No Progress - Plenty of Plans!

With camping season upon me, my crafting priorities need to shift.  I did not complete some of my goals, but c'est la vie.  These items will remain "In the queue" and will eventually happen.

I have two scribal projects in the works, one with no real deadline, the other with a loose one.  More info on that as I have progress to share and/or they are complete and presented to their new owners.

With Quest for Atlantis around the corner, I need to make Sven a new norse undershirt, for he only has one!  For shame!  That's top on my list of priorities.  After that, I'd like to dig up my plans from last year for my Elizabethan Jacket. Yeah, I plan in the long-term, because I'm super slow at completion.  The exciting thing is I have two awesome fabrics suitable for such jackets.  Remember this?  It wants to be another 'Bethan jacket.  I will be taking quite a bit of inspiration from Drea Leed's jacket.

I've also procured some new fabrics for more Norse tunics for Sven.  Autumn Gold and Royal Purple linen.  I think he wants one for Quest, but I'm not sure I can make that happen. <---SLOW SEAMSTRESS!!

We have some friends who may come to Quest with us, and who may need help garbing for the event.  I have some older items which may work, if cinched in and so forth.  I hope to know soon, so we can figure things out.  We also need to dig out all our camping gear, take inventory, and figure out what we need.  Bleh.

And since no blog shall be left picture-less, here's a sweet miniature of Bess of Hardwick wearing a super cute 'Bethan jacket.

Elizabethan / Jacobean Jacket

For many years I've been lusting after Elizabethan Jackets. I feel in love when I saw a fine lady wearing one at Known World Academy of Rapier/Known World Costuming when these two fine events were held together in Outlands, approximately 2003. Yes, I really am this slow to pursuing projects.

Mistress Isobel of Extreme Costuming fame renewed my love for this style with her amazing Maidstone Jacket. When the Plimoth Jacket was finally finished, I was head over heals. I'm not so insane as to think I might finish embroidering a jacket like either of these fine examples though... at least not in the next several years.

Other examples are this, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, ca 1616

and this, from the Art Institute of Chicago

There are examples of some with lower necklines, some with collars, and some without. I think I'd opt for the style above, from the Art Institute of Chicago. I was gifted some interesting fabric from my grandmother, and it screamed "Elizabethan/Jacobean Jacket" to me the second I laid hands on it, and it has been a long-term plan to do this, after finishing a base gown to wear it over. Well, put your hands together folks, as I finished my chocolate kirtle which will also act as petticoat bodies under the long-awaited jacket.

In reality while the browns in these fabrics don't match exactly, they are a much closer match than the image indicates. The pattern is woven, and the fabric has a fascinating texture. I believe it is cotton. I do anticipate making a black skirt to go with this as well, in the future, possibly made of silk taffeta.