but its rather disappointing, cuz its *gasp* green cotton, so it actually matches the hat. That just seems so un-elizabethan, so I tried to make up for it by adding a nicely clashing maroon wool strip (which still needs to be stitched on, just in case I change my mind). ;)

I think the brim covering fabric could be smoother, and I really think the headhole shrunk a bit during construction, cuz it really, um, hugs my head. But its wearable, and despite little probs, I like the overall look.

I think I'll be the mad hatter for halloween..... What does the card that goes in his hat say?

By Jove, I Think I've Got It!

This weekend, I had only one day to sew, since the rest of the weekend was devoted to house cleansing, dog bathing, and dinner partying. I probably could've made better use of my one day, since I spent forever goofing off, but at least the end of Sunday left me with a workable jacket pattern. I had a revelation about fitting sleeves to armscythes, and that pleases me to no end!

Here are some pics of the initial fitting. I've sinced altered the pattern to make the sleeves more roomy (they are SKIN TIGHT in this pic--ugh). I also widened the armscythe (hopefully it'll make that underarm pucker go away), and I adjusted the front edges to allow seams/better fit. I haven't actually tested the altered pattern, but I'm confident that it'll be fine (famous last words...), so I'm gonna move onto the real jacket fabric. Um, after I finish prewashing it--its so annoying to be ready to sew and THEN realize you've forgotten the prewash. Pout.

Anyway, here is the pre-altered pattern in some scrap fabric I had:


jacket front


jacket back

I am undecided about two things:
1) Should I make those waisty gores smaller? They seems to be sticking out quite a lot, and I'm not sure that's the right look?
2) Should I make the entire jacket a little longer? Keep in mind that these pictures have a raw edge, so that'll be shortened further by the amt of the seam allowance...so, will shorter look okay, or should I try to keep it about the length it looks in these pics, or should i go for even longer?

Hardcore Head Coverings

Not really...possibly I just wanted to put the word "hardcore" into a blogpost and see how many stray hits I get as a result. ;) Not my idea...I'm just influencable...

Anyway, I've been working on a hat, even though I want a different head covering for this costume (one like Maragaret Laton's would be nice). The problem is that there is a time crunch, and I have already started this hat and actually have the materials for it (I don't have all the frilly lace/feathers I'd need for her fun crazy hat). I suspect the jacobean outfit will have some hodgepodged accessories on its debut. So be it. ;)

Anywho, green velvet hat, done in the mad hatter style. Its base is the same plastic canvas I used for hubby's hat, shapes so it tapers at the bottom instead of a top (kinda like a taller, structured italian bonnet). Now, I know that there is a paining/mural/sketch of Queen Elizabeth sitting on a rearing white horse where she is sporting a similar hat. But darned if I can find it. So, um, no proof, but too bad!

Anywho, its not finished, but hte base is done, and i've cut the covering for the brim. As you can see, its shaping up to be quite ridiculous (thank you to my lovely model(s)):


hat1