12th Night Dress 2.0.

Caid Coronation! WOOO!

I was asked to be on royal court this time around. I'm pretty stoked for the job and this Saturday I was sworn in. So of course this meant, time to haul out the court garb!  I just got back from Potrero War so the idea of me trying to whip up something new was laughable really. (Trust me. I only pretend to be that fast.) Since I only wore my 12th Night gown once before, I figured now would be a good time to haul it out, spruce it up, and wear it again.

I even got some decent pictures! Check it!

Sans Jazz Hands.

I tweaked the dress a bit here and there, did some minor repairs, then added the gold baubles to the sleeve ties to make it look more finished. Really, the only major thing I did to the dress was add the pearls to the trim, which instantly dressed up the entire outfit. Here's a detail shot:

I love sewing little doodads to garb. Its an addiction, really. I may add some more beads to the trim later on. It depends on how obsessive I get before the next time I wear this dress.

Here's a few more photos of the day:

 Its gettin' all Disney Princess up in here!

Lady Sabyna of Aydon (aka, Ace) and Lady Giovanna Ricci (aka, me) 

Me with The Honorable Lady Reina MacCormick aka, sexy Ty.

It was my first coronation, and even though I was sweating like a teamster due to the climate, I had a fantastic time!

And speaking of beading. I also beaded the heck out of my last 12th Night dress. I totally forgot I had photos of it!

I beaded this and wore it for Calafia Anniversary last year. I've been wanting to punch up the original beading on this. I think I managed to pull it off decently.

Next up, Labyrinth Ball! I'm starting my costume for that tonight so Progress photos to come very soon!

Cheers All!

12th Night Dress

When Caid 12th Night approached I remember saying that I was not going to make a new court dress for the event. I already had a good amount of court gowns I built in the past and I only wore them a few times.

Of course I say one thing and completely do another.

Here's my dress I wore to Caid 12th Night.

Pardon the wrinkles. 12th Night was at the beginning of the month and I just now managed to pull the dress back out from the garb laundry pile to take photos. Its made out of a lovely brown linen I bought up in the LA Fashion district. There was a linen sale. An SCA gal can never have enough linen.  The plus for using linen is this dress is now washable!

I used a different style of pattern than the one I drafted for my orange silk Italian Ren. I was trying to have a more 1520's Venetian silhouette so I changed the neckline and put the closure in the front.

This portrait was my main inspiration:

Palma Vecchio, 1520s: Woman In Blue

 I was completely taken with this portrait and wanted to create the same feel as it. I ended up only having a week to put the dress together (I caught the plague the week before) so there are parts that need refining. Overall, I think I did a decent job.

 Once again, Trim from a impulse by at war.  I KNEW it would come in handy! Do to the shape of the neckline I had to put it all on by hand. That.. was an adventure Alas, you can catch some scorch marks on the trim there. My iron was WAY too hot *facepalm*. The ties are made of simple grosgrain ribbon. the gold balls on the end are leftover buttons from some other project long forgotten. I thought they finished up the bodice nicely.

Ah yes, my "Special" moment. The trim was a bit of a nightmare to put on and I ended up with bizarre gap at the back of the neckline. So I added this little loopy bow detail on the back  I thought it was kinda a cute detail for the time I had. But I might change it out later on.

I really loved the red brocade I used for the sleeves. I lucked into a yard of it when a friend of mine was getting rid of his fabric stash. The diamonds are really pretty. 

Unfortunately I don't have any photos of me in the dress except one:

And the jazz hands in it are epic.

Persian Coat from Reconstructing History Pattern

And now, a break from something truly amazing to look at my crap again. ;)

Here's the finished Persian coat I made from a Reconstructing History pattern. Overall its a nice pattern. My only warning would be to size UP when you're selecting your pattern size. The pattern that was made for my measurements turned out to be too small so I had to jump to the next size which fit much better. Other than that, this pattern is relatively simple. I have yet to make the other garments from the pattern though. Its on the ever growing list of projects
Note the gorilla sleeves. The wrists are tapered tightly so I can smoosh the sleeves up onto my arms, which I was told is a period fit for a coat like this. judging by the research I've seen, I'd say that's pretty accurate.

The fabric came from Home Fabrics which was closing its doors and had a HUGE sale. I believe this cotton was originally around $7 a yard. I got it for $2 a yard. TOTAL STEAL! But even though its cotton, its extremely heavy. I've pretty much regulated this to a outdoor coat. It came in handy during the very chilly Estrella War this year. The buttons I picked up at Estrella. The button hole technique was taught to me by Baroness Briana Je Nell which is a FAR more elegant manner to do button loops than the way I've been doing them. I really should document a step by step for it soon...because its a great technique.

I'd have to say my favorite part of the coat are the gores on the side. It give the whole garment fantastic movement, especially for belly dancing in cold weather.
I think next time I try this pattern out again I'll try it in a silk. I also am hoping to try my hand at the full outfit. Overall though its a useful coat, especially for someone who gets cold at the drop of a hat.

Also, my Regina Black costume overall is more or less done finally. Pictures to come soon!

Finished Gift Persian

As usual... I got busy. Erf.
But I did snap a couple of pictures of the Persian Coat I made as a gift for my friend, Ty.

Tah Dah!

Click to Enlarge

Unfortunately, my real camera's battery was dead, so I had to use my Camera phone. This was made from the Folk Wear pattern for Persian coats. I just received the Persian pattern from Reconstructing History though and build a quicky out of it. Much easier, more historically accurate, and flattering pattern for sure (not that my friend Ty doesn't look great. That woman can wear a burlap sack and still be gorgeous *jealous*). I'll post pictures of my Persian experiment soon.
And the hubby requested a new Coat for Court. Going to try my hand yet again at some Men's garb.

Also, I picked up a pattern for a Regency Morning Gown which I an very stoked to start work on.
So much to sew! So little time!

Iiiits Persian Time!

Gift Persian Coat is GO!

Another project I did over the Holidays. Here is a Persian coat I did as a Christmas gift for my friend Ty. It's finished, but I still need to take photos of her in it. I'm hoping to get a couple pics of her in it soon.

I didn't use a super authentic pattern for this. I used one from Folkwear. But it works! Ty's main garb consists of mostly of Persian and Middle Eastern style garb. Its perfect for fighting and equestrian. The fabric is leftover linen from my Viking apron I made last year. I wanted to make the coat machine washable so Ty could wear it not to just tourneys and court but for all her equestrian events as well. Gotta look good on that horse!

The trim I had for years. I picked this up in LA after I designed a production of Aladdin. This was the trim I used on Jafar's robe. I loved it so much I bought some for myself. It sat forever in my stash until this Christmas. The red and the purple work great together! That trim was a bitch to put on lemme tell ya.

I wanted to at least give the coat a bit of a period feel so I tried to find a contrasting color to line the coat. Persian coats usually were lined in fabric that was a contrasting color to the main fabric (Orange to Blue, Red to Green, etc etc..) But I'm pretty sure Ty isn't a huge yellow fan. So I opted for green. I figured there was so much red in the purple and yellow in that green that it would work. I think it looks pretty spiff. Its also Ty's wedding colors so a little added bonus there. That green cotton had been sitting in my stash since 2002. It was great to finally find something to use it for.
So there we go. Hopefully I can snap some photos of Ty in her new duds soon to post!

Happy New Year-Blue Ren Details AND Future Projects Ahoy!

Just in time for 12th Night...again!

Okay, Maybe not JUST in time actually. I finished this back in December but didn't have a chance to post photos since I've been crazy busy with the holidays. The Blue Ren was both me screwing around to make some more court garb as well as put a lil somethin' somethin' up for Calafian Winter Arts. I ended up getting some fine trinkets for the dress. Honestly, that's the main reason I enter Winter Arts...for the free baubles.
I'm part raccoon.

Anyways. Here's some details on the sucker
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So I went back on weight watchers recently and I ended up losing about...oh...5 pounds and a couple inches since I made this. needless to say It was a touch large for me compared to the rather perfect fit I originally had with it...not that I'm knocking the weight loss but damnit, I had that bust PERFECT before the diet.

Bodice detail...more or less. You still can't really see the beading I did on the trim. Feh.

You can see the beading a LITTLE better here. I was trying to go for subtle but honestly, next time I bead I think I'm going to make it a bit more bold so it reads better.

Side button closure again...Its flattering and I'm a one trick pony.

Detail of my orange sash with the tassels. Yup..Orange. I love me the orange.

The main reason I left the sleeves off this go around. I wanted to show off my first round with black work embroidery. I'm pretty happy with my first go around. So far, that leaf stitch is the only stitch I know. I'll need to hunt down some black work books soon to learn more. I'm hoping someday to to another chemise detailed with black work.

So that's it for the Blue Ren. Going to be taking a break from the Rens for a while *GASP*. I figured I made enough to get what I wanted to learn out of this pattern. Lined up a have a few fun things coming. SCA wise I need to make myself a couple of short (and quick) Persian coats to wear to Estrella war. It tends to be a muddy war and the calf length coats are perfect to wear in that weather. Hopefully i can slam out a couple soon.
I also plan to work on two big UBER projects which I want to document heavily. First off is the German Cranach gown. aka...one of these.

I bought a fantastic pattern of one from Reconstructing History and I've really been drying to try my hand at it. There are a LOT of techniques I'm going to have to learn to make it, but I'm willing and hopefully will have the resources to learn from.

My other project is a full Victorian bustle dress. A steampunk con is coming up in my neck of the woods around May and I wanted not only my zombie hunter costume but also a Victorian lady costume as well This picture is heavily influencing my design... especially the middle dress. I want to make the under garments and the dress. Its an ambitious project but one I've been wanting to do for years now. Honestly It has me a bit intimidated.

Wish Me Luck!

Another Adventure In Italian Ren Land!

Yup...I'm at it again.
The original bodice pattern I made when I first started the blog ended up getting lost in the move. So I had to start from scratch. I made a few mock-ups then FINALLY managed to get something that fit relatively well. Took forever though. It also took me forever to realize I could have just ripped a pattern off my orange Italian to get it back *forheadsmack*.
Live and learn.

Anyways, Here's the beginnings of the new Italian. Still the same idea as the orange Italian, just tweaking a few things here at there. Pardon the crappy cellphone pictures.

I'll be raising the waistline to be more under the bust than my previous dress. The neckline is now lower cut which will show off a chemise more. I also cut the bodice a bit larger so I can wear a chemise comfortably under it all. The second shot is a close up of the trim. I'm slowly hand beading it. Not sure if I want to add anymore to it. I like the print on the trim and I don't want the beading to over power it. Still keeping the side closures. Its more comfortable than a lace up back for me.

I'll be adding on the skirt sometime this week. I'm hoping to do a sort of mock split skirt with a panel of the cream down the front, just to give it something extra. I'm still debating sleeves. I'm considering doing split sleeves maybe with the top and bottom open to expose the chemise. Still debating it.
I'll try to post some quick pics of my new Chemise soon. I did my first venture into black work on it and I'm pretty proud of it for my first time out.

Completed Viking Garb at Lief Erikson.

Here it is, all finished!

I'm going to have to go back and re-fit the apron dress a bit, it was a wee bit large in the bust. But then I was being really generous with my seam allowance.
Easy fix overall.
General thoughts are it was warm and comfy and perfect garb for cold weather events (like Estrella War). Its not necessarily my style since I prefer Persian and Italian Ren. on my body type but still, I'm glad I made it and I'll probably wear it again to a winter event.:)

Well, tomorrow is the Lief Erickson tourney so I figured now would be as good as anytime to try my hand (again) at some viking garb. I ended up winning a spiffy "Viking in a Basket" prize at a raffle a few tourneys ago so it was time to put it to good use.

Heehee...Shiny.

As you can see, the basket came with everything needed, including the festoons. I already have the brooches from my previous go ahead.

Here are some in progress pics I took. I'll actually be wearing it tomorrow so here's hoping I can get a few photos of the garment on me.
The basket came with various instructions of how to put your apron together. I chose the method you can find here.
Not the exact directions that I used but pretty darn close. This was a VERY simple method so I highly recommend it...because i"m lazy.

Here's the Apron dress with partial decorative stitching done. I stuck a comparison shot of my first apron I did mostly so you can see the difference in shape. The new apron is more of a tube shape. It fits pretty snug and with a belt it gives you more of your waist.

The New apron is the purple one. The Old Apron is the blue one. You can see a vast difference in the shape here on the dress form..umm..ignore how really wrinkled the purple is. Its been pressed out..honestly.

Upclose shot of the decorative stitching. I was more or less making it up as I went along.

The Under Tunic/Dress really isn't that exciting so I just took a photo of the neckline. I was pretty happy with you neat I got the trim to look.
Tomorrow I'll be wearing this sucker completed (Weather permitting. If its hot, forget it!) Overall, Viking garb aren't really my style, but I have to admit, they're a lot of fun to make.

Finished Viking!

Here's a pic of the finished Viking apron and the "smurf hat" I made for Calafian winter Arts!

Click to enlarge Not too bad for my first time at the viking rodeo I like to think.:) It was extremely comfortable and really warm. GOOD Estrella garb! I believe I will have to give this another whirl soon. And just cause I'm a show off, here's my sparse table from winter arts featuring my orange Italian Ren and my hubby's cassock coat.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday!

Been too Long...so I made more garb.

Wow, Its been FAR too long since I updated. My excuse is the hubby and I have been busy moving into a house for the last..oh...3 months it seems. We bought a nice fixer upper so a good chunk of my sewing time was taken up with painting and installing floors. But now things have finally settled and I managed to get myself back on the sewing train! The best part is now I have a studio space to work in instead of sewing in the bedroom!

So I've been wanting to work on a viking apron for a long time now. I was a bit reluctant at first mostly because I'm a big busted gal and I was afraid the whole thing would make me look pregnant. Then I realized that most women I know who wear this style ARE big busted gals and I was being stupid.
My LJ friend sabre0link sent me some excellent links on viking garb for both men and women (if you're interested in seeing them, let me know! I'll post them up here!). They were a HUGE help and I found any different ways to put an apron together.

Click to Enlarge these pics.

In the end, I went with the very simple two rectangles and two gores on the side look. Above is the finished product. I originally had the gores too high, where my bust line ended, and the apron looked really sloppy, not to mention it looked more like a MuMu than anything else. So I hacked it apart and lowered the gores. I think the result is much nicer. The wool came from a thrift store buy years and years ago. The brooches I bought...what can I say, I love the shiny. The festoons I made myself from some lamp beads and other finds I had in my stash. I think I'll have to strengthen my knots on the festoons though. I don't really trust my knot tying skills...hence why I married an ex sailor.
Overall, I'm really happy with it. I will be wearing my orange kirtle I bought a few wars back under the apron. Its not not pictured since I was being ADD and working on two garments at once on my dress form.

And yes, I am working on yet ANOTHER italian Ren!

Click to Enlarge.

Once again, I'm feeling the need to experiment. I ended up losing my pattern from my first Italian Ren during the move. So I've had to start from scratch. So far its not too bad. I've been wanting to make an Italian Ren out of washable material. Both the lining and the outter fabric is cotton. The pearls are only on there because I was futzing around. I'm not completely sold on them yet. I still need to buy buttons or something to use for the side closures. Then the skirt will go on. For this one I'm hoping to make some detachable sleeves that actually WORK. I'm considering a contrasting color but I'm not sure if I want to go blue. I've been going a little crazy in the orange and blue department.

ALSO, I went fabric shopping with some gal pals un in the LA fashion district recently and picked up some shinies!

Fabric Goodness!
Okay, that first red fabric was from a few trips back. That will be turning into a doublet for the hubby. The teal silk is for me. I want to make another Italian Ren out of it but something a bit more ornate than I usually do. Currently reseaching that. The black was bought for a good friend who has been working hard helping us get the house in order. So he'll be getting a doublet as well.

And now that I'm more or less unpacked I finally found my period hat making book. So hopefully I can make a few coifs and perhaps a french hood. I've been really eager to try my hand at a french hood.

I'm really happy to get back to sewing again, I missed it! Hopefully I'll have some more pictures of new experiments as they come.

SCA Tunics

Better Late than never, right?:)
Sorry I've been AWOL. My Husband and I are currently working on getting into our new home so things have been busy and my sewing has been on the non existent side since May. Hopefully this weekend I"ll post some detailed shots of a pair of steampunk wings I recently put together for Labyrinth Ball.
I made a punch of basic T-Tunics for some of our fellas (and one lady) in the household and I made a coat for my Hubby. Its not too much flash but they turned out pretty good. So I felt like sharing.:)

click the rest of these pics to enlarge.

All of the fabric is cotton and the colors were picked out by the gentlemen (and lady). The Red and blue tunic the gentleman in the third pic is wearing I did not make. But i did make the basic coat in the fourth picture. I was pretty happy with the turn out. I do plan to line that coat for him though since the fabric wasn't as warm as we suspected it would be.

And this is the coat I made for the hubby.

The photos unfortunately do not do the fabric justice. Its a beautiful silver and blue brocade. I used the same pattern as the fencing coat only removed the mods. So its the correct length and does not have the overflap for protection. I believe its an English style coat but I honestly can't remember. It definitely has signs of an early style cassock. We just call the style the fighting cassock since it works so well as fencing garb.
Unfortunately I ran out of time to put button holes in it so I had to quickly sew on the loops. These will be removed soon and I'll be putting in button holes instead. I will also be adding the collar back. Unfortunately time was a factor and I wanted him to have a coat for war.

The next item on my garb list will be another shot an Italian Ren for me. I'd like to make one that's more for war wear instead of court wear. Our household does a LOT of service and we get dirty frequently. ;)