Gentleman’s Night Cap

This year for the summer Renaissance Faire, I decided my man needed a fancy new item. He had asked for a gentleman’s night cap since Spring. So I worked really hard and I managed to make his nightcap before the faire. He mostly wore it at night when every one was just sitting around relaxing. It is done in polychrome with cotton embroidery floss.

 

I loved this pattern cause there were so many different kinds of animals on the hat. I also added two animals not included in the original hat. We have guinea pigs and I thought it would be cute to include them. So there they are. I stitched them in their actual colors. Fun fact is that guinea pigs were actually popular pets in the Elizabethan era. I think the guinea pigs were his favorite part of the hat. 🙂

 

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Picnic Blanket

With summer coming up I really wanted to have a nice picnic blanket. Something that was easy to nap on in the sun. I have a small 4 square quilt top in my stash that I finished last year. I had a large piece of calico that has been sitting in my stash for years. So I decided that the two would be the perfect picnic blanket. I had a great coupon and got the batting super cheap. I think the total cost of the project was $10. I quilted it on my normal sewing machine as it wasn’t that big. I’m really happy with it. I cuddled up with the quilt last night on the couch.

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Theatrical Stays

For the Victorian Festival I needed a pair of stays for the event. I do have a historic pair of stays in the works but I knew I wouldn’t have time to finish them. So I went with a set of theatrical stays. I used fabric from my stash. It is a white cotton with blue print roses. It is made with plastic boning and a paint stick for support. I actually really like these stays. They are super comfortable and still gave me the proper shape. I wore them for hours at a time and never was uncomfortable. They are made from the Laughing Moon Pattern #115.

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Elizabethan Garb

So last month I was doing quite a bit of stress sewing. First there was the Victorian Festival I needed to make clothes for and then an Elizabethan reenactment just a few weeks after. I made lots of new things for the Elizabethan event. I made a green kirtle out of linen. It is a back lacing gown and I corded the bodice for support. The sleeves are detachable. In the first picture you can see it with a white partlet that I made as well.

To go with my outfit I made a pink linen jacket. I love this jacket. It is super comfortable to wear. I think it would be even more comfortable if you just wore it with a skirt and not a full kirtle. The next outfit I made for the event was a whole set of clothes for my boyfriend. I made him new Venetian breeches in blue hemp canvas. That stuff seems indestructible. Then I made a blue linen doublet with tie on sleeves. This is his first doublet in years of reenacting. I have more in the work basket.

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Lavender 1840s Gown

 This dress is an 1840s round dress made from Laughing Moons pattern. I like this pattern a lot. It fits well and I’ve made up the pattern twice. It is made with a lavender and cream print cotton. There is lace around the sleeve edges and around the neck. I hope to make a collar eventually. The buttons are shelf covered and I cut them so there was a flower in the center of each. The top picture is me wearing the dress with a great shawl I got as a present. The second picture is at the evening dance, so the lighting is not that great but shows the entire dress.

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New Undies!

So with my move all my costumes are in storage. I didn’t think this was going to be a problem. However, after I moved I found out I had a whole range of events coming up. So since it isn’t feasible to get to my storage unit at the moment new costumes were in order. The first is a Victorian ensemble. As I normally do I started from the inside out. I made a new chemise, drawers, and petticoat. First is the chemise and drawers made from Simplicity 2890. I added crochet trim on both of them. It is hard to tell in my bad pictures but there is a small picot trim around the neckline.

On the drawers I added a fan crochet trim on the bottom. The waist yoke has a point in the front, which is something I haven’t had before. However I think it will work well with the dress I’m making as it has a pointed front.

Lastly is the petticoat. I feel one can never have enough of these things. This one has three bands of lace around the bottom. It was a great stash buster project as I’ve had that lace for several years. It looks flat in the picture but I plan to starch it before wearing to help give it body.

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Elizabethan Underpinnings

I needed an Elizabethan outfit this year for the reenacting season. So I started from the inside. I made two different smocks, a petticoat and finished my embroidered pocket. The first smock is the square neckline style. It was too wide so I gathered it into the neckline in the Italian Renaissance style.

I flat felled all my seams, which I really like doing because then nothing unravels after washing. 🙂

The last image is all the underpinnings together. I made a high neck style smock in the English Elizabethan style. I added ruffle into the collar. The pocket I embroidered in 2010 with linen thread. I finally finished it for this outfit by binding it with pink cotton.

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