Getting Back To the SCA For A Moment...

 In May of last year, when I made that new Viking coat, I fell head over heels in love with the fabric I used for the outside of the coat.  It's "Agave" linen from Fabric-Store.com. I just couldn't get enough of it.  But it went out of stock, for 7 months I couldn't find it again.  Finally they got it back in stock, about a month ago, and I ordered 4 yards to make a new Viking apron dress.    

I got that dress on there all kinds of sideways,
didn't I?  Slow down, me.  

It's the same as all my other apron dresses recently:  three panels, long looped straps, long hem.  FS' linen is so nice to work with, and I love wearing it.  I adore this color - that makes sewing it even nicer.  The new machine helps, hehe.  

This time, to trim out the top of the dress, I did something new.  I didn't have any more sari bits to use, and I couldn't find a woven trim I liked that would set off the color of this linen.  So I ordered some 1-1/4" silk ribbon from Burnley & Trowbridge., in apple and teal.  I was worried about the colors being right - it's SO hard to gauge colors over the internet - but I'm really pleased with them, and with the way they look on the dress.  Plus, this stuff is SO soft, I keep dropping it because I can barely feel it in my hands!  I'd admired this ribbon look (and/or strips of silk cloth) for years when I saw it on other people, but I'd never tried it myself until now.  

It looks all frumply because of the way everything 
hangs on the dummy.  I really need to fix it! 

So that's my new apron dress.  I can't wait to wear it - and all the other Viking stuff I've made over the past year out of COVID-induced boredom.  (Click the "Viking" tag below to see it all).  I've basically re-made my entire wardrob while we've been sequestered at home this past year.  From what I understand, we *might* begin to have in-person events as early as this summer - I imagine that depends on how this whole vaccine thing goes.  I'm so excited!  I miss the SCA and my friends so much!  

In that vein, I did something else:  I ordered an adjustable garment rack from Amazon to hang all my clothes on in my tent.  No more getting dressed out of plastic boxes and bending over the whole time I'm getting dressed, hurting my back!  I only hope it fits in my tent with my mattress and all my stuff.  I may set up the tent in the backyard over the weekend and give it a try.  

Nice rack!

See you soon.  

Regency Spencer Jacket

I made a Regency era Spencer jacket: 

It's made of a very dark green polyester fabric with a low-pile nap, almost like a shaved velvet, but the fabric isn't nearly as heavy as that.  I got it from a friend who was de-stashing, so I don't know what it's called or where it came from.  I knew it was enough for this Spencer, though, and that's all I needed.  

I used a polyester coat lining to line the inside of the jacket.  It was cheap and on sale to boot, and since I was using a polyester, non-period fabric on the outside, I didn't feel the need to go big on the inside.  

I used Laughing Moon #129 for this, although I switched things up a bit:  I used the neck ruffle from one view along with the back ruffle from another view. I wanted RUFFLES EVERYWHERE. I don't even know what's wrong with me - I'm not a ruffles person.  Anyway, I've had problems before with non-standard patterns from the internet, but I'm happy to say that this pattern worked really, really well. The instructions were clear, the pattern pieces were marked very well, and I didn't hit any snags or gaps in understanding as I went along at all.  I will definitely be using LM's patterns again.  

I thought the dark green would look lovely against blue, so I draped my dress form in a length of sheer blue cotton that I have...and then I realized my walls in the sewing room are blue, too.  I feel like it makes the whole photo look washed out and discolored, but I promise, the color in the pics is true.  I'm considering repainting that room, though.  This has been a problem before.  

Incidentally, "Spencer" jackets were originally a tailless men's jacket meant for light outdoor wear.  They take their name from George Spencer, 2nd Earl of Spencer, who, it is said, had his tailed coat altered after the tails were burned by coals.  Because Spencer jackets were originally modeled after menswear, many were designed with structured collars and lapels, or even accent you'd find on military dress like bars, braids, and epaulets.  None for me, thanks.  RUFFLES.  

My jacket won't be worn with the dress I made in November. The greens are just too different, they look horrible together.  But I am planning another Regency dress as soon as I can manage it, as well as an open coat and a hat.  Soon!  

P.S.:  this was the first real trial run of the new sewing machine, and it worked PERFECTLY.  It was a dream to sew on, so smooth and powerful and quiet.  My only complaint is with the thread lock function where it locks down the thread at the end of your seam. It's SO SLOW.  But other than that, I really love working on this machine.