Eva's journal

Like everybody else I'm going to list what I did in 2004 and what I plan to do in 2005. Of course I will add things during the year, but it's nice to have an illusion of an overview.

What I made in 2004
Finished my 16th century loose kirtle from Patterns of Fashion
A dark wine coloured early 14th century wool dress with hand made cloth buttons for me.
A green cotte and pink sleeveless surcoat for Rickard (both wool)
Two linen shifts each for Vendela and Valeria
Green 12th century cottes with hanging sleeves for Vendela and Valeria (wool)
Blue cottes of thicker wool with wide sleeves for Vendela and Valeria
4 linen tunics and one wool tunic for Maja + two linen caps
A silk tunic and silk cap for Maja
A red 16th century kirtle (rayon) for Maja
"The wood pulp bliaut"
A rose red early 14th century cotte
An edwardian outfit consisting of corset and a reception dress from Patterns of Fashion
Finished my effigy-style corset
A black velvet partlet and the headwear for my never-finished-flemish gown
Two oval silk veils, one pink, one turquoise.
A pale mint-gray wool veil with a fringe.
Brocade curtains for the sleeping area in my pavilion.
A wool sheet for our double bed in the pavilion.
I think that's about it.

Sewing plans for 2005
Clothing
A new mid 13th century dress, since I shrunk the old one.
A green hand sewn bliaut in changeable habotai silk. I'm working on it and need to attach a sleeve and the skirt and reinforce the side opening and make lacing holes. Yes, it's going to one of the holy debated bliauts with pleated skirts. It has a rectangular construction, based pretty much on jauncourts wedding bliaut.
Finish the flemish gown dammit!
A new 12th c chainse in pale pink linen. Hand sewn.
A high necked smock, 16th century. Hand sewn.
Finish the totally insane high-necked smock project
A 13th c spanish saya from red wool crepe.
A 13th c. pellote from a purple and light green cotton patterned twill
A linen shift for my 13th c. spanish garb
Remake a dark teal early 14th c. surcoat (with sleeves) into a tudor gown.
A dark green early 14th century surcoat with sleeves and standing collar for Rickard.
Knee-length 13th c. tunic for Rickard.
A semi-circular cloak from blue wool with a lining of changeable habotai silk in orange and green and an embroidered band along the straight edge for Rickard.
A buttoned hood in light periwinkle wool, lined with berry red habotai for me.
A blue early 14th c. cotte for me. Hand sewn. Same wool as Rickard's cloak.
A medium green early 14th c. surcoat with 7/8 sleeves in fulled wool for me. Probably hand sewn.
A blue oval silk veil.
A new corset based on the one in Patterns of fashion, to replace my old one made from the instructions on the Elizabethan costuming page. It will be hand sewn and made from linen and silk, not just linen as my old one.
Take in my "effigy" corset. Hooray! This will be interesting.
Take in my 18th century corset which also will provide some challenges. It now meets in the back and is a bit loose.
Finish my 18th century costume
A new doublet for Rickard.
Fix the codpiece+canions on his paned slops.
Make sleeves for my purple dress
And make this forepart

Pavilion stuff
An inner tent. I have started a little on the ceiling.
Add double the amount of grommets for lacing the roof and walls together. The grommets on the roof are added, but not those on the walls.
Make the gores in the corners of the walls smaller.
Cover three huge pillows in a lovely fabric in beige and pink, patterned in velvet parts and satin parts (I don't know how to describe it). Tassels in the corners of course.
A bed cover from fake fur and red fulled wool.

I'm sure I will come up with some other stuff as the event season begins.

Whenever I'm bored, like at seminars and uninteresting lectures I tend to make lists of what I plan to sew. Then I go back to them and put an X after them when I've finished that item. Or cross it out if I've changed my mind. Lately I've also sometimes added a note on to which event I want it finished.

Well, here it my latest list. Since I got pregnant I lost some of my "sew drive" (if one can have sex-drive, of course one can have "sew drive") so the general deadline is "before summer". Some things, like clothes and shoes for my twins, can't be made longer than 1 month before they're supposed to be used or you can be sure they've outgrown them.

* A Herjolfsnes dress of dark green handwoven wool. Hand sewn. Current status: Hemming + sleeves left to do.

* A 12th century dress of thin blue silk taffeta and broad trim in black, pink and peacocks woven with brass thread (sari trim). I probably make this entirely by hand because my sewing machine don't get along well with very thin fabrics. I also like the sense of control

* Hoods to Valeria and Vendela of handwoven wool, also hand sewn

* Linen swaddling cloth for the baby (which isn't born)

* Loose kirtle for my 16th century flemish dress

* Headwear for the same

* New smocks/shifts for Vendela and Valeria

* Shoes for Vendela and Valeria (definitely not before June). I might pay someone else to make them, shoemaking and arthritis isn't exactly an ideal combination.

* Sewn wool stockings to the girls. This far they've used modern socks in neutral colours, or more likely no socks, but I hope their feet will stop growing so fast so there will be a point in making more ambitious footwear to them.

* Wool tunic to the baby (I've already made a pale yellow linen tunic)

* Coif for the baby.

* Finish a very pale green chainse, which is my first try where the fabric is pleated finely to a band around the neck. I havent attached sleeves yet. Entirely hand sewn.

* A red 12th century dress of a little heavier wool to wear at winter events. It will be in the "bliaut-style" with sidelacing and long hanging sleeves.

Just a short list ;)

Anyhow, if I feel like I do now, I should be happy if I make anything except the green Herjolfsnes dress and the children's clothes. 12th century looks so beautiful with a big belly though and I've sold most of my old 12th century dresses because I either wasn't happy with the way they turned out or had outgrown them

Eva