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.  

WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM...

 So, this is my sewing machine: 

Don't get me wrong, I love it.  It's 26 years old (1994), and it's been a workhorse, and it's my baby.  It's made everything you see on this blog, and much, much more.  It's yellowed with age and a lot of the markings have rubbed off over the years.  But it still sews - even does buttonholes and all twelve fancy stitches.  

The problem is it's also developing age-related issues.  It's slow.  The dials and switches are hard to operate.  The thread catches all the time.  I've had it serviced, and I take great care of it, it's just showing its age.  

I also have a "new" machine, as of about six years ago - a Singer Curvy - that has been nothing but a problem since I got it. It ran well for a year before it needed a new pedal.  Then the needle shank fell out of alignment.  I had it fixed.  Then something else broke.  I had it fixed.  Then the needle shank went off again.  I had it fixed.  It did it again - and this time I wasn't willing to just keep sinking money into this thing.  I had already spent more than the machine was worth in repairs, and I just wasn't going to do it anymore.  

Enter my friends Chris and Franchesca.  Chris texted me yesterday morning and said, "Hey, did you ever get that sewing machine issue sorted out?"  A conversation about my two machines ensued.  Long story short, the pair of them showed up at my house last night with this: 

That's a Husqvarna Viking Tribute 140C - Franchesca's old machine.  She got a new one recently and decided she needed to loan this one to me so I could work on something nice.  Holy crap! I think I said "thank you" about a thousand times.  (If you're reading this, Franchesca, THANK YOU!!!)  

I took it for a short drive this morning - I ran a little sampler just to familiarize myself with basic operations, changed the thread and the bobbin, and then repaired a mask that needed longer elastic.  I can't WAIT to get going on big projects with this thing!  It runs so smoothly and quietly, and practically does everything for you.  I'm about to download the manual so I can learn how to do all nine million stitches that this thing does (especially buttonholes, I'm going to need to make a lot of buttonholes in the near future).  

So anyway, I just wanted to show off my new toy.  I can't wait to really get into it!  

A Bathrobe

A friend gave me an online gift certificate to Joann's.  Since I could only use it on fabric (patterns, notions, and things like that are only available for store pickup), I decided to treat myself to something I'd been putting off:  a new bathrobe.  I hadn't had a new one in years, and I had longed for a new one that matched my bedroom, hehe (yes, I'm just that kind of dork).  I bought some hunter green double knit cotton, and did this.  

I know, I know, it's just a bathrobe.  But it was needed, and I had fun whipping this fast little project together.  It's warm, flowy, comfortable, and washable.  

I used the Japanese kosode pattern that I used for my silk robe in 2014.  It's easy, comfy, and sews up in less than two hours.  

So, thanks, Friend!  This was a great birthday present.  :)  

...And Now For Something Completely Different

So, here's something a bit out of the ordinary:  I made myself a Regency-era (Empire) gown.  I had six yards of sage green crushed Dupioni silk on hand that I had had for years, and  I was saving it for "something special", but that something never came around - what was I saving it for then?  I decided to have fun with it. 

And so I give you:

At first I thought I'd get a Simplicity pattern and just start sewing; but I had too many questions about the fashions themselves - first and foremost, was that Simplicity pattern even accurate?  A LOT of reading and study happened next.  Long story short, I finally ended up ordering the Morning Dress pattern from Reconstructing History, and got to work. 

I adore these buttons!

The pattern went together pretty easily once I figured out some snags I had along the way.   But once I got it sorted the dress came together just like it was supposed to.  I made three mock-ups of the bodice, and two finished bodices,  to get the fit right.  

I also made a Regency-style chemise, and a pair of stays to wear beneath the dress.  The fashion in the early-mid Regency period was to let it all hang out - no corset, no stays, nothing.  Of course, larger women (me) and larger-busted women (me again) did opt to wear stays to keep everything in place.  The chemise is made of handkerchief-weight white cotton;  the stays are made of cotton calico with bias tape binding and hand-stitched lacing eyelets.  

Credit where credit is due: 

A dear friend gave me a big gift card for my birthday this year, which I used to purchase a new cutting table (hooray, no more cutting out on the floor!) and all the notions and supplies I needed for this dress.  I had the fabric already, but without that birthday present this outfit wouldn't have happened.  Thanks, Friend!  

What's Next? 

Sadly, I don't have anywhere to wear this outfit - I'm not involved with JASNA or any local Regency groups (there aren't any local Regency groups), and Halloween didn't happen this year.  This was purely an exercise in branching out and learning something new.  It'll hang in the closet forever, I suppose.  Even if it does, I plan to keep learning and keep adding to the ensemble - it needs a Spencer jacket and a hat!  Those are "one of these days" projects, I think. 

For now, though, my next project is going to be a [modern] winter coat for me.  I've always wanted to make one, and I've found the perfect pattern for it.  It'll take me a while to collect all the components I'll need for the coat, though, so I probably won't have the blog post about it for you for a couple of months.  In the meantime, there are always masks to make.   

 

One Last Serk

 Nothing major to report, I just made one last under-dress for my Viking wardrobe: 

This fabric is a pale grey lightweight linen - if you look closely you can see the outline of the hem of the tshirt I have covering the mannequin.  (If you look even more closely you can see the outline of a kitten playing underneath the dress, heehee).  

Now I have an even number of apron dresses and smocks, so I won't have to re-use any smocks during an event (ew sweaty).  And so the Great Big Viking Project I started in April is finally complete. 

Next time I'll have something completely off the wall for you.  Stay tuned! 

Quarantine Hobbies

 In the middle of all that Viking-ness that I was doing earlier this year, I also made a loom.  I honestly thought I posted about it on the blog, but I guess I didn't.  Whoops!   

It's a simple design, made from a single piece of 1x4, a 3'x1" dowel, and a handful of 2" screws.  I learned how to make it by watching youtube videos, and had it done in an afternoon.  The stain is Dark Walnut, by Minwax.  If I had it to do over again, I'd re-think my dowel placement:  one of the dowels in the warp is too close to the path that the yarn takes on the non-heddled strings, and it's causing some friction that I think is making my yarn fuzzy in places.  

I'll admit, I'm not very good at weaving yet.  Another youtube video taught me how to warp up the loom and weave on it, but I'm having lots of tension problems I don't know what to do with.  I'll get there.  So far I've woven a couple of scrap pieces just to get a feel for the loom, and a perfectly serviceable teal belt made of thin yarn.  I'm working on a black one at the moment.  

Part of the problem with weaving is that I don't have a real shuttle.  I made one out of an old wooden ruler, because that's what I had.  Someday soon (I hope) I'll order a nice shuttle for myself, and then maybe things will go more smoothly.  

LOL.

Mr. Madylyne

On the last day of an event, I like to dress as a dude. Packing up and breaking camp in a dress is a pain in the ass, and MAN, I hate stepping on my skirts while I'm trying to do work.  So.  Pants it is.  But not jeans - I still want to be in garb on the last day. 

Also, I really just dig men's Viking clothing.  I had a pretty decent tunic which was very festive but not period, some winingas that didn't stay up, and no pants at all (I was wearing baggy yoga pants).  The whole outfit had to be re-done from the ground up.

And so, from the top down,  this is the new tunic.  It's simple, beige and blue, with no trim, embroidery, or other ornamentation.  It's a plain, geometrically cut t-tunic, like the old one.  I have a pair of metal bracelets I can wear with this, a beaded necklace, and a small, round, silver brooch I can close the neckline with.  

I totally cheated on the pants.  I've tried the Thorsberg trouser pattern before, but I can't seem to make it work for me - the seat always rips out when I wear them.  The billowy Rus pants design calls for more fabric than I had to work with.  What I opted to do instead was to make a pair of "long sleeved braies":  basically, I used my Medieval underwear pattern, which I know fits well, and extended the legs to full length.  Here's sort of what the pattern looks like:

It worked really well.  I now have a pair of pants that is comfy, moves with me, and the waistband stays in place...And which I can't show you, because they look truly horrible and ridiculous on, without a shirt, and the shirt covers up all but the lower legs.  You can kind of see them in the next pic:  

Here's a pair of wool winingas that I ordered from Etsy, and the Vlaardingen shoes I ordered from Bohemond a few months ago.  I tried this with linen winingas that I made, but I just couldn't keep them up - they fell completely off every step I took.  The wool clings to the fabric of my pants much better, and hugs the curves of my legs, so they stay in place just fine.  (It's hard to get them on evenly, though - you can see how loose some of the wraps are. I'll get better).   I got the raven hooks from the same Etsy shop, and I lurrrve them.

So that's me as a guy!  I swear I didn't match the tunic trim to the pants on purpose, I was just working with the leftover fabric that I had.  Those winingas take forever to put on - I imagine I'll get better at it the more I use them.  I don't have any of the usual accoutrements that I see on guys - knives, drinking horns, little leather pouches, nice leather belt.  The belt I have right now is one I wove on my inkle loom out of thin, black yarn.  Eventually I'll come up with a nice kit;  for now I'm just rocking the clothes.  

And here, because I got a new kitten, is your Cat Tax for the day.  Everyone, meet Darcy: