Dyeing Persian Red Experiment

When I first started dyeing with natural- and plant dyes, I got really beautiful brickred when I dyed with madderroot. A color that I haven't been able to achieve the last couple of years.  I have tried a lot of different recipes but all with the same outcome, orange!

So one of my sisters brought back madderroot from Turkey and I decided to give an old Persian recipe that I found a go.

The madder root

Madder powder

Dyebath before applying ammonia

End result photographed in sunlight

Photographed inside

(left) First dyebath, pongee silk

(right) second dyebath, chiffon silk

Recipe from: Over Wol en Plantaardig Verven, Frans Smeets.

Although the end result is red, I will be trying out more different recipes the next coming months.

Viking tunics

The Whitsun event at the Archeon was our first early/medieval event of this year. In preparing for it we got a lot of things done.

Our son needed a new linen undertunic and a new sleeveless summer tunic to keep him cool on hot days.

We also made him a pair of white linnen shorts, thorsbergen style only shorter. He had outgrown his shoes so my husband made a pair of his old shoes smaller.

front

back

diagram taken from Viking tunic construction page by Carolyn Priest-Dorman.

I have been wearing the same undertunic for about ten years and I decided it was time for a new one. I've decided that my early medieval persona is from Haithabu/Hedeby, ca. 950. So when I update costume pieces they will have to be appropriate for that. My new undertunic is Haithabu style. I left out the front and back gore as undertunic where often less elaborate in style.

The color of my Haithabu based apron dress was refreshed by dyeing it again with union skins. The seams where reinforced with woollen plant dyed cords made by whipcording. I originally wanted to make 6 plait braids, 3 yellow and 3 red, liked the ones found on the original, but couldn't get it to work.

Autumn colors

I always feel a bit sad when I put away my summer dresses in storage and take out the autumn and winter (and often a large part of spring) clothing. But I do love the colors of autumn, so when I came across this yarn I immediately fell in love.

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I had been wanting to do some broomstick lace crochet for a long time but was scared of because the technique looked quite complicated. When I saw this yarn the idea of making a simple broomstick lace scarf popped up in my mind again. On Ravelery I found this wonderful tutorial in English and Dutch, although I read English fairly well, I do prefer a tutorial in Dutch when I am learning a new skill.

I started on the scarf yesterday, while I have a lot of costuming projects, with deadlines approaching fast and household chores that needed to be done as well. I managed to do most of them and still work on the scarf as well. I am happy!

The other project I am working on is a combination of cuirass and french vest bodice for a friend.We do not have enough of the lovely petrol blue velvet for a cuirass bodice, so I am trying to combine it with a vest bodice. Alas the vest bodice pattern is cut several sizes too small, so that is why I am using the cuirass bodice pattern as well. It's one of those projects that seemed simple enough at first but is much more complicated than I thought. On the other hand I do like a challange!

The other project is a 1840's work dress for myself, both projects need to be completed at the beginning of December.

My viking hangerock or pinafore or apron dress had become pale after wearing it for a few years. As it is still fine, it has only one patch to cover up a burn hole. I decided to dye it again to refresh the color.

Here you can see how much the color has faded. The darker band is normally covered by my tabletwoven band, protecting the color from light. It has been dyed with union skins which is know for it's light sensity. 

The apron turned out darker than I had planned, next time when refreshing a color, I will use half of the original amount of dyestuff. The silk scarf, woollen yarn and small patches of wool fabric are from the second dyebath. The small patches where to try if the woollen fabric I bought a few months ago where dyeable with natural dyes.

I also finished my husbands woollen viking nalebound socks, that I started on during the vikingmarket in the Archeon.! Which means I can cross one of my winter projects of the list.

I also made these two cute amiguri owls!

The yellow one is made with Baby owl ornaments by Josephine Wu. And the blue one with the Confused owl by Karissa Cole

So I finished a lot of projects but also started a lot of new ones. 

Vikingmarket Archeon

Our son making bone dice. 

He was gone most of the time playing with his friends,

 only to resurface at mealtimes. 

Because we where there for four days I actually got a lot of crafts done.

I hemmed a white linen undertunic, sewed a tabletwoven band to my, finally, finished

hand sewn green woollen tunic and did some nalebinding.

Nalebinding socks for my husband. 

Didn't finish them so I'll have to finish them at home.

He really needs a second pair of socks!

Wood carving 

Making salad with fresh chard, unions, fennel, radishes and honey

Our camp.

We had the times of our lives, the weather was great, the company was wonderful and the atmosphere almost stress free. (No rain helps an awful lot). At night the kids swam and played with the canoes. We walked barefoot for most of the time and picked blackberries.
Too bad that reality kicked in yesterday when my son had his first day of school and for me there was ofcourse the laundry!

I was really sad because this was my last, early medieval, event for this year. But there is going to be a blue dyeing workshop/event at Schothorst which hopefully I will be able to attend. It will be nice to be around people with the same interest and work on things together.

Blocked!

Blocking this shawl was a lot of work especially because I couldn't do the whole shawl at once.

It's almost 2 meters wide and 81 cm high. I left out some rows otherwise it would have been even larger which is way to large for me as I am only a short lady. It weighs 608 grams and that is one of the reasons why I might be tempted to be another version in lightweight wool. Hopefully next time I can keep gauge and proprotions in check.

Prehistorisch Waterkamp 2013

Here's  an impression of the prehistoric water camp we had on the 23th of June.

It was kinda strange to see ourselves on this banner

You can find more pictures on our website Muninn & Huginn , just go to the fotoboek (picture gallery) tab and 2013. Also don't forget to watch the video impression on youtube (top of post) to see us and a lot of our friends live in action. 

Tunic for a little viking

I am so happy that I managed to make a tunic for my son. Out of small pieces of fabric, we had left over from other projects. The brownishyellow is dyed with unionskins, the orangered has been dyed with madder. My son wants some embroidery on the neckline. But this will have to wait a little while. My next project will be a viking outfit for a young lady, the daughter of friends.

Mittelalterliches Burgfest at Burg Winnenthal, Germany

Finally a picture of my natural dyed viking costume! The apron is dyed with union skins and sewn by hand with silk. The tunic is dyed with madder. I am pleased with how they both turned out. I also dyed the silk kerchief myself with union skins.
This picture was taken early in the morning when it was still relatively cool, later on it became more than 30ºC. And then ofcourse I wore my linnen tunic without sleeves.



This evenent was really well organized and people where really nice, but as I don't speak German I wasn't as chatty as usual ;-) I took the opportunity to work on nalebound socks for myself using scraps of wool I had lying around.



I didn't finish them complety, I still need to make the heels of both socks, but I am never the less quite pleased with myself.

More pictures of this event on our website: http://www.muninn.dds.nl

Historisch OpenluchtMuseum Eindhoven Sunday the 14th of June

While my husband and son where making pewter dress accessoiries.


I was:



doing some nalebinding, a pair of socks for a friend.




making lunch, stew and a pastry.


And ofcourse:





Dyeing with natural dyes, cochenille to be exact.
And this was the end result.



The pictures doesn't do the colors justice. The wool on the left is purple,
the wool in the middle is actually more fuchsia pink than red and the color of the scarf is less strong.

New fabric and new plans

At the vikingmarket in the Archeon last week I bought myself some lovely fabrics. The top fabric is a very thin, light and soft wool (merino, gabardine) which will become an viking apron front and most likely a (medieval) veil.
The pinkish fabric, is also a thin wool, will be dyed with madder and will end up as a 14th/15th century kirtle.
The gorgeous broken diamond twill grey linnen will become a sleeveless viking under/summertunic or a sleeved viking undertunic or a peplos. (The Museum in Assen that has the Princess of Zweeloo says it is white diamond twill linnen.) Although I think it would look really cool as a peplos, I don't get to wear one often. As I don't want to cover such a beautiful fabric up it will probably end up as a sleeveless summertunic slash underdress. If I am really lucky and cut the fabric real economically, we could maybe squeeze out a sleeved and a sleeveless tunic.

Slowly I am starting to prepare for The Anton Pieck Parade (victorian style event)which takes place in December. My husband wants a new waistcoat and my son wants to come with us this year. So he will need a costume. It's hard to find historical dress patterns for childeren, it's even worse for boys but luckily enough Ageless Patterns has several.

This is one I think would be perfect for my son.



#1206
1868 Suit for Boy 8-10 Yrs

This suit, which was made of gray cloth, consists of trousers and jacket. The last is finished by two front pieces, imitating a vest, of white piqué, furnished with buttons and buttonholes, by which the jacket is fastened.