TO WAR!!!

That sounded spirited and enthusiastic, right?  Good, because really I'm just stressed as hell and anxious about getting everything done and the packing and there's still stuff to buy and dogsitters and a guest room to get ready and OMG THERE'S ONLY TWO WEEKS LEFT  *FAINT*


Mkay, I'm done.

Look, sleeves!

Just something quick to fill an hour that I had left while chained to my sewing machine after I finished the stuff on my to-do list tonight and still had a bit of time.

Just some old red polyester microfiber ("wool"? I think it's convincing, lol), lined with some white cotton eyelet-print I had lying around.  The buttons are left over from the blue velvet gown project.

Of which I still don't have good pictures.  But by now, I assume you expect this.  (Fail).

One of the sleeves' lining had to be pieced.

But hey, I used up all the white eyelet-print scraps! :D  Less junk taking up space in my nice, organized craft room shelves.

Speaking of which, I moved the sewing table in there, from the wall with the window on it to the adjacent wall on the left, so that I have a better place to set up my ironing board that's not out in the middle of the room. :D

Have I mentioned how much I heart these buttons?

Something else I did recently:  got my Singer machine fixed!!!  It wasn't broken, really, but the foot control had gone out, and a very nice man at a very nice shop very close to my house wired a new one onto the cord (of my 17 year old Singer) for me, for only $25.  Now I have functional two machines again!

And I'm teaching Vasilii to sew!  Tonight while I worked on these sleeves, Vasillii sat next to me and made himself a linen hood to wear under his helmet.  He's doing a fantastic job.  :)


News on the war preparations later this week...



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*omg*

True to form, I f*d up and forgot to ask someone to take pics of Vasilii and I in our court gear (green opashen, blue velvet transitional gown), after realizing that my camera's battery was dead.  FAIL.

I do, however have this picture:

That would be Vasilii and I getting our AOAs together...at the event which marks our 1-year anniversary in the SCA, from a K&Q whom we both absolutely adore and admire!

If pics of either one of us in our outfits surface online today from the event, I'll share them here.



*

I found one!  Isn't he hot?  Nom nom.

Meanwhile, bardic was awesome, although I displayed without competing because I'd forgotten my spoken piece...except I found it later in the afternoon in my music folder. D'oh!  Guess it just wasn't meant to be.  The Candlemas Candle Dance performance went swimmingly, feast was amazing, I got my arms registered, I had tons of fun sitting gate in the morning, I made new friends, I dance my ass off in the evening before court, and I got to entourage for the B&B during court for the first time, which was really neat.  And then, you know...AOA.

Squee!!   :o) 

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Более Россия вещи (More Russian Stuff)

With my outfit for Candlemas halfway finished, it's time to start working on Vasilii's as well.

You remember Vasillii...

We're slowly but surely cranking out more stuff for him for the upcoming war in the spring.  We're both going to need plenty of clothing for the week-long event.  He's up to here with shirts, and we're getting there on pants.

This red shuba, though, is his *only* court wear!   That's no good at all.

Radzivill Chronicle - 15th Century, via Sofya la Rus' website 

So, we're working on an opashen, which is a long (calf- or ankle-length) coat.  It buttons up the front, and the sleeves are nearly as long as the coat itself, and slit in the front so you can put your arms through the slits.  Opasheni were also worn without the arms in the sleeves at all, sort of like a cloak.

via Anglesey's online photo gallery

Here's a picture of one in the SCA, worn by then-king Vladimir of Atlantia...which I find utterly hilarious, considering how much he and Vasilii resemble each other.  I really hope they meet at war in the Spring, and that I'm there to see it.  "Hey!! You can't be the big blonde Russian,  *I'm* the big blonde Russian!"   And then the universe would implode. LOL.







Vasilii's opashen is going to be a soft, olive green "wool"  (it's actually a somewhat loose and fuzzy microfiber, which looks and feels like wool, but without the price, the itchiness (I'm allergic), the weight, or the heat).  I'm going to be using the brown faux-fur on it that I used on his shuba, as well as a gorgeous gold-and-black lightweight brocade we found that looks just smashing with the olive green "wool", in the trim and other little decorative accents.  I'd like to try to find some really pretty, high-relief braid to use for the button loops and bars down the front, and I found some really GREAT buttons to go with the outfit, with the Russian double-eagle on them!

 ♫  fabulous ♫

I also have a surprise for him, but since he reads this blog....


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DIY In Mundania, and This Week's Projects

Look, I made over my sewing room over Christmas weekend!!

Most of the work I did was in re-painting the room, the furniture, the shelves, and the closet; and in re-making my loooong sewing table.

Before + After, and lots more pics and info over at my other blog, where I keep all the DIY stuff.  :) 








Meanwhile, turns out, I loved the beige linen I used in the sewing room for the curtains so much, and had so much left over, that I'm working on a new shirt for Vasilii:

And I've been working on a plain gown for myself, in a really pretty, soft, aubergine linen (which is going to be the undergown for my outfit for Candlemas, though it can be worn on its own).  It's nearly done; all I have left to do is finish the embroidery on one sleeve and attach it, and it'll be ready to wear.  

hee. 

And I'm still working on the embroidery on that bag, and I'm still working on the scroll I'm making for the competition in January, which I started nearly two weeks ago.  Eek!  

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Василий Алексеев

WHEW!  The Fall baronial event was A W E S O M E.  I'm still sorting through photos and things, so I'll update about that soon, but in the meantime...

As promised, here's a quick run-down of the stuff I've made for my b/f, Vasilii Alexeev, a 15th century nobleman from eastern Russia: 

Vasilii's striva, or long undershirt (the neckline of which is not really correct; but e'll get to that in another post)...and pants.

Armpit gusset in the shirt that goes all the way down to the hem of the shirt (instead of just being a little diamond- or square-shaped insert in the armpit).  Classic Russian?  No. But it does give him a great range of movement for fighting. 

His shuba, which is a "light weight," fur-lined, knee-length coat, open at the top and closed below the waist.  Fur-lined? In Texas??  Hell no.  But I did trim the sleeves, hem, and front opening so that it looks like a fur lining peeking out.

With a faux-fur blanket I picked up on clearance at Target for $6, by the way.  Score! 

A close-up of the front button placket, trim, loops, buttons, and a tiny bit of the faux-fur "lining" peeking out. 

The "lining" is a bit thicker and fuzzier at the sleeve cuffs and around the lower hem of the shuba.

Vasilii can has hat. Same blanket-fur on the band.

While Vasilii's court gear is primarily red, black, and gold, most of his fighting stuff is dark blue.This is just a simple, long over-tunic, not embellished. We keep meaning to get around to dressing up the front placket and the cuffs/hems...

 ...






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Vasilii Can Has Hat

[This was posted on my DIY blog July 2011;  just copying it over]

Raise your hand if you're one of those people who can work on ONE project at a time, from start to finish, before you start another one?

♫♪♫

That's what I thought.  So, if case the lack of posts this week didn't clue you in, I stopped working on the living room for a bit.  Got all wrapped up in sewing.  Thought I'd introduce you to my other hobby today, just for something different.  I'd mentioned it, but I don't think I'd posted anything here about it, aside from the cooler cover I made earlier this year.

Kress and I spend quite a ridiculous amount of time with the Society for Creative Anachronism, or SCA (a pre-1600 historical reenactment society).  I find it QUITE awesome, since I'm a lifelong costume geek!


Kress' persona in the "game" is Russian, 15th century - and this is a hat I made for him last night.

It's made from scraps from a damask table runner given to me by a friend, and trimmed with faux-fur cut from a throw blanket I got from Target on clearance in January for six dollars.  I'm not even kidding.  I bought a white one, too.

The pieces are easy to shape:  take the circumference of the head and divide by however many "sides" you want the hat to have.  This hat has four, and Kress' head is 24" around.

From the top of his ears to the top of his head is 5" - I added an extra inch for ease, hem, and so there'd be a small point on top.

So, I started out with four 6x6" squares, and cut the arched sides by hand.  I started wide, fitted the pieces to his head, and then brought the side seams in - the steeper the angle, the more fitted the hat.  If the arch is too wide, the hat will end up being square on top, like a box.

Here are two sides put together, which is half of the hat.

As I said, I drafted the pattern myself based on Kress' measurements; but in case you were wondering, I learned about the construction of this type of hat in the first place by reading  Sofya la Rus' excellent and well-researched website on historical Russian costume and recreation.

 I made the lining first, to fit to his head, then used one of the lining pieces to make a paper pattern that I can use again, and then to make the upholstery pieces.  Always, always, always make a paper pattern.

The fake-fur band is 2" tall, 28" long, and sewn between the outer and lining layers, then folded to the outside.

I also tacked the top of the band to the body of the hat on the outside, underneath the fur trim, to keep it from folding down while he's wearing it, so he doesn't have to worry about whether it's staying in place, or walk around court looking like a doofus. :)

I already have ideas for improving the design and the fit for the next time I do this...but that's a story for another hat.





Tada!  I'd never made a hat before, aside from simple hoods and veils and elastic shower-cap type things.  This was fun!  And really quick, too - only took about an hour and a half.


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