Twiddling on me axis...

[Kate XXXXXX]

   ...Not knowing what to make...

There's an event I want to go to in July.  It's called Maelstrom.  http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/maelstrom/  It's an on-going LARP game, and generally great fun, I'm told.  I'm going on a 'Fact Finding Mission' to do with the relaunch of my sewing business as a two-woman deal: http://www.jollydicey.co.uk/Home  Eventually we want to have a stock of things like shirts and shifts and other smaller items to sell on a stall, and as a platform for the bespoke costuming.  We see it running along side a Folksy/Etsy shop.  Our stuff will all be hand crafted, not sweatshop/factory made, by the two of us.  It'll be fun and exciting.

But I need something to wear to the July event, and to future events, as a stall holder, to crew in, and to 'monster' in...

Erk!  Do not want full-on corset.  If all else fails, I could wench it in this:



I rather fancy something a tad more relaxed in fit, however.  I have some amazing chocolate brown linen (I dyed it!), and a smaller bit of tabaco coloured stuff that came as an end of roll: about 2m is a fine linen and the last meter is a coarser weave, but both are the same colour.  I can easily get a fine shirt weight linen to make a shift or two.

Something along these lines seems appropriate:

  or an adult version of this:

I either have or can easily make patterns for these...

And I have this and several others like it that could be adapted... 

But I also rather fancy a slightly more piratical look, along the lines of Elizabeth Swann's red gown...

Dunno.  Got any better ideas?  I need to be able to shift stuff, sort folks out with costume, work as well as play.  I might make two things if I get the time, but they'll both need to be quite simple.:

[LadyStitch]

I like the Elizabeth swan look.  Something to show off your talent but still allow you to move around your stall in.  I'm not saying wear an art piece but wear something that could make you a walking advertisement for your work.  If what your wearing looks great but is practical for you to work in, it says alot about your skill, and the work you do. 
I'd say a kirtle style, or a nice "merchant wife's"  look. 
The linen sound yummy. 

[Auryn]

Firstly, that event sounds awesome, im jealous.

I agree with ladystitch, I say show off your talent, it will be your best marketing tool. Be comfortable but definitely create something that people will want to stop and ask you about.

[gem]

Kate! Brilliant!!  Did you see Laura's (Silverstah) new gothic fitted gown in the finished projects thread? It's brown, it's glorious, it looks unbelievably comfortable, it would be perfect.

Here's the thing about what you wear: it's going to promote your business. If you're out to sell handcrafted costume items, then you need to look absolutely smashing. I don't think your older wench ensemble does your skill justice. I would also wear/bring something that will appeal to the LARP crowd and whatever their specific costuming needs/interests are. If it's fantasy, bring/wear pieces adaptable to a fantasy setting, and pieces that can be worn in gaming conditions. If there's a historical aspect, make sure you feature that period. The clothes on your backs are going to be your very best advertising, and I think impulse buys will be your bread and butter at events, until return buyers know to expect you and plan to shop at your stall. So think about what you'd wear to this event as a gamer, and see if you can adapt that for shop/stall wear.

Good luck!

[Dinobabe]

 

So I have to ask, what is going on in this painting!?

[Kate XXXXXX]

Kate! Brilliant!!  Did you see Laura's (Silverstah) new gothic fitted gown in the finished projects thread? It's brown, it's glorious, it looks unbelievably comfortable, it would be perfect.

Here's the thing about what you wear: it's going to promote your business. If you're out to sell handcrafted costume items, then you need to look absolutely smashing. I don't think your older wench ensemble does your skill justice. I would also wear/bring something that will appeal to the LARP crowd and whatever their specific costuming needs/interests are. If it's fantasy, bring/wear pieces adaptable to a fantasy setting, and pieces that can be worn in gaming conditions. If there's a historical aspect, make sure you feature that period. The clothes on your backs are going to be your very best advertising, and I think impulse buys will be your bread and butter at events, until return buyers know to expect you and plan to shop at your stall. So think about what you'd wear to this event as a gamer, and see if you can adapt that for shop/stall wear.

Good luck!

Yes, I saw her outfit.  That was another I kinda had in mind, though in linen rather than wool, for summer...

There is no particular time period: folk wear everything from high renaissance and houplandes through to Victorian steampunk!

I may go in two guises: merchant for the stalls/crew aspect, where I could spend half the day schlepping through fields of mud, and half in character (possibly as someone with a dubious past and far from exemplary morals!), so I think I want a couple of things I can make easily as making this has to fit round the extant and new customers.

[Kate XXXXXX]

Dinobabe, they are warming their...  Um...  FEET at the fire.  Yes, it must be their feet...

OK, that settled, these are my fabric choices for this adventure:  first three for this pattern: 

1: Brown/taupe drill:

2: Grey/blue drill: 

3: Damson drill: 

The rest for this pattern: 

1: Tobacco Linen: 

2:  Bitter Chocolate linen: 

3:  Grey/brown and fawn shot linen:

I'm a bit short of the tobacco one, and it's the one in two weights,  so might use it for a version of the first one, for lining bodices (though it would be a shame to hide it, or for accent pieces...  There might be enough for a sideless gown over the brown linen, which could look quite spiffy...

There's also a fawn cotton that I'm not so keen on, but would make a fair pirate style coat...

[Lady Rebecca]

I vote for the second pattern. There was someone at BARF wearing that (she had made an exact replica of the green dress) and it looked really lovely.

[Kate XXXXXX]

Oh, there will definitely be a version of the green gown in the brown linen.  It's just what to put with/under it...

And I'm told the top pattern isn't good, so I'll make something along those lines but make my own pattern up.  I'm currently thinking in the damson drill...

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

I know your English, and all my English relatives feel differently, but to me "iron" is a 4 letter word.

The linen is beautiful, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't it wrinkle easily?  I gave away a pair of linen slacks because they always looked like I slept in them after wearing a while (I did iron before wearing).

If you are wearing linen for a whole day at work, by the end of the day, if your outfit looks really wrinkled and creased, then that will detract from the beauty of the dress and your sewing talents.

[Kate XXXXXX]

I know your English, and all my English relatives feel differently, but to me "iron" is a 4 letter word.

Nope: Scot, me!  And I agree about the ironing...

The linen is beautiful, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't it wrinkle easily?  I gave away a pair of linen slacks because they always looked like I slept in them after wearing a while (I did iron before wearing).

If you are wearing linen for a whole day at work, by the end of the day, if your outfit looks really wrinkled and creased, then that will detract from the beauty of the dress and your sewing talents.

Nah...  If you don't iron it before wearing, just hang or tumble dry and give it a good shake, then this kind of garment just stays gently crumpled rather than creasing madly.  After being under my stays all day (about 8 am to midnight!) my linen shift did have creases in round the body where it had been held tight, but the rest of it was just the gently rumpled bit.  I'll be galloping about rather than sitting all day...  There may be some creases at the elbows and underarms, but that is to be expected and will allow the potential customer to see how something looks in use rather than on a mannequin.  

[gem]

Kate, I don't know if you remember my peacock blue velveteen gown, but that was made from that first pattern (the Simplicity Irish). It was my very first serious sewing/costuming project, and I love how it turned out (wore it for *years*). But if I were making it now, I'd make some changes. To start, I'd draft out the darts in the bodice, and I'd change the neckline, which IMO is too round, too narrow, and too high--much easier to see on the picture of me than the pattern envelope. The boning is adequate if you wear modern undergarments, and makes it incredibly comfortable for active/hot weather/just-don't-wanna-wear-a-corset use, but today I'd add a little more, and use *real* boning of some sort, not the featherlight it calls for.

And I've been waiting for ages for you to decide what to do with that brown linen you dyed! I think that medieval ensemble will look glorious! Lady Renee, I have a *ton* of linen garb (including my flaming orange chemise), and I do iron it, but don't find that it really wrinkles egregiously in the same way a pair of RTW linen pants would. (I hear you, though; Milord has a gorgeous mundane linen shirt he never wears b/c it takes me literally 30 minutes to iron the thing.)

[Adriana Rose]

I second the wear something epic thing.

you could wear some of your gorgous gowns that you made for your gathering ( I am sorry  I cant remember the name at the mo not enough coffee! ) The one that you had your avitar picture taken at <------

But if you dont want to wear that I love the green kirtel it looks like you could wear it all day and be comfy like you wore pajamas all day

[Kate XXXXXX]

AR:  NOT going to wear the Masquerate 18th C gowns for camping in a field!  Just...  Not!     They need full stays and underpinnings, which I want to avoid.  And if it rains...  No!

gem: The comfort without corsetry is what I want, not historical accuracy, not for this one.  LARP comfort!  I'll use decent steels up the front, and properly stitched eyelets, but that's as far as it goes.  I'm thinking I should make the bones removable for washing...  And I do remember that gown, and was going to alter the neckline anyway.  And probably insert inseam pockets in the side seams.   

[Adriana Rose]

Oh dear I thought it was inside I forgot to read the link. Then forget what I said you dont want to do that!