Last-minute Idea + Infant = Bad Plan

So, I forgot that everything takes longer with Baby. I really wanted to make a whole outfit for my son but ended up making him and myself absolutely crazy trying to get it done. I had to keep chanting to myself, "If I don't make this, it's okay. If I don't make this, it's okay. If I don't make this, it's okay." I WAS able to make a little hood for him, the following morning. That turned out well enough, and it was super adorable. We got lots of compliments. Since then, I have been working on completing the infant outfit so he can wear it to whatever the next event is.

I finished the white cotton under shirt the day after Christmas and held it up for my mother-in-law to see and she (rightly) said, "There's no way his head is going to fit through that!" DRAT! So, I'll need to extend the "keyhole" neckline down probably to his navel in order to get it around his big baby head. I guess, since it will be an UNDERSHIRT, that it won't much matter if it doesn't tie all the way closed - one tie at the neckline should be okay. It's just a bummer I've got to rip off the very nice (home-made!) bias-tape collar that I sewed on by hand. Backstitched by hand.

So, I'm back to working on the Tudor undergarments for my friends' wedding. I had a bit of a scare last week because I couldn't find my notebook that had everybody's measurements in it. Turns out my husband got bit by the, "We're having company and I want this room to be spotless" bug and didn't even take notice of what he was randomly stashing places. Fortunately for me, he was able to find WHERE he stashed things and my notebook was there. Phew!

Since the corsets are already cut out (see previous post) I have started cutting out the farthingales for both bridesmaids. I would start sewing boning channels on the corsets, but my sewing machine is in dire need of a tune-up (as I discovered when trying to sew a tiny outfit for my son - I couldn't get through a whole seam without the thread breaking or getting wound up funny or somesuch frustrating nonesense) so I aim to get all the cutting done in the meantime.

I am using Drea Leed's Making A Period Farthingale using the same 45" canvas used for the sturdy corset fabric.

I'll get photos up of the Little Bud's outfit pieces, cuz this post is kind of boring without any pictures. :p

My son has nothing to wear!

Okay, so I'm involved with the Ann Arbor, MI chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism, called the Barony of Cynnabar. It's the association from which I know my friends Aaron and Monique, mentioned in my previous post about how I'm making all these fancy-schmancy wedding clothes. Typically I sing, dance or play my flute so other people can dance. Anyway, at the next event we're having, called Wassail (it's the Cynnabar holiday party, more or less), I've been summoned to the Baronial Court, which means I'm called up in front of the Baron and Baronessa, who are kind of like our chapter presidents. Typically, a summons of this nature implies receipt of an award. Although I have confirmation that an award is forthcoming, I still have no idea what KIND of award it is. I don't feel particularly meritorious. Well, whatever.

Anyway, my husband and son (and possibly my sister-in-law!) will be joining me for this. While my husband has (somewhat unimpressive) garb to wear so he won't be in street-clothes, my 7-month-old son, Lucius (whose SCA name - I've just decided - will be his full Hebrew name: Lior Moshe ben Benjamin), has NOTHING! While he could be the talk of the town in a baby playgroup wearing his ballin' outfit from the Baby Gap (courtesy of his Auntie Bica, who is pretty ballin' herself), I feel kind of weird bringing a completely modernized baby into a portion of an anachronism that is conducted with such pomp when I will be fully outfitted as will my husband, more-or-less.

So, I have decided to make an outfit for Lior Moshe to wear to Baronial Court which happens on Saturday. That's right: I have a day and a half to get this crap together. (I work best under pressure. :p) So, I'm putting the wedding garb on hold in a mad attempt to get something appropriate for my "youngest retainer" to wear.

I will be making something along the lines of this, without the swaddling. Since Lucius is now 7 months old he resists swaddling with the fury of a thousand drenched cats. So, he'll have a lightweight undershirt, a heavier-weight overgown and an adorable little hat. I'll probably put him in some baby trousers that he already has, as he's got some that are brown and made of a sort of homespun-looking knit.

To start with, I had a full-size bedskirt from a Croscill bed-in-a-bag set that I gave away through Freecycle around this time last year. The part that goes under the bed is a lightweight white cotton. The skirt itself is a brownish-red (which used to be a much more vibrant burgundy) cotton velveteen. I have already ripped the skirt from the, uh... under-the-bed-thingy and am currently running everything through the wash machine, to exact the maximum amount of shrinkage before I do anything to it.

Wish me luck!

Blag!

So, today I begin chronicling the Red Snail. I've been commissioned to garb most of the wedding party for my friends Monique and Aaron, who will be tying the knot in June, 2010. I've been meaning to keep track of the historical costuming projects I've been working on, and this gloriously ambitious project seems the best place to start. (I've never been a fan of retroactive blagging. It's not only really hard, but I'm typically already involved with the next pursuit.) As a total aside, Firefox noticed that I spelled "pursuit" incorrectly as "persuit," but had nothing to say about my word "blagging."

Anyway, prior to this, I have discussed plans with Monique and Aaron and will be clothing the two bridesmaids, V and K, as well as the groom and the best man, P. The wedding party will all be dressed in the (more-or-less) Tudor style. Aaron likes the style of Edward VI and Monique likes Jane Seymour. Monique (the bride) will be doing her own gown (bless her heart).

So! I had the bridesmaids over my place a few months ago to take preliminary measurements. From these I was able to give the ladies ballpark figures for yardages required to make outfits resembling the portraits of Tudor ladies, most notably Jane Seymour. The three of them (along with Aaron, I presume) went shopping for fabric at some totally amazing place in Chicago... of which I need to learn the name.

Last Thursday I was mobbed with fabric for the four outfits I will be constructing. My friends were very thoughtful and made me a crib sheet with little swatches of which fabric belongs to which outfit! Great!

Measurements: Ladies - Check. Gents - 1 of 2.
Fabric: Ladies - Check. Gents - Check.

Now to get drafting!
I started this morning by using Drea Leed's Elizabethan Corset Generator to generate custom sized corset patterns for V and K. I have personally used this generator to make an Elizabethan era corset for myself and have found it to be INCREDIBLY accurate. (Unfortunately, since giving birth to my son in May, my corset no longer fits the way it used to, so I'll have to make another one!)

Anyway, for as similarly-shaped as V and K seemed to be from their measurements, the corset patterns turned out remarkably different, so I'm really glad I did up these drafts. Later this week I'll be cutting out the cotton canvas and stitching the boning channels.

Tune in next time for the exciting conclusion of corset drafting!