Winter Magic 2008

Belated posting about Winter Magic the Katoomba mid-winter festival this year, fabulous weather, sunny but extremely chilly. We marched in the parade with the local green group to raise climate change awareness and here's some piccies of us all in our various costumes. Margaret, Matthew, Rebecca and JL JL, Rebecca, David, Franko, Maria JL and Lorna

Farthingale attempt

This my first attempt at making a farthingale using Margo Anderson's pattern and as I have been unable to locate steel boning in Sydney, I decided to try rope as recommended by a number of costumers. I particularly liked Faye's method of spiralling the rope up the farthingale but when I tried to spiral my rope I couldn't get it to work, so used the runnel method as suggested by Janet Arnold but sadly the rope can't support my farthingale's circumference.

I will replace the rope with irrigation tubing. The bum roll worked well though

Started my gown

Today I have started my Italian renaissance gown using Mistress Leona Khadine d'Este and Mistress Enid d'Auliere construction methods from their aforementioned workbook. I have chosen these fabrics a light blue for the lining, dark blue velvet for the bodice and sleeves, and the light blue and yellow diamond tapestry curtaining for the skirt, all from my stash.

I fitted the toile and then cut out the fabric and got to work stitching it all together I'm pretty chuffed as I wasn't too sure whether I had the sewing skills to put it all together, but it has turned out well so far.

My last bit of work on it tonight has been to test the skirt and trim next I added some gold trim to the bodice I'm not sure if I prefer both or just the simple gold braiding which is quite elegant I think, but the both combined are nice and 'blingie' here's a full shot, I shall sleep on it and decide tomorrow.

Italian renaissance gown working bee

Wednesday 22nd July 2008

We have been pootling along quite happily, my efforts are shown in other entries of my blog but I shall keep the group's all together in one place. Sarah has created her toile and is almost ready to cut out her lining and fashion fabric which is a lovely cotton velveteen maroon. Maria has cut out her camica and is in the process of stitching this up. We are all using the the How to make an easy Italian chemise from Festive Attyre and as usual the instructions are excellent. Maria's bodice toile is ready to use as her pattern for her fashion fabric which is a fabulous cloth of gold upholstery material. Here's a piccie of her stitching up her toile for a final fitting I'll get pictures of all fabrics at this Friday's GTG.

JL has been working on the caligraphed invitation and as she isn't a sewer I'm making her outfit as well as mine. I have started on her camica and I have used a white cotton damask fabric as she found the raime to be too itchy against her skin. I have also drafted her corset using the corset generator.

Here's a silly picci of JL and I with her in her 21st century lab coat that she uses to keep her clothes clean when painting and me in my 15th century underwear

Early July 2008

In a few months time it will my partners and I 10th anniversary and we intend to have a renaissance/medieval/celtic ceilidh and as part of this a group of friends are having weekly GTG to create renaissance italian gowns using these fabulous instructions by Mistress Leona Khadine d'Este and Mistress Enid d'Auliere. So far we've only taken measurements to create the bodice and I think we drank more wine and ate more pizza than actually doing any creative ROTFL!

We did however get started on the drafting of our bodices we're all new to this and so we were a tad puzzled as we did this but eventually we sorted it all out, well we hope!

Bliauts and Burgundians

Well I have mussed on many things for two years and have not put one thought on this blog! As I'm heading OS in two months time I thought I would bring it to life again so I can blog away in France. 

During the two years of silent musings I have moved from quilting to costuming and re-creation of renaissance and medieval clothes and I have got interested in the Society for Creative Anacronisms (SCA) but have only been to one newcomers feast so far. I have always loved 'dressing-up' and this is an extension of that.

I have tried my hand at making a 12th century bliaut using these fabulous instructions and Simple Steps to Look Great in a Veil.

As well as this I have also almost finished a Burgundian gown using some fabulous second hand shop green velvet curtains and using Matilda la Zouche's live journal for ideas and also fabulous help from the Rowany Baroness AElfled, she has been extremely kind to a newcomer to the SCA. The green velvet curtains reminded me of that scene in Gone with the Wind where Scarlet uses the green curtains to make a gown to see Rhett Butler in gaol, so I feel very chuffed at having such a similiar find!



The web is a great resource for costuming 'how-to's' and has so many fabulous resources so it is easy to re-learn forgotten skills like pattern drafting or inserting godets into dresess! I have also made an Elizabethan farthingale and bum roll, pictures also to come, using Margo Anderson's Historical Patterns.

As you can see I have hit on any period or style for myself as yet, but that will come.