What I did today

or...More Princess Hats and sewing the stomacher.

We'll start with the Princess hats.  The red ones have their veils and the yellow ones are decorated.

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Now on to the stomacher.  Here is where the spiced orange silk comes in.  The purple brocade is on the back and the silk is on the front.

I'm stiffening it with a heavy fusable interlining. 

Stuffing the stomacher 

I set the iron on the cotton setting and ironed the stomacher brocade side up.  There is a bit of hand sewing left to do then it is complete.  I'm going to fasten it on with pearl headed pins.

I need to put the grommets in the bodice then put the whole outfit on.  There is plenty of brocade and silk to make sleeves, so if I have time between the Bride's bodice and NHRF prep I will make those.  Look for a picture of me in the whole outfit soon.

Preparations for NHRF

I know you are all very anxious to see what is happening with the princess hats so here is an update.  The hats are decorated and veiled.  Here is a closeup of a few of the five blue ones.

The five green ones are also decorated and veiled.  Here is the group.

I finished decorating the five red ones tonight.

Oh, and my Bride was over today.  She tried on the interlining of her bodice.  I just have to move the grommets over 1/2 inch on both sides.  We laced her up using the ugly fitting straps.  So, tomorrow while the outer material, a beautiful lipstick red cotton, is being pre-shrunk, I'll move the grommet channel over one and add a boning channel to the side.

I also cut the silk, brocade and interfacing for the stomacher for my Merchant Garb.

Busy day and more to come tomorrow.  Faire season is upon us and I'm very excited.

Kat's Bodice and Princess hats

I took a double layer of the interlining material, a nice heavy, patterned material and sewed it together.  I then figured out the boning channels and sewed them up.  In the second picture you can see the tips of the bones in their casing.  You wouldn't see them if I pushed them all the way down, but I wanted you to see the where they are.

Tomorrow I have to baste the ugly fitting grommets on so I can get a preliminary fit from my Bride.

Meanwhile the blue princess hats are looking less gnomish and more princessy (is that a word?).  Tomorrow, once the glue dries I'll put the veils on.

So far, I'm right on schedule.  That won't last...

Preparing for NHRF

I am now starting the mad dash to get ready for the New Hampshire Renaissance Faire.  I am making the bodice for a friend who is getting married the second weekend.  While the material was in the wash then the dryer to pre-shrink it, I decided to cut out the construction paper then glue it together for the Princess Hats I'm making.

It looks like the Hat Check at a Gnome Convention.

This is the basic hat.  I will be decorating them with veiling, feathers, hearts, ribbons and glitter glue.

I finished the black hair net Robin ordered at Spring Coronation.  That went out in the mail today.

Onward and upward.

15th century bodice - Done except the grommets

Today I put the shoulder caps on.  I put lightweight interface on both sides of the cap.  This gives it good stability without it being too stiff.

This is the inside of the shoulder cap.

Here it is right side out.

After sewing the shoulder caps together I pinned them to the inside of the armhole at the top.  I used the narrow end of my ironing board to do this as it flattened the top of the armhole so I could position the cap properly.

I was able to sew it on with the machine.  I was afraid that I would have to hand sew them on, and you all know how much I LOVE hand sewing.  Here is the finished product.  All I have to do now put in the grommets and sew over them.

Next is the Stomacher.

15th Century Bodice

The first thing I did today was pin and sew the armholes.  I had to pull out some of the side seam to make it fit a bit better.

I then sewed the bottom hem and pinned and sewed the neckline.   I had to fudge it a bit at the top as I had already sewed up the shoulder seam.  I may have to hand sew it to neaten it up.

Hemmed bottom

Pinned neckline

This may have to be neatened up a bit.

 Lastly, I sewed the front edges.  The last thing I have to do with this is put on the shoulder caps and put in the grommets.  As I don't have any boning in this bodice, it is going over the Elizabethan corset, I am planning on over sewing the grommets to give added strength and to prevent pulling on the fabric.

Tomorrow shoulder caps.

Bodice for the 15th century Merchant

Yes, the tittle has changed.  In further research and talking with a few SCAdians, I have found that my outfit previously known as the 14th century Noble garb is closer to the cloths that a 15th century upper merchant class would wear.  So...

I started my bodice.  Due to a rather bad Fibro flare I can only spend about an hour at the machine, but I did get some work done on the bodice.  The fabric for this is from what I think was a very large purple brocade table cloth.  I bought it off a friend.  After cutting out the back and front pieces, I cut four small (6" x 4") pieces that I am going to round off and stiffen with some light weight interfacing for shoulder caps.

The first thing I did was to take a length of purple bias tape and ironed it out.  I then folded it in half and ironed it again.  I pinned it, then sewed it to the top of the back piece.  This makes for a cleaner back and also eliminates the scratchy feeling you can sometimes get with a rough edge in the back of the neck.

After the bias tape was sewn in place, I sewed on the two front pieces at the shoulder area.  I then flipped it over and folded over the back area where the bias tape was.  I sewed this down and voila, a nice neat top back.

Isn't that brocade just Yummy!  Next I sewed up the sides to about 9 1/2" from the shoulder seam for the arm holes.  Tomorrow, I want to take care of the arm holes and the neckline.  I really should have done the neckline before I sewed up the shoulders, but...ah well.

On a different note, my tomato seeds have all sprouted and my pepper seeds are starting to sprout.

Here are the pepper seeds starting to come up.

Looks like I'll have a nice crop of tomatoes this year.

How life gets in the way

I have been trying to get my Bodice started and, well, life has been getting in the way.  Every time I start to move in that direction something else comes up that needs to be done first.  The major thing that has been doing this is my website.  I almost have it finished and, if I do say so myself, it is coming along very nicely.  Check it out...www.fairelywellmaid.com.

My tomato seeds are sprouting and I'm going to have to thin them out soon.  No sign of the pepper plants yet, but it's still early.  Oh, and I have found the perfect place to plant the eight Lily of the Valley roots I bought.  I have wanted Lily of the Valley since we moved here.  We had a bunch right by the front door where I grew up and I love the smell of them.  I finally found a set of roots and can't wait until they start growing. Can't you just hear the strains of "Memories"...giggle.

I've had to rethink the additions to my vending tent this year.  I was going to make a new topper, "bump" and sunshade for it made from green and yellow heavy canvas, but right now the cost of that is prohibitive.  So, I'm going to get four king size flat sheets (yay, thrift shops) and dye them the same color.  I'll use three to make the addition to the back, the "bump" and use the fourth to make a sunshade.  I'll treat them with scotch guard so they will be water resistant.  I can sew ties on the side that will attach to the tent frame and loops on the bottom.  That way the "bump" will give me room for a cot, suitcase and food.  When I'm not camping the sunshade will offer me shade and a bit more space and when I'm camping it will be an extra layer of water proof protection.  I'm planning on getting a cheap drop cloth for flooring.  I just have to scrounge up six tent stakes and a pair of wooden poles about six feet.

This Saturday Kate and I are vending at the Spring Coronation down in New Bedford then next week I will need to get my Bodice done so I can get started on Miss Kat's wedding Bodice.    Busy, Busy, Busy.

A few things I've been working on.

Well, on Saturday I went down to Springfield MA to go to the Novice Schola.  I had a lot of fun.  I met some people I have been conversing with online.  I met some new friends and took a class in Viking Wire Weaving.  No fear, I am hopeless with wire and this class proved that I still am.  Jenn from Looking Through Glass Painting went with me.  She is such a good travel companion.  We have a lot of fun together.

Then I get a call from my brother that starts with "Oh Mistress of the Sewing Machine".  Hmmm, this just can't end well.  Not too bad, he needed a couple of pairs of uniform pants hemmed.  OK, not too hard.

In the meantime I found a great pattern for mitered squares.  They are sometimes called domino squares.  I was practicing the pattern and I made a pot holder in a garter stitch.  I made it in blue and white.  I replaced a really nasty one we had.  Here are pictures of the beginning of the square and the finished product.

Nice isn't it.

It's April in New England so you know what that means.  It's time to start your tomato, pepper and other plants indoors so you can plant them around the end of May.  This is when it is safest to plant, because, usually, there isn't a chance of a frost by then.  Yes, I have seen a frost as late as the last week in May, but, thankfully, they are rare.

I have Beefsteak Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Jalapenos and Sweet Bell Peppers.  I have room to start some onions, maybe and maybe some zucchinis.

Now I need to start to work on my purple brocade bodice.