Plan-er-ating

With only 20 days left til Crown (AAAH) its time to get cracking.

Project Man-Sew Update

So far I have patterned Gilbert for his doublet and hose. Just waiting for him to get the fabric to me so I can get started.

Keg's undershirt is finished. I need measurements before I can get started on the tunic, cote and hood. The hose are getting there - will need help putting the feet in though :P

Tent update

Still nothing D: I have decided where I'm getting the canvas from though, so I just have to get down there at some point and get it. Pantera has offered to help with the woodwork - need to organize a time with him before it gets too late as I don't want to inconvenience him.

Ball Dress Update

I have decided that the dress consists of a chemise, a black underdress (side or back lacing) and the silk overdress (front lacing with opening). Still haven't found any other pics that I could base the bottom half and sleeves off.

So my layers will consist of:

1. A linen chemise with stem-stitched embroidery. It will have a square neckline with rounded corners. Haven't decided on the sleeves yet - depends on what the over-sleeves will be like.

2. Black linen petticoat. Probably just interlined with heavy-weight linen or canvas. Box pleated skirt. Side lacing or back lacing? Can't really decide. Probably side.

3. Silk overdress. I have some nice grey silk I will use. I will interline with heavy-weight linen or canvas, and line it with linen. The skirt will probably be fully lined as the silk is really fine. The embroidery will be done by couching some gold cord I bought ages ago. I may only get to the stage of the two straight lines around the edge of the bodice - I think with the time I have I am happy for this to be an ongoing project (I'm learning to remember my limits). I plan to do most of this on the train. I am probably going to buy these for the lacing rings.

Here's what I'm thinking about the bodice and sleeves so far. The back of the bodice with be square. I'm imagining the bodice is straight along the bottom, with the opening the same width all the way down not altogether unlike this Italian one. I don't want a train. From what I can see of the sleeves they don't look overly fitted. However, that could just be the way she is holding her right hand up - they could then be fitted. AAh this is so hard! Other Spanish images from the same period show both fitted and loose detachable sleeves. It's possible that this is part of an arrangement similar to these ones and this is an underdress with fitted sleeves to go over an overdress with baggy sleeves. I do like the sleeves on the woman in the bottom right of the picture with her back to us. However, it seems rather ornamental for an underdress, and people didn't normally have their portraits painted in underdresses, right? Another possibility is this one with some kind of baggy sleeves.

Update

Well, for all my big plans things have been pretty quiet lately, mainly due to endless assignments of endless and being very tired all of the time.

SCA things I have accomplished lately:
Made a 3.something metre long lucet cord for the Baroness' Fighter Auction prize table
Made 1m red lucet cord and 1m red and blue spiralled kumihimo cord to add to the Fibre Guild's presentation of award cords to the King and Queen
Did some work on Lachlahn's speccy court garb - the doublet had the unfortunate habit of bunching up and spilling over the top of the u-front so I added some lacing holes to the bottom of it so it could lace to his hose - vast improvement - looked much better and was much much more comfortable for him so win there. Not going to leave out that detail again.
Attended the Baroness' Fighter Auction and Royal Visit Feast where I helped Catherine in the kitchen and had a great time. Most of the food was precooked and just had to be reheated but on the night we made frumenty and delicately arranged salad and angel food which was fun. Nobody died and Nathan only burned one small child and himself while cooking the venison steaks so all in all a successful kitchen. During court a number of College kids got AoAs (yay!) and I was given my Apprentice belt from Stanzi, a "stern" reminder to not neglect other aspects of life and was made a member of the Order of the Golden Tear, which was nice. The new College Seneschal won the rapier tournament which was awesome :D And, true to my reflection on the things on my list - I wasn't devastated that I didn't get around to doing a number of things I wanted to as I realised there was just too much on.
Have also been doing some work on bids for Midwinter and Championship. Am saddended that the cheaper site I found for Championship is booked out that weekend, but am going to keep the information on file for the future. Otherwise everything is in preliminary stages, will have more done before council I presume

Mundane things I have accomplished lately:
Lots of assigments and a few tests. I have written up a big chart of everything that is due before winter break (now up to 18 with other things I have remembered) and am very happy to have, as of last night crossed off 4 of them. I have a week and a half now before the rush of due dates begins so am planning to be getting ahead rather than slacking off.
I am learning to garden (and being paid for it) due to my aunty's broken arm and am finding it quite enjoyable.
Am also tired of how lazy I've been lately and how the tiredness from doing nothing physical has been perpetuating itself so last night went to the pool and swam some laps. Hoping to make exercise a more regular occurrence.

First (on campus) College A&S Night of the year

This Thursday night we had our first on campus A&S night for the Semester. There is a large room in the (top floor urgh) Guild Building that we can use for free so that is very good as its quite central, and good for residential students.

Summary of things that went on:
3 new guys decided to make tunics and we figured out how much fabric they needed so they could buy it during the week
One of them started making a coif
Alanna did some planning for the Newcomer's Feast on the 13th of March
Renonys worked on her outfit for the Newcomer's Feast (Black and White themed)
Cara started making a Tudor bonnet
Morgaine made a (very cute) circular drawstring coin purse as a favour for her Lord
Elizabeth traced a pattern for an Elizabethan corset then did some braiding
Keg, Edmund and Gilbert "researched" on the computer :D
I worked on my petticoat
People threw things at the fans and generally died of the ridiculous heat
Icecream was procured from the 24 hour Caltex
Icecream was enjoyed

Unfortunately I couldn't find my camera so I was unable to document the madness productiveness :D

All Hallow's Eve Masque Ball

Aneala's yearly Ball this year was a masque, and we were encouraged to have a go at the "fantastical masque" styles of the late 16th century. Of course I just had to, as the styles are completely different from anything we do normally and looked like a lot of fun.

I took my inspiration from this Inigo Jones sketch (http://http//www.elizabethancostume.net/masque/index.html) of a masquer playing a River Nymph.

I decided that the components of my costume would be a bodiced petticoat with a faux chemise over the top (affectionately referred to as the "midriff chemise"), a petticoat skirt (changed at the last minute to be a blue petticoat with a lace overskirt), a half length petticoat skirt, and an underbust corset with triangles of lacy stuff hanging off it. I mostly tried to use fabric I already had and would never use for anything else.

For the mask, I wasn't sure what to do. In the inspiration picture she isn't wearing a mask, and I think this is because the theory was that for these types of things, the whole costume was the mask, more of a whole body disguise than just a face covering. So I wanted to make the face covering reflect the rest of the costume. In the end I made a tiara type thing and attached big drapes of chiffon to the back (like in the picture) and the front (not like in the picture). The look I ended up with was somewhat "Princess Jasmine" and was I think what led to a number of people commenting on how nice my "Middle Eastern garb" was but it was the look I was after so I don't really mind.

More details on construction: The bodiced petticoat I was hoping to use for other outfits so it is made out of linen, interlined in the front with cotton canvas. It closes at the front with hooks and eyes. It is machine sewn with hand finishing. The chemise is made out of shantung look satin and is a simple square necked Italian style chemise. Instead of being gathered to a band the neckline and arm holes are gathered into strips of blue braid. The corset is navy velveteen and boned with cable ties. The idea here wasn't for it to be really tight, just to make a smooth line over where all the skirts are fastened and I think it looked quite nice. The petticoats were all thrown together from various bits and pieces I had lying around (apart from the bottom layer blue petticoat, that is from one of my first outfits).

And now, the unveiling:

I will talk a little bit about Lachlahn's outfit as well because I also made that. I took the inspiration from a book Rosalind had. I actually took a picture of the relevant page for exactly this type of thing but my phone has run off and so I can't put the picture up here. Anyway, the images in the book were slightly later period (early 17th), in particular the skirts were a lot shorter. I chose to tweak the design slightly to be more like a German Waffenrock with much longer skirts, like the guy in the woodcut. In keeping with the "soldier" look I attempted to make a helmet out of cardboard as his mask (as the original inspiration picture had one) but I didn't have enough time to do it properly and botched it. Instead he has a quick-last-minute-rummage-through-discount-bin-at-Spotlight affair.

Basically he is wearing a Tudor shirt, hose, and a man-dress. The man dress is square necked, made out of (significantly un-period) white brocade with handsewn gold braid trim. The skirts and skirt lining are not attached to each other, instead just hemmed individually as I was worried attaching them might affect the drape of the skirts. The outer skirt is bound with bias binding and the lining is zig zag stitched.

Finally, I was really proud of how the St Basil kids really took to the theme and had a go themselves. We went through pictures together and figured out what common elements of the outfits were (mostly layered skirts, drapy fabric, sashes) and a heap of people went away and designed their own costumes. I think St Basil made up at least half of the people who attempted "fantastical masque" outfits so I was super proud. Not to mention Alana won the Golden Rose Bardic Competition, making her the Anealan Bard for the next year (with a song she wrote herself and sang while playing the psaltery she made herself), Aoife came runner up in the same competition, and Edmund won the Best Male Garb competition. Also, 7 St Basil people were involved in the play that was performed *is very very proud*

Back Row, L-R: Adamo of St Lazarus in home decorated mask, Elizabeth of St Basil as a fairy, me, Renonys of St Basil as a Sun, Edmund Lyon of Sterling in his new Tudor court garb, Annelyne and Lavaeolus

Front Row, L-R: Alanna Galliwood as a dryad, Aoife with awesome ribbon sleeves as an unthemed masquer, and Aimee as the ocean.

Finally, for more photos of this really cool event, Alianore put an album up on her facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=13357&id=1685283854&page=4#/album.php?aid=13357&id=1685283854&page=2