A fun and different Star Wars troop

 This year the Swedish garrison was invited to Gothenburg Book Fair, which is northern Europe's largest book fair and a huge cultural event. The theme for this year was "space", so we were invited to hang around and spread some space fun, especially in the area designated for children's literature and the like. 

We had a small booth but most of it was mingling around with visitors, and unlike a comic con and other kinds of science fiction convention I thought this was even more fun, because the visitors were really surprised and it was something fresh, unlike when people are more or less expecting us to be around and show off our costumes.

Since Gothenburg means a long journey by train I wanted to pack light, so I brought admiral Daala. Here I am in the Elsa Beskow diorama, Elsa Beskow is a classic 19th century children's author where the images are as important as the text in a way I guess she can be compared to Beatrix Potter.

What really made me travel though was the fact that my husband, who is an author after all, were there as well, so it was the first fair/convention we could be together. Well I trooped with the garrison, but when my troop duty was over I could change clothes and be with my husband and our other friends who are in working with literature in different ways.

Scroop patterns summit dress

 I rarely make clothes for everyday wear. I simply think that my finishes aren't good enough. But when Scroop patterns released the "Summit dress" I felt that this was a pattern that I really wanted to make.

With my changing body after my gastric bypass last year I need some new clothes. I wanted a new autumn/winter dress. I have also wanted a dress that is  nice and neutral, but gives an air of historical fashion when doing lectures. The pattern is based ont he 14th century Herjolfsnes finds, but with modern construction methods and an option between modern lantern sleeves and historical sleeves, and different skirt lengths. I have made a simple medieval gown by measuring and cutting rectangular and godet pieces, with this pattern I also got a medieval pattern that I can use if I want to make another one, I only need to replace the machine sewing with handsewing and lengthen the 3/4 length historical sleeves.

The basic pattern is a very loose fitting dress. The size chart contains both your body measurements and the measurement sof the finished garments. I was exactly on the size 44, but having seen the tester makes I went down a full size to 42, and it is still very loose. I could probably have gone down another size on the main gown, but then the arms would have been on the small side. If I make this as an historical pattern one day I will probably go down to 40.

With the original pattern there were two things I wanted to change and that was the length and the sleeves. To shorten the dress I used the view B length, but I also shortened it 8 cm by the "shorten/lengthen" line on the lower part of the pattern. I didn't just cut off everything at the hem since I wanted the full width at the bottom. The sleeves, both the historical and lantern version, are 3/4 length, and since I wanted to use this in the autumn/winter I wanted to have full length sleeves. The lantern sleeves would make it hard to wear a cardigan or something over them to keep warm.

I made a quick pattern for where the bottom part is the length of the sleeve opening on piece K - lower sleeve, the lenght is the length of my forearm and the width at the top is width around my wrist. In a spur of th moment I added the point at the end of the sleeve. I added a facing in the same fabric instead of hemming it, to keep the nice point, and then sewed my pattern piece to piece K before sewing pieces J and K together as the pattern called for. 

The finished sleeves

The pattern for the bottom of the sleeve

The sleeve right side out

The sleeve wrong side out, with the facing

The sleeve is just enough wide at the wrist that I can get my hand through, so I don't need any closures there.

I definitely prefer to wear the dress belted, and that also gives some oppportunities to give some pop of colour to this rather plain dress. I usually wear a lot more colours and patterns in my everyway wear, this dress I can match with different belts and thights to keep it fun.

The dress is made up of a wonderful wool/viscose blend that I found at a real bargain online, so in the end the dress cost around $35. The patterns instructions were easy and good to follow, the mistakes that I made were totally up to me being sloppy. The one advice I would give for anyone making the dress is to switch the order and insert the back godet before the front godet. That was the most fiddly part of the pattern and my back godet went in better than the front, since it was the second one I made.

If you are curious about the pattern Leimomi/the Dreamstress and creator of Scroop patterns has one post about the pattern and two full posts about tester makes, here and here. 

And for full disclosure I have been a pattern tester for Scroop patterns and it is probably my favorite pattern makers out there, I bought this pattern with a discount code that I got from answering a customer survey earlier in the summer. This was the first time I made something from its range of modern patterns rather than historical patterns.

Learning whitework embroidery

 After coming home from Visby I have been a bit both worn out from sewing, and restless from not having something to do. All the work I put in with making David's landsknecht meant that I got used to sewing a couple of hours every day, at the same time I don't know what to do right now. I don't need any historical clothing, and also don't have the inspiration to make something that I will just put in my storage, and I don't have a huge inspiration for a cosplay project either. I have made some progress with my female tusken, but when it was clear that I am going to miss the remaining conventions in the autumn I don't feel like putting on some extra drive into it.

So I decided to learn how to do whitework embroidery, and started with drawn work. Now I am not a person to make a sample, I am too impatient and wanted to make something I could use. Since I don't have a fine, white 16th century apron I decided to take the apron that I whipped together last year, but didn't have time to do anything with and add embroidery to it.

I started with drawing away threads, and this was the most fiddly bit.

Now I am unto separating bars of the remaining thread and this is slow, but fairly simple work. Quite nice to do while watching tv.

As for whitework and the 16th century there are definitely examples of white on white embroidery from the early 16th century. From the end of the century there are loads of wonderful, lacy aprons and other examples of drawn threadwork, white on white embroidery and pulled threadwork. I don't want to go for the late century though. The Sture-shirts have drawn thread work on them, and they are from the 1560s. It might be that the simply style was just coming into fashion then.

This drawing of Dürer from 1475 shows a faint line on the edge of the apron. It's impossible to say what kind of decoration it is, but at least a line of embroidery shouldn't be too out of place for the early 16th century judging from this. 

To help me learn the teqhnique I am using some of the books I have at home, but I am also very happy for the Royal School of Needlework's stitchbank with their clear instructions and images.

laundry day

 After the summer it is time for a big costuming laundry day. That means washing a lot of historical costumes and prewashing the fabrics that I have bought during the summer. In my apartment building with have a laundry room in the basement, and the best thing is the room for drying clothes, with an electric fan and heater.

kirtle, shift, wams/doublet and several meters of fabrics in the drying room

The shirts, shift, aprons and everything that is done in linen, cotton and hemp goes in the washing machine. That includes my blackwork shift. It is so old now that I don't consider it a "fine" shirt anymore. I wash them on a regular setting, but I hang them to dry instead of going into the tumbler. My experience is that the linen only gets softer with every wash. For my large apron, that had quite a few soot stains after cooking in Visby, I first sprayed it the stains with stain remover and that worked fine. The same goes for my wulsthaube that takes up red dye from my hair. For the wulsthaube I remove the wulst before washing, it is only tacked on in a few places, so I can simply wash the cap part of it.

Wool clothes are best taken care of by simply airing them. I live in an apartment without balcony though. I used to bring them home to my mother and hand them in her garden, but she is getting old and her short time memory is lapsing. That means that I am still missing some of my linen stuff from last year's airing that I had in her garden, I am pretty sure that some time in the future I will find them among her handkerchiefs or bedlinen, so I don't dare to do it any more. After shorter events I leave the clothes hanging in my living room, but now after the summer and a long event where I've been sweating and standing in smoke it is time to clean them. I simply use the wool setting on the washing machine together with a wool/silk detergent. I also only wash one item at the time. So far I have not had anything happen to the clothes.

For David's landsknecht outfit I was worried, the red fabric was bleeding a lot. His shirt that he had worn under it when it was raining had a lot of pink stains. That shirt was his cheap cotton shirt and it worked fine with stain remover and then a wash in the washing machine on the cotton setting. I was worried that the red would bleed and stain the pink part though. I did an experiment where I started with his socks, since one is red and one is pink. I threw them in the washing machine together with colour cather paper. 

When the socks came out fine, except for a slight stain on the heel, I decided to try the hose. For the hose I put stain remover on the pink stains on the lining and then I added three colour catcher papers to the wasching machine. I also removed all the loose ribbons and ties. When that worked fine I dared to do the same with the doublet/wams as well, adding four colour catcher papers.

The colour catcher paper after the doublet/wams washing

I was happy that I could wash the landsknecht outfit, and that means that I will probably do it at least once a year, after single day events I am happy with just airing the clothes. A reason why I dare use the washing machine is also that I have prewashed all fabrics, and if they survive the prewash they should survive washing as well. So during this washing day I also washed the wool that I bought at Medeltidsveckan and the fabrics that I am going to use for my female Tusken, so that they are ready to get some dye.

HSM24: stripes and dots - the landsknecht hose

The challenges: August: Stripes and Dots: Make something using striped or dotted material. The stripes or dots can be printed on the material, knitted/woven in to the material, or created with surface embellishment (ex: embroidery). Textural stripes or dots (i.e: those that are the same colour as the base fabric) are permitted!

For this challenge I will share the finished landsknecht hose that I made. The hose are not checkered since the pattern is elongated to form stripes of alternating red and pink. I made the stripes with alternating pieces of red and wool that were sewn together, and then the pattern for the hose were put on the new striped fabric. I have posted about the construction here: part 1 and part 2.

What the item is: a pair of landsknecht hose
How it fits the challenge: They are made from stripes of red and pink sewn together
Material: 1,5 m red wool, 1,5 m pink wool, 0,5 linen for lining
Pattern: my own with inspiration from the Alpirsbach hose
Year: 1520s
Notions: linen thread and silk ribbons to tie everything together
How historically accurate is it? 60%
Hours to complete: 1,5 months
First worn: at medieval week in Visby
Total cost: $150

HSM24: Up your sleeve - the landsknecht wams/doublet

The challenge: June: Up Your Sleeve: Level up your sleeve game by making a garment where the focus is on the sleeves.

For this challenge it is time to post photos of the finished doublet. I have made posts about the construction here, part 1, part 2 and part 3. Especially the third part is all about the construction of the sleeves. 

What the item is: A landsknecht doublet with huge sleeves
How it fits the challenge: The sleeves took the most time and fabric to make
Material: 2,5 m red wool, 2,5 pink wool, 0,2 m grey wool, 2,5 linen
Pattern: My own
Year: 1520s
Notions: line thread, braided ribbons with aiglets for closure
How historically accurate is it? 85%
Hours to complete: 1,5 months
First worn: at medieval week in Visby
Total cost: $150

HSM24 - all natural - a pair of socks

The challenge: April: Colours of Nature: Make something using undyed material, or material coloured with natural dyes

I have thought for a long time about making a pair of socks, what is normally called "trossfrau socks" if you google them. They are low cut socks made in linen and worn by women in the tross in the 16th century. There are several tutorials out there, I just haven't taken the time to make my own pattern. When I bought the docken barret pattern from Thimble&Plume I saw that they had a pattern for socks so I bought it.

They had a size guide, but since I bought it at work I couldn't measure my feet. I have quite normal feet (size 38) so I bought the medium pattern, but that was a mistake. Apparently I have small feet and should have gone with the pattern in small.

My feet were definitely smaller than the pattern. What I did was that I took in the upper part of the sock in the backseam, and then I pinned the sole piece until it fit. I sewed everything together using backstitch and then I used the time on the ferry to Gotland to fell all the seams and hem the opening.

A mistake that I made was that when I took the seam in of course made the opening smaller, and I didn't adjust that or make the slashes longer. Now they fit very well still, but I had to wiggle in the feet when I put them in. I also learnt that I had to be careful when putting the shoes on, if I just slid the feet with socks into the shoes the excess fabric bunched up at the heel and they felt tight at the toes. If I unlaced the shoes and put the feet down straight into the shoes they were really comfortable.

The linen that I used was a bit coarse, it was a scrap piece, but after having washed the socks once they were much softer and more comfortable. After having walked in them for almost a week I already have a small worn out hole in them that I will have to fix.

I will make more of these socks, so that I can change them more often during an event, but I think that when I make the next pair I will start with adjusting the sole, and then sew the backseam, and not other way around like I did with these. I also like that the pattern is not complicated when it comes to cutting them on the grain or bias, so it is easy to make them from scraps of linen.

What the item is: a pair of socks
How it fits the challenge: made from unbleached linen
Material: 20 cm of unbleached linen
Pattern: Thimble&Plume trossfrau sock
Year: early 16th century
Notions: linen thread
How historically accurate is it? 95%
Hours to complete: 5
First worn: at Medieval Week
Total cost: $5