HSF14 Challenge #7 - Toppers and Toes

After a brief break from my Renaissance projects, we now return to the 16th century...for the last time!  Yes, this is the last of the projects I created for both the HSF14 and Bay Area Renaissance Festival 2014 (and yes, we do call it BARF).  I wanted to do a hat I'd never done before.  Last year I made my first French hood, and I was really happy with it.  This year I decided to try an Italian Bonnet, which I'd seen patterns for on Lynn McMaster's page.  I didn't have time to order the actual pattern, so I decided to just kinda wing it.  I used sempstress.org for construction help.  Her hat making guides are invaluable.  

I like making my hat brims out of the uber-modern material Fosshape.  It feels like a heavy felt, but hardens up when heated.  I find it holds shape perfectly for a hat brim.  I didn't have any millinery wire, so I used a covered floral wire for the brim.  I've used it before and been happy with the results.  I was super down to the wire trying to get this finished for opening day, so the pictures of construction are limited.

The fosshape brim and crown pieces before covering

The covered brim 

I had been planning on making the crown grey as well, but for some reason it wasn't working for me.  So After rummaging through my stash, I found a large piece of poly velvet that looked rather nice when I pleated it down to the crown.  I machine stitched the pleats to the crown, and a piece of velvet ribbon to the brim to tie the two fabrics together.  Then I hand stitched the brim to the crown.  Then I pinned the feathers and a painted brooch to the crown to make it a bit fancier.

My friend Jen (artandrhinos.com) takes the best photos of me

The Challenge: Toppers and Toes

Fabric: Fosshape, grey cotton sateen, black poly velvet

Pattern:  Self-drafted

Year: Mid-1500's

Notions: Velvet ribbon, white ostrich feathers, floral wire, and a painted brooch

How historically accurate is it? It's patterned after an Italian bonnet, but has a lot of modern construction.  

Hours to complete: 4ish

First worn: Opening weekend, February 22nd!

Total cost: Hard to say, since I made it mostly from scraps I already had. 

Bonus Hat:  I made another one for a friend on cast, with a slightly different technique.  This time I pleated the sides of the crown, stitched it down, and then added the top of the hat.  I used more velvet ribbon to hide the stitches,  and he added a lovely cockade with feathers to bring it all together. Another slight difference: I tried making the crown wider at the top than at the base, something I forgot to do on mine.  Overall I was happy with both hats.

How on earth is it staying on his head? 

AND THAT'S IT!!!  No more Renaissance sewing for the rest of the year!  I can finally venture into other time periods, and make things that don't have to survive sun, rain, dirt, somersaults, and weaponry.  Thanks for bearing with me through my festival season.  Soon I'll post some pictures of what these garments look like after seven weekends of all this.

HSF14 Challenge #6 - Fairy Tale

At long last, my first, non-Renaissance project for the HSF!  I was very torn over what fairy tale I wanted to do, and some of my ideas are definitely going to be pursued at a later date.  But for now I needed a relatively small project.  I already have plans to make a 1912 gown later this year, based on a design I drew in college for a play called "Ring Round the Moon."  The story has a bit of a Cinderella rags-to-riches plot, and Cinderella needs her special shoes.  I grew up reading my mother's old copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales, in which Cinderella visits the ball three times.  The first time she wears white, the second time silver, and the third time gold.  So I decided I would make some Gilded Age gold shoes for my Cinderella inspired gown.

I found some nicely shaped beige pumps on ebay with lovely Louis heels, which I painted gold with acrylic paints and sealed with Future Clear Floor Wax.  (Oh, and first I gave them a couple coats of yellow leather dye, to give it a nice bright base color.)  Then I painted some lace I acquired at Joann fabric (having removed the plastic sequins).  I dithered over how much to use and where to put it, but in the end I decided less was more.  I added a pearlescent cabochon and some gold beads to the toe to bring it all together.  I used my leather punch to add holes along the top of the shoe, so I could lace it up like the inspiration shoe I found.

Example of gold Edwardian shoes

The Challenge: Fairy Tale

Fabric: Beige leather shoes, lace trim

Pattern:  None

Year: 1910's

Notions: Gold trim, pearl cabochon, gold beads, assorted paint

How historically accurate is it? Although the shoe is modern, I think I've achieved a period look.

Hours to complete: 4-6

First worn: Not yet

Total cost: $20ish

The unaltered shoe

Yellow leather dye

The first coat of paint came out quite sheer

That's more like it.

The laces I bought.  I only ended up using the top one.

Mariko was being needy and got in the way of my picture.

The finished shoes

The finished shoes on me

HSF14 Challenge #5 - Bodice

For the bodice challenge, it was pretty much a given that I'd be doing the bodice of this year's faire gown.  I like doing things that are simple in concept, but still stand out in execution.   The base fabric is grey cotton sateen, lined with plain black cotton, and interlined with back duck canvas for support.  The duck layer has some boning for shape as well, and there is a bone next to each row of grommets.  Once again I am using the anachronistic cable ties for boning and metal grommets instead of hand worked eyelets.  But anything else wouldn't survive the punishment I put these garments through.  

One of my first decisions about my bodice was that I wanted side lacings.  I've intended to do them like that for years, and always ended up with a center back lacing.  This year I was determined to make it happen.  I also knew I wanted to sew my trim on before I put the whole thing together, since I tend to forget that it's a pain to do after the fact.  I added black velvet ribbon down the center front and back of the bodice to mimic strapwork.  In order to keep it from shifting while I sewed it on, I glued each piece in place with a little tacky glue.  Then I went back and stitched over them all.  

I debated over whether or not to add wings or tabs to the shoulders, and in the end decided to keep it plain.  I added some smaller grommets to lace the shoulders together as well.  This way, if any strain is put on the shoulders during a fight, the lacing will come apart instead of the seams.  The shoulders were also widened a bit.

The Challenge: Bodice

Fabric: Grey cotton sateen, black cotton, black cotton duck (obligatory quacking noise)

Pattern:  The Eleanor of Toledo gown from Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion

Year: Mid- 1500's

Notions: Black boning channels, velvet ribbon, metal grommets, industrial cable ties.

How historically accurate is it? The pattern is historically accurate, but the materials are stretching it a bit.  

Hours to complete: No idea.

First worn: February 15th, at dress rehearsal.

Total cost: $30ish

Hey, I remembered to take more pictures this time!

The orginal pattern, sized up from Patterns of Fashion

My altered version

With the trim stitched on

All the various layers of bodice

Stitched together...

And grommeted

The finished product on me

Finally a bodice without a center back lacing!

And finally, the bodice in action:

HSF14 Challenge #4 - Under It All

This challenge was an easy one, as I knew I'd be needing a new corset this year for faire.  I went without one last year, because my old one was too uncomfortable.  It was a thick, heavy, store-bought one that didn't breathe at all.  So I set about making a new, one-layer corset. 

I am most certainly aware that a Victorian corset is the wrong period for wearing under a Renaissance gown.  But I don't find Elizabethan corsets nearly as comfortable, especially when I'm fighting.  My number one concern with my costumes is safety first.  So I stick with the longer lines and less boning of the 19th century.  I make sure to still bone the bodice of my gowns, so they hold a proper Elizabethan shape, despite my choice of undergarment.  

I have had a lot of luck with the late 1880's corset in Corsets and Crinolines.  But I I decided to experiment with a new pattern, and selected the 1844 for this project.  It went together with very little alteration, and I highly recommend it.  I did the center front on the fold, because I prefer not to have the stiffness of a busk in the front.  It inhibits rolls and flips.  I boned only the seams and on either side of the grommets.  I forgot to put in the waist stay, so I had to seam rip some of the bone casings and slide it through.Whoops. 

Dress rehearsal was the first day I wore it, and it immediately presented problems.  Fortnightliers, this corset is loooooooong.  When I bent, sat, or rolled, the bottom poked right into my crotch.  It also turned out to be a bit big in the hips when fully laced.  Aaaaand it seemed I had put the waist stay in a little high.  But that's what dress rehearsals are for, right?  That week, I pulled out the bias tape, shortened the length considerably, and did some nipping and tucking across the hip region.  I added an addtional waist stay for support in the correct area as well.  By opening weekend, it was fitting much better, and I kept singing the praises of how lightweight it was compared to the crappy old one I'd worn in previous years.  

I will say it's not the most aesthetic thing I've ever made, and has some slight bubbling beneath the bust gores.  But this is a combat corset, and pretty isn't my first concern.  Sigh.  Only two more challenges of dealing with faire costumes, and then I finally get to branch out into a) other time periods, and b) no more worrying about fighting!

The Challenge: Under It All

Fabric: Black cotton duck (obligatory quacking noise)

Pattern: 1844 Corset from Norah Waugh's Corsets and Crinolines

Year: 1844

Notions: Black bias tape, black boning channels, grosgrain ribbon, metal grommets, industrial cable ties.

How historically accurate is it? The pattern is very historically accurate; the materials not so much.  Also, I should point out that I'm wearing a Victorian corset under a Renaissance costume.  There's a reason for that though.

Hours to complete: No idea.

First worn: February 15th, at dress rehearsal.

Total cost: Maybe $20

The sized up pattern from Corsets and Crinolines

One of the only shots I got of the corset in progress.  Trying to add the waist stay about two steps late.

  

 The finished corset

Clearly, I could adjust the measurements a bit next time

There's a little bit of weird bubbling under the bust.  Thoughts, anyone?

HSF14 Challenge #3 - Pink

The pink challenge was a tough one for me for the simple reason that I don’t like pink.  Really, it’s my least favorite color, followed closely by yellow (which is of course the other color challenge this year).  I considered making something for a friend instead of for myself, but time just wouldn’t allow it.  I needed to make it work for my festival costume somehow.  After some reflection, I came up with the idea to make a doublet for my character, and line it in pink.  I could also make the doublet reversible, and provide myself some fun comic bits.  “Oh, are you looking for that thief in the black doublet?  Caaaaan’t be me, I’m wearing pink.”  You get the idea.  I dithered over various shades of dupioni on the fabulous silkbaron.com site, and settled on a shade called “Hollywood.”  It was a rosey pink shot with black, so I didn’t think it would be too objectionable.  Well it turned out…beautiful.  I was stunned at how much I liked the color.  So, well done, color challenge.  I may like pink a little more than I did yesterday.  Don’t tell anyone.

I used a picture I saved from Sempstress’s old website to try and mock up a pattern.  I really liked the lines on the style she did. It required some major alteration, but it was a great starting point.  I’m so happy with how the shape turned out.  I bought some black striped home dec fabric from Joann, aiming for “simple, yet elegant.”  After messing about with my pattern pieces, I actually settled on using the wrong side of the fabric for most of it, and the right side for just a few pieces.  I was very pleased with the effect.  I added some simple wings from another doublet pattern and trimmed the whole thing in black velvet ribbon to match the trim on my faire gown.  I closed it up with silver clasps.  There is a duck canvas interlining, and I also backed the silk with black cotton.  

The Challenge: Pink

Fabric: Pink dupioni silk, black striped home dec fabric, duck canvas, black cotton.

Pattern: Based off an image from Sempstress.org

Year: Mid-1500’s

Notions: Black velvet ribbon. Silver clasps

How historically accurate is it? The pattern is very similar to the Janet Arnold pattern I’ve used before, with some alterations.  Obviously I use more modern sewing techniques, and use a machine.

Hours to complete: Seriously, I will never be able to keep track. 

First worn: Today, at dress rehearsal!

Total cost: Around $45

The scaled-up pattern - the brown pieces are my alterations.  I did end up having to make some more alterations later on.  But I am struggling to remember to take pictures of the whole process.  Oh, well.

The finished black doublet with just a hint of pink.

You can really see the difference in the two sides of the fabric in this one.

And finally, the pink side of the doublet, with just a hint of black.

HSF14 Challenge #2 - Innovation

My plan for the first several challenges has been to make costume pieces I can also use for the faire I take part in every spring.  I was a bit at a loss as to how to cover “innovation” and my fellow costumer Kami suggest bobbin lace.  It was introduced in the 16^th century, and is therefore perfect for the time of my show.  

"Bobbin lace evolved from passementerie or braid-making in 16th century Italy. Coarse passements of gold and silver-wrapped threads or colored silks gradually became finer, and later bleached linen yarn was used to make both braids and edgings.

The making of bobbin lace was easier to learn than the elaborate cutwork of the 16th century, and the tools and materials for making linen bobbin lace were inexpensive. There was a ready market for bobbin lace of all qualities, and women throughout Europe soon took up the craft which earned a better income than spinning, sewing, weaving or other home-based textile arts. Bobbin lace-making was established in charity schools, almshouse, and convents."

"The earliest unmistakable documentation of bobbin lace is the pattern book of LePompe, published in 1559."

I used Simplicity 3623 up to a point.  Once the base of the chemise was put together, I hated the gathers at the shoulders, so I pulled them out and changed them to pleats.  I also took some of the puff out of the sleeves and deepened the cuffs almost to the elbows.  The pattern instructions say the facing of the neckline flips to the outside of the chemise, which I did not like in the least.  So I did the facing on the inside and altered the shape of the neck a bit. 

The cuffs involve the most departure from history.  I wanted buttons, but couldn’t find any I liked.  So I decided to make fabric covered buttons for the first time.  Modern fabric covered button kits are not terribly historical, but I loved the look of them.  And of course, most pieces I make have to accommodate my fighting.  I needed the cuffs to have some give, and not risk ripping out thread or fabric loops every time I swing a sword or throw a punch.  Hence the use of elastic loops around the buttons. 

The Challenge: Innovation

Fabric: White cotton/linen blend

Pattern: Simplicity 3623, with alterations

Year: Mid-1500’s

Notions: Vintage black bobbin lace, fabric covered buttons, and elastic cord

How historically accurate is it? I took some liberties with the buttons and elastic, plus there are some overlocked seams on the inside.

Hours to complete:  Already realizing I’m terrible at keeping track. 

First worn: Not yet

Total cost: $30-40

Shoulder pleats

Lace around the neckline

Lace trimmed cuffs with covered buttons and (unfortunately) elastic loops

Finished product

I really love my cuffs

http://thedreamstress.com/the-historical-sew-fortnightly-2014/

Historical Sew Fortnightly 2014

So I have decided to take the plunge into the Historical Sew Fortnightly.  See here: http://thedreamstress.com/the-historical-sew-fortnightly-2014/

I am a longtime costumer, but this will be one of the biggest challenges I've ever attempted. I am one of the head costumers at the Bay Area Renaissance Festival in Tampa, FL and this will be my 9th year doing the show. I am hoping to make the first few challenges a part of my costume building for festival, to make my life easier. There are just a few important things to note about how I have to build costumes for my show.

This is a 7-week show. Costumes have to last seven weekends in Florida sun, heat (and the occasional cold spell), dirt and grime, and overzealous actors like myself. In addition, I am also a fighter at this show. If you've ever been to a festival that had a human combat chess match or a sword fighting show, that's what I do. So the costumes must stand up to running, jumping, rolling, swinging swords, and flipping off of structures. This means I have to balance historical accuracy with what is safe and comfortable. So I use plastic boning instead of steel, metal grommets before their historical use, elastic on occasion, and several other non-historical shortcuts.

The Challenge: Make Do and Mend

Fabric: Silk
Pattern: A blend of Simplicity 8881, 3782, and Janet Arnold patterns
Year: Mid-1500's
Notions: None
How historically accurate is it?  See above; the silhouette and silk fabric is pretty historically accurate, the metal grommets and plastic boning, not so much.
Hours to complete: The repair took only a few minutes.
First worn: Bay Area Renaissance Festival 2013
Total cost: Nothing at all, for the repair.

I made this costume last year to play Jacqueline de Longwy at the Bay Area Renaissance Festival.  This is one of the most expensive costumes I've ever made, because I fell in love with $25 a yard fabric.  I'm really happy with how it turned out, and it stood up to a lot of punishment.  However it is one of the longest gowns I've ever had to fight in, and I stepped on the hem more than once.  Thankfully, it ripped along the waist seam and the fabric itself remained intact.  So it was just a simple little repair to start off the year.

And a couple shots of the dress in action: