Got Sidetracked

Well my list of projects got put to the side this weekend when i got inspired by some fabric i saw at Hobby Lobby. One of my walls in my stairwell has been bare and waiting for a tapestry for over a year now and when I saw this fabric I knew that it would go very nicely on that wall.

The picture really doesn't do it justice, but it has creams, blues, reds, and browns in it that all blend nicely together with the various textures.

My plan is to have two panels on the same curtain rod so that some of the wall comes through, with it being hung off the rod like the picture below.

I have the two panels cut out and one sewn to the back fabric. I didn't make as much progress as I wanted to, but i will get it done on Friday.

Update:  Here is a picture of the tapestry hanging on the wall by the stairs.

Lucet cord

Today I've started the cord for the rapier shirt. It's an easy process and is fairly mindless so I should be able to whip out the length I need today, especially since my youngest has a doctor's appointment and there will be waiting room time :)

There is of course a wiki page for the Lucet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucet) that has the basic information and has links to youtube for some further instruction. I was taught by my friend Sara and was amazed at how easy it is.


This is my lucet that my husband cut out for me several years ago. They only require the two prongs but i do find the handle useful.

Shirt Progress

So I worked a little bit on the rapier shirt for Mike. I previously posted a picture of the blackwork that goes on the cuff. I had wanted to knock out the cassock, but needed him at home to try it on for the collar area so had to work on something else. The shirt was all cut out so I started it a bit. I didn't get very far since I was also helping Ainsley sew on her new little sewing machine ($14, not worth the aggravation) and got tired of bending over so needed a break.

I have used this pattern in the past http://www.houseffg.org/resources/Elizabethan_Shirt.pdf and the shirts really come out nicely, they just have a lot of little parts to put all together. They fit him well and don't require modification to the pattern except a little extra length in the body since his is so tall.


This picture shows the sleeves being attached. I realized at this point that i hadn't cut them wide enough so had to recut sleeves and re attach them. Since the pattern is done by just measurements, i must have cut something wrong in the beginning, thankfully it was an easy fix. Sleeves are just rectangles so didn't require more than 5 minutes to fix it.



I got as far as putting the body completely together as is shown in the picture above. This portion of the pattern is very easy to go together, it's getting all the wrist cuffs and neck cuff with the ruffles that takes the longest and requires some hand sewing to finish it off. I do need to lucet some cord for the neck tie, so will do that during the week before I get back to sewing again. I will post about the lucet cord as well and will try to take pictures of the process.

17th Century Wool Cassock

So since the hubby is a rapier fighter and needs something other than a cloak which doesn't allow for arms to be used. I don't like the cloaks that have the arm holes because then your arms get cold and it's hard to pull them in and out from underneath the cloak.

I purchased the wool from Joann's while my store was closing so got an amazing deal. I think I paid $12/yard for 100% wool that is a gorgeous teal color. I found some linen from my favorite online linen place for $6.50/yard that is very close in color ( http://fabric-store.com/first.php?goto=big_fabric&menu=f&menu=f&fabric_id=577) It's close enough that it will do for a lining.

This weekend i finally got back into my sewing room to work on projects. My goal is to finish all the wool stuff BEFORE it's needed in January. We are in South-Eastern Texas so the weather around here is iffy when it comes to cold. We may need the wool stuff in November so that is my current goal for one of the wool pieces to be completely finished. I had cut out the pattern several months ago so all I had to do was start assembling the pieces. I have the main body of the wool and the linen sewn together, they just need to be put together so that the lining isn't loose. I didn't like the way the pattern said to put the lining with each individual piece so I'm winging that portion of the instructions. I have the sleeves sewn with their lining, same with the collar and shoulder pieces. I am at the point that they need to be turned right side out and ironed flat then sewn onto the main body. I plan on sewing the lining of the main body together before I attach the sleeves so we'll see how that goes.

Once I get the sleeves, collar, and shoulder pieces sewn on that covers the bulk of the sewing and it will have to go hang in the closet until I can find a TON of buttons that I like and are of a good quality to go on it.

Project List

I decided to start a blog to help me keep track of my SCA sewing projects that i have going. I always seem to have various things in the works and sometimes need to remember everything I need to complete the projects.

The order may change as I work through projects:

1) Teal Wool Cassock
I found this wool at Joann's of all places and it is a really gorgeous color and texture so I bought the whole bolt to make several things with. The first one is a 17th Century Cassock. I know it's a little after period for what the SCA is, but it's a better option for the man who is a rapier fighter to wear. This is the pattern i'm using and it is fairly straight forward. It actually didn't require any changes so that makes me happy.

The only thing left that I need to purchase to finish the project is the buttons. I need to do some searching to find what size I need and the amount that i want. it requires a TON of buttons.

2) Teal Wool Doublet
I got Janet Arnold's

Patterns of Fashion: The Cut and Construction of Clothes for Men and Women, C.1560-1620
for christmas and saw this doublet that I wanted to make and I thought the wool would be a good start for it. This is the doublet pattern

I've made the trim from lucet cord so that it is substantial against the wool. I haven't decided on the style of sleeves yet but I have a feeling those will just be plain. I have everything I need to make it, however I have cut out only the linen layer and not into the wool yet. Once I get the Cassock done and just needing buttons then I will finish cutting out the doublet and work on hand sewing the trim to the wool. I'm not sure how much trim i currently have so will have to see how much detail actually goes on the doublet.

3) Linen Rapier shirt. This I already have cut out, just need to sew all the pieces together. I have blackwork embroidery for the cuffs ready to go. This is probably the project that requires the least bit of work and I'm not sure why I've put it off for so long.


4) A new German dress for me. I've never attempted a german before so this will be a trial for me. I have a fitted italian ren that I should be able to use the bodice pattern for, it just requires some modification. More information about this project later.

5) After I make this first German dress, I have plans for a second one that involves using german embroidery that uses the concept that Master Richard Wymarc fully researched (http://wymarc.com/asoot/asoot.php). I know there are no examples of it being used on clothes, however I'm going to use the technique anyway because I think it will have a great effect.

Those are the projects at the moment. I'm sure this list will evolve and grow as I come up with more ideas of what to make.