jewelry box

Because I don't have enough on my plate (yeah right) I ended up adding one more thing. While shopping for supplies today I picked up an unfinished jewelry box at the local hobby store. I needed somewhere to keep the lovely bits of jewelry I had made. So today I stained it and panted 3 damask motifs on the top and put in a mirrior onto the lid. Now I have something to keep all that jewelry in one place.

this last week

so this last week I finished my petticoat, black silk veil and started the blackwork on the sleeves of my camicia. It may not feel like I got a lot done but I know the blackwork takes time. I can strike layer 2 off my to do list and focus on finishing layer 1. I would love to get it finished over this next week but I am not sure how much time I can devote to the blackwork.

Veil #3 done!

Black silk trimmed with lace and tassels

What it is based on

Pics up later- This is the last accessory I can finish without the entire gown done.

Petticoat pictures!

Red silk with gold embroidery. Not the best pictures as I tied it a little low in the front but it will do untill I can get better ones taken

Front

side

close up of damask around hem

close up of embroidery at pocket slits

Petticoat Finished!

The petticoat is done!!! all the embroidery is finished. Now I have done my item for layer 2 and layer 4 . Halfway there! Layer 1 is in the works.

The wee hours of the morning are fast approaching and my son is a morning person while I am not so I am going to get some sleep then sometime tomorrow (today) I will iron and photograph the petticoat for all to see here.

underwear

so a few friends have been really on me to get to the meat and potatoes of the challenge: the dress. I know I'm up against the deadline and if I went uber simple and plain I could finish my underwear in a day or two. They have seen the embroidery I have been doing on the undergarments that no one would ever see once the dress is on- so why am I wasting my time?

The reasoning is simple. I am doing this for me. I deserve pretty things and like some women who buy lacy bras this is what makes me feel pretty in garb. True on most folks no one else would ever see it and as someone who does not like to show off my bras in public I have a confession.... Are you ready- I wish more folks would show off their medieval undies. within reason. If folks (at least late period) wore all the layers they should we would be more covered then most normal people on the street. If we had more people showing off the correct undergarments maybe more people would wear them! I'm not saying only to wear your undies to all events all the time either but there are excuses to hold a class or a get together and show off your medieval undies! Nothing kills a beautiful Elizabethan gown for me faster then it not having enough support. A lumpy wrinkled bodice just kills the look no matter how much beading you put on it. The saddest thing is many folks just don't know or understand why such things as corsets and petticoats are important. Don't get me started on the fact the Tudors have made the chemise a rare item. I have had folks tell me that they didn't want to wear a chemise with their gowns because it made them look prudish. Yup thanks to the Tudors no chemise= sexy. All I can picture is the dancing scenes where the woman lifts up her amazing slashed sleeve to flash us a sexy armpit looking way out of place with all that fabric.

I teach a class where I start in my underwear and get dressed. A lot of people are interested finding out exactly what we wear under our gowns. I would love to see more people showing off amazing underwear! I would love to see Undie Sundays at SCA events every where a chance to show off the petticoat you put in hours upon hours cording or that chemise you blackworked- while playing games drinking tea and having a good time. Now I do ask to be in good taste of course I have a slightly sheer chemise I wear for some of my classes that in the right light reveals A LOT- that is why I bought a nude unitard and I wear it underneath. And to the woman who told me her persona from Greenland wouldn't wear underwear- I beg to differ what else do you call all those under gowns that are worn under their dresses?

Camicia

one strip of blackwork done on second sleeve. I think I want to do two more strips of blackwork on each sleeve.

I have had help pinning the hem of the petticoat so I should be able to hem it and start the embroidery on it within the next day or two

Camicia

1 strip of blackwork done on one sleeve

Camicia

the pieces are cut out off to finish my edges

pile of linen waiting for the machine

update

Sent my update for the last two weeks. I wish I had more to report but life has snuck up on me.

 I have done some gold embroidery on my red silk petticoat, started work on a drawn thread handkerchief, and finished two veils. One of gold silk and one long sheer one hand dyed and trimmed with lace.

Veil #2 is done!

Veil #1

Is finished hemmed and cartridge pleated onto a tiny comb

Forgive the pic as this would normally be placed below my bun but you get the idea

It is a lovely golden silk that feels so amazing a glitters most beautifully

Scroll

so once again my plans to work on the challenge we thwarted. I was asked to do a scroll blank for coronation. Now normally that would just be a boarder then call it good but I was asked to do our grant level arts award so I naturally went over the top and did the text as well so all that needs to be added is the name and date. I am pretty darn proud of it

update

petticoat is still waiting for a hem and I am still working on the handkerchief- this week I have also had to make a three tiered cake for work- end of the year speech awards and dinner my students love my cakes. I also have scroll for tomorrow that I haven't started yet- combat scribe powers activate!

Petticoat

There is progress on the petticoat! I cut out the panels and stitched them up and added some embroidery at the  "pocket" slits- where the petticoat ties to form slits I can use to get to my pocket.

Pincushions

I have gotten very little done on the challenge this week for a lot of reasons I have already covered in an earlier post.

This weekend is a canton fundraiser and I was asked to put a few items up for bid. 2 of my pockets and a pincushion or two. Once I did one I just couldn't stop.

handkercheif

Proof I haven't been totally lazy. I have finished the drawn work in white now I am finishing my edges and adding detail work in gold. I have a dear friend who makes beautiful lace and I hope one day I can do work half as amazing as her. I did a lot of drawn work years ago and couldn't remember why I stopped. I like seeing the patterns form as I work. Then I started doing the finishing in gold........ Oh yeah now I remember why I stopped............ I do not like buttonhole stitch! Well now that I have started I need to finish. The nice thing is this is a project I can take with me and do anywhere. I have a feeling I will be working on this up until the end.

Procrastination

yup I have had it- for a while now I have been talking about getting started on my petticoat and for just as long I haven't been able to get going. Life blew up a bit which has kept me distracted. Just to keep my hands busy I have been doing work on a drawn thread handkerchief. It has been a long time since I have played with drawn thread and I am also thinking of doing some insertion work with bobbin lace. I saw a picture of a handkerchief not to long ago and did a sketch of the pattern I can't find that picture again but from working with the pattern it is moving along.

I will get started on the petticoat soon I promise!

No pics

Had a family decompress day- lots of stuff happened over the last few days. So all I got done today was hemming my silk veil. I still need to decide how I would like to gather it onto a comb and I need to attach a comb onto the mantillia veil.

back to work

yes I have taken a few days off- between the wedding, school and church stuff I have been swamped!

Yes I have just gone back to school after some stupidity about my credits- but now that it is worked out I am trying to get back into the swing of things

I am Catholic- yes I have some pretty good nun stories- although not the ones you would expect- tee hee. So the Beatification of John Paul II was a very big deal for me. That and a latin mass and yes I will stay up at 3 am to watch

lastly I had to watch the wedding! yes that wedding. I was born in Scotland my mother was born and raised in Scotland I still have family in the U.K If I didn't sit up with a cup of tea and watch the wedding live- I shudder to think what my family would do to me. The dress was amazing BTW

So today I get back to work the fan just needs my device painted on the back- which I can do later. Today I am working on my second gold veil- (lovely silk) that gives me a reason to play with my new rolled hem foot. In a few hours I pack everything off and go to my friends place to sew well into the night.

Tonight I work on the petticoat as that won the vote held on my facebook page. I will have pics up tonight.