Medieval

 So, I mentioned earlier, that people from the National Galery contacted me, that they would like to have some clothes to bring a couple of their famous pictures live for some historical interpretation sessions with children.

After a few meeting I managed to convince them, that it is not really possible to make one bustle dress that can be worn from girls aged 10-16 (you can fit them to ONE size and add enough so they can be adjusted a few kilos/cm extra up and down, but not a few SIZES), they decided to have two dresses from two pictures, that can be worn by the museum's employees, and many things shown to the youngsters (layers, cuts, support-system and a lot more). 

One of them was a lot more complicated affair, an 1870-ies bustle dress, for which you already seen what is under that dress.

The other painting was a medeival one, MS master's Visitation.

They wanted to represent Elizabeth, the figure on the right.

I set out looking for a silver brocade or taffeta, and the museum people selected a beautiful, though somewhat loosely woven silver brokade. I did convinced them, that in order to have more-or less historically accurate rendition, they HAVE TO HAVE a linen undershirt, not in least so they have a layer that, unlike the brocade, can be regurarly washed. 

Once again, the deadline was very thight, and I simply had no time to make a photo of the making process, I can only show you the finished pieces. I haven' used a bought pattern, I used the one I made my early renaissance dress about 9 years ago, and fitted it to a size 38 dressmaker's dress form.

Here it is worn by me. It is to thight for me, as in the order form the museum specified size M/38EU, and though I lost a lot of weight, I still consider myself on the bigger side of 38.

And here it is worn in the museum, at one of their event with children. 

Short comment

 I am watching Gentlemen Jack (absolutely faboulous costumes, yumm, though the rolls on the hair of the actress playing Anne Lister make me break out in hives, but then that is a topic for another post), and N. comes in, sits at the edge of the bed, looks at the screen... then asks me on the most bored, innocent voice:

"why do I know that is a BUSK?"

"The same reson, you know the difference between a Regency and a Victorian bonnet?"

 Because he listens to me.

Accessories: Wonder-shoes

 The last pink accessory - for now at least. 

As I mentioned more than once (I am sure), that as a reenactor, with historical attires, accessories are probably the hardest thing, especially shoes. 

Yes, there are a few place you can order some, but there is always a risk. You never know, if it is going to fit you or not, if the quality would worth the price or not. 

Early last year, I found a shoemaker, who made me a fairly low heeled, but high victorian boots that I use for my sports attire. Then I gave him the next task. 
Make me shoes that look like rococo shoes, but comfortable, and comforst should include heels, that cannot be "high", higher than 2-3 cm. 

I collected a big Pinterest board, showed him the shapes I loved, the height I hope I can still walk in, and he set out to work. 

He made me the first pair from black, to wear with the Maria Theresa gown.

 and I loved them so much I wanted another pair, in pastel color. The shoemaker told me, than it is best of I choose the leather myself, and tol me to go to Légrádi Zoltán, so I did.

I swear, I did not meant to get PINK shoes. I did not. But when I saw that pink leather I lost it, and decided, that I WILL have pink shoes to go with my pink dress. 

The shoes were made by József Zombori @Baktócipő

Weekly SO

Why I don't like the Petit Kints patterns? 

There you go, I said it out loud. Not for the first time, but now I did it really publicly, reacting on an Instagram post. Though my comment got a LOT MORE likes, I also got cold and hot from some commenters. (The fact that these days you cannot have an OPINION, because they will come for you, call you names, and get cancelled will be a topic of another SO post). 

The thing is that I wrote that "she MIGHT be a good designer, I find her pieces utterly boring".

 Why? Because as I also say from handspinning that I strive for even yarn, PERFECT uniformity is not my goal. If I wish for yarn that looks like it came out from a machine, I am not messing with it for DAYS, but I'll go into a store and pick it off from a shelf. 

The same way, if I wish for perfect, neutral sweater, that could be storebought, I am not knitting it for days, weeks, or months. I'll go to a store and buy it. 

The same goes for sewing. There is a huge difference between homemade and handmade. 

 A while ago, designers had their own style. e knew from looking at the piece if it was designed by Kate Davies, Laura Chau, Joji, Alice Starmore, Jennie Atkinson or even Stephen West, to only mention a few name. 

What I do not see with Petit Knit is this recognizable uniqueness, just the same bland beige piece. I only found one piece that sparked my interest the Anker Sweater, but still that seemed familiar. Because it isa redesign of the rightfully popular Shalom Cardigan. 

No, I do not hate her, because she is so popular. I do not "hate" her. I could not care less how her business does. If anything I am happy for her succes. I only do not understand, and whish someone braver would be just as succesful.

There are a few youtube video trying to make sense of her popularity, but there is no definite answer, but probably it has a lot to do with going for the safe choice and not taking risks. 

Even though many big names of old, who had creative, bold, fantastic designs do not work anymore, we still have a few, who give us hopes for the future. That is -partly- I keep the monday pattern-muster column here. 

  

More underwear... structural support

 We are still at that "big" project, I worked on for a month in October and November.

We know by now, that it is an 1870-ies dress, which needs more than one underlayer. 

The first layer, the chemise and drawers I showed last week, are the one that directly covers the body, they can (and should be) changed and washed regurarly, possibly daily (if used daily, otherwise after each use). They are the one that suck up sweat, bacteria and other stuff, and defend the next layers from them. 

The next layer containes what can be called, the structural support, the layer, that gives shape to the outfit. This layer containes the corset, the cosetcovel, the bustle and the petticoat. 

The corset has more than a few "tasks", of which making the body thinner is the last, and practically only a side effect but there will be a separate post on that. 

There is a "corset cover" over the corset, to soften the lines that could be seen at the bustline or at the back. In certain cases it can have an extra decorative function too. 

The bustle that gives the skirt shape, which is in this period emphasizes the back.

And a petticoat that is a layer between the skirt and the bustle, once again, softening the lines of the bustle structure. It is still valid for this period, what we say for the crinolins, that if your hoops showing through was much like we look at having your panties show above your trousers. It happens, but definetly not elegant, not even accepted. 

And now, there is only the dress itself, that we have to wait for...

Monday Pattern-Muster - SEWING

 After many months of considerations, here it comes. 

The thing is, I still do not know, exactly, how I am going to go with this, but I keep promising, and there is no occasion as good as RIGHT NOW. 

The first is a pattern I have for years, though I never actually got around to make it. 

I have other experience with Scroop patterns, as I did test their Aidah gown, and made that in more than once. 

This is the EASTBURN pants from the same company. 

I always liked pants that are (relatively) thight around the waist and hip, then go wilde (umm, wide) from there. 

Also, it is photographed in many different bodies, and it looks good on almost all of them. 

Go for it. 

Accessories: pink, lace choker

 And we arrived to the last but one accessories to the pink striped Rococo dress.

I needed something for my neck and the choker type of necklace was an obvious solution. And I decided to make one for myself.

I wanted to use linen thread, but I could not find it in the right color, so I got some cotton embroidery thread. A bit of digging on Pinterest provided a nice enough pattern.

And then all I needed a bit of shine, so I got beads and silver thread for a couple of bobbins. 

And here is the finished choker:

Weekly SO

I think it is really not a nice form that someone buys a hank of handdyed yarn from someone, for whom dyeing is just a hobbi, a side-things and only does two events in one year, where the main thing is teaching, not selling, and s/he teaching an ancient skill for free, and it is really said that those handdyed skeins are one-of-a-kind, not repeatable, etc, and you open the skein, start to use the yarn, then decide that your skills are not up to that yarn (which is fairly thin), or realize that you do not like the color after all, then frog back said sample and after more than half a year, take back the skein and ask for an exchange... 

Yes, I know that there are rules of sales, and consumerprotection and all that. But as we say in Hungarian, sometimes we fall over to the wrong side of the horse, and some costumer abuse that.

I could have said no, as there were MONTHS since the sale and the hank was OPENED, and I did not. Mostly because dyeing is really a hobbi for me, and it is not my livelyhood that depends on just how many skeins I sell, only just how many unddyed skeins can I buy before the next one. Still I do not like when somebody thinks I am an idiot.

Ps.: The same goes for clothes, you had someone to sew for you personally, you try it on before you take it, then you use it, ven more than once, then think up things you do not like on it, and had the whole thing taken apart, and of course, saying it is under "guarantee" in other words, you are not paying for the extra work.

Underwear ... and repeat

 Yes, you know it by now, that for every historical dress (at least for women), to get it look correctly, to sit on a body correctly, proper underwear is crucial. 

So the big project I mentioned earlier, also started with the proper underwear...

And the first layers are the drawers (that are long underpants, but split in the middle), and a chemise (undershirt). 

There wasn't many things new, or challenging, I did a similar set last year, for Viki, who regurarly portrays Empress Sisi, and now I used the same pattern, the difference was that instead of the embroidered fabric I used fine, but plain weave cotton, decorated with borderie anglaise edges, and instead of the blue, purple ribbons. 

As usual, even though we've started to talk about this project in the early summer, because of burocracy and changes in plans, and other stuff made it if not rushed case, but really thight deadline, which was made even thighter by things, like the three days out for the gall-stone affaire, and other family matterns.

So, once again, I am only showing the end results.

(Oooops. I just see that I took the photo before I ironed the pintucks... I promise, they are all flat now and looking downwards.)

Pattern: Truly Victorian

Monday's pattern-muster

At the Day of Wool last weekend, somebody told me that she really likes my weekly pattern-suggestion column, so all right. maybe not EVERY Monday, but I will try to look up patterns and talk about them, and I have not forgot, that I also promised to suggest sewing patterns as well. 

In the same discussion it was also mentioned, that I could talk about patterns that I actually do NOT like more often.

So there you go. The Enchanted Mesa by Stephen West is such a pattern. Actually I bumped into it, that I was trying to lookup something totally different, and a Reddid thread came up, in which they discussed how Stephen theratened someone with legal retaliation because S/he was trying to sell a shawl knitted from his design (as a used item). Of course, I do have an opinion about this one too, but I rather write about it (if I come around to it) in a weekly Strong Opinion post. However, reading that thread reminded me, that I kind of gave up on him, when he came out with the Mesa sweater, because, even back then I though, it feels for me, like he was just testing, how big of a sh*t he can throw at his fans who would happily eat it up- I never felt the slightest inclination to knit it, even though, there is unlimited amount of yarn in this house. 

No, it was not the assimetry that hurt my eyes. I always loved assimetrical clothes (even - or especially) in historical clotes, but it felt like it was just thrown together, withouth really thinking the thing through. I don't think it can be comfortable under coats, nor for any activity that requires more movements than sitting at a desk. 

(And the usual disclaimer: the above are MY opinion, it is not a reflection if the design or pattern itself good or not, or it cannot or should not be liked  by others, or those who like it, lack taste or anything. Luckily we are not the same. I am not a Stephen fan. Thats all.)

Sunglasses

 What you would need to look at the wool I just dyed for the day of wool that is on tomorrow. 

I am sorry, I fell off blogging for a week or so, but beside of dyeing wool and yarn I was working on a big project (in fact three of them), besides my regular work, and the event last week, and had no time to even breath, or think, let alone write. 

But here I am, take on your sunglasses and imagine all thecolorful yarns that could be spun from these. 

After tomorrow, I will come with details of that other thingie. 

Weekend Program

 On Saturday we are heading to the Gödöllő Castle, where we will introduce the Mare Temporis Time Travel Agency...

We will show the guests fashions of the last 250 years, from the 1750-ies to the early 1900's, not only on ourselves, but we will bring our "hands on history" living history, where visitors can see up close what women were wearing, how, why clothes fitted like they did and such.

If you are near to Budapest - (or Gödöllő), come and see us.

The Facebook event is HERE.

Weekly SO

 First a fact, an advice, then an opinion...

The fact:

Gallsones and hot potato-pasta (nudli), with sweet, grounded poppy-seed (typical Hungarian food) are NOT friends. 

The advice: DO not eat them, especially if you have to work with very strickt deadline, and do not have three days to wallow in your bed.

The opinion... After days of suffering and struggling, and then more days of feeling weak (because of not daring to eat literarly ANYTHING), I had the idea of having some soup. Asked N. to order some for me (because 1. I am still weak as hell, 2. working on something really important, with a really strickt deadline) I really don't have the time nor the energie to cook. 

N. went on the food ordering app, to find me some light soup, and all he found:

Goulash soup (from beef and paprika - thanks, I love it, but not now).

Meat soup (in the three days I was out, I managed to throw up some meat-soup, so thats a no for now)

Ragout-soup with tarragon (it has sourcream and onion... no again). 

That is it. 

Every darned place that would deliver on a Sunday afternoon had only this three on the menue. 

Alright, after some more scrolling and digging N found some Gyros places that had lentil soup, and some Italian (Italian type) restaurants that offered tomato soup, but that was really the end.

This is a big city, with lots of restaurants and kind of famous for its gastronomy...

oh well. I guess not. 

Pink tricorn

 

I needed something to wear on my head with the pink stripy dress. Tricorns were in fashion for most of the 18th century, even for women. And women could wear it either big, or the sweet tiny version.

However, I am still not fully up to making a hat from scratch, so I looked through the websites for used clothing items, and found this small (probably children's) hat. (Sorry, forgot to take a photograph from how the original hat looked like). 

Then I soaked it in a some leftover starch solution, and pinned the edges up, and let it dry.

It didn't hold it well enough, so I sprayed it throughly with starch spray, and let it dry again.

Added some pink passamenterie to its edges, made a cockade from the bits left over from decorating the dress itself, and added some feathers just for good measure. A nice, colorful ostrich feather never hurts, especially, when we talk about the 18th century.

A kalap néhány kalaptű segítségével marad a fejemen (legalább hárommal).

Leaves and all hallowes

 Just a walk in some cemetaries, at the day of the dead.