Making Decisions

This morning I spent the better part of two hours deciding exactly what my newest garb would look like. I'm not exactly a beginner at this, but my first attempts at garb are too embarassing to talk about. And I'm not quite satisfied with the most recent attempts, so I'm chalking it up to experience and will be recycling the material from those attempts into something. Perhaps a twill corset boned with hemp. It could happen.

Anyway, after far too many hours surfing the excellent costuming links I've posted in the sidebar, I've decided to go middle class instead of working class. This is for many, many reasons. First of all, I cannot decide between a hairnet, a coif, and a caul. Since the goal here is to get ready for Estrella War, I don't have time to make a hairnet. A coif looks complicated and would require more work that I'm willing to put in, what with the ties and forehead cloths and so on. So a caul it is (under "Hats & Headwear"). I have some 9" silk in a champagne color that should do nicely. I'll have to piece it together, but I think it'll work. And I've already got tablet-woven braid for a border. I made it a few months ago when I was still pondering a blue-inspired color scheme, but it's cream and gold, so it will still match.

A friend of mine gave me copious amounts of linen/cotton blend (fustian!) remnants. This means more piecing, but free material, especially in the amounts that she provided, is not to be sneezed at. I have a natural/buff color, pecan striped, black, and pink. So my new chemise will be from the buff color, the tied petticoat ( here at the bottom of the page) will be from the striped fustian, and the kirtle/overdress will be from the pink. Normally I am not a fan of large amounts of pink (though as I type this I am wearing a pink button down shirt with a hot pink undershirt. This is an aberration, I swear), but the cloak that I'm nearly done with has cranberry and grass green in its plaid, and it goes much better with pink than with black. I realized this as I was trying on bits and bobs this morning over the current outfit. And pink is period (look under "Color for Lower-class Elizabethan Clothing"). So pink it is. And the pink also goes with the champagne silk and some leftover tapestry ribbon I acquired years and years ago. The theme of this garb is "nearly free." I *did* have to buy the boning.

Now the cloak itself needs to be French seamed, but that's about ten minutes of work, tops. I made a belt the other night while watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and I think the ends need to be folded back and tacked down for reinforcement, because it fastens using rawhide ties in an overlapping spiral lace pattern. I also made a leather pouch for my water bottle. I think the stitching looks hideous, but at the moment I'm too lazy to fix it. I already have a mid-size leather pouch for necessities like keys and cash, but I want to make a food pouch of sorts to hold my bowl and any food I decide to bring with me. I've got some cranberry cotton upholstery material leftover from a chair covering project. It's got a small dot brocade, but I think it's reasonably period. I'm going to line it with some of the buff fustian and somehow run a circular channel for a ribbon lace/tie. Maybe with loops of grosgrain sewn to the outside, or whatever else I have on hand. Then, when the pouch is opened out, it will cover my lap like a really, really big, thick napkin. I'll definitely post pictures if it works. It will definitely be my own creation, however, and not period. I'm not even going to try to document it.

Lastly, I should put some waistband ties on my apron. And then I'll be done. I hope. Four weeks and counting!