Trying times indeed...

Seems the only thing that has progressed is the pain in my right wrist lol!  Since before Barons War I have had a little cyst on my wrist bone.  It was annoying and only mildly painful.  Well since Barons War it has gotten exponentially worse.  It has now moved into the tendons & I can not flex my wrist, make a fist, lift anything heavier than a pencil and can't do any of my upper body workouts.  Even running hurts if I don't wear a brace (because I just let my hands kind of go slack as I run). 

Thus, my Knight has benched me.  I can't pick up my spear until I can get the cyst removed.  So hopefully this week or next I will go in & they will do a tiny incision and remove it.  At least thats the best outcome I can have.  Worst case is there's something else wrong! 

So I have not gotten anything cut out yet.  But, I am hopeful to get things cut out this weekend so that I can start handsewing soon.  I figure cutting will be the worst after surgery so if I get it all cut out now, I can sew at my own pace.  And until I go under the knife I will wear my brace like a good little girl & just sew since I can't fight! 

Here's to hoping I can get away with this plan...

Rogue

For Morgan

This is the Chocolate Silk (or it may be satin, not sure how to tell) that I was talking about.  Its pretty heavy...but if you need some just let me know!  Its 45' wide & I have roughly 13 yards so plenty for your project & my bellydance skirt =)

Rogue

The Wool Cloak...

After talking to Ralf about the style of cloak an 11th Cent. Norman would wear, my rectangular idea was not going to work.  It needs to be a circle cloak.  However I only have a 2 yards/60"wide piece of wool (along with the wool for the trim) to use for the cloak.  Therefore I thought my budget was going to get blown on more wool.  However, thanks to Duke Konrad von Krixen...I now have another option!  http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/cloth/bockclok.html shows how to use a smaller cut of fabric for a semi-circular cloak.  So, this Saturday I am heading over to Ralf & Kassandra's to help them make garb for Leo since they are bringing him to Baron's War to camp (we aren't allowed to camp without him anymore declared the littlest Norman!) so we are going to test out the pattern and see how it works out.  If all goes well I will be using the blue on the left as the trim around the entire cloak & the black woven wool for the body of my cloak.  It will pin at the shoulder with a pennanular brooch which I may or may not try and create since I already have one.

So at least the cloak has been decided on...hopefully =)

More than I ever expected to know about Linen Thread...

Well this is what $35 worth of Linen thread looks like lol.  I went ahead and matched ALL of my stash of linen fabric so that when the time comes I can reorder the correct colors online.  Turns out DMC has a line of Linen thread but you can only get it in 12-packs online.  There are a total of 24 colors in that line of floss.  I have found that Londonderry Linen Thread, the 80/3 thickness is just about perfect and there are some pretty good guides online with fairly true to color photos.  So I at least have more options now when I want completely period materials.  I also seem to remember a merchant at Uprising that carried a lot of linen thread as well and next year I will be sure to take my swatches with me! 

On a side note - today I found probably THE most amazing deal ever.  At this strange little damaged freight store called NPS Market Square here in SLC they get odd lots of stuff.  Today, they had 2 Deacon's Robes and they were $20.99 each.  I purchased one after getting confirmation that it would absolutely work as a Byzantine Dalmatica with some major beading hehe and so I was quite happy.  Then I came home, found out that just ONE of these bad boys is $550.00 to have made then you add in the Normandy trim at $30/yard, of which the whole thing is trimmed in it...turns out I got a $700 outfit for one hell of a deal.  So...I did what any good bargain hunter does...I went back and got the other one!  I figure it fits in my period, my personae and doesn't look bad on.  I already have linen that matches it perfectly so why not get it as a future project.  And if Magnus or I should ever end up winning Crown...I have our stepping up garb >;p

So it was a full day of good shopping karma indeed =)

Rogue

Prep Work almost done!!!

Having never done ANYTHING like this before I was really not sure how to actually get started.  I kept wanting to just jump in and start sewing but alas, wasn't sure on which linen I was going to use for what piece and of course there's the whole "thread issue".  So, having been given some very wise advice from some very wise Laurels I have gotten my documentation together first. 

At least I think its the documentation I need lol.  I stated in my entry that I would be doing Italian Norman but alas after some research diving, Normans IN Italy would still be wearing what Normans elsewhere would have worn.  They loathed Byzantine clothing and even after Robert wore a Dalmatica to his Coronation as Duke, they STILL thought it horrible.  Some even revolted based on that alone!  But I digress...

So, I have found several patterns that I will be using and I will basically be following the guidelines that Hastings re-enactors are required to follow to even be allowed on the field.  Its a great place to start as they are pretty picky about what you can & can't do.  On top of that I have found a great resource in Marc Carlson's site http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/cloth/bockhome.html and this should give me everything I need!

Now, the "Thread Issue".  You would THINK that Salt Lake is a thriving Artisan Metropolis...yet how is it that we don't have a single place that sells Linen Thread!  One would hope the weavers, knitters & seamstresses here would call for it yet the only place that I can seem to find it is The Needlepoint Joint in Ogden!  So driving an hour each way just to get thread is going to be a chore.  However, Saturday I made a lunch date up there so now I have an excuse lol!  Needless to say I will be taking swatches of ALL my linen and buying at least one spool of what I need for each color I have.  Then I can call & reorder whatever I need later, but at least I will know it matches!

I had planned to start cutting on Saturday but that may hold out until sometime next week.  I don't want to cut something out and NOT be able to find thread to match the linen.  As far as I can tell contrasting colors on at least the under pieces was not common.  I will be doing some decorative stitching on the shirt possibly, and I know I will do some trim work for the kirtle and over tunic but the braies & hose were pretty plain evidently. 

If anyone has seen any documentation on embossing, decorating or even embroidering the leather garters, let me know.  I would love to do something a little more detailed for them.

Thanks for Reading!

Rogue

My Plan...Linen, Wool & Leather Oh My!!!

I am planning on doing a full 11th Century Italio-Norman outfit for the Artemisian Costuming Challenge.  I will be doing it as period as possible and handsewing it ALL!  I do qualify myself as a Novice as I have never actually hand sewn a garment other than repair and have only this year started making my own garb from start to finish with a machine.

(List Edited for correctness in period 07.12.11)
Layer 1) Linen Braies & Linen Hose
Layer 2) Linen Shirt & Wool Kirtle
Layer 3) Wool Cloak 
Layer 4)  Leather Garters, a Wool Phrygian cap and possibly a purse or belt of some sort

I have most of the linen that is required, I also have all the wool for my cloak & liripipe & the leather for my accessories.  The things I lack at this point are linen thread, wool thread & any trim I might choose to add to any of the peices.  Other than that, I am in pretty good shape.  Thankfully 11th Century isn't TOO full of bling, although since I am doing Italian Norman they do have a more Byzantine influence and therefore did like a bit more embellishment. 

So there you have it!  Let us hope I keep what sanity I may still have within me hehe...

Rogue

The Artemisian Costuming Challenge

The Challenge

I am issuing a challenge dedicated to historical costumers everywhere: to create a complete man's, woman's or child's outfit of any social class from the skin out, including an accessory, in six months. That's less than one layer or accessory per month - you can do it!

The Details

You'll have from June 20 to December 31 to plan, buy for, cut, stitch, assemble, complete, and photograph for submission an outfit from the skin out. This will be made up as follows:

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.

Any questions about which piece qualifies for which layer need to be determined prior to entering the competition.
All who take up the challenge will have their photos, a short bio, and a description of their proposed outfit listed on the Artemisian Costumer’s Challenge website. 

To enter, please send an e-mail to biancaraven@aol.com with these details listed:

• your name
• your location (Where in Artemisia do you call home?)
• a short (two to three sentence-length) bio, including whether you are a novice (as defined below)
• a short description of your proposed four-layer outfit
• a disclaimer with permission to publish your name and pictures to the internet
• the URL to your blog (if you have one) so it can be linked to your profile

Please ensure your head/shoulders photo is attached.
Official entries will be accepted until the July 25, which is the last day of Baron’s War.
All entrants will be required to send me individual progress photos (one per week maximum) on or before the last day of each month, along with photos of their outfits when completed, which will be shared on the internet so we can all follow along.  The final photo/s of the completed outfit need to be sent to me no later than the New Year’s Day 2012.  The winners will be announced at Gryphon’s Lair Twelfth Night & Baronial Investiture.

 The Rules

1. Basic documentation will be provided by the entrant.  Your documentation must explain each item in your competition ensemble.  It should define:

·        What each piece is called and what layer it represents

·        When (time period) and where (geography) the pieces would have been worn

·        The materials used for construction in period and in your ensemble

·        If you drafted your own pattern or used a commercial pattern

·        If you assembled the pieces by hand or by machine

·        Any additional embellishments you made by hand, for example: embroidery, hand-woven fabric and/or trim, cast buttons, enameled jewelry, tumbled & polished stones, cured and/or tanned leather, embossed velvet, hand-dying, and so on.

2. ONE item of underwear and all the upper layers and one accessory must have been made from scratch.
3. Accessory or embellishment items must have been created entirely during the calendar year of 2011.  For example, if you began making a pair of ghillies based on a class you attended at Estrella XXVII in February of 2011, and you finished them in May of 2011, then the new shoes were created entirely in 2011 and may be used in the competition.  If you began embroidering a smock in 2008 and completed it in June of 2011, the smock was not entirely created in 2011, so it may not be used.
4. You may barter with other artists and exchange goods to be used in this project.  If you barter, you must document what you made and what you traded for in your documentation.  Pictures of the entrant’s work must be provided.  For example, milady wants milord to cast buttons for her cotehardie and milord wants a length of milady’s woven trim for his tunic.  Milady must provide photographs of the trim she wove and milord must document the buttons he created. 
5. If you don't manage to finish all four required levels, you will still be in the running. However, those who attempt and or complete all four levels will end with more points than those who only attempt/complete one or two.
6. This is a challenge for individuals, not groups, therefore only items sewn independently by the by the entrant will be accepted. However, help with pattern drafting, draping, and/or fitting is allowed. Use of commercial patterns is also allowed.
7. Anyone may enter multiple outfits if they wish, however points will be allocated on a per-garment/item basis, not cumulatively.
8. Progress photos must be sent: one every 4 weeks minimum, one every week maximum. This will help to keep you all motivated and enjoying the challenge! Photos of the completed outfit to be submitted to be a minimum of three (front, back and side), or more if you wish. 
9. Receipts showing that the total expenses for this ensemble were no more than $100.00.  Patterns do not count toward this total.  “Fabric and/or Notion Stashes” may be used.  You may also have a patron purchase materials for you; if you have a patron, your total receipts cannot exceed $200.00.  The patron may not be your significant other or anyone else you share a checking account with.
10. Points will be awarded to everyone who enters, according to the criteria.  Points will be allocated as follows:

·        10 points for each layer completed.

·        10 points if EVERY layer is completed.

·        10 points for any extra layer/accessory (over and above the four required) completed.

·        5 points for any layer started/attempted but not completed.

Additionally, the points below will be won by the person who best meets the criteria:

• 10 points to the best attempt at historically accurate DESIGN
• 10 points to the best attempt at historically accurate CONSTRUCTION 
• 10 points for each inclusion of the entrant’s HANDWORK other than sewing straight seams, such as hand-made lace, buttons, embroidery, weaving, shoes, use of fur (real or faux) and so on.  To receive the full 10 points, the handwork must be included in the documentation.  Points will not be awarded for bartered goods.

• 10 points to the best attempt by a sewing NOVICE 
  (A novice for this purpose is someone with less than three years of sewing experience).

The OVERALL WINNER will be the person with the highest total points from ALL categories above. Other winners will be Best Design, Best Construction, Best Handwork, and Best Novice.

http://coteduciel.org/challenge.html