Bookmarks

My husband is a scholar, and as such goes through quite a few bookmarks.  He likes to leave them in various books to reference later.  His favorite bookmarks are these woven rug bookmarks (also commonly found at Barnes and Noble and other local bookstores).

He likes the soft ones not just because they're beautiful, but they also never cause damage to the books from being too thick or having sharp edges.  He tends to go through a lot of them, however, and it can get expensive.

I got the idea in my head that I could use pieces of leftover trim that are too short to do anything with to make him some soft bookmarks.

It worked quite well.  I cut bookmark length pieces of scrap trim that I was hanging on to for some unknown reason (honestly, 18" of trim isn't enough to do much with!).  I then sealed the edges with a few drops of Dritz fray check.  This was especially important for the woven trim on top.  That one is a much more complicated weave and is a thicker trim.  Once the fray check dried, I had several nice, soft bookmarks for him, and felt accomplished to have found a use for that useless trim.

I thought I'd share this here because costumers and scribal artists tend to have a reference library, and this is much prettier than using torn pieces of paper to mark your pages; we're all about spreading the pretty!

In retrospect I should probably have pressed the trim first (they were wrapped around cardboard squares for storage), so now they like to curl a bit, but this isn't a problem when pressed inside a book, and you can learn from my mistake.  You're welcome.

My Weakness

My weakness?  A fabric sale.  Admit it, costumers, fabric sales are wallet-slimming fiends! 

Fabrics-Store.com had a sale on their medium weight linen last week, so I demanded that Sven pick out a few colors for tunics.  He picked out the royal purple and autumn gold.  I'm told the autumn gold is for a "Kirk" inspired tunic *snerk*.  I picked up some black and white for the stash  That stuff is always handy to have around.

The darks are in the wash now, for pre-shrinkage.  I still hope to have a new undershirt done for Sven for Quest, but I haven't even started it and it's two weeks away.  Where has my time run away to?

I have sadly gotten in the very bad habit of sitting in front of the TV after work, and it is draining all my time away.  We're tempted to cancel our Netflix account to curb our potato-ing.  Tonight we have guests coming over, so I may not get started yet again.  But tomorrow, I have no excuse!  This weekend will be full of shenanigans at the Utah Renfest and other social obligations.  

In other, completely unrelated news, I have been playing with different braids/braiding techniques lately.  The hair is back down to my waist again, and it's been a ton of fun to play around.  Today's adventure is two dutch braids that are wound around each other to make a braided spiral in the back.  Excuse the poor photo - it's surprisingly difficult to take a picture of the back of your own head with a smart phone.  Also, it's nearing the end of a sort of crazy day, so I have loose wild hairs.

Fabric Haul

I got a major score on the clearance shelves at Hancock Fabrics a few weeks ago! Royal Blue (about 5.5 yards) and Royal Purple (10 yards) 100% wool. So now I get to play the "what am I going to make with this?" game.

These are all things I've been wanting to tackle for a long time:

Saxon Gown

Flemish Working Class

Early 16th C. Florentine

FOLLOWER OF TITIANEmilia di Spilimbergo, c. 1560

Zimarra

For the smaller yardage in blue (my favorite color, by the way), I'm thinking either a zimarra or sleeveless ropa, embellished with applique and couching. Another option would be an outer gown to go over my chocolate linen kirtle to convert it into a Flemish working class dress.

 For the purple wool, I may try my hand at a saxon gown, or an earlier Florentine style dress. I'm almost thinking this shade of purple is a bit too vibrant though. I think I'd rather it were dialed down a bit into a nice plum. I might try dying it if I don't chicken out.  There should be plenty left over to do something for my Sven as well.

Thoughts?  Opinions?  Other ideas I haven't thought of?

Let's not forget I also have eight yards of evergreen and ultramarine linen getting bored in my stash.  Maybe I can combine the wool and linen to something awesome.  I won't be starting on this any time before the New Year, so that gives me plenty of time to stew and plan.

ACC - Muff

Wherein my brain gave birth to an idea for a muff...

Muffs became fashionable in Italy during the early 1570’s, and from there it spread pretty much everywhere. Harrison, as quoted by Janet Arnold, records that “Women’s Maskes, Buskes, Muffs, Fanns, Perewigs, and Bodkins, were first devised and used in Italy by Curtezans, and from thence brought into France and there received of the best sort for gallant ornaments, & from thence they came into England about the time of the Massacar in Paris.” (St. Bartholomew’s Day, 24 August, 1572).

Cesare Vecellio, in the second edition of his fashion book Habiti antichi, et moderni di tutto il Mondu, published in 1598, shows a woodcut entitled "Winter Costume of Venetian noblewomen and wealthy ladies."

There are no extant muffs that I am aware of, but there are quite a few pictorial images of muffs, and documents referring to them.

According to Andre Blum, in his volume "The Last Valois," it is reported that King Henri III of France was fond of "perfumes and cosmetics, ear-rings, velvet or satin muffs lined with fur -- in fact, a whole range of modes formerly reserved for the use of women." Another reference to Parisian fashion for wearing muffs appears in Janet Arnold’s "Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd (QEWU)": “Amyas Paulet was also instructed to get Elizabeth [Queen] a muff or ‘countenance (so they call it here)’ in Paris in 1579. He sent one, ‘the best I can find at this time thinking it better to send this as it is when there is some cold stirring, than to wait for a better till the cold be clean gone. I have caused this countenance to be furred as well as it can be done in this town, but have not perfumed it because I do not know what Perfume will be the most agreeable to her Majesty.”

Venetian costume of noblewomen and wealthy ladies. c. 1598.

Eleanor Verney, Mrls. William Palmer. c. 1590.  William Segar. 

Detail from an embroidered valance, c. 1588-90.  Victoria and Albert Museum, London

 Illuminated miniature of Queen Elizabeth carrying a muff.  c. 1586. Bodleian Library, Oxford.

I've had this black gold worked trim for about seven years - there's only about a yard or so of it, which isn't enough to do much, but after measuring a few things out, is long enough to act as bands on the edges of a muff. The edges of the trim is not even though, as it appears that it was worked on stiffened velvet and then cut into strips. After digging into my stash though, I found this creamy braid that goes smashingly with my pale yellow tufted brocade. I will use this as vertical bands on the edges of a muff.

I have purchased a faux fur lined coat at a thrift store which I intend to disassemble and use the fur to line the muff, as well as add fur trim to my mantelline when the time comes. It is a dark brown mink-ish looking fur. I will use some buttons from my stash as well.

Bibliography:

1. Donald King and Santina Levey, The Victoria and Albert Museum’s Textile Collection: Embroidery in Britain from 1200 to 1750, V&A Publications, 1993, 160 Brompton Road, London SW3 IHW.

2. Santina M. Levey, An Elizabethan Inheritance: The Hardwick Hall Textiles, 1998, National Trust Enterprises, Ltd, Great Britain.

3. Cesare Vecellio, Vecellio’s Renaissance Costume Book. Dover Publications, Inc., N.Y.

4 Blum, André, The Last Valois 1515-90, George G. Harrap & Co, LTD. London, England.

5. Janet Arnold, Queen Elizabeth’s Wardrobe Unlock’d, 1988, Great Britain, W.S. Maney & Son, LTD, Hudson Road, Leeds.

6. http://www.houseffg.org/belphoebe/Research/Muff/Index.htm

7. http://katerina.purplefiles.net/garb/diaries/FL_Manichino_Muff_1.html

8. http://renaissanceitaly.net/mygarb/muff.htm

ACC - Fabric Choices

My silk coming in a completely different shade than expected caused a problem. This problem:

I hate the way the plum dragonfly brocade looks next to the silk. Maybe I'm being picky, but color is very important to me. In anything I make, be it painting or sewing, my color choices are deliberate. Thusly, I have raided my stash and have come up with the following possibilities:

Here's what I'm thinking:
Sottana - yellow damask
Veste - eggplant silk
Mantelline - Navy velvet
Accent fabrics and possibly mantelline lining - brocade

Right now I'm leaning towards option #3 because the brocade pulls the mauve from the silk really well, matches the navy velvet, and has touches of gold to match the damask. The down side to this option is that I have VERY little fabric. I would probably have to tear apart a Persian coat I made out of it to get what I need. Honestly though? I wouldn't mind over-much. It was a poorly made coat - a rushed job that I never even lined. That Persian also has some awesome buttons on it, IIRC, that would look smashing on a muff. I have used the other two brocades as forepart and sleeves on Elizabethan gowns.

Thoughts?

Eggplant-ish Silk

I purchased some eggplant silk taffeta from Bangkok Thai Silks (and was pleasantly surprised to have it in record speed). I was less than pleased with the color.

On their website, the color was exactly what I wanted, and though I am aware that monitors make colors vary, I was sure it would be great.

I pulled it out of the packaging to find something closer to a maroon/mauve than the eggplant/aubergine that I wanted. Slightly annoyed, I took it to my special art lamps to see it under better lights. Still slighty annoyed, I took pictures, and discovered that this squirrely fabric hates to be photographed, and I'm not surprised it's not true to the web photo.

Mind you, my camera phone automatically adjusts lighting, but here it is against yellow fabric, looking almost grape(!!):

And here we are with no background colors, which is sort of a light reddish eggplant:

In reality it is pretty close to the medium/dark shades in the second photo. Now that I'm over my initial color shock, I'm not sure how bummed I truly am. It is still a lovely color, even though it's not what I expected, and the silk quality is very nice - good and thick, with a beautiful sheen and stiffness.

So now I'm to decide whether to go ahead and make a zimarre or veste to go with the ACC sottana (but not as part of the ACC) as planned, or to stash it for now.

Silk!

I asked Serafina to spread the word (werd, yo) about Bangkok Thai Silks, whom you can now buy directly from (used to be via e-bay only), and their prices are pretty darn good for silk taffeta. But I neglected to mention it myself. Until now. Their same silk is going for $19.99/yd on e-bay, but there are significant discounts buying directly ($9.99-$16.99). Note that you will need a paypal account to buy from them.

This is, by the way, the vendor I used to purchase the "cobalt-green" shot silk for my elevation gown:

The silk hoarder in me would love to keep it a secret, but I love you all too much not to share.

Enjoy! (and I'm sorry)

Supplies!

This is a very quick post - images of some of the supplies for the ACC.

Silk organza, black swarovski pearls, and brass spangles for the parlet, and large pearls for the long dangling necklace.

The red linen beneath these supplies is the linen for Sven's new Norse tunic, that he's patiently waited a year for. I've promised to have it done for Midge Marsh Melee, so that will be my focus for the next few weeks.

I also owe you a post about Serafina's laurel scroll, and you shall have it soon. It was a fabulous day, but more on that later.

Loot!

I acquired this awe-sum fabric for a steal. Oh yes, be jelly. 2.75 yards of Jacobean crewel embroidered fabric. This will look great against my chocolate linen, no? Possibly the green too, but I was thinking of doing a Venetian out of that. Hmmmm...

Artemisian Costuming Challenge

For the Artemisian Costuming Challenge, I will be doing a Florentine gown as popularized by Eleanora di Toledo, particularly in this image painted posthumously by Bronzino.

The kirtle, called a sottana in Moda a Firenze, will be made of butter yellow damask from my stash. The overcoat may or may not be a part of this challenge, depending on how cost prohibitive the fabric is and/or finding a patron. This gown has been in planning stages for about a year, and I do not want to compromise my vision due to the dollar limit on the challenge. I hope to obtain eggplant silk for the overdress. If this doesn't happen, the overdress will not go towards the challenge, but I will eventually be making it anyway (possibly within the challenge time-frame, possibly not).

The kirtle will be self-stiffened: no bodies will be worn with it, as was believed to be the case for Eleonora, according to Moda a Firenze.

I will be making a new camacia in white linen with embroidered details as my skin layer, and there will be a high-necked partlet as an accessory. My warmth layer will not be the overdress, but a Dutch Cloak, which Eleanora had several of in her wardrobe accounts. This is a circular short cloak, often with sleeves, or sleeve slits. Another post later will provide additional details on this piece of the challenge.

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.

Shopping Haul

Yesterday felt like my Birthday, with all my packages that arrived in the mail. I just had to share!

My gorgeous Tailor's Ham is courtesy of Fait Avec on Etsy. Isn't he the cutest thing ever?

I also received this glorious ultramarine blue and evergreen linen for future camping garb - eight yards of each. The hard part will be deciding exactly what to do with each... More kirtles, maybe? Venetians? Campi gowns? What do you think?

Shibori

Shibori is a Japanese term for a method used to dye fabric - to tie dye fabric. Shibori is an ancient technique used as early as the Nara period (710-785 AD), which is rumored to have come from India, and then to Japan through China. The basic idea was to create a design that resists dye by tying, folding, sewing, wrapping, etc.

There were many ways to accomplish this, and my purpose of writing about Shibori is not to give a history lesson or a tutorial on how this was done, as there are plenty of books on the subject and dying is not a skill I intend to delve into. My purpose today is simply to share the eye candy that this traditional technique can create.

It is interesting to note, however, that one technique of shibori was banned during the Edo period as being immorally wasteful, for a tier of spending about 30 years tying one garment.

After dying, threads used to tie the garments are carefully removed. This is obviously a delicate process as even a tiny tear could ruin months of work and the entire 12.5 yard bolt of fabric.

The below images were taken from a company that made shibori in a traditional manner, back when I was researching Japanese textiles and clothing about seven years ago. I believe this company was based out of California, but being terrible about such things, I didn't save their information, and can no longer find their website. If you know who they are, I'd love to be re-educated so I could credit them with their gorgeous work. Until then, enjoy the eye candy.