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mandie_rwFirst, I just want to say how very, very glad I am that we did not plan to go to the PA Ren Faire on Saturday; what awful weather! It was beautiful on Sunday -- and perfect weather for my velveteen and fur! I think the highest temperature was about 63 degrees, and it did go down to about 50 after it got dark (which we were still there for, as we stayed for the final joust). Instead of getting the usual, "Aren't you hot in that?" I actually got an, "Aren't you cold?"after it got dark, from one of my friends. Nope; though my legs did get a little chilly, as I didn't wear a petticoat under the corded petticoat. And my hands didn't get cold because I just stuck them in the fur sleeve turn-backs! Really, I'd be good for much colder weather with just a wool petticoat under the corded one, gloves, and a partlet.
That means I got to be all smug about being warm while I saw everyone else shivering in their sweatshirts and jeans -- and horrible nylon mass-produced "medieval" costumes. (Yeah, lots of them, as usual. And women wearing far, far less clothing than they should. Again, as usual. Nothing really stood out to me as exceptionally horrible though -- for once. Maybe I'm just too jaded to be horrified any more. I couldn't help giggling at one woman's skirt, though -- it was bright blue with glittery blue swirls on it, over a bridal hoop, and [my favorite part] it had a multitude of noticeable threads hanging from the hem. The strings hanging from the back of it were trailing quite a collection of leaves, too!)
Seriously, if I make something new for next year, it's going to be bright orange and possibly sparkly. Just so no one can make comments about, "Hahaha, you look kinda like a nun! Except for the fur and pearls and stuff..." Yeah, uh huh, the hood, yeah, black and white...I GET IT. YOU CAN STOP SAYING IT NOW.
I really love those ridiculous sleeves, though. Besides keeping my hands warm, I kept stuff in them. Which was awesome. I had the map and schedule in one sleeve, and my little bag with my camera, money, keys, and ID in the other. It was fantastic. At first my friends thought I was kidding..."Wait..where'd you get that map?" "I told you, I'm keeping it in my sleeve!" "Ohhh...I thought you were joking."
Not too many pictures -- because I'm not really much of a photographer, as anyone who's seen my pictures from events knows! And clearly I didn't take the pictures of myself...They're from the "costume contest."...which I put in quotation marks, because I'm just bitter and snarky. (Obviously I didn't win anything. But the prizes sucked anyway...when I got a prize three years ago, it was tickets to the Poe event they have there in November; this year it was just dumb things like winning a necklace from a certain vendor or whatever. Clearly, still bitter.)
(I know, I know...but that's the only shot of the back of my dress with the train!)
Upon further reflection, I realize these pictures are all pretty much the same thing...OH WELL. (No, see, they're different! I'm making different stupid faces in all of them! Also, now I know why the women in Tudor portraits all have their arms posed like they do...that whole clasped-hands-thing is just the easiest way to keep those sleeves from incapacitating you! (And those sleeves were pretty hilarious whenever I sat down; they made me take up twice the space I normally would!)
I do like this outfit (amazing, I know; I made something I don't hate?!), though there are of course a few things I'm not completely thrilled with. Of course; isn't that just how it works? First, I should have put a little more fabric in the pleats at the front of the skirt; they don't hang quite as nicely as they could. Also, the whole side-back lacing thing on the kirtle is just a pain in the ass. And I always always always make long sleeves either a smidge too long or a smidge too short...these are about 3/4" longer than I'd like. And in these pictures, I can see the gown sleeves pulling out of the nice square they were before I put the lower part of the sleeves on...lame, but unsurprising, because it's a 60x30ish" rectangle of fur and fabric! And they weren't in any danger whatsoever of actually falling down, believe me! Plus in the full-length picture, you can probably see that one side of the gold chain at my neck's made good its bid for freedom -- which I didn't notice til afterward. Ooops. It's tucked in properly in the first picture!
That all said -- I like it pretty well anyway! The gown is actually hemmed to a good length for once (I tend to make them just slightly too long, and then spend all day treading on the hem when going uphill. Only did that once on Sunday), and hooking the train up out of the way for most of the day was an excellent idea (I only had it down for these pictures) -- it didn't get stepped on once, which is also a first. And I love the French hood lots EVEN IF I LOOKED LIKE A NUN. My bangs actually stayed back, thanks to hairspray and bobby pins, and the hood didn't move once all day -- even if I was paranoid about it, and kept tugging on it to make sure. Pins are your friend.
And speaking of pins -- that picture of Jane Seymour with the tiny little dots running vertically down the side of her bodice, that I've seen used as an example for a front-lacing Tudor bodice with fabric covering the lacing and pinned in place? (Wow, what a sentence.) I'm even more convinced that theory has some validity, because that's just what the pins in my bodice looked like -- except mine are, um, not evenly spaced. You can sort of see them on the right side of the bodice in the second-last picture. There's too much fabric (and in mine, cording) to bring the point of the pin back up to the surface of the bodice, so all you can see is the head of the pin. And it does stay in place! I didn't lose a pin all day.
Yay for long and rambling entries! When I finish the embellishment on the bodice that I actually do want to get done at some point, I'll take some more pictures of it. Wow, this entry took far too long to write...now I should go actually do some schoolwork, or something!
That means I got to be all smug about being warm while I saw everyone else shivering in their sweatshirts and jeans -- and horrible nylon mass-produced "medieval" costumes. (Yeah, lots of them, as usual. And women wearing far, far less clothing than they should. Again, as usual. Nothing really stood out to me as exceptionally horrible though -- for once. Maybe I'm just too jaded to be horrified any more. I couldn't help giggling at one woman's skirt, though -- it was bright blue with glittery blue swirls on it, over a bridal hoop, and [my favorite part] it had a multitude of noticeable threads hanging from the hem. The strings hanging from the back of it were trailing quite a collection of leaves, too!)
Seriously, if I make something new for next year, it's going to be bright orange and possibly sparkly. Just so no one can make comments about, "Hahaha, you look kinda like a nun! Except for the fur and pearls and stuff..." Yeah, uh huh, the hood, yeah, black and white...I GET IT. YOU CAN STOP SAYING IT NOW.
I really love those ridiculous sleeves, though. Besides keeping my hands warm, I kept stuff in them. Which was awesome. I had the map and schedule in one sleeve, and my little bag with my camera, money, keys, and ID in the other. It was fantastic. At first my friends thought I was kidding..."Wait..where'd you get that map?" "I told you, I'm keeping it in my sleeve!" "Ohhh...I thought you were joking."
Not too many pictures -- because I'm not really much of a photographer, as anyone who's seen my pictures from events knows! And clearly I didn't take the pictures of myself...They're from the "costume contest."...which I put in quotation marks, because I'm just bitter and snarky. (Obviously I didn't win anything. But the prizes sucked anyway...when I got a prize three years ago, it was tickets to the Poe event they have there in November; this year it was just dumb things like winning a necklace from a certain vendor or whatever. Clearly, still bitter.)
(I know, I know...but that's the only shot of the back of my dress with the train!)
Upon further reflection, I realize these pictures are all pretty much the same thing...OH WELL. (No, see, they're different! I'm making different stupid faces in all of them! Also, now I know why the women in Tudor portraits all have their arms posed like they do...that whole clasped-hands-thing is just the easiest way to keep those sleeves from incapacitating you! (And those sleeves were pretty hilarious whenever I sat down; they made me take up twice the space I normally would!)
I do like this outfit (amazing, I know; I made something I don't hate?!), though there are of course a few things I'm not completely thrilled with. Of course; isn't that just how it works? First, I should have put a little more fabric in the pleats at the front of the skirt; they don't hang quite as nicely as they could. Also, the whole side-back lacing thing on the kirtle is just a pain in the ass. And I always always always make long sleeves either a smidge too long or a smidge too short...these are about 3/4" longer than I'd like. And in these pictures, I can see the gown sleeves pulling out of the nice square they were before I put the lower part of the sleeves on...lame, but unsurprising, because it's a 60x30ish" rectangle of fur and fabric! And they weren't in any danger whatsoever of actually falling down, believe me! Plus in the full-length picture, you can probably see that one side of the gold chain at my neck's made good its bid for freedom -- which I didn't notice til afterward. Ooops. It's tucked in properly in the first picture!
That all said -- I like it pretty well anyway! The gown is actually hemmed to a good length for once (I tend to make them just slightly too long, and then spend all day treading on the hem when going uphill. Only did that once on Sunday), and hooking the train up out of the way for most of the day was an excellent idea (I only had it down for these pictures) -- it didn't get stepped on once, which is also a first. And I love the French hood lots EVEN IF I LOOKED LIKE A NUN. My bangs actually stayed back, thanks to hairspray and bobby pins, and the hood didn't move once all day -- even if I was paranoid about it, and kept tugging on it to make sure. Pins are your friend.
And speaking of pins -- that picture of Jane Seymour with the tiny little dots running vertically down the side of her bodice, that I've seen used as an example for a front-lacing Tudor bodice with fabric covering the lacing and pinned in place? (Wow, what a sentence.) I'm even more convinced that theory has some validity, because that's just what the pins in my bodice looked like -- except mine are, um, not evenly spaced. You can sort of see them on the right side of the bodice in the second-last picture. There's too much fabric (and in mine, cording) to bring the point of the pin back up to the surface of the bodice, so all you can see is the head of the pin. And it does stay in place! I didn't lose a pin all day.
Yay for long and rambling entries! When I finish the embellishment on the bodice that I actually do want to get done at some point, I'll take some more pictures of it. Wow, this entry took far too long to write...now I should go actually do some schoolwork, or something!
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no subject
Date: 2009-10-27 06:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-28 08:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-27 08:31 pm (UTC)We did go on Saturday. It would have been awful for you in your loveliness, but we had a blast in the rain. It was the first time in a long time that I enjoyed myself at the fair. I didn't feel like I was in a herd or tripping over someone.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-28 08:57 pm (UTC)Wow, you went on Saturday and didn't get drowned? ;) But I'm glad you had fun -- I can imagine there weren't too many people there!
no subject
Date: 2009-10-27 09:46 pm (UTC).... And I don't need to make a Tudor gown. I have enough to do... My stash needs to stop looking at me that way... Fer rls.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-28 09:00 pm (UTC)Oh, but a Tudor gown is so much fun, and looks so pretty! Perhaps the Stash has a good idea... *is wickedly encouraging to all forms of costuming ADD*
no subject
Date: 2009-10-27 10:41 pm (UTC)And so not nun like :)
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Date: 2009-10-28 09:02 pm (UTC)Looks like a nun...pffft. These people just don't Properly Appreciate costuming that isn't out of a Kmart bag! *is snob* ;)
no subject
Date: 2009-10-27 11:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-28 09:04 pm (UTC)And isn't making skirts too long So Very Irritating!? I guess it's better than too short, though, because I've done that too, and that really sucks!
no subject
Date: 2009-10-28 11:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-27 11:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-28 09:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-28 03:38 pm (UTC)And I agree, it looks like it could use some more fullness in the skirt. From what I can tell, it's popular to have a small farthingale underneath (personally, I hate farthingales).
no subject
Date: 2009-10-28 09:15 pm (UTC)And the thought of making a dress that needs a farthingale has been in my mind for literally four years now, but I donwanna make a farthingale! The idea of making one just scares me. Still. And I have no idea why! That's at least part of the reason I decided Tudor was such a good idea; I wouldn't really need one if I did a dress pre-1535-40, which looks to me like when the cone-shaped skirt really becomes obvious...This sketch I found is from the early 1530s, I think (http://pics.livejournal.com/mandie_rw/pic/0008b7ea/g36), and so I decided I can get away with no farthingale.
Upon further reflection, I realize the corded petticoat doesn't hold this dress out as well as it does my Venetian -- presumably because my Venetian gown is not made out of a shit-ton of velveteen that weighs it down! :P
no subject
Date: 2009-10-29 05:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-29 06:57 pm (UTC)