7/24/07 – Completely lost track of time spent…figure one week, now that the dimensions are worked out.

Wore hemd for first time to RUM, with temps in low 80’s.  Swung longsword around in noonday sun.  Was fine, and linen hemd seemed cooler than cotton kirtle.  Even more determined to finish linen kirtle.  Must make more linen hemds.  Deemed SUCCESS.  Need picture.

6/5/07 – 40 min.
While I wait for Spoon to get back to me…I’m starting my next garb project.

Temperatures were only in the high 80’s at Kingdom A&S, and my cotton shift and kirtle were too hot.  So I’m going to make linen ones, and make the changes to the patterns that I know reflect the later dates that I’ve decided to work with, i.e. 1500 or so.

So I’ve decided to use Reconstructing History’s German Hemd pattern to make a shift.   It will be completely handsewn.  I’m using handkerchief-weight linen from fabrics-store.com, IL020 Bleached, and started this morning by cutting out the main body pieces, approx 28" x 48".  I pulled threads on all four sides to make them square, and will start rolling hems to prevent fraying.  I’m also going to TRY to keep track of how much time I have in this, for future planning purposes.

See how fine the fabric is?  Just beautiful under the hand…and I know from my dish towels that it will just get better and better with washing and time.  Ann told me that linen used to be held up as a metaphor for the soul, that just as rough brown flax is processed into fine white linen under adversity, the righteous soul benefits from trials.  I’d love to find a citation for that thought, it’s so lovely.