Master of the Housebook is an artist who supposedly greatly influenced Albrecht Durer.  I posted a HELP on Meridies’ Costuming Guild, and was gently reminded to go back to Myra’s Costume Pages. DUH.  Um, remember this?  I love Myra’s work.  She dances/embroiders/paints/knits too, and likes Eunny, and gets to live in Europe…(ending breathless fangirl gush now).  Sorry. Anyway, here’s a bunch of Housebook images from Myra’s site for discussion about the pleated-bodice dress.  (I’m reproducing thumbnails for visual reference only here, trying to maintain respect for her copyrights while still engaging in Fair Use scholarly discussion.) Pair of Lovers Unequal … Continue reading Master of the Housebook – Green Kirtle Doc

I’m actually happy to read this, since I think it’s taking historicism to a rather ridiculous level (yes, I know, this from someone who wants to make a shirt from seed) to insist on woad rather than indigo for blue dyeing.  But I’m relieved to have an answer to people who say ‘but indigo is a post-period dye’ – which is a mis-statement on many levels – indigofera is a post-Period DYEPLANT, the dye indigo is the same from woad and indigofera, it just occurs in more density in the latter.  It also occurs in other plants.  The job of … Continue reading Whoa! Dangers of growing European dye plants

(Geez – half this blog is about garb.  I keep telling people that once I get a weeks-worth of clothing pulled together I’m going to focus on other things, but experienced SCAdians just laugh…) Here’s some sites that may be useful. FABRICLinen – http://fabrics-store.com/http://denverfabrics.com/http://www.bblackandsons.com/ NOTIONSBrass lacing rings – http://www.celticsun.biz/ RESEARCHhttp://moas.atlantia.sca.org/wsnlinks/index.php?action=displaycat&catid=10http://www.ece.uwaterloo.ca/~arnora/arnora/costumehdbk.htmhttp://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/shoe/SHOEHOME.HTMhttp://www.revivalclothing.com/http://www.siue.edu/COSTUMES/COSTUME1_INDEX.HTMLhttp://www.netherton.net/robin/http://www.sewingcentral.com/cgi-bin/Web_store/web_store.cgi?page=index.html&cart_id=8867465_32158http://www.florilegium.org/ Web Gallery of Art ABC Gallery BOOKSA History of Costume by Carl KohlerMedieval Tailors Assistant: Making Common Garments 1200-1500 Sarah Thursfield The Book of Costume Millia Davenport Survey of Historic Costume Phyllis Tortora and Keith Eubank The History of Costume: from Ancient Mesopotamia through the Twentieth Century Blanche Payne et … Continue reading Costuming supply sites

out of 4 yards of handkerchief-weight linen, for ~$7/yard? (I was cutting out handwork projects for our car trip this weekend.) Answer:  2 shifts, an apron, a fillet & barbette, and an extra square of headwrap.  That’s quite the bargain.  I did cheat a little, in that the shifts are short with finished side vents rather than proper mid-shin-length with gores.  (I want to be able to wear them as thigh-length blouses in mundane life.)  I tried out the ‘short shift in hot weather’ aspect at RUM, and it was fine.  I want to research more about underwear, though. Does … Continue reading How many shifts can you get…

I’m still trying to learn how to spin a fine, strong linen thread, in pursuit of making a ‘cambric shirt’.  I’m learning that ‘fine’ and ‘strong’ are totally relative terms. A) Hostess talked about the difficulties of weaving 16-singles linen – that it kept breaking, and had to be done over a humidifier.  If ’16’ refers to 16 wraps-per-inch, then that’s not so fine thread. B) I’ve spun linen in three ways so far: Spinning with wheel, from hank in hand, moving hand to the right (Z), wet fingers, 32wpi. Spinning with supported drop spindle, from prespliced ribbon kept wet … Continue reading Spinning fine linen – more Zs