Personal Progress...

I finally got off my duff enough to mock up The Boy's Gambeson, in hideous floral print, and have made progress on the seams, though I haven't drafted any sleeve patterns yet.  The new waist seam has been included and the skirt flaps have been draped.  The next step, hopefully I'll get to it soon, is to trace the pieces and make the changes to the body pattern and make the new skirt pattern pieces.  Then I can either go along the sleeve route or build the body route.  Sleeves will mean taking measurements and drafting a pattern before mocking it up, building the body means I get to cut into the pretty blue linen and start on the quilting!  The sleeves are going to be the more complex thought process, the body is going to be the more time consuming, but since both need to be done we'll see which I'm in the mood for when next I sew.

I've decided to test the merchanting waters at events with a rather new idea.  I braid hair.  I braid lots of hair.  I sometimes then arrange the braids into fancy (or not so fancy) hairstyles.  I've decided I'd like to get paid for this.  Thus I've decided to try merchanting at Egils in May to see if this might be a viable way to earn a little extra cash here and there.  I don't have any more set up than a chair and a small table for my stuff, and I don't really want to have to stay with my chair for all the hours merchants are scheduled for, so we'll see how scheduling works.

Below are a few photos of braiding I've done on different occasions, just cause I can...

Trossfrau standstill, and 15th cent german

So I'm getting no where on my Trossfrau.  I can't afford to buy the trim I need for the tross, and that prevents me from really getting started on my dress, which is silly, but not completely unreasonable.  I should do a mock up of the bodice based on the pattern, and work on the hemd for underneath.  That would at least get me some progress.  Who doesn't like new undies?


So 15th cent german clothes are slowly edging into my desires.  I have so much free time right now since I'm unemployed, which causes me to daydream about what I'd make with money if I had it, which is silly because if I had a job, then I would have the money, but wouldn't have all this free time.  I'd probably get more done than I do now, because I suck at time management when I have lots of time.


The main wishful thinking project is a 15th cent german dress, maybe like the ones from the Housebook Master, though I'm really in love with Hans Part (Babenberger Stammbaum).  I haven't decided on linen or wool, color or details really, but I want one of them.  The 3/4 sleeves and variety of bodice details make me more excited for this style than I've ever been for any gothic fitted dress.  I've seen GFDs, I've made GFDs, I'm no longer interested because everyone seems to have one.  The quest to be slightly more unique strikes again.


In other "news" I've recently become a convert to joined together braided pigtails.  I know it sounds weird, but those german ladies knew what they were doing.  I've never believed that anyone went around with loose hair, maiden or otherwise.  My hair tangles at the thought of being loose, braids are the only way to keep my hair from rats nests.  Especially now that it's just past my waist, longest it's ever been!  A pair of pigtails are more functional than loose hair, and cuter too.  But I've found that they still slip over my shoulders at inconvenient times and get into whatever I happen to be bent over working on (frequently the dishes).  So for the most recent workday at the Egils site, I tied the two braids together.  Though they slipped sideways, they never got far over my shoulder and didn't get in the way of my work.  Crazy eh?  And after the work day, when we're headed home soaked from the rain, I twisted the loop around my head and ended up with a relatively secure, if goofy, hairstyle; exactly like the hairstyle from the Unicorn Tapestries too.


Speaking of hair, we're heading out the door to go see Tangled, again for The Boy, first time for me!