Buckram Experiment 2023 part 3 (TBD April/May 2024)
Gum Arabic and Hessian
My next step was to try both a stiffer fabric with bigger yarns and spaces between the yarns and a better stiffener. I cut a piece of Hessian (it’s burlap, but I bought it for an upholstery project and that’s what they call it) to size for my project and got to it.
I used a milk frother to mix up 6 tsp of Gum Arabic with 250ml of water. I would have used more, but that’s all my container would handle. It took maybe 30 minutes to get it all mixed in and for the resulting foam to subside.
Apply/squeegee/dry to damp/iron, repeat x4? x6? I don’t remember now. The result is stiffer than the Guar Gum, but not as much as I anticipated.
I’m not sure it looks stiffer than Guar Gum, but it feels that way.
Thoughts and Next Steps
While I do see the Gum Arabic as an improvement over the Guar, I’m not sold on it’s permanence when you factor in all the sweating I will do in this costume. Am I willing to risk all my work ending up in a limp and puckered finished garment? Nope.
Options:
buy some actual buckram (grumbles over price and availability)
try hide glue (still ewww, also there many of different types…)
try something synthetic (ah, research time!)
While I’m all for period authenticity, we do make many compromises and that’s okay. I don’t have the time or patience to sew everything by hand or to try to weave and dye my own fabric. My compromises may look different than yours. I’m moving on to a synthetic stiffener.
I started researching what stiffener is used in buckram now (it’s a PVA glue). I’ve found one at a bookbinding supply site that I’m pretty excited about. I do need to wait to buy it until there are no more freezes. Apparently, if it freezes during shipping, it’s useless.
My costume time is getting tight and I’d like to get on with it already! But for now, I’m hoping to buy the glue mid-April. “The Buckram Experiment 2023 part 3” post will follow.
Updates on other projects
I have a kirtle bodice mock up, as well as one for the partlet. I’m going more historical (lower middle class) and realized that the most appropriate similar costume is the same structure (not detail) as Trossfrau. With that in mind, the partlet will be a gollar.
the mini pavilion has a new structure (a bare popup), but the canvas from last year should still work. Waiting for the weather to clear up.
The graphic for the tabard has been redrawn to work as a stencil.
The guild pavilion has been re-planned and I’m waiting for some measurements so I can buy supplies.
It’s been a few years since I last posted, which, you might notice, roughly coincides with the recent COVID pandemic. During that time I was completely burned out on costume. About the only things I’ve sewn since late 2019 have been mending projects. I needed an escape, but instead pretty much spent my days going to work, as usual, avoiding the presence of my coworkers at the same time, and doom scrolling! Such was the life of many an essential industry worker.
Some people took their enforced confinement time to work on costumes, but I started to hate them (costumes, that is). I didn’t see a point for myself. That said, I did still enjoy watching what others were doing and now can better appreciate all the time and enthusiasm they poured into their projects.
This year I’ve had the great fortune to spend time with my renaissance guild, both in and outside of faire. Somehow I seem to have gotten my costume mojo back. I’ve been researching for a couple different, related, projects. I also completed a nominally period-ish looking tent coverup for one of those screen houses (and repairs to the screen house itself). Now that I know the structure can take the canvas weight, I plan to redo it in a way that will make set up and tear down easier, not to mention make looking a bit more period. But more on that later.
This year, I’ve tentative plans for:
the above mentioned mini pavilion revamp
a revamp of our main guild pavilion – it’s shrunk and my method of attaching the walls and roof, while secure, make it tedious to put up
two Elizabethan tall hats
detailed instructions for someone else to make an Elizabethan tall hat (done)
a new lower to lower-middle class costume for myself, likely including: a supportive kirtle, gown, partlet, new smock. I do have a good smock and existing sleeves, so those may or may not happen
helping a couple other people with their new kirtles/gowns
helping some guildies with other costume upgrades
a tabard for our new guild herald, possibly a couple more
possibly a new Dickens costume??? I don’t know
finishing a long running, oft put down, crochet project and, as a reward, starting probably one of the most ambitious crochet projects I’ve ever considered. Which will undoubtedly take me years, the way I tend to get distracted…
I think I’m back for Halloween too and my current plans involve at least one big prop build
Now to the meat of this post!
As I was helping a friend source materials for making an Elizabethan tall hat, I discovered that buckram is even harder to come by than it used to be. There is one source that makes their own period stuff and they mentioned that it can be made with hide glue (eww, but maybe). Additionally, it can be made with tragacanth or xanthan gum, the latter of which was actually discovered in the 1960s, but really, I don’t care. I also have it on hand, so…
EXPERIMENT TIME!
Goal: To make my own buckram, essentially on demand
My Theory: That either the roughest weave or the double fill will be the stiffest, given the same application of gel to all fabrics.
Items Needed: hot water, xantham gum powder, a measuring spoon, measuring cup, mixing container with lid, natural bristle brush, cutting board or other surface that won’t transfer color to fabric and fabric samples. Fabric note: a rougher weave is suggested.
Fabrics I Used:
a fairly heavy mystery “linen” donation fabric that is a double fill, in a natural color. I’m guessing it’s in the 6.5oz range
a dark blue linen at 5.3 oz
a dark rust color linen that is likely 7.3 oz and seems a little rougher weave
a dark brown linen that is 7.1 oz
a no. 12 cotton duck (11.5oz fabric with a double fill) in natural
an 8oz cotton painter’s drop cloth
Prep:
Cut two samples of each fabric, one to test and one as a control. Originally I was only going to use only the first four, but added the others on the second day.
Mix together a half teaspoon xanthan gum with a half cup of hot water. Mix like crazy to avoid lumps, or be lazy like me and use one of those little hand held milk frothers. Incidentally, the instructions said to use a cup of hot water. Not sure why I used a half cup. I don’t expect leftovers to last in the fridge for more than a couple days since I used tap water, which contains living organisms.
General Procedure:
left to right: the blue, rust and brown fabrics
On a waterproof surface (the cutting board, in this case), apply the mix with your brush to one side, working it into the weave with the bristles.
Once dry, repeat process on the second side.
Repeat to make stiffer.
What I did:
After my initial application [to only the first 4 listed fabrics] I put my samples out in the late afternoon sun to dry. After an hour they were all dry. They were probably dry sooner but I didn’t check earlier since I had a cat on my lap. Interestingly, the double fill fabric curled up a bit at the edges. The others all stayed flat. Each of the fabrics definitely had increased stiffness. I applied a coat to the second side only, again working in a bit. I do you feel like I used a little bit more gel this time. I put them back outside to dry.
An hour later the fabrics weren’t quite dry. I could still see some moisture in the middle areas, particularly on the one that seems the thinnest (the blue), but it was stuck down to the plastic cutting board pretty thoroughly. When I lay them out during the initial round, I had pulled them off the cutting board so they weren’t completely stuck but, as I said, I think I used more a mixture on them in application two.
After another hour they were dry. They were stiffer, but not anything like the commercial heavy buckram I have. That has a loser weave with thicker yarns. I decided to continue the project to the next day because it was getting later and cooler.
The next morning, I applied a gloppy layer to the samples and, once again, tried to work it into the fabric with the brush bristles. Additionally, I got the two samples of cotton canvas. I dipped both of those so both sides were completely coated and worked the mixture into the fibers with my fingers, then wiped off the excess. They all went out into the morning sun to dry.
Side note. The reason you don’t just dunk the fabric in the gel squeeze out the excess is because you risk wrinkling the fabric. I can see it working if you use a squeegee to remove the excess instead.
An hour later, the original brushed samples were dry. I brushed a coat on to second side. The dunked samples were still damp.
An hour later, the original samples were dry and complete for this test. Of the two cotton samples, the heavier double fill was dry, but the lighter weight looser weave was slightly damp. I coated the first side of both of them for a second time with the brush.
Another hour later, and the two cotton samples were dry. It was warmer today, probably about 75°, and there was a little wind. I coated the other side of the two cotton samples one last time.
An hour later, all my samples were dry. The double fill had continued to curl a bit. I’m now questioning if it’s linen or not. It was a donation. A burn test will at least ensure it’s natural fibers. [Not done yet].
Evaluation
I’ve taken photos of the before and after, holding each of them on their edges or points in a way so you can see how much or little they drape, for both the untreated and test pieces. I’m also holding them so you can see how much light passes through the weave of the stiffened version.
double fill donation “linen”blue 5.3 ozrust 7.3 ozbrown 7.1 ozno, 12 cotton duck8 oz painter’s drop cloth
Don’t be fooled by the drop cloth. My angle is different; it’s actually drooping.
The duck is a big question really, it’s already stiffer because it’s a tight double fill. I’ve used it as an interlining before, but also made a pavilion out of it. Treated it feels rather soft. I wonder if that means it could handle more stiffening gel?
The one that feels the sturdiest to me is the rust, I believe 7.3 oz. It is a rougher weave or at least the roughest I have. I’ve also compared it to the commercial heavy buckram I have and you can see that there’s a great difference. You can see whatever it’s stiffener is in the weave gaps. I don’t know what the commercial stuff is stiffened with, but the substrate should be cotton.
Holding both by the point the brown is only bending a littleThere really is a huge difference in the weave
The blue, which is a tad see through, is also rather stiff. It could have some uses.
The overall difference in stiffness appears to have more to do with the structure of the weave, then the thickness of the yarns, than it does the given ounces or perceived weight of the samples.
Next Steps
I would like to get something with a looser weave with a heavier yarn size and try this again. I can definitely see the potential use in making my own buckram. I know of one source that carries a loose “open” weave linen, though it’s only 5 oz, so the yarns are smaller than the commercial heavy buckram. I would also consider trying hide glue.
The big question currently is: is any of what I made acceptable for stiffening my Elizabethan kirtle? If I’m going by the standards of modern heavy buckram the answer is no. But is that the appropriate standard?
_______________________________________________
Edit the next day: Additional Thoughts
I’ve got at least one other substrate idea to try out. And then there’s the stiffener. I said, “why not?” when I realized I had xanthan gum on hand, but now I have some specific negatives to research. Here is a quote from Reddit user “Reep1611” from this thread (bold added for emphasis):
“…Xanthan while also being a polysaccharide acts different [than tragacanth or arabic gums]. Where Gum Tragacanth and Arabic when dissolved in water thicken it to a moderate degree and create a quiet sticky liquid with a not too small amount of them being dissolved, Xanthan is an extremely effective thickening agent. That means there is a lot less dissolved into the water, and such a lot less of it in the buckram. It also is not too sticky. That means that it’s capability to stiffen is a lot lower. Add in that it tends to dry somewhat powedery and brittle and the buckram is softer, needs more treatments, has somewhat different properties and a tendency to loose it’s stiffness when worn and put under stress. And because Xanthan dissolves into a gloopy mass, and not like a thin syrup, it also has a much harder time penetrating the weave and in between the fibres. Which also makes it more fragile. Then we come to another point. Both Gum Tragacanth and Arabic have strong antibacterial and fungal properties. Even if it’s a bit more moist, they don’t really do anything. But Xanthan, due to being extremely hydrophilic, loves to suck moisture from the air. The trouble is that it is a pure polysaccharide, basically a long complex sugar with none of the additional substances in the natural gums. So there is nothing stopping bacteria and fungi from eating it. I actually had mould grow on some of my Xanthan buckram after a particularly moist and rainy week.“
So…. experiment TBC… Runs off to do more research and find Gum Arabic.
Meet the “Reverend Vicar Theodocius Playfaire”. His cassock and other accouterments, were made for him with the same fabric as the first pirate costumes we made, back in 2010. We got a really good deal on this fabric. We found it at a discount store where all fabric was $.99 a yard. Not knowing how much we needed, and we ended up taking about 70 yards of the grey heather fabric, of unknown fiber content, alone.
The fabric was dyed over with Black RIT dye, for used with natural fibers. The faire it debuted, we had an unexpected deluge at our home faire. Everything got soaked in a warm summer rain, which is almost unheard of on California’s, Central Coast. The dye bled out into the Vicar’s smock a blueish purple, and the band of his ruff to fuchsia. The robe and accessories faded to a dark grey. You could also see the heather effect through the over dye. At the end of our home event, this year, I offered to re-dye the pieces of the costume that needed it.
When we purchased the fabric, I think we did a burn test we, and we thought it was all cotton. With that in mind, I ordered 2 packets of Black iDye. I then used the Washing Machine Method, to dye the vestments.
I used both packets, and doubled up the salt to the the dye into the fiber. I then set my timer to go off to in 7 minutes to reset the washer. The pieces I was dyeing needed to turn black. After an hour in the dye bath, they had turned a Dark Brown instead, and you could still see the heather effect through the dye.
After discussing with A and others, who also make their own costumes, we determined that I should try again, using 2 more packets of Dye, and the Stove Top Method of Dying. As a test to see if this would work better I also lessened the amount of fabric. I left out the Cassock, and dyed just the Scholars Cap and Stole. Less Fabric and more concentrated dye solution should equal better results. Right?? Well, I got a darker a darker brown, so better yes, but not what the client payed for, nor what is required to be, as historically accurate as possible.
The discussions began again. I was frustrated, and ready to light things on fire. (My go to
My garden
thought when a deadline is looming, and things are not going the way they should.) I did not burn anything, Instead I took a day to do dirt therapy. My garden, or part of it, (image to the right). It has saved several projects and my sanity on more than one occasion.
After a day off from all things fabric related, the discussions began again. We came to the conclusion that, the fabric must be mostly synthetic. The heather effect of the original fabric showing through the multiple dye baths was a clue, I should have payed more attention to.
As time was running out, I ended up going to our local Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts, and bought all but one of their black iDye Poly.I think it was 3 out of the 4 available. As mentioned in, Adventures in Dying 2017 Part 1, iDye Poly must be done by the Stove Top Method.
I first tried with just the Stole and the Scholar’s cap. Using my Tamale Pot used only for dyeing. I followed the directions on the packet, and worked in the kitchen so I could stir the pot. Shakespearean comments like, “Bubble, bubble toil and trouble” were appropriately made. Once done, I poured the garments out of the pot into the washer to cool. I then ran the garments, in a cold water cycle.
Result of 3rd dye bath, 1st time with dye for synthetics.
The good news is, the heather effect was no longer visible. But the fabric was another even darker brown. Once again the expletives flew…
On the left, my tamale pot, to the right A’s largest cooking pot
I decided that I needed more dye than I had used at one time, up to this point. I went to our local Jo-Ann and bout 3 bottles of Graphite RIT DyeMore Synthetic Dye. I also bought a bottle of RIT Fixative. I asked A, if I could use her largest cooking pot, for one more attempt to dye the all of the vestment pieces. I was ready to be done.
For this attempt I went to the web site ritdye.com. I read the directions all the way through, then set up to dye the garments on my front porch.
Step one was to gather all the Items I needed onto the porch. I grabbed one of my plant benches, a few marble tiles we had on the porch, the camping stove, and a few small tanks of propane, salt and the water hose, 3 bottles of dye, metal tongs we were never going to use in cooking again, rubber gloves, and dish soap. I also grabbed a cooking/candy thermometer.
It takes a lot of water to fill the pot i was using. I poured in 3 cups of salt as it is used in dying cotton and linen fabric, it also helps to get the water boiling. I also added 1 teaspoon of dish soap to the water. The water needs to be 200 F° or greater. This took a very long time, about 2 hours, with both burners going full boar.
I lost patience and added the dye to the water at 180 F°. Shortly after putting in the dye the water did come to a boil. The dye bath does have to be at almost a boil for the whole process. The instructions on the page state that the first 10 minute are critical to a an even dye process. The vat and its contents have to be continuously stirred for that 10 min. It also states that the fabric could be in the dye from 10 min to 1 hour. The color is black I used 3 bottles of dye, and the full hour. I sat in my chair on the porch an read a chapter at a time in a short book. Between each chapter I stirred for a few minutes. I even broke the wooden spoon I’ve been using for the last 5 years to dye fabric. I then got a 1 inch dowel from the garage.
In addition to breaking the spoon I went through 3 canisters of propane. 1 canister per hour with both burners fully open. The rubber gloves saved my fingers from some serious burns. The solution was very hot and and my finger got into the bath as I stirred.
Once the hour was up. I turned off the stove and disconnected the canisters. The instruction stated, that you let the dye solution and the garments cool slowly. I left it to cool over night, with the pot lid on. I stirred it periodically, until I went to bed. (It was still warm at midnight, when I stirred it for the last time.
In the morning, after 2 cups of coffee, I used a glass bowl and a plastic measuring cup I keep in the garage, to remove some of the excess dye solution. Then my husband poured out the rest, without dumping the garments.
I ran the garments through a warm rinse cycle and and them through a cold wash cycle. I hung them up to air dry. Once dry, the vestments were BLACK.
I did make quite a few garments for this year’s Faire Season. The following one of three costumes started in March and completed in time for our home faire in July. It was also one of the most complicated projects I’ve worked on, to date. It currently totals seven pieces, in six colors and three different different fabrics.
Meet Demetrius the Griffin
Demetrius is a friend of a guild member, who I first met at a Renaissance Faire gone Baroque Piracy, last March. I gave him one of my business cards and the emails began.
His goal was to dress as a Traveling Merchant of the Renaissance Era. He had many ideas and 3 concept drawings, which he sent copies of. Two of which are shown below.
Concept Sketch
Full Color Concept Drawing of Demetrius the Merchant
Through emails we planned the minimum pieces he needed , that I could make. One robe with vents for the wings and tail, pants, shirt, a faux shirt or dicky, a hat and a coin pouch.
We then met for measurement taking and fabric selection. The original idea was to dress him in neutral tones of brown and grey. After some discussion we broadened the color palette, to a light grey shirt, light brown or tan pants, a dark blue robe with gold linen trim, a tan hat with gold trim, and a gold coin pouch with a blue rolled hem.
In this post I will discuss 2 of these pieces, the pouch and the hat.
Coin Pouch
The simplest item to make was finished first. This was the coin pouch. Two pieces of gold heavy weight linen trimmed with a blue woolly nylon rolled hem, and a casing stitched for the draw string.
Version One, rejected
Version 2 in progress
The hat was the second item of this project to be completed. It is a cone shaped hat From a Victorian Santa Claus Pattern, that I modified.
In the drawing the hat would sit between the ears and drape over the back of the head. The color would match the robe and be trimmed in grey faux fur. We changed it to be the same color of heavy weight Ginger colored Linen. and trimmed with a wide band of Autumn Gold heavy weight linen. The band was doubly interface to ensure it wound stand up.and the cone was lined to give it more fullness in draping.
The Hat is Finished with a Gold Colored Feather
As you can see the completed hat does not sit between the ears. We could not find a way to hold the hat in place without using bobby pins or something else that would pull out Demetrius’ fur, or require attempting to pin it to the mask, which could stap the head within, or pull out fur, in the pulling out the pin.
For now at least, the hat sits on one ear, with a feather in the band.
The Cowl as we know it is a medieval garment. It is made up of a hood and skirting. It may have evolved out of bands of fabric wrapped around the head, neck and shoulders, used in the ancient world. The cowl is still used today.
Monks within some Catholic Orders, to this day wear the cowl as part of their habit. Some of these would be Benedictines, Franciscans, and Augustinians are just a few.
Obi Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight, Star Wars
Cowled Crusaders from Torchwood
Headless Monks From Doctor Who
We can see remnants of this today, in our hoodies, Star Wars Jedi Knights, and many of our favorite video, and cartoon characters.
When ever we do a faire one concern all of our members have is protection from sunburn. We all use sun block, but that requires remembering to use it in the first place, and reapplying it. We also wear long sleeves and hats. These options, though they protect the areas cover, can miss some spots.
Nick, being quite fair skinned, had requested that we create a cowl to cover his head and neck.
Image of Cowl
We began to research patterns, and Ari began the designing process. She wanted to minimize the number of seams. but insisted that it no be a full circle. She ended up making two mock ups.
The above photos were the first mock up fitting. It may be the t-shirt and the fabric used for the mock up, causing the fabric to stick together, but the fabric over the shoulders did not seem to lay right, and bunched wierdly.
The second mock up coincided with a fitting for the rest of his peasant costume in which the pants had to be taken in and adjustments made to the waistband. His jerkin needed to be redyed as the original blue was fading to lavender. The smock i made him was also finished, and ready for its final fitting, therefore the full costume of a peasant man.
Nick chose a heavy weight natural linen for this project. This means that the linen was not bleached, nor dyed. Its coloring ranges from a light cream to a beautiful brown, giving the fabric more character and visual texture. It also drapes very well.
We chose not to line the cowl. Ari suggested using a simple, decorative sewing stitch along the seams to make the edges lay flat. I chose the herring bone stitch.
Once I got the working of the Herring Bone Stitch I expanded its use to not only along the sides of the seams, but also along the edges. I have way too much fun hand stitching, I may have lost a bit of control, but I don’t think I over did it. and Nick was very please with the final product.
Here, it is not quite completed. The portion where the hood front overlaps needed to be hand tacked so it would not gape and display the inside seam, and hide the stitch by folding over.
Finished Cowl
This did not entirely work as the Hood portion may have too large an opening. It may also be that the Linen fabric really like to drape. For the next one we may try to stiffen the fabric by using interfacing along edge of the hood, and also lining it in the same fabric as the shell, making it reversible.
A. and I have been quite remiss in posting here. For that we apologize. It’s not that we haven’t been working on projects. We have had quite a few, but remembering to sit down and type or take pictures of the project in progress…. well I at least have a hard time taking the pictures. That being said…. Let’s continue.
The Bright Blue Shirt
In the last 5 years ,we Peasants have acquired new guild members, some of them have never been to a Renaissance Faire. In the past we just made costumes for them. They do not always stay. We are not horribly expensive, and we try to work with in a budget, but were not cheep either. This year, we decided to loan costume pieces so they could do a faire in costume, and decide if faire was for them.
The original color of the shirt.
A and I have been a part of our Renaissance Guild for a long time. Our costumes have evolved over time, and as we have aged We keep the costume pieces and our shape and sizes have also. We’ve also had other members donate costumes. On a few occasions we’ve also had random faire folk contribute to our collection. Shirts, jerkins, trews, smocks, skirts, and bodices. Some of these pieces aren’t quite accurate in color, or style.
J. is one of these new members. He had never been to a faire before, but another member had brought him in as an applicant. He was quite excited about joining, but needed a costume ASAP. (Our home faire was coming up quick.) A and I needed to put a costume together quickly. We have a very small collection of pieces for men. We found a a pair of trews, or pants. We found a jerkin or vest. The only shirt that we had that would fit him was a very bright, electric blue. This blue was so bright we didn’t think it could be achieved with natural dyes that would have been affordable for an English Peasant.
We had to change it…
A. took the first leg of this journey, but kept me updated by text throughout the process. Some
Results of not having enough RIT Color Remover or too much water.
of these including pictures.
Using RIT Color Remover, she tried to remove some of the color. This worked, but not as one might expect. After 15 minutes in the bath it be came a “dark ? mud? color”. 45 minutes later, it was a medium chocolate “hot Cocoa” color. She then washed it in a regular wash cycle.
We discussed options. Run it through another cycle with the dye remover, leave it out in the sun to see what would happen, or bleaching it, as a last result. A. then decided the color was not going to get any lighter, and was going to leave it be. After washing it in a regular wash cycle, she found the color removal was inconsistent. Some of the cotton fabric was a brownish color, and other areas were still a bright blue. The polyester thread was still the same vibrant blue was originally.
10 minutes into dye removal attempt #2
A., re-read the directions and realized she should have used 2 packets instead of the one. She decided to run it through another cycle of RIT Color Removal, this time using less water, and agitating herself instead of letting the washing machine do it. 15 minutes into the dye removal bath, she sent me a picture . It was a beautiful rust color. She left it in the bath for the recommended 30 minutes, then washed it.
A., later sent me this photo, stating that it wasn’t as bright in
The shirt was still wet, and not as dark in person.
person, but the color was consistent. As you might see in the picture, the thread used to stitch it together was still bright blue.
Once again we discussed options. The polyester thread was still that unnaturally, bright blue. We didn’t like it. Even if it is just the top stitching, that blue had to go.
I went to A’s house the following weekend, to pick up the the shirt and work on other projects. We discussed the options for dying the thread. I had already had two packets of iDye Poly, one in green and one in gunmetal. We decided to go with the Gunmetal, but I couldn’t find it, when I got home.
This was not what I expected.
I went with the green.
Polyester, being a synthetic, petroleum based fiber, requires the stove top method, as the heat needed for the dye to penetrate, cannot be reached or maintained in the washing machine.
I armed myself with a Tamale pot filled with hot water, a wood spoon and a packet of iDye Poly green dye and prepared for a hot hour in the kitchen.
This was supposed to be a 2 hour project, from the time the water began to boil to the washing and drying of the garment. Chemistry, however, had other plans…
The dying part went well enough. The fabric of the shirt
First wash after Poly Dye.
got really
dark, but since the fabric was 100% cotton, I figured most of the dye would wash out. It was a dye for synthetic fibers, and the goal was to dye the top stitching threads.
For an hour I stood in the kitchen, on a hot day, stirring the pot. When the time was up I dumped some of the liquid out of the pot and carried it out to the washing machine. I ran the shirt through a cold
At least the top stitching is green.
rinse cycle, and once again chemistry threw me a curve ball… The shirt was now a navy blue so dark it was almost a purple/black. This was not acceptable for a peasant. The color of the time period we portray, would have been too costly to produce.
I ran is through a hot water wash cycle, hoping some of the color would bleed out. The color
lightened, but was still to dark to be worn by a peasant. The goal for dying the top stitching worked perfectly, though. Its a beautiful green.
I went back to the washing machine, hot water and Oxi Clean. Half an hour in, I got impatient, I added a capful of bleach, and waited 2 or 3 hours more. Finally, I had a shirt I could hand over to a peasant. This “2 hour project” lasted an entire day.
Sometimes it’s a little difficult to get excited about the upcoming faire season, but not when you’re sewing costumes months in advance! This month we completed basic peasant costumes for a very nice couple. They were pretty please with the outcome and looked great in their new garb.
The pieces we made were:
For him:
a collared shirt in natural muslin
a brown linen flat cap
brown linen trews
a dark green linen jerkin with plain epaulets
For her:
a banded collar shirt in natural muslin that has more feminine gathering into the neckline (but reduced bulk in the body) and a ruffled cuff (making it higher class than peasant)
a full circle, six gored skirt in chocolate brown linen
a custom pattern bodice in (reversible) dark green and rust linen with plain epaulets and tabbed skirting
These are the basic pieces for the peasant wardrobe, though women usually wear two skirts or an ankle length shirt and one skirt. Adult women also always wore some type of head covering (only young/unmarried girls and loose women left their hair down for all to see). Other basic items include a belt, shoes/boots, a belt pouch, eating knife, and mug. That’s all you need to be an English Elizabethan peasant – and likely all you had clothing-wise.
The countdown to SLO Faire is at 8 days and it’s our 30th year!
I still need to finish my new bodice (if I don’t want to be stuck in the one with the tight arm holes – and I really don’t), finish stitching the dags on the short sides of our new pavilion, make a tall hat for a Puritan, make a new pair of bloomers, stitch some eyelets. Oh, and locate the hanging’s for the Lord Mayor’s pavilion as well as pack. No pressure.
Faire is July 19 & 20, 2014 1585 at Laguna Lake Park in SLO. Come one, come all for meat pies, pasties (that’s pAsties you eat, not pasties you wear), jousting, stage shows, vendors, Queen Elizabeth and her court, as well as dirty peasants, constables, rogues, falconry and a good time.
I just found a pic of our illustrious Lord Mayor on Ravin’ Mayven‘s Pinterest board for ren costumes. She’s got links to some nice costumes, though not all are Ren or historical. There are a few custom order listings for Ren/Tudor/Snow White costumes, among others. She also links to some other Ren / SCA costume boards that seem to be worth taking a peek at.
Thanks to Ravin’ Mayven (and Rachel for originally pulling the pic of our Lord Mayor onto the realm of Pinterest).
This summer, our guild recruited two fine young men to join us in our Renaissance Shenanigans. As a result they both need a full costume. These costumes will consist of a shirt, jerkin, and trousers.
For the Jerkin I have a copy of the “Easy Peasants / Servants Jerkin”, by Alter Years Patterns. This is a basic pattern, and as the title implies, it is easy.
The pieces fit together well. There is no need to trim edges off, because the seam edges were off, or any other funny business. I find these flaws in many more commercial patterns. Once the pieces are all cut out and sewn together, it looks beautifully tailored and finished.
There is one thing to keep in mind. Make a mock up. For the two that I have recently finished, I skipped this step. As a result, they do not close all the way in the front. If I had taken the time to make a mock up, for the Medium size, I would have know that the front needed to be adjusted.
As you can see to the right the jerkin looks very nice, but it does not close in the front. I am debating on whether to make eyelets down the front. I still may, if I have the time before our next faire in July. (more…)
I used both packets, and doubled up the salt to the the dye into the fiber. I then set my timer to go off to in 7 minutes to reset the washer. The pieces I was dyeing needed to turn black. After an hour in the dye bath, they had turned a Dark Brown instead, and you could still see the heather effect through the dye.
As time was running out, I ended up going to our local Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts, and bought all but one of their black iDye Poly.I think it was 3 out of the 4 available. As mentioned in, 
benches, a few marble tiles we had on the porch, the camping stove, and a few small tanks of propane, salt and the water hose, 3 bottles of dye, metal tongs we were never going to use in cooking again, rubber gloves, and dish soap. I also grabbed a cooking/candy thermometer.
cups of salt as it is used in dying cotton and linen fabric, it also helps to get the water boiling. I also added 1 teaspoon of dish soap to the water. The water needs to be 200 F° or greater. This took a very long time, about 2 hours, with both burners going full boar.
could be in the dye from 10 min to 1 hour. The color is black I used 3 bottles of dye, and the full hour. I sat in my chair on the porch an read a chapter at a time in a short book. Between each chapter I stirred for a few minutes. I even broke the wooden spoon I’ve been using for the last 5 years to dye fabric. I then got a 1 inch dowel from the garage.
By the Bodkin 