Lack of inspiration, lack of updates

So it's been two weeks since I posted anything, and to be honest it's quite a lot to do with lack of inspiration. I've also had some really busy weeks at work, end of May early June is always my busiest since I simultaneously have a lot of special school programs and prepare the upcoming summer season. This year, and the coming years, it's also the preparation for opening up our new exhibitions. This year it was the first part, showing off the history of the Falun Mine from the start (somewhere around 1000 AD) to ca 1530.

Part of my job with the new exhibit has been with choosing weapons and clothing that the visitors will see and be able try out. Well the weapons will be mounted on the walls, but I couldn't resist having some fun with them before they went up. For clothing I, together with the seamstress we hired, decided to go for late 14th century. It has the traditional "medieval" look of them, and we wanted to use a fairly non-fitting style, so that people of as many sizes as possible would be able to try them. In the end we have a mix of tunics, cotes, surcotes, cape and hood based on the Greenland finds and the clothes worn by Bockstensmannen.

The lightning in the exhibition isn't exactly good for taking photos, but it's possible to get some dramatic shots there.

Except for work I've also felt quite uninspired by this months HSM challenge. Or rather it hasn't turned out as fun as I wanted to. The challenge is "out of your comfort zone" and I'm still planning on drafting and handsewing a pet en l'air. Being back in the 18th century after my early 1900s clothes have made me feel that they are more constricting, and not the least that I need to wiggle in and out of my backlaced stays every time I want to do a fitting, my dress form is perfect for modern clothes and the hourglass shape of the 19th century, but unusable for the more conical shape of the 18th century.

This is where I'm at after having drafted the pattern from the instructions for a late 18th century bodice in Creating Historical Clothes.

Hopefully I can get some inspiration and get over the hurdle of creating the pattern, because I really want to start working with the fabric that I have for it.