Gallery of Finished Projects

[isabelladangelo]

That jacket looks lovely, silverstah!  I'd wear a spanish surcote with it given those temps though!   

[isabelladangelo]

Actually, if your mittens looked anything close to this one, you could probably get away with saying it's period-ish.  (I wear my fingerless mittens at Pennsic because it gets down into the 40's easily at night)   

[mollymishap]

I just love it when a "costume" looks like it walked out of a portrait.  Very nicely done, Silverstah.   Now we need to see a picture of you in it.

And thanks for posting the pics of the pad-stitching.  I've never tried doing it, but I can see where it really helps with the crisp, tailored look and fit. 

Huzzah!

[bookwench]

Lady Stitch, that coat is amazing!

[LadyStitch]

Book wench- Why thank you.  It will be a work in progress but I like it so far.   The other day I couldn't find any saftey pins.  Then in all seriousness the PP asked me to go check my "wearable sewing kit"    Funny that is where they had all gone.

[gem]

I have been tweaking the fit since these photos were taken. You can see the bead clusters if you look closely. The peplum dresses are rather late in the Renaissance period.

And I changed out the closure on the cape to a frog from internal buttons.

Dona C, these are SMASHING! Such a nice departure from the typical, and that cloak has "opulent" written all over it! I would love to know more about it--is that brown velvet in the body of the cloak, then again about the hemline, only shirred? Great detail.

[Rani Zemirah]

What wonderful work, everyone! 

LadyStitch, that coat is fabulous!  Really, I LOVE it!!!  I've been wanting a leather scrap cloak for years, now, and your coat has just renewed that desire.  I would likely roast in it, unfortunately, since all of our Faires are warm weather... but I would probably wear it all winter, just because I could!   

SS... your jacket looks like it probably fits like a dream, and it sounds nice and cosy!  I agree... pictures of the complete ensemble, please! 

DonaC... lovely as ever, and I agree with Gem about the capelet!  What a wonderful fabric pairing.  I have some white "fur" that I've been trying to figure out what to do with, and I was thinking hat or cuffs, but I might have to rethink that.  I really like the peplum bodice look, as well... it's such a nicely flattering shape. 

Hoowil... your daughter is adorable, and she looks like she's having a great time in her middles!  It's so much fun to share Faire with kids...   

Kate... your Tudor gown is gorgeous, and the doublet and slops are impeccable, as well!  Very nicely done! 


Hope I didn't miss anyone!  I haven't been around for a bit, and had a lot to catch up on!

[Rani Zemirah]

 I have a few of photos of my latest project.  This is the hat made entirely out of stiffened paper that I believe I have mentioned.  It has a metal frame that started out life as a miniature lampshade, and each of the panels, and the brim, are individually shaped and adhered to the frame, then trimmed with cream and burgundy braid to hide the joins.  The panels are patterned paper glued to cardboard backing, then coated with 8 layers of Mod Podge and another 6-7 layer each of a clear gloss sealant. The pin on the back is hand made of twisted copper wire, glass pearls, faceted red Czech glass beads and genuine garnets... and the lace "jabot" was also stitched by hand. 



Front and side views, before the final trimming (please forgive the messy background).
   


There is a bit of creasing of the brim paper, but I believe I have figured out how to avoid that in the future.  This one is the prototype, and the learning curve was pretty steep, since I've never seen this type of thing used in this way... but I feel like the experiment was a success, so I will definitely be repeating (and continuing to refine) the process!  The next one will be a different frame shape, and in a different color scheme, of course... but I really enjoyed working out this whole idea, from inspiration to finished product.  I sort of felt like... a pioneer.  heheh 

[Trillium]

That is gorgeous Rani!  I've never been a hat person but that makes me want to try one!

[DonaCatalina]

Thanks for the kind words. The body of the cloak is the antique gold brocade. The area around the neck and bottom is some crushed velvet that is closer to the brocade in color than it looks in the photo. The very bottom is a strip of white fake fur.
I forgot how much I hate sewing with that stuff.
I was trying for hidden buttons on the inside; but it didn't come out quite big enough and felt like it was choking me. That's why I switched to the gold frogs on the top.

[Rani Zemirah]

Oh, I can't stand being strangled by my cloak... makes me want to toss it!  I don't like sewing with fake fur, either... but it looks so wonderful when it's done... especially if it's the really soft type, like the furry fleece blankets that everyone sells this time of year.  I have a nice large piece of the white, and I really want something wintery looking! 

Thank you, Trill...    This hat took weeks to finish, because of all of the layers of goop on it... but it doesn't even feel anything at all like paper, and when I tell people what it's made of it's kind of fun to watch their jaws drop!  lol 

[gem]

have a nice large piece of the white, and I really want something wintery looking! 

Rani, this is my new obsession:

George Henry Boughton (1833-1905), Lady of the Snows
I have zero idea where I would wear such an ensemble (I'm more the snowshoe type in the winter!), but I want it! Trying to figure out what the printed bit is supposed to be. It seriously looks like Minky. 

I think shoulder seams are a necessity for keeping cloaks from strangling you. Milord has an authentic LOTR Fellowship cloak (which cost most of one of my royalty checks!  ), and it's built with no shoulders. There's just no way to keep it from sliding back. You need a gorget or something to protect your neck. Thank goodness it's very lightweight, at least!

[isabelladangelo]

have a nice large piece of the white, and I really want something wintery looking! 

Rani, this is my new obsession:

George Henry Boughton (1833-1905), Lady of the Snows
I have zero idea where I would wear such an ensemble (I'm more the snowshoe type in the winter!), but I want it! Trying to figure out what the printed bit is supposed to be. It seriously looks like Minky. 

I think shoulder seams are a necessity for keeping cloaks from strangling you. Milord has an authentic LOTR Fellowship cloak (which cost most of one of my royalty checks!  ), and it's built with no shoulders. There's just no way to keep it from sliding back. You need a gorget or something to protect your neck. Thank goodness it's very lightweight, at least!

The "printed bit" is printed or painted velvet - very popular around the Turn of the Century.  I just got a true 1890's wrapper out of printed velvet to study.   The other elements look to be rabbit fur and wool.   Check out my blog http://extangowns.blogspot.com for all sorts of extant gowns.  I've posted a few hundred from the 1890's/1900's.   Including one that is actually a red coat that looks somewhat similar to the one in the painting:

http://extantgowns.blogspot.com/2013/10/how-to-stay-warm-1890s-style.html

[LadyStitch]

LadyStitch, that coat is fabulous!  Really, I LOVE it!!!  I've been wanting a leather scrap cloak for years, now, and your coat has just renewed that desire.  I would likely roast in it, unfortunately, since all of our Faires are warm weather... but I would probably wear it all winter, just because I could!   

I actually aquired a bunch of leather scraps I'm thinking of either trading with a leather worker for some new leather goods, OR make a leather cloak or something out of it.  I don't know if I would want the leather scrap coat. 

As for fake furs, I have spent the past 4 months working with the stuff.  It was high end and VERY thick.  I did my best to keep the fuzz down, but it can be tricky to work with.  HOWEVER, it looks amazing when it is done right.  Not to mention warm.  I swear the PP could go out  in a real snow storm in his Father christmas coat and would be roasty toasty. 

[gem]

Printed velvet!!! There's a rabbit hole I didn't need to know existed! LOL Seriously, though--thanks, Isabella, for the excellent lead.