I'm on the longest vacation I've had since I started working at Lacis a year and a half ago-- not counting when I got meningitis, because... no-- and as a result I've been at my parent's house since Sunday. I brought a couple projects with me. I dyed an ostrich feather for my bonnet that [...]
Category: Renaissance Spain
Two over, two diagonal, two up
I haven't shared any embroidery here for a while, but things are ticking along! Firstly we have the big boy: 16th C Italian Sampler at the V&A I'm doing the motif on the left-hand edge, it's about halfway done. Piper's Silk floss on Ferragamo linen from Britex. I've found beeswaxing the floss silk makes it [...]
Escapades with Alcega
My right wrist gave an almighty crack this morning and then stopped hurting! My left still hurts but I'm right handed so we're moving back into sewing. Weirdly my wrist doesn't hurt but the muscles in my forearms are still tight so I'm going to keep heat-packing and massaging those. Despite the fact that I [...]
Adventures in Alcega
We're moving on to Part II of "weird shit Callie does while not sewing." For today's nonsense-- trying to make some sense of the 1589 Tailor's Pattern Manual by Alcega. This, along with Hispanic Costume, is the resource for 16th C Spanish clothing-- a surviving manual on how to lay out all variety of garments [...]
GWW and a unified theory of bobbin lace
I am recently returned from my first ever war in the SCA-- overall, a pretty good time! Saionji-sensei was my ride to and from the event, as my health problems prevent me from driving a car for more than about two hours without difficulty. She was repaid in Elizabethan lemon curd and conversation about old [...]
The Spanish Burgundian Gown
After Mistress Sylvie mentioned that my avoiding heat stroke dress looked like a Burgundian gown, I started doing some poking around at the idea of that style being taken up in Spain. I wasn't super familiar with the Burgundian or "flared gown" as a concept but I found myself quite taken with it-- it's very [...]
Sew ALL the things
Guys... The project ADHD has not improved. I'm taking a couple low-key days because on Thursday and Friday of last week it got to the point where I felt like a human sewing machine, not a person. Last Monday was finally the day in which my kirtle would get sleeves. I pulled out the Medieval [...]
A good look at the inside of my head
Andddd.... it's a mess. I have pretty severe anxiety and depression and while it's well managed with medication, therapy, and excellent friends, I'm having some bad days and it's showing. For one, I am having the worst freaking project ADHD. To be fair I've got 9 or 10 projects going right now with various degrees [...]
Tiny Human and the Chemise of Doom (pt 1)
So it turns out that Costume College, while not my favorite experience socially, gave me a massive push to start sewing again, especially since I finally feel human again after my flu-thing from a few weeks back. My priority right now is new garb for Great Western War, although I have some time and freedom [...]
New dress, who dis?
Dress! Done! Pretty! I can put it on by myself! Quick overview: Based on this With one modification-- this appears to be more like the later Italian styles where the dress laces over the chemise at the front. I didn't want to do that--for a couple reasons, including modesty-- so I decided to make this [...]
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