Silly sheep
I sent a very small flock of sheep off to Castle Wars, for the Mutton Mayhem game. I hope they have fun. Continue reading Silly sheep
Author: Greet Gijsberts
Greet Gijsberts is a persona created to play in the Society for Creative Anachronism. She authors this blog in order to document her projects and adventures, and share them with a wider audience.
14th century tents
Because I’ve been sucked into A Large Gulf Wars Project involving the 14th century, and everything I’m planning for GW is somehow related, I started researching tent and pavilion construction in the 1300’s. Here’s what I found. The Tents of History, Stephen Francis Wyley, ed.This is a list of links to a summarizing table, with references to published sources and sometimes linked pictures. If I can figure out a more user-friendly way to compile this with embedded links and pictures I will. Perhaps it can be a PowerPoint. I should ask Wyley’s permission. Many of his links have died – … Continue reading 14th century tents
GFD – Fitted sleeve
I’ve been plugging away on my Bathhouse Keeper Shift, which is acting as a toile for the bodice part of my Gothic Fitted Dress. It’s going well. However, because my instructor, the La Cotte Simple site, which does such a great step-by-step job of explaining how to fit the bodice, somehow doesn’t talk about how to generate the sleeve cap and armseye, I’ve been scared of the GFD’s sleeve. (The shift doesn’t have a sleeve.) Tory set me onto this site, which helps to draft a pattern. I made this up in my sloper fabric, and tried it on. I … Continue reading GFD – Fitted sleeve
Linen remnants and aglets arrived!
I can’t get over how every little thing I do presents stacks of opportunities to learn. So verily cool. These are the remnants of linen (the last batch, bwahaha!) I ordered from Historic Enterprises, and also the aglets (aka ‘chapes’) from them. (Lavena suggested that I make my own aglets, and I like that notion, but I need some NOW, and I prefer to see how someone else invented the wheel before I waste my time chipping stone.) So the two things I have learned right away from my $22 are: How the heck do they get relatively new linen … Continue reading Linen remnants and aglets arrived!
Thread Smalls
I’ve been working on some small but lovely details of garb production lately. I need a way to make cording for dress laces and points, so I’ve worked out that a 2-stitch i-cord, if knitted through the back loop, yields something that looks very much like cord made with a lucet. This is #30 crochet cotton, worked on 0000 needles. I’ve got fatter darning needles. (Another anachronism: You can find me during Morning Walk Time easily: I’m the one with a ball of thread pinned to her sweater, squinting at her hands. I’ve discovered I can knit-and-walk. Look out, world!) … Continue reading Thread Smalls
Luttrell Apron
(garb garb garb garb – I’m starting to bore myself, except I like garb garb garb garb) Ta da! A Luttrell Apron. I’m going to enter this in Magna Faire (along with the Smocked Shirt). MATERIALS The threads are linen threads, either singles drawn from the fabric (for basic construction) or 16/2 100% linen thread sold as ‘Rainbow Linen’ in color R464 (for smocking stitches) The fabric is natural unbleached linen (IL014, from fabrics-store.com) 5.9 oz/yd, 59" wide. TOOLS I used modern cotton/polyester thread to gather the smocking pleats. These threads were withdrawn and discarded. I used two sizes of … Continue reading Luttrell Apron
Daan’s 14thc garb
So we all know what I’m making myself for 14thc garb. But what about Daan? He’s not already committed to Other Mundane Things for Gulf Wars in March – I would LURVE to get him there, so he can see my madness in context (of 4,000 other mad people). After all, I’ve only been to about a hundred swim meets. He needs clothes to wear. His criteria: That he not be hot, or too girly. That his clothes be fitted to his athletic body, so he can show off. My criteria: That they be documentable. Historic Enterprises to the rescue! … Continue reading Daan’s 14thc garb
Shopping list
Not exactly ‘construction’, more like ‘acquisition’. Courtesy of a new list of suppliers, I now have the following wishlist. Santa, please take note.(Especially since I’m wearing 14th c to Saltare Jan 12th, and some of this stuff needs to be in my hands by then.) Poulaines, women’s size 8, $65. Poulaines are those pointy-toed shoes you see in illustrations. This is a great price, and the product has a real shoe sole, so you can put in an athletic insert for comfort and health. (Actually, these need to be in my hands by St. Nicholas’ Day, so I can make … Continue reading Shopping list
Historic Enterprises
(x-posted on PG list)How did I not find this site before? (Everyone else probably knows it.) For the newbies like me, who want to have more historically accurate garb… www.historicenterprises.com sells readymade garb and accessories, but I think their real value is as a research reference. You will see photos of real people in reproductions of extant pieces, down to the underwear, WITH REFERENCES. The pages on colors appropriate to various classes and times/places, with explanations of how those colors are made, are nearly all that I could want. Ditto the fabric pages. (As a fiber geek, that’s saying something.) … Continue reading Historic Enterprises
Smocked linen apron
Here we have the beginnings of my smocked apron, a la Luttrell Psalter. I’m using heavy natural colored linen, cut to 28" wide. Why? Because I’m following the conventional wisdom (cringe) that household looms in the 14th century were fairly narrow, ~30". (Anybody got a citation for this one? Ann?) I question that ALL looms in the 14th c were narrow. Or that some fabrics produced on narrowish looms were not double-woven to be twice as wide. But I am yielding to the CW on this one out of expediency, and because the illustration in Luttrell seems to be a … Continue reading Smocked linen apron