Thursday, November 4, 2010

More projects

I have got a crap-tonne of projects on my plate. In the past 3 weeks I’ve:

With help, made a linen workman’s cap for Al.

Made a wool bedgown for KenuckyJam, my Appleseed friend.

Re-pleated two aprons. I don’t care if I’m the only one who will notice  -- I needed to fix them.

Mended my patched brown gown where the stitching was coming out down the back.


On my plate:

Restyle and refit a 1750’s waistcoat into something more recognizable as something you’d see in the 1780’s.

Make some baggy linen breeches less baggy. I can usually do a pretty good job on fixing breeches, but I have to know you really well to do good work (meaning I’m going to have to be fiddling around up near the boys,) and that is just too fraught with potential complications …

Restyle and refit a jacket into something a little less feed sack-like.

Turn a pair of trousers into a pair of breeches.

Knit a cap for DLG (or something else if a new job means something else would be more appropriate).


Now the following don’t have to be completed until March, but still:

Make 3 linen shirts for Michael W.

Make 2 shifts and 2 gowns for Miss F.

Ditto for Sweet Daughter, who has outgrown everything she owns.

And then insanity struck. I finally got the Norah Waugh book “The Cut of Men’s Clothes 1600 – 1900”. And I saw a pattern in it for a banyan, and the book mentioned where the original was. I worked my google-fu and found it here.



And then I went traipsing around the interwebz and found this:
And it has this cute little motif:

So I informed one of the guys in our group that he really needed a banyan. I think I may have pressured him into buying the fabric so I could make it. Maybe. Just a little.

And banyan fever hit after I had decided I needed a riding habit. But not just any habit. A habit based on the regimental uniform for the Detached Hospital.

Something like this.
Mrs. Lovibond
Or this:

Lady Worsley
Or this:
Mrs. John Montresor
This means a shirt, neck stock, waistcoat, petticoat and jacket. Of all things, I actually have the epaulettes kicking around already. I’ve commissioned the hat, and have bought a wig. Which of course, means a block head of some sort for styling, and the right kind of brush, and shampoo, and …

Good heavens ... what have I gotten myself into?

7 comments:

  1. I don't know anyone who would get herself into this situation. No. Body.

    At all.

    Yeah.

    Hey, are those disslefinks on the banyan fabric?

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  2. I'm no bird expert, but if calling them disslefinks means they'll bring me good luck and happiness, I'll call them disslefinks.

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  3. Hey, actually, I'll be interpreting the same period, just french instead of spanish, so the cap still works. ironically, with blue and white, it actually works better for french.

    heh! Thanks again, nancy!

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  4. I wonder if the wearer of the banyan realizes that with a cool pair of sun glasses and a shaved head, he might look like Morpheus from "The Matrix"?

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  5. Shorter Half did point out "The Matrix" connection, however I find it unlikely the banyan recipient will shave his head. It *would* be wicked authentic (in an 18the century way), though.

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  6. Well, someone mentioned the Matrix, so then of course I have to link to Professor Badass. His style can beat my style any day of the week.

    Speaking of style, I can dig the dresses, banyans, trousers and breeches, but--In my personal opinion, the wig and hat have gone too far. Do we need to do an intervention?

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  7. bluesun - there is so much wrong with that picture I don't even know where to start. I'm surprised he doesn't have his cargo pants bloused, but that's probably hard to do when you're wearing argyles and Italian loafers.

    And the wig and the hat? Oh, just you wait. Let's just say I have the stature and bearing to carry it off (as long as I don't end up looking like a drag queen). I've always said don't do anything half-assed, if you can be an ass whole. Or something like that. *grin*

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