SCA: The Hand Sewn Viking Project, Part I

For the last couple of years, I've been paying special attention to finishing my machine-sewn garments by hand as much as I can.  Usually I do the long construction seams on the machine, and then hem everything by hand; and I've made several small things - hats, bags, etc.- completely by hand, for the practice. 

Now it's time to level up, and try sewing an entire outfit by hand for the first time. This will eventually be a complete (female) Norse outfit (generally 9-10th century); for now, I'm starting with the serk, or underdress. 

lower hem meets side seam

The fabric for this serk is 100% linen (very light weight, 3oz), and the thread I used is 80/3 linen in a color as close to matching as I could find. The fabric is near-white, bleached linen.  For accuracy, my linen could have been left natural (unbleached and undyed), but I'll be honest with you, I look awful in the beiges and pale taupe shades of natural linen - those tones make my skin look green. There is some evidence of dyed linen serks, but not just a whole lot of it, so I wanted to steer away from using dyed linen for this project. That left me with bleached linen, which is a historically correct option, albeit one that might not have been worn by *everybody*.  Most people would probably have used undyed, unbleached linen (in cases where they used linen at all, but that's a whole different discussion).   

The pattern for this serk  is a basic tunic such as the ones found in Greelqnd and the UK: a rectangular front and back, rectangular sleeves, square armpit gussets, and triangular side gores to widen the skirt.  The neckline is a wide round one, with a deep keyhole slit in the front.  I made the sleeves a bit longer and wider than I usually do so that I could roll them up when I needed to. 

I used period stitches throughout the garment.  I used a backstitch on the long seams for strength and stability, and then flat-felled each seam with a whip stitch.  The hems were folded twice and then secured with a herringbone stitch:  

Inga Hagg's "Osenstitch" (1984) 

I pre-washed my linen fabric in hot water to shrink the fibers and soften them; after I was done sewing the serk I washed it again to shrink the thread and tighten up the seams.  I like add a little bit of cheap, sulfate-free hair conditioner to my washing machine when I wash linen, which makes the fabric SUPER soft and comfy.  

Overall, I'm pleased with how this sewing project turned out.  It didn't take me as long as I'd feared it would to sew this entire garment by hand - about 14 hours (spread over about three months).  The thing that took the most time to was the sleeve under seams and armpit gussets, because I put them on inside-out the first time and had to take it all apart and redo it. 

here, have a neckline instead

I do feel like my hand sewing improved on this project.  It was easier than I thought it would be, and like I said, it was faster, too.  By the time I finished this I was ripping through the sewing like it was nothing, and my stitches got smaller and more even the more I worked. My one complaint is about the thread: my waxed linen thread felt like sewing with dental floss, and I hated the feel of it. I think next time I do this I’ll order a finer thread.   

The next phase will be to create a new smokkr (apron dress) to go with this underdress. But that’ll be it’s own post. 

A Regency Petticoat

 The new white Regency dress I'm working on is VERY SHEER.  I needed some proper undergarments to wear underneath it for modesty's sake.  I have a chemise, but Regency chemises only come down to about mid-thigh; the stays will only offer protection around the bust area.  

So over the weekend I made myself a long petticoat to wear under the dress:  

I based the pattern off of basically every Regency petticoat I've seen online, both extant examples and bloggers' recreations.  It's a simple column, wider towards the bottom.  The top of it sits at the underbust, and 1" straps hold it up.  

Because the shape was so similar, I used part of my basic Viking apron dress pattern to shape the body and skirts, because it's what I had and I didn't feel like starting from scratch.   

At first, I accidentally made the thing WAY too short - what good would it do me if it barely went past my knees?  So I eyeballed it and added an 18" panel at the bottom.  

Then it was too long, because eyeballing is not measuring.  I took a 1-1/8" deep hem, and then added a 1" pleat about 1" above the hemline, to shorten it.  Now it's the perfect length.  

The front closes with a tie that I can tuck inside the petticoat.

In this picture, the waistline is pinned to my dress form to hold it up - I really need to find the time to alter my dress form to be actually shaped like me.  It's close in size, but not remotely similar in shape.  

The cotton voile is itself very sheer;  I'm hoping that the voile and the dress fabric (also a very sheer cotton) are enough together that I'm not flashing the whole world when I wear this outfit.  I've also noticed that the voile clings to everything it touches - I hope I don't have that problem with the petticoat and the dress! 

So that's the petticoat done. Technically my underwear is all finished now, although I really do need to replace my stays.  The current set is too big, and while it does the job, it doesn't do the job well.  I need to make a smaller set.  

But for now - on to the dress!  I'll show you when it's done.  

 

Hiatus Hiatus: Three 16th Century Shirts

I'm still not taking commissions - not while I'm working two jobs. Because effectively working three jobs was killing me, and I was blowing deadlines and making mistakes, and I just refuse to deliver that kind of product to my fellow SCAdians. 

That said, I did make one small exception this week, for a friend who desperately needed some quick 16th century shirts:

There are two knee-ish-length shirts for my client and her son, and a full-length version for her daughter. (The one in the picture will be much larger on my small client than it is on my me-sized mannequin).  They're are made of white, handkerchief-weight linen, based on a pattern from Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion 4. Adaptations to the pattern include a small gusset at the collar/shoulder seam for flexibility in the neckline, and the omission of any ruffles or pleats at the collar and sleeves (my client intends to add these at a later date, but wanted the shirts made without them for now).

The collar on the adult shirt was made from a scrap of fabric that
my client had with black machine embroidery already on it.

Three shirts, finished and ready to deliver.

This is the first time I've made this pattern, and I really like it.  Each shirt took me about 3 hours from cutting to finishing.  Now I want one of my own.

Not that I have anything to wear with one.

Yet. 


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S'mo Italian Stuff

Just in time for the 14-15thC Italian-themed Queen's Champion event this weekend:

1.  Green damask giornea top layer for the brown linen gamurra I fixed up last month:

$7 thrift store holiday tablecloth FTW

2.  Blue silk cioppa (over-layer dress, sometimes worn over a gamurra, which is closed in the front, sometimes worn alone) with pieced sleeves:

Event pics, with sleeves, next week!

4.  A new necklace for no reason at all, with graduated, faceted carnelian beads given to me by a client, alternated with 4mm amber-colored glass seed beads:

5.  A blue linen sleeveless underdress, made for a friend to wear while working in the event kitchen and/or bumming around camp:

This was based (loosely) on the following excerpt.  I lowered the top yoke considerably, and left off the trim and shoulder ties.  This is meant to be sort of a sundress that she can wear for SCA work days - casual, plain, and cool in the Ansteorra heat.

from Triumph of Death, Lorenzo Costa
 (right panel)

Also finished since  my last post:  two Roman dresses, and two Viking apron dresses, for another client, as well as two pairs of Phrygian caps for two other people, all to be delivered this weekend at Queen's Champion.  Hopefully I'll have pics of everything for you next week!

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Can't Stay Away For Too Long

In the past month-or-so since war, I've taken some time off.  I've sewn mundane garments.  I've cleaned up the house.  I've been spray painting shelves, moving furniture around the house, helping to plan surprise birthday parties, learning to cook new things, and spending a LOT of time in the garden.

And yes, I've been gearing up to hit the SCA sewing.  The longer I put it off, the more excited I am about it!  And it's about time to get down to business.  I have a mountain of alterations and new projects for clients - some regular and some new.  There'll be a lot to show you in the next few months.

The first thing on my schedule was to refit a few things from my Italian wardrobe.

To Wit: 

I started by replacing the neckline on my old, white, cotton camicia with a drawstring neckline instead of the flat one it had (because it was ripped on one side, and stained, I think with coffee).

Next, I dug out my old, brown, linen gamurra for some repairs and alterations:

• re-attached one of the ribbons at the shoulders that tie the sleeves onto the dress
• re-attached a couple of button loops on the sleeves that had torn loose; and reinforced the rest of them to prevent that happening in the future
• changed the sleeve buttons
• replaced the hand-stitched lacing rings on the front of the gamurra with a strip of eye tape (the eye side of hook-and-eye tape by the yard) for a more even and professional-looking front closure on the dress
• Removed the skirt, which had always been a couple of inches too long, and rather than shortening it, shortened the bodice on the dress to move the look from a more mid-1400s natural waistline to a midriff-length high waistline seen in paintings of the 1480s-90s, which is the look I prefer (I intended this dress to have a higher waistline to begin with - which was why the skirt was too long - but I'm very long-waisted, and in the habit of adding length to the waistline of anything I sew, sometimes without thinking about it.  I realized recently that this was actually why that dress never fit me correctly in the bust!)  

Finished, front and back with sleeves

l

Before - April 2013. The front was sloppy, the bodice
lumpy because it was too long, and the sleeves were
too loose (I fixed that last fall but forgot to mention it). 

L-R:   opening up the brown linen shell,  opening up the lining and interlining and sizing the piece I removed from the lower
edge of the bodice, finished insert - and noticing that I twisted the front when I put it back together, resulting in a twisted
strap - I had to take the strap apart and flip it and sew it back together, LOL.  Oops.  

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Not my favorite part of making a gamurra.  However, since it was essentially
pre-pleated from just having been removed from the dress, it was far
easier than pleating "from scratch."  

Eye tape inside the front opening of the dress, and 1/8"
cotton twill tape lacing.  Also the new drawstring casing
on the camicia.

A Wild Unemployment Appears! It Is Very Effective!*

Mmmmyeah, remember the hiatus?  Not so much!  It would seem that I have won the "free time" lottery - and boy am I already rocking out the backed up projects! (I still have a lot of house stuff to do, but now I don't have to prioritize so severely, and I'm working on the run-up to Bordermarch Autumn Melees/War of the Rams, which is in four days!)

Friday afternoon I went straight from the [ex]-office to my friend Star's house to work on stuff and help her do the same.  I spent the entire weekend just steamrolling through the pile, and, well, I haven't stopped since.  (And yeah, since I was halfway into moving my craft room, it's been a huge pain in the butt working across three rooms!)

While thinking about the weather this coming weekend for the event, and what clothing I already had that would keep me warm and reasonably dry, I decided to go full Italian for the entire event.  You never go full Italian!  Yes.  Yes, you do.  I find it exciting - this is the first time I've ever stayed in one "mode" for an entire event. Usually I'm all over the place (last event I had a Viking day, a 14th century day, a bliaut day, and then pretty much just wore all my clothes at once for an unexpected cold snap, lol).

And so, although I won't have many pics for you until after the event itself, here's a list of what I've gotten done since Friday so far: 

• Removed the silver ribbon trim from my black gamurra and replaced it with couched gold satin ribbon, and 
• Created a pair of simple early 1500s-era bag sleeves in gold linen with black ribbon ties, and a machine-embroidered motto along the edges (these two things because (a) I didn't have an Italian Caerleon livery, and because my 14th century CL livery is all too small for me!  D:  ) 
• created another pair of bag sleeves in a lovely deep blue swirly damask, to be worn with my brown gamurra
• finished one and created a second long, fabric sash to be worn over my belt
• cut and finished two new, very simple pouches to carry my things in, one of a lovely embroidered silk that I can't wait to show you
• made an exrta-long flannel chemise with extra-long sleeves, to be worn as a nightgown n the frigid eastern Ansteorra winter nights...which was a godawful beige color, so I also bleached it...and instead of simply whitening, it turned bright bubble-gum pink!!!  Dafuq??  Whatever . It's warm, that's all I care about. It's not like anyone is going to see it. 
• Assembled eight simple, canvas "pilgrim bags"/flat satchels, and that'll get its own blog entry next week after I've given them to their intended recipients 
• Figured out how to achieve a hair covering like this one out of veils and ribbons that I already possess

And finally, because I just cannot wait to show these off: 

!!!

Inspired by this photo, I drafted my own version, did a loooot of cutting out pieces ( I got to use a friend's rotary cutter, and I'd never used one before, and that is DEFINITELY going on my christmas list!), a loooot of edge-serging, and at one point in the assembly process made a really pretty squid.  And I finally got to use my gold (plastic) knot buttons that I bought at Gulf Wars three years ago!

I really wanted to get a photo of these over my silk chemise sleeves...but I can't find my silk chemise!  NOOOOOO!   I must locate it before the weekend. While this picture is just over a t-shirt, I did try it on over a cotton chemise, and the sleeve boofs (technical term??) blouse up nicely like they're supposed to over the proper undergarments.












So what's next this week?  A great-coat-thing like this one, of heavy embroidered cotton and fuzzy blanket lining, for warmth.  A whole bunch of small flags, already cut out, that need to be painted and them assembled.  A woodworking project (a simple and quick one, thankfully), for the event.

Once I'm finished there'll be a LOT of sorting and packing and loading of SUVs.

And in between is my BFF's birthday, and a celebratory movie and dinner.  Yay! :D







* For the record, I was laid off from my job, which is not doing so well in the present economy.  This is a GREAT thing for me, though - I've been stagnating there and have often thought of moving on.  Now I get to!


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One Night In Bangkok...

Today's post title is the fault of my BFF.*

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SO ANYWAY I finished the corset I started in March (here, and here).  Finished it June 29th, actually, but it's taken me until now to locate my camera data cord so I could bring you some finished-product pics:

The finished corset!

Fabric: cotton damask, drapery-weight
Lining: cotton calico
Interlining: 2 layers of lightweight buckram
Boning: stiff boning of bamboo baking skewers; flexible cording of heavy upholstery welting cord

Trim: black linen (over finished edging, not structural, purely decorative)
Lacings: 4-strand braid "viking whipcord" made from cotton crochet thread.
Eyelets: stitched by hand over aluminum backing rings, with DMC embroidery floss.

A note about the fit: as is evident in the first picture, the front piece is about 2" longer than the side pieces.  It's actually not; I had it laced incorrectly.  I unlaced them and moved the side pieces down, like in the diagram here - which does NOT look like it'll fit nicely when laced, but which actually fits perfectly when on my body.

The things you learn.

Things I will do differently next time:

 This is my very first corset...er...discounting the renfest corset that I tore down in order to start work on drafting the pattern for this one.  I LOVE the way it fits, however, for the next one:

• the front bustline needs to be just a skoch lower, as it peeks up above every dress I put over it
• The front waistline is too long for sitting comfortably for very long time periods, at least, with the bamboo boning in place.  I either need to shorten the length of the boning in the front, so that it doesn't go all the way down, or I just need a shorter corset in general - or to go the opposite way and make it long enough to bypass the tummy pooch that this corset stabs when I sit. 
• I will probably leave a small pocket in the front for a busk (and for my e-cig, hehe)
• the angle of the top pieces of the back result in a bit of a point at the center back, which I think I'll remove on the next try
• The straps are about 1" longer than I'd like, now that I've worn it about a bit;  and the origin point for the straps, on the back pieces, needs to be moved inward towards the center about 1.5" so that they sit correctly on the back of my shoulders  (i.e. I now understand why the famed "effigy corset" is shaped the way it is (Mine is NOT supposed to be an effigy knockoff, nor even remotely contemporary to that one. It's far earlier, and no, for the record, not 100% period in design. This is just an exercise in corsetry for me, my first serious foray). 
• The pieces (1 front, 2 sides, 2 backs) were designed to allow for a LOT of size adjustment, since I've been losing weight and gaining muscle like crazy for a while now.  I knew I'd have to take this in, and change some of the angles.  Turns out, enough of that has already happened since I drafted the pattern and began construction in March, that the corset is already laced all the way closed, and if I lose ANY more weight, will already be too small!!  I'm mulling over ways to keep that from happening again on my next corset, without resorting to just making it too small to begin with and hoping for the best. 
• I will make SURE, before I start sewing eyelets, that I have enough of the same color floss to complete that phase of the project!  This corset's eyelets are four different blues, and one green.  :/ 

You may recall...

The brown linen Italian dress I made for myself last year.

This is what it looks like without a corset.  (I.e. a stack of brown pillows, and shoulders that fall off).

Sooooo much nicer.  

One final note:  yes, the chemise here is my Italian camicia,  which I adore.  I DO plan on making a second one, with longer sleeves and more frill; as well as a second, actually-period corset, now that this one is done (I'll likely sell this one), and another couple of late-15th-C Italian kirtles to be worn with various other [new] sleeves.

In the meantime, though, I have a to-do pile stack list as long as my arm, and a couple of projects for other folks that I'm finishing up.  More on that soon!

____________________________________

* To wit:



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Let's Talk About Boobs

Most women I know in the SCA wear modern bras under their clothing, either because of a lack of period options or because it's simply easier to stick with what you know.  A discussion on Facebook about getting a proper bra fitting in a store prompted the following explanation from me, and I thought it might be useful to share here, for my seamstress readers.

______________________________________________

"...you can do it yourself easily. Measure underneath your breasts around your ribcage where the band goes - better yet, have someone else do it for you so that you can mind your posture (because if you're crunching over to see the tape, you're not getting an accurate measurement). Then measure around your breasts, at the widest part (the widest part, not the nipple itself). 

The difference between the band measurement and the breast measurement is your cup size. Every two inches of difference is a cup size. For instance, my band is 40" (actually forty-and-a-half, but round down for give in the elastic of the bra); and my bust measurement is 45". That makes me between a D (which would be 44") and a DD (46"). In truth, one breast is a D and one is a DD.  (Also keeping in mind that if you're like me, and your cup size doesn't change when you lose/gain weight - as your band size changes, your cup size will as well.  I wear a larger cup size when I'm thinner, for example, because the difference between my band and bust measurements increases). 

That's where a professional tailor or lingerie fitter comes in - they can eyeball small anatomical differences and tell you whether (still using my measurements as an example) a D or a DD would be better, and when to go up/down a cup size or when to make adjustments in the band size itself. But if you can measure yourself, or have a friend do it, you can experiment and see what's comfy for you. I wore a C cup and a band size that was FAR too large for me for many, many years before I learned to do this; the reason we HAVE bra fitters is that most women do the same. When in doubt, try on a larger cup and a smaller band than you normally wear. 

This segment brought to you by the letter N for nerd." 

______________________________________________

That said...

1. It's not an exact formula, and 
2. It's not going to work for every single person, since every person's body is a bit different. 

The formula, however, is also easily adaptable for very-fitted SCA garments like cotehardies and "period brassieres", for example.  The more information you know about how to fit your breasts, the more information you'll have about fitting them into a garment, whatever your underwear of choice. 

Another thing many women tend to overlook, both with bra fitting and with costumery, is that your "breast" covers more area than just what you think of as your "boob."  

original diagram from THIS ARTICLE at NursingCrib.com 

 

Take a look at the purple lines I've added to the above diagram.  For fitting purposes, you need to know that your breast, in a bra or a very tailored garment, begins at the side line of your body directly underneath your armpit; and also goes up to the point under your collarbone between your shoulder and the hollow of your neck.  (This is especially true for larger-breasted women, since both modern bras and supportive SCA garments push the breasts upward towards that point).  

* Also, keep in mind that if your breasts don't happen to be the ones that you grew yourself, sometimes the side-line will be moved forward, or be entirely absent, depending upon how your current model was installed by your surgeon.

Just as when fitting the cup size for a modern bra and taking into account the underarm/side area so that the bra cups support the whole breast and not just the "boob" on the front of your body; when fitting a supportive cotehardie or other supportive garment, you must take into account, in your alterations and pattern construction, the fact that your body pieces will need to support that area as well as everything else.  This is why the line of tension in a self-supporting garment goes from that side seam to the front center of the garment, like this: 

Here, the blue line is the tension line.  The red circle is the placement of the
lifted and supported breast in such a garment. 

And DO keep in mind that ALL of this is going to change from individual body to individual body, and your mileage may vary.  In general, though, I hope this information helps you in your fittings. 

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It's That Time Again!

Underwear time!  I made one of these:

Or rather....

It's basically just the "Medieval Sports Bra" with a skirt.   I loved the bra I made in September;  so much so that I've made myself two others, and now this thing.

This one is made of a very lightweight, loosely-woven cotton - practically gauze, it's so sheer (hence the pants, in the picture).

I've seen a lot of people lacing these things on the side;  I have rotator cuff issues in both shoulders, so side-lacing is really difficult for me, hehe.  Hence the front-lace.  :)

Tr-drr.

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It's Underwear Time Again!

With the new daily-wear under  things out of the way, I decided I wanted new *lingerie* as well.  Specifically, a night-rail (nightgown).  I saw this one from Realm of Venus (scroll down to "camicia") on Pinterest, and I HAD to have one. :)

So I went to the fabric store looking for cotton batiste.  I love cotton batiste - the weight, the hand, the translucence, the floaty way it moves - it's just lovely stuff, and I never get to use it for anything.   I couldn't find it, although I did find a good substitute.  It's a cotton/poly blend (I typed "cotton pony blend" there at first, LOL), and it's the same weight, weave, and hand; and while it was a bit stiff in the store, it washed up nice and soft.  I'm not about to wear polyester under a bunch of other clothes, but for a nightie, it'll do just fine.  Especially since it was 60% off and I got the whole piece for $10.  :o)

So, the "pattern" I used, which is actually not a pattern, is the same pattern I've been using for this type of chemise/nightrail since I was 17.  It's easy enough to just eyeball without measuring, it's fast, and on fabrics with a 2-way straight grain, you can just rip the pieces instead of cutting, which saves a bunch of prep time. (Note: I'm not claiming period-icity for this pattern at all.  It's not researched. It's something someone showed me a million years ago, and it's easy, and I love using it.  That's all).

For the body, I use the full width of my fabric - usually a 45" fabric.  It's already folded vertically, so I cut down the fold and voila: a front and back.  The length is from 2" below my collarbone, to the floor.

For the sleeve, I measure from my collarbone (with arm extended) to the second knuckle of my fingers.  Note: in the picture here, the sleeve-rectangle on her arm is shown with the fabric piece folded in half lengthwise (see below).

Next I fold the sleeves in half lengthwise, and then lay them flat over the body pieces, perpendicular to them, and overlapping at the corners.  (The overlap can be as deep, or not, as you want. For a drawstrung or elastic neckline, I don't overlap much. For this nightrail project, since I put a flat, stationary neckline band on it, I overlapped a lot to make sure the neckline would hang exactly where I wanted it to).

I cut straight across the angle.  The new edges are the seams which will connect the sleeves to the body.

Side seams are next.

I honestly don't know if it was fashionable in period to seam the sides of nightgowns all the way to the hem, or to leave them open at the bottom for a bit of leg (and ease of movement);  but I will tell you that I love wearing these so much, I wear them in mundane life as nightgowns (and to bop around the house in when I'm home alone), and *I* like to be able to kick my leg out when I curl up on the couch.

The easiest neckline solution is to hem the entire way around the neckline (careful around the corners) and drawstring (or elastic) the whole thing.

I like to gather the whole raw neck edge, and stitch it to some sort of seam binding - bias tape, a ribbon, or, in this case, a 1" wide flat neckline that I sewed and folded like a large bias tape, folded at the corners for a nice 90º mitred-looking angle.

The finished product looks something like this.


Or, if you prefer...

Not bad for $10, yeah?   Actually, this only took 3.5 yards.  I bought 5 yards for $10.  I haven't decided yet what to do with the extra. Maybe veil stuff.

If you look closely, you'll notice that 
a.  the sleeve/shoulders aren't gathered - they're sewn into the neckline flat.  This was because the overlap on the sleeve/body pieces was pretty deep.

b.  This stuff is sheer enough that you can see my sports bra through it.  This is after Kress and I played with angle and lighting so that it wouldn't be too sheer for the internet.  It's really sheer.

c.  I'm grinning like an idiot because Kress was cracking me up while taking the picture.

d.  Evie totally photobombed me again.












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Under There!

Yesterday I showed you my crotchless gaucho panties (I'm sorry, I love saying that, lol).  Today it's all about the boobs.

By now you've all seen this:

15th century longline bra
found at Schloss Lengberg

And possibly something along the lines of this:

from the Wenceslas Bible

As I said yesterday, I'm not really up for a full chemise under my dresses, especially since I feel like I need to wear braies or shorts of something pant-like under there.  Ever since I started seeing these "bras" and bust-supporting chemises, I've been fascinated with them, and with the idea of adapting something similar for my own uses.

What I really love is the idea of not having to wear a self-supporting cotehardie.  Don't get me wrong, they're awfully convenient; but it means that I can either wear cotehardies, or I can wear something looser, but wear a modern bra underneath it.  And we all know exactly how comfy modern bras are.  Especially for those of us blessed by a bit extra frame size, girth, or just extra boobage.

Enter the supportive chemise!  Hallelujah!!!  I can wear a cotehardie I can BREATHE in!*   I can wear my bliaut without a cote or modern bra underneath!  I can wear looser, earlier-period stuff and not wear a modern bra or just walk around sagging all day!  BOOB SWEAT!  

Except that I still don't want a full extra layer.  Solution #1 was the gaucho panties from yesterday.  Solution #2 is a Medieval Sports Bra: 

Technically this top should have a pleated skirt hanging from it, and yes, I do plan on making some full chemises like this in the future, but for now, until it cools off, I'll be rocking this ensemble under my clothes. ONE underlayer, ONE overlayer. Period. (Joke! Ha!)  

I started with my basic cotehardie pattern with the straight shoulder seams.   I cut the bust a bit long, like I did with the faux-hardie, and then adjusted the armholes in and the shoulders up a bit to fit the pattern better (I'm a growing girl!)  The entire thing is cut on the bias, so it's nearly as stretchy as a modern sports bra, but since it's linen and not spandex, it's much softer against the skin, and breathes MUCH better.  

You'll notice it gaps badly in the front.  This is because I put hooks and eyes up the front, inside the front edge.  I didn't want to have to bother with lacing myself in and out of this, and then also lacing up a dress - getting dressed in a tent already takes long enough, you know?  Thankfully, it doesn't show under a cotehardie or my bliaut.  And it's so FAST to take off and put on.  Only way it could be faster is if I put a zipper in it, hehe....and don't think I didn't think about it. 

Overall:  YAY!   As with the gaucho panties, the sports bra will get its first test run this coming weekend at the first even of the season.  I'm so excited!!! I can has Friday yet?

* my cotes are actually really comfy, but when my asthma's acting up?  Psh. FORGET IT. 

Under Where?

You all know how I love my Medieval underwear.   You've seen my oh-so-stylish braies, and my faux-hardie crop top underlayer.   Lots of you have also seen the news story running around the internet lately about the "bras" found in Austria "recently" (actually found in 2008, but the story's been circulating the last couple of months like wildfire amongst reenactment communities online;  and if you haven't seen this article on supportive undergarments and chemises, you should).

For my part, I'm still firmly attached to my idea of NOT wearing five thousand layers of clothing in central Texas, sorry.  Braies, a chemise, a dress, and possibly a surcote or some other top layer, is just too much; and since I'm a firm believer in NOT starting small brush fires with thigh friction, I prefer to have some form of pants on under my dresses.   I did the yoga pants/bike shorts thing before I made my short braies, but the waistbands on those things are just too tight, and leave big "pantylines" showing under my dresses.  No thank you.

I've also realized that I really, really need a second skirt underneath my gowns to help with fullness and flow...and so that I still have my legs covered if I need to hike up my dress for working or walking in wet grass. All of my cotehardies are self-supporting and lined through the bust if not the entire bodice; so a full chemise underneath isn't technically necessary - and again, there's that whole extra-layer thing.

So I decided to combine braies, full-length chemise, and one of my fashion nemeses from my childhood:  the dreaded culottes: 

*horror movie sound effects*REET REET REET*

HOWEVER...

I'd been trying to figure out what to call these, and my BFF hit it right on the head:  MY CROTCHLESS GAUCHO PANTIES - LET ME SHOW YOU THEM...

They're...

• long enough and wide enough to fulfill the "skirt" job of filling out and effectively lining my gowns
• keeping my thighs from rubbing together and attracting hordes of thousands of crickets
• lightweight enough not to be an issue in the heat (lighter weight than my first pair of braies)
• soft and minimal enough in the waist-band not to em-bulk-en my waist under my gowns (I made that word up)

Oh, and they're also..

• elastic-waisted, because I HAVE HAD IT with trying to undo the Gordian clusterf** that my drawstring-waisted braies always manage to get themselves into
• crotchless, because (a) dealing with pull-down pant-things under a giant skirt in a port-a-potty?  Hell no!  and also (b) there IS actually evidence of crotchless underpants for men and women from hundreds of years ago, because they knew what they were doing back then.  I've heard.  I tried to find a link for you, but, well, YOU trying googling crotchless anything and see what happens.  

I have noticed, through trying them on with different outfits, that I should have made the legs wider.  They fill out my skirts nicely, but not quite enough; and when I stick my leg out, it's obvious I basically have pants on. The first event of the season is this coming weekend, though, so I'll try them out there and decide afterward.

More underwear tomorrow!

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Contents: One Finished Bliaut

Wanna see some really crappy photographs of a really cool dress?

 

My camera takes really good pictures.  In a mirror, though, in a badly-lit room, of a dark navy-blue dress?  Not so much.   Sorry.

Front neckline, trim, and visible "cotehardie" underneath (which is all rumpled for some reason, and I didn't notice it until just now, hehe).   

Don't recognize the blue cotehardie?  That's because it's new, too - and actually, it isn't a cotehardie: 

Have I mentioned how flippin' HOT it is here in central Ansteorra?  We're talking 115º last Summer - and that's without the heat index.  And it's already hitting 100-103º here at the beginning of June.  Oy.  So, rather than wear *four* layers in this heat  - braies, chemise, under-dress, over-dress -  I'm leaving out the chemise entirely for the summer, and now have only two layers:  this crop-top fake cotehardie and a pair of braies,  and my over-dress - in this case, the navy bliaut. (Or, best case scenario: just the braies and a full cotehardie).  The crop-cote gives me sleeves and a neckline to show underneath an over-dress, but not an extra layer of fabric from shoulders to ankles.  Whew. 

And actually, I have another heat-buster idea, but that'll be its own blog post. 

Meanwhile:  blunt upholstery needle FTW.  This is how I lace myself into my laced cotes - this thing slides right through eyelets and buttonholes, without catching the fabric or stitching.  I've tried aglets on the ends of my laces, and I have yet to have them last more than one wearing - they pull off the lace, they bend, they tear out stitching around the eyelet or buttonhole, and they poke and scratch my skin when I tuck the lace-ends inside my dress.  No thank you. 

I'm wearing the bliaut to Dance Revel tonight; hopefully I can persuade someone to take better pictures of me in it.  :) 

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