Early baroque dress of grey satin

I have four dresses I need for certain plays next year. So it's no wonder I start working on a fifth that I don't really need...

Again it's gonna be a 1630s gown, this time extra-long as you see in the paintings. No lace this time but the typical english ruff for the sleeves and a very fine but plain white collar. The truth is that I was unable to find perfectly matching lace despite my considerable collection. So I'm planning something like this only in a warm grey.

In the meantime I also decided that I would wear this dress to a small historic ball come week. Self-motivation and all... The skirt turned out a little much too long, at least for a ball, and only while putting the bodice together I realized that I had forgotten to make the required changes to the pattern after I had discovered a couple of small faults in it already while making the last 1630s dress. So no new underdress for the upcoming ball, only for the one in spring where I'm planning to wear the same dress only with different decoration. So many balls this season, the comtesse's seamstress is a little stressed! :D

Compared to the light-blue 1630s, I shortened the flaps and the stomacher a bit. Next time I'll try one without any flaps at all and a laced front closing, like in this picture. But this will involve some more research, so the grey one just has my trusty hook-and-eye closing over a stomach piece. Plus a couple of ribbons for later, maybe, whatever I'll find in my boxes. As it was actually meant as a day dress, not as a ball gown, there's not much decoration. The motto of the ball was "cabinet of wonder" and we were asked to have some interesting decoration, so I took some inspiration from the palaces I visited this summer. Due to time's fast pace (damn, I'll never get used to that!) I threw all plans overboard to make some shell decoration in mute colour for the first (small) ball and some bright red-coral decoration for the next, bigger one. (And there's people who say I wear my dresses just once, tsktsktsk... ;) ) Anyhow, I was unable to find my collection of shells so I decided to do some pearl decoration. The irregularly shaped ones for the tiara were surprisingly expensive so I switched to faux corals already for the small ball (which was good because I realized I'm already tied up for the grand one anyway) and had a splendid micture of red and white corals with shell jewelry borrowed from my flatmate. Sometimes it's great not to live alone, against my usual disposition :D

Despite me looking surprisingly great that evening the camera didn't like me and the pics turned out horrid, so I'll add decent pictures later that I don't have to be ashamed of...

Red ball-dress

After so many heavy dresses for historic balls, I wanted one for regular balls in which I can dance the whole night through without restrictions. What else to use but a high-waisted regency shape? I merged my own ideas with a dress I saw in a shop window and used up some fabric I already had.

The dress consists of two layers, the under-layer of red rayon (or cotton-lycra mix for the bust part) and the outer layer of transparent red polyester chiffon. And yes, this dress at last can go straight into the washing machine, despite the bead embroidery along the neckline.

The bust part is self-supporting and optimizes the bust size, so I needn't wear a push-up. The six parts of the skirt follow - as so often - my old princess-seam dress. Cut straight from bust to waist, the dress doesn't get too bulky and I retain my slender shape. From the waist downwards, the parts are cut as wide as possible. At the back is a zipper hidden under a fake sash.

Millefiori summer-skirt

Last summer I decided I need more summer skirts and dresses. Shopped. Bought. And then there wasn't much of a summer and hence not much motivation. I finished the skirt this year. It's made from just 1 metre of black cotton with a white millefiori-print.

Tear off two pieces that are approximately knee-length plus some allowance for the hem and join them into a tube at the short sides, leaving one side about 10 cm open for the zipper. Hem one of the long sides and pleat or draw the other side to fit your waist. Cut a strip of the remaining fabric, fold it lengthwise and iron some fusing web on one side. Sew the pleated skirt to this side of the strip (right on right),  sew the other edge to the inside of the skirt and iron the waistband flat. Insert a zipper and, if you like, a hook and eye for extra security - and voilá, there's your new summer skirt! :)

 And because it was done so quickly and I found such a lovely piece of fabric which I couldn't resist - yet another skirt of exactly the same making with an extra-cute pattern of little hearts.

Regency ball gown

Well, I know, I already have one... But does that really matter if you find some nice fabric? Unfortunately it's only polyester, and the gold embroidery is just machine-made - but considering that it looks nice enough from average distance and will go into the washing machine after the ball it perfectly serves the purpose of a good-look-easy-care ballgown. Although I'm already toying with the idea of improving the embroidery with a few golden beads and putting some golden lace around the neckline, which would totally defy the idea of putting it into the washing machine...

The whole pattern follows exactly my previously made white regency ball-gown, and I can even use the supporting chemise, which I remember was the toughest piece of work when I designed the other dress. And while the latter was decorated with pearls, this one is going to get golden decoration.

As the seam is embroidered I wasn't able to make length adjustments here. But a train was essential, so I had to adjust the length by curving the underbust seam. It pushes more fabric to the front, but with some adjustments in the folding it's ok.

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And to add to the splendour, I intend to make a velvet manteau to go with both my gowns, not so much for the cold evenings but for a splendid entrée ;)

Elven ranger's outfit

Strange feeling, to stick to those typical fantasy character-classes from long time ago when your current characters tend to be mostly historic... Anyway, as the first and second fighter's outfit for my elven ranger were either inacceptably horrid (means not creative at all, apart from some embroidery) or torn, I felt kind of forced to come up with a new outfit. Quickly. Veeery quickly.

I went for a range of matching browns and greens for an under-tunic, a jacket and trousers. And to distance the elven style from normal medieval or other garments, I decided to make all the parts leaf-shaped to some degree - apart from the elvish embroidery that is to follow. My mistake with the first elven outfits was to stick too closely with average patterns and shapes. But to design garments for a completely different culture deserves some thought of the background and ideas for new shapes.

The under-tunic is from lightweight cotton in a warm, reddish brown. Front and back are roughly leaf-shaped, the point will show beneath the leaf-shaped side panels of the jacket. The sleeves are slightly overlong and cut straight. To fit them under the tighter sleeves of the jacket I sewed in narrow tucks up to the elbow which add to the extravagant appearance I want to create.

The jacket is based on leaf-shapes in general. The basis aren't front and back pieces, but two leaf-shaped side-pieces that overlap at the back where they are sewn together, and at the front where they close with braid fastenings. I even managed to make a cut-on standing collar just so. Amazing what I'm capable of once I'm stressed and can't afford time for thinking! :D

The sleeves are split into an upper and lower part. The lower part is cut in leaf-shape (surprise...) and rolled around the arm to be sewn together by hand. The pattern is my own design. Here it is, as well as one finished sleeve and the second one in the process of growing.

The upper sleeve part is just there to connect it with the body part and is therefore nothing special, just a short sleeve matched to fit the leaf component.

The embroidery of this jacket is a bramble-blackberry-design, as my elf once got caught in a bramble thicket (wearing her court robe; that happens if you put a ranger into a court gown and let her romp off into the woods, drunk!), so now it's a running gag between her and her companion that she has a special fondness for brambles... ^^

Briefcase/wallet turned into notebook

Let's face it: LARPs are usually just one huge mystery/secret/crime/scheme to be uncovered and solved. And as we don't have the trained short-term memory our illiterate ancestors long ago tended to have, we need to jot down the odd name or idea lest we forget it when it might come in handy to solve the plot. In style, of course - no plastic pens and spiral-bound notebooks. So here's a short tutorial on how to turn a leather briefcase into a very pretty notebook in almost no time.

On a flea market I bought three (I know, one would have been enough, but I found them SO pretty and practical!) of those very nice leather wallets (rather large specimens) that even have a little pouch worked into one of the sections. Cut away the gruesome plastic in one section where I intended to put the booklet.

Measure the size of your briefcase you want to use, and cut the paper according to it. If you use thick paper, 12 layers will suffice, if you use something like normal printing paper, you could go up to 24 layers or so. Fold the stack of paper neatly in half and punch four holes in the fold with an awl or a thick needle. Now sew the sheets together with yarn: beginning from the outside, go in, out the next hole, in the following and out again the last one. To bring the ends of the yearn closer together and strengthen the whole binding, go in once again and out through the two centre holes. Tighten the thread and knot it at the back of the booklet.

Put the booklet in the place where you want it to be in the briefcase. Mark the place of the holes with your awl or needle and punch them.

Take a double length of yarn now for additional strength and sew the paper into the wallet the same way you bound the booklet. Knot and draw the ends through and behind the paper.

That's it!

On starching fabric

I never knew it would be that practical! But after trying every theatre-trick from heavy fabric and wired seams to iron-on interfacing to get nicely shaped collars and all, I decided to use old-fashioned starch. My only experience so far has been with potato-starch, but it worked nicely and I didn't discover any disadvantages so I guess I'll stick with it. The starch-water-ratio may vary, depending on the size of your spoons and the thickness of the starch you want to produce, but all in all it has proven best to make some heavy starch basis that can be diluted to get the desired mixture.

1 litre of water
4 teaspoons (!) of starch (NOT tablespoons; you'll end up with a bowl of goo)

Mix the starch with some cold water. You'll get a whiteish puree. Pour in the cooking water and stir well to avoid the forming of lumps which you won't want to sit on your fabric. The white starch will turn into a rather clear liquid. If it's still too gooey you can add water until you've reached the desired consistency. If there are too many lumps in it you can put it through a fine sieve before putting in the clothes.

Put the damp fabric into the starch for a moment, squeeze the excess water out gently (you don't want to end up with wrinkles in your collar) and lay the piece flat, allowing excess water to drip off. Dry it quickly, either in the sun or on the heating, and when it's only damp, iron it into the desired shape.

PS: It even worked very well to get the crispness back into tulle that I had had to wash, as well as into dupion silk that had turned a little limp after washing. And if you use too much starch, you'll be able to design an origami dress... ;)