A Nice Round-up of Ren Costumes

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).

 

A Little Downton Influence on Runway Fashion?

Tadashi Shoji Spring 2013 Runway

At first glance I thought I was seeing an orange and gold sort of Sari fabric dress. While that is an interesting idea, what I now think this is, is a beautiful and delicate lace with either white or gold fabric beneath (I can’t tell which with the lighting). After watching the video of his Spring 2013 runway show here,

 

Have you heard of Urban Threads?

Urban Threads creates and offers embroidery patterns that are modern, funky and well designed. They also show off all sorts of interesting ways to apply them on their site and blog, Stitchpunk. I heard about them quite a while back and can’t believe I haven’t shared this very cool site. They make me wish I had an embroidery machine, though I’m not sure I need another facet to my hobby list. Check out their look book here!

 

Return to Downton Abbey (Season 3!)

Warning – spoilers below the jump.

I would be remiss if i didn’t mention last Sunday’s first season 3 episode of Downton Abbey. The whole cast is back for more drama, a wedding,

 

A New Challenge – For 365 Days

After my Christmas gift learning experience (yes, there really will be a post on that), I’ve decided I like stenciling and fabric design, but I need some interesting designs/stencils of my own. With that in mind, and wanting to set myself a challenge that is both a learning experiencing, challenging, and could lead to possible useful designs, I’ve started a 365 day challenge. My goal is to come up with a handful of designs that can be used as stencils or developed into printed fabric. That’s a design a day, every day, and a post for each design (though not necessarily a post a day – I might not have internet access some days). So if anyone is interested here’s my new blog, The Daily Pattern, and the website that inspired me, MakeSomething365.

 

What’s a Halloween Without Masks?

Halloween is a great time to look at and make masks. I love them. Not the icky rubbery ones that come in an identical succession from the molds, but the beautiful or haunting ones made of leather, lace or feathers, even paper. The ones that embody Venetian Carnival or the wearable artworks I found in the French Quarter. I really started to love them when I started to make them. (Don’t let me give you the impression that I’ve made a lot of masks. I’ve made some, in a handful of techniques). Just writing this post makes me want to take them up again.

Wearable Goblin Mask

The mask above is one of my favorite wearable masks. It’s light and comfortable and the interior is molded exactly to my face. The outside is decorated with cream silk (from my wedding dress – no, I did not wear this at my wedding), gold lace edging and black and gold feathers for the eyebrows.

Pit-Fired Ceramic Goblin Face

I love to make goblin faces. The more the eyes bulge and the bigger and more crooked the nose, the better!

There is no wrong way to make a mask.

 

A Year in 17c Clothing

In 2005 there was an excellent 12 part (1/2 hour each) BBC series called Tales from the Green Valley. It documents 3 archaeologists and 2 historians who spent 12 months working on a restored 1620 Welsh hill farm. This is no silly “reality” show with contestants and challenges or a social experiment. These were 5 people who labored every day of an entire year, working the land with only period tools, materials, skills and technology. They cooked and ate period dishes gleaned from period farm diaries, worked with near-period breeds of animals, harvested local fruits, thatched a cow shed, plowed, planted, sheered sheep, and harvested. Through heat and snow, they spent every waking minute there, steeped in the life of 17c farmers.

The farm itself was rebuilt and its garden, orchard and copse repopulated with period appropriate plants and species in the 17 years prior to the 2003 filming. The site is actually a functioning 16c farm called Bullace Hill, which hosts a living history event one weekend a year for young students. There are three farms involved in the Green Valley, located in Somerset and Monmouthshire.  Their website lists books and period recreated fabrics that can be purchased. Definitely worth a look!

  

During the second half of the first or second episode, three of the participants are shown dressing in what looks like a reproduction building that included beds and bunks. The men wore what you’d expect: breeches, very large shirts with drop shoulders, wool hosen and heavy wool doublets with sleeves. Their doublet sleeves appear to be sewn in, which makes me question when this began. In the Elizabethan era sleeves were tied in. The epaulets were smaller than I would have expected, but I have a feeling that there was no “correct” size and they were made at the whim of the seamstress.

 

Patterns for a Titanic Era

While the 1912 Project as begun, I am still awaiting for my first pattern. The website is awash with pattern notes and first mock-up images as  the blouses, skirts and a slip are worked up and discussed. So far this a fun project to watch and I can’t wait to get my mitts on a pattern. I’m still hoping for a coat.

In the meantime, I was browsing the internet for something entirely different and a tangent off that topic led me to a pattern company called Sense and Sensibility Patterns. S&S Patterns has been around since 1996 and as I finally saw an image of one of their pattern envelopes I recognized them from an old Amazon Drygoods catalog (though I may be wrong), which has long been a source of costume inspiration, clothing and period lifestyle books and costume lust. I’m ecstatic to discover that rumors of Amazon Drygoods’ demise were false. Sense & Sensibility Patterns are all designed by the owner from her study of period garments, images and patterns. She has patterns ranging from the Georgian to the swing period, including a section on the Titanic era. She also has a section of tips and tricks, discussions on working with her patterns, alterations and customer’s images and sells digital versions of out of print clothing magazine articles and (out of copyright?) ebook versions of old clothing catalogs and sewing books.

 

An Historic Resource for 1912 Costume (and other eras)

Threads Magazine recently had a great article about The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s online collections database. The database is extensive, with over 43,000 costume pieces. Better yet, you can narrow your search down by time period, material, manufacturer and location. Each item listing includes photos, materials and maker info as well as time period, when known. The image quality is exceptional, allowing you to zoom in quite close on the details.

Here’s a piece I’m already interested in: a 1912 Egyptian Revival evening gown of silk, metal and rhinestone.

from The Metropolitan Museum of Art's online collection

I’m really fascinated by the lace detail on the right side (which I believe is only attached where the bodice and skirt join) and the way fullness is created on the back sides for the train. The front and back of the bodice are asymmetrical and the back gives the look of a second layer folded down over an under layer. The materials look rich in a way that we usually only see on the red carpet these days. I’m not sure, but I think the train may be slightly asymmetrical as well.

More after the jump.

 

Historical Costuming in Linen

Linen is a great fabric for historical costuming. It’s sturdy, versatile, takes color well and washes ever softer and softer. And it’s historically accurate – ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Ireland, Israelites, the Mediterranean, Cornwall, as armor, in the Renaissance, Victorian England and beyond, until cotton became cheap to manufacture.

Elizabeth's late 1500s Italian working class costume via FabricsStore Chronicle

My favorite linen source, Fabrics-store.com has a piece on enthusiastic historical costumer and author, Elizabeth, who works in linen.