Sunday, June 28, 2015

Off Topic Post: Blogger Award


The lovely Åsa of Fashion Through History nominated this blog for the blogger award above. Thank you! I'm glad this blog does help others with research as well as, hopefully, is a bit of eye candy as well.

I don't normally do these here but I like the question aspect of it and felt it would be fun to answer them.  I debated about nominating other blogs and quite honestly, I can't choose just ten.  I follow 90+ blogs alone over on my bloglovin feed.  That doesn't include all the livejournal blogs I follow as well as some I haven't added yet to bloglovin.  It seems wrong to select only a few when there are so many people out there that have absolutely stunning creations or provide wonderful information.   So yeah, I fail at following this to the letter.

To claim the award/awards I need to follow the rules and:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site
2. Put the Award logo on your blog.
3. Answer the 10 questions sent to you.
4. Make up 10 new questions for your nominees to answer
5. Nominate 10 blogs.


1. How did you start sewing Historical/or other costumes?
The Renn Fest.   I've been going to the Maryland Renaissance Festival since the mid 1990's (okay, that was with my parents but still...) and I loved all the gorgeous costumes I saw.  However, even the basic peasant blouses were $40 even back then.  Not exactly allowance money.
First Gown 001
I fell in love with the velvet gowns most of all but they were $1000 easily.  So, in 1999, I managed to win a lot of blue "silk" brocade (I much later learned it was not silk) and went about making up one of the Ever After dress patterns.

I've seen reconstructed this one.  You can read a lot more about it here.


2. What other things do you do then sewing/creating?
Spinning, knitting, cooking, hiking, playing with the Shepherd's Hut.   If internet surfing was a real job, I'd be a billionaire.  Actually, in real life, I'm a financial analyst.  I look for financial crimes and attempt to prevent any further occurrences.  Probably not what most people were expecting...

3. What item/project that you made are you the most proud of? (may we see pictures?)

Italian Dress 004


Sorry for the horrible picture. I know I have a good one somewhere of me wearing the entire outfit - I'm just not sure where. This is my late 16th century Italian merchant class dress. It is a bright pink wool. I wear it with a mustard yellow linen apron and a green and brown linen dutch cloak. It is my absolute favorite dress to wear Thankfully, I'll get to wear it in less than a month at Pennsic again. :-)



4. Do you have a secret shame item/project that you will share? (Pictures?)



This was my very sad attempt at an early bustle era dress. I'm not quite sure what went wrong (I've since thrown the entire dress away) but I'm sure a lot. First, the bodice didn't fit right - it was way too baggy and made me look a lot bigger than I really am. Then there was the whole skirt not staying out and the bustle not being as bustle-y as it needed to be. Really, there is just a lot wrong with it.

5. Do you prefer Books, You-Tube videos or other, for sewing reference? And which are your favorite one/s?
It depends on what I'm sewing. If it's something 1770's or later, I just go upstairs. :-) My personal collection of antique garments allows me to physically see "how the heck did they do that?" I also tend to use my own website.
I do pay attention to my friends as well and the techniques they use. At this point, I'm more considered about the cut of the fabric than I am about the sewing itself so I try to use period pattern books when I can.

6. Whats your best sewing tip/trick?

For drawstrings - take a drinking straw, cut it in half. Take the length of ribbon/cord/whatever you are using for the drawstring and put it in the straw, pulling just enough of it through so you have a couple of inches on the other end. Fold this piece of the ribbon/cord back over to the top of the straw and pin it down. Use the straw to guide you through the channel. It works MUCH better than the safety pin method.


7. What’s your biggest sewing cheat that you do but you know that you shouldn’t?

I guess machine sewing the seams? Maybe using cotton rather than linen for the lining of any Renaissance dress although the Italians had cotton so... Maybe never paying attention to the directions on a sewing pattern because they hardly ever make sense anyway? Yeah, I'll go with that.


8. What’s you biggest inspiration in deciding on up-coming projects?

What event is coming up next. :-D Seriously, that is probably the number one motivating factor. It's why I should be finishing up the eyelets on my 1490's Venetian right now and I'm clearly not... I have a few more Renaissance/Medieval garb pieces to create for Pennsic. My brain has been stuck on Pennsic since ummm...April? It will not get off the Pennsic channel until Pennsic is over with...and then there is the Renn Faire so I won't be over all things 16th Century until October. Maybe. ....Did I mention this happens every year? Just ask my poor friends that put up with this...

9. Do you have a favorite era/style that you do?

LOL! Read above. Yes. All things 16th Century all the time. If it's Italian, I probably have it somewhere.


10. What is your dream project? (Picture/s please)

Right now? This for 18th century:


For late 16th Century/early 17th Century:

And one day, when I get brave enough again to try Bustle, I'd like to make something similar to this gown.

1 comment:

  1. Boy, I'm a month behind--congratulations on your award! And thank you for the pictures and info--it's always nice to know more about the bloggers I read.

    ReplyDelete