About 17 years ago, my sister went to a couple of re-enactment things and made herself some really cool clothes, most of which have sat in the back of her cupboard since then. One outfit is so pretty I've been eyeing it off for years, and while I was taking photos of it, I asked if I could buy it from her and after a great deal of consideration, she said yes.

It has a wonderful headpiece with a padded roll and heavily jewelled headpiece and the gown itself is a pretty brocade.

Now, 17 years ago, reenactment in Australia was a very different creature. Resources and information were far a few behind and many of the costuming books were, compared to todays available information, not as accurate as we understand today. Looking at the outfit with current knowledge, I saw that it would be a minor upgrade to turn it from What Was Good 17 Years Ago to What Is Good Now.

To do:
- replace all the buttons on the sleeves.
- remove the button loops and replace with buttonholes.
- remove the button loops and buttons from the back. (no longer accurate)
- sew up the back.
- open the side seam and sew in re-enforcing strips on both sides.
- sew a lot of eyelet holes down the sides.
- make a lacing cord for the side.
- remove the padded roll from the headpiece and re-shape a little.
- remove current brooch (best available at the time)
- add new 15th century reproduction brooch (already have one)
- add a fillet to attach the cauls onto (raise them a touch to better fit my smaller  head.)
- remove stitched on veil.
- redo neck line.

It sounds like a very long list, but the dress is a perfect fir for me and most of the hard work is done. I've already removed the button loops and buttons from everywhere and sewn up the back seam and opened and pinned the side seam. I've removed the padded roll and veil and separated the sections from the headpiece.

I did talk to my sister about what I would do before I bought the outfit from her in case she felt I was just taking it apart, but she understood the bulk of the dress and headpiece is great and it's just the finishing touches which we thought were great back then that do need updating to keep up with current knowledge about medieval clothing construction.

The fabric is gorgeous and while not a reproduction, is much nicer than a lot of the upholstery fabrics which I see being used and reused which are only vaguely right. And a lot of people are happy with them, which is cool too. Different people have different budgets and clothing standards, and that's cool. Anyway, I sure don't have the money for a reproduction patterned brocade for this kind of dress right now, and the pattern is acceptable to me, so I'm happy. My sister is happy that the dress won't be languishing away in a box in the cupboard, so it's a win win.

Having some fun tonight updating the tutorials page on my website. I did a share to Faceblergh earlier today and new followers are really enjoying the sewing How To links. I love it when people other than me get excited about medieval clothes.

I'm loving the new banner, which is much like the old one but the photo has been replaced.

 
I've finished my brown kirtle glow-up. It now has a laced front to go under surcotes and groovy buttoned sleeves to be 14th century stylish!

I am loving the autumn colours. I have a brown surcote I can wear with this too.

I love autumn colours!

 
One more button sewn and stitched on, and five more buttonholes done! 

Making progress... making progress...

I'm very much looking forward to this event- and it's not open to the public, so it'll be a great chance to chill a little bit, and if it's well supported, it'll be an annual event. There's a private Dark Ages event which is enormous and well supported in another state which is on most people's list of events not to miss, but nothing for us later people, so this event is starting up with a view to being the same sort of thing, only a later time period.

I'm only day tripping with a friend as her work schedule doesn't permit an overnight stay, but photos of the venue show a lake with medieval-type jetty and shelter, a guildhall for talks and a very cool tavern made in early medieval style. This is all on private property, and in the past they have run dark age events which I've not been to, but the venue looks amazing. I'm not sure whose trebuchet is in one of the photos, but I sincerely hope it belongs to them and we get to play with it.

I've signed up to do a button making workshop because it's the thing that lots of new people need help with and since events are back on again now, quite a few groups have had an influx of new members. A bit timely, because I'm working on a kirtle upgrade which needs all the buttons made and sewn on before the event.

The clock's ticking!

 Whilst I was doing the big clean and tidy on the weekend, I found a few more unfinished projects and stashed them into a container together so that as I feel enthused, I can work on them and they'll all be together in the mean time.

I did find a wool hood made from 95% wool and 5% cashmire which was not really that far from being finished, so I pulled that out and thought it might make a nice lunchtime project- just something to chip away at until it's done. I did a little yesterday,  and a bit more today and now the inside seams are sewn down and the face hemmed, I only have the bottom of the cowl to go. And it's so snuggly and soft and a really pretty shade of brown.

Now I'm very keen to get it completely finished so I can wear it to a medieval event in a few weeks time. I have just recently seen photos of the site and there's a gorgeous little medieval dock at the dam which would make for great photos, and the hood would be perfect for the outfit I was going to wear! 

The pink, wool kirtle isn't anywhere near finished, so it can wait a little longer.

I tried on my blue, silk kirtle, which was abandoned due to my weight gain, and was extremely pleased to find that it fits again, and the waist will need to be taken in for better shaping.

I need only now to do that and sew the buttonholes down both arms- roughly 25 per side, sew the buttons on and decide whether the front will be laced of buttons.

I love buttons, but laced sits better beneath surcotes, and I'm thinking of future wearing it under the bling surcote. I'm a bit undecided as I don't have a pretty kirtle to wear alone and there are others I can wear underneath if I choose.

The colour isn't quite as bright as it shows on the screen- it's more of a navy blue, but I am thinking a lot of the dye will come out on the first few washes and it will lighten to this colour in the end.

Blue, of course, is the colour we usually see the Virgin Mary, and was a hugely popular colour for medieval dresses. The colour is associated with virtue and it was easily dyed in a range of colours from woad.

The hood needs another good wash and the fuzz trimmed off it, but it's pretty and can be worn this weekend if it's really cold!

 

 

I've been charged with sorting the Opening Ceremony for a medieval festival and in the mix are three allegorical Ladies- that is, three personifications of virtuous traits. Lady Valour needed some clothing and since it's not re-enactment garb, I was able to have a little fun with it and take a few short cuts to make a fancy dress outfit which would be easily seen against a dark grey castle wall, and be blingy.

I've used a cotton brocade with a pattern similar to some 15th century artworks, but it's not a reproduction. I've added some gold braided trim around the hem and applied "red coral" and "pearl" beading, both not actual gemstones in this case.

 

The cream "pearls" sort of disappeared into the trim, but the red popped quite nicely. Sadly, it needed to be hand beaded and that took quite a bit of time. The end result was well worth it, though, I feel.

Finally, I added some large, gold-coloured disc buttons which are sometimes seen on effigies.

 

Since the outfit was not for re-enactment purposes, I didn't worry too much about matching the actual button design from the effigy which for all the world looks like it has tiny, little cats in the centre section. The picture above shows a test placing trialing garnet beads for the centres. In the end, I went with matching "red coral."

Once the entire outfit was finished, I did a fitting with one of the women who will be wearing it and discovered that the proposed circlet didn't really work, so I guess I'll need to make a matching one as well!

I'm extremely excited to finally have these cloak brooches on a cloak which suits them. The brooches were made by Armour and Castings, craftsmen in Ukraine who are doing it tough right now. They're still working when they can and many of our re-enactment family are supporting them with orders and gift certificates.

I've chosen to join them with a silk tablet-woven band made by Mervi Pasanen from Swan River Crafts. I'm not sure whether I will swap it out for one a bit thinner or not. I may just need to find a better way to attach it.

In this photo you can see the roses coronet, which shall be used in the Opening Ceremony of the Abbey Medieval Festival this year along with the cloak I'm wearing. I am pretty excited that I managed to make such a great coronet out of such interesting pieces and for such little cost.

But that's another post!