Whitsun Viking weekend at the Archeon

Our very own hunter's apprentice.

We had a wonderful Whitsun with all our viking friends at the Archeon. It was really sunny and warm so I was happy that I had made a new summer tunic and linen shorts for our son.

Website finished!

I am happy to be able to say that my website is finished!
It was a lot of work, especially for my father who designed and made the website.
Thanks Dad, I think it is awesome!

You can visit it here: http://historicalcostumes.nl/

First event

Our first event this year Dag van het Park (Day of the Park)  at Capelle aan de IJssel was blessed with beautiful weather and the company of friends.

My son loves all, well most, creatures great and small.

So he was really happy when he got a chance to hold Pjort,

the little owl from Stephan and Diana from http://www.widoeghe.nl/

I spend most of the day nalebinding socks

 for my husband.

Ofcourse I was delighted when I got a chance to hold

Pjotr as well

Our next event will be an early medieval/viking event at whitsun in the Archeon. I am currently working on a new clothes for my son. He has grown quite a bit since the end of the re-enactment season, last year. And  is almost as tall as me now.

After the Archeon, Castle House Bergh will be next on our list! 

A new friend

A friend, whether human or animal, can never be replaced. But our son missed having a cat around so badly that we finally caved in. He fell in love with a one year old cat in an animal shelter. So we decided to bring her home with us.

The boy does have good taste, doesn't he?! And although we still miss our previous cat, this little lady won our hearts in a second.

I've been really, really busy. I've started a new study, I have a role in a play, I've been working on my costuming website and I've made several costume parts. So I guess that is why I've been kind of neglecting this blog.

I' had a costuming website years ago but decided to take it down to work on it. I've started to work on it several times, but due to the large amount of pages I never finished it. Now I've got only four pages to go, so it just might get finished this time!

I have finished the chemisette I had  blogged about earlier.

Last December I had made a orange quilted petticoat for my 1840's working class dress, but wasn't really happy with how it turned out. I nicknamed it the hideous orange disaster... 

So when I came across this affordable ivory quilted cover I knew it would turn into a quilted petticoat.

And I love it! Still need to try it on with my costume over it though. I hope the shape works. I used folkwear pattern #206, Quilted Prairie Skirt and it all went together smoothly.

The play is a fairytale about a little princess with red hair. The book was written by the Dutch writer, Paul Biegel and adapted to a play with some song by our producer Herman Kattemölle. The audience will be 5th grade schoolchildren. So some of the kids that I work with in school will be able to see me play. Which hopefully will be a surprise as do not intend to tell them. My son has seen me rehearse and hates it, because when I act  I do not look and sound like his mom! That just might be a good thing  ;-)

I am very proud to say that some of my costumes will be worn, not only by me but also by some other members of the cast.

My current costume project is a black chemisette with black lace inserts and a matching pair of sleeves.

I tried to dye the unbleached cotton black with dylon hand dye, but it turned out sort of blueish gray. When it is finished it will be dyed black for a second time but with dylon washing machine dye.

Victorian Chemisette

A couple of good friends and victorian re-enactors brought me this lovely lace collar as souvenir from Bruges. Now I finally am able to use it!

There is still a lot to be done, but I am satisfied with the chemisette so far. Last Saturday, on a collectorsmarket, I even found some small white antique glass buttons, the same as on one of my originals, to go with it. It made my day, or rather my morning, I have a slight concussion and walking around in a crowd gave me a severe headache. So I spend the rest of the day in bed but it was nice to be out so it was worth it.

Victorian Chemisettes

I've been wanting to make a couple of victorian chemisettes for a long time. I've decided to start working on them before something else takes precedence. Re-enactment season will be starting again shortly and there are a couple of things that I need to repair, alter or make. Like a new pair of nalebound socks for my husband....

This is a pair of antique chemisettes from my personal collection. After looking at pictures of dated version on pinterest and ofcourse the rest of the internet. I estimate the childs size to be from the 1880's or later. Standing collars like this where common from the 1870's and up. The grown-up size I estimate to date to the 1860's, maybe even 1850's. Ofcourse I could be way of.

I need to re-attach some of the decorative buttons at the neckline.

I find it nice to have a pair of originals at hand while trying to make a reproduction but it also makes very obvious how hard it is to find the right materials. Most victorian chemisettes where made of thin cotton batiste. Which is hard to come by at least here in the Netherlands, not to say expensive! I bought the thinnest sheerest  I could find on the internet and still it's not thin or sheer enough! 

It was bio cotton batiste, so it had to be bleached. The unbleached fabric I will dye black and make a 1880's high neck chemisette with. I have heard or read about black chemisette being worn, but have found no evidence of their existence so far. Still going to make it though a white one would look off with that costume.

The white chemisette will be 1840's/1850's style, a lot like the original I own.

Victorian working class boy costume; pants.

Our son has decided that he wants to join us at our victorian events this year! He wants a working class outfit. Which will pair nicely with my 1840-1850's working class costume.

I have made him a pair of grey wollen trousers for him with Laughing Moon pattern #106, California pants. The pattern doesn't come in childs sizes so I made the smallest size, 28 waist. And took it in at the side seams. The pants are also much to long but will be given a wide hem just before the event. Hopefully this way he will be able to fit in it for a few years as all the seams can be let out.

Pants front, closed button fly, pockets and wooden buttons.

Front open, button fly with bone buttons.

Pants back, waist cincher.

We didn't purchase any new things for this costume. I already had the pattern lying around for years, unused I might add. The grey wool fabric was a left over scrap from his previous costume. He went with us to one victorian event when he was a lot smaller.  And got really cold and bored. So we left him with his grandparents every year since. The brown tweed woollen coat was a gift from a friend who's son had outgrown it. The red scarf I knitted myself and is actually one of my first knitting projects in years. The grey tweed cap I bought in a store for his previous victorian adventure.

We still needs shoes and a knitted sweater or flannel shirt and vest, but I think he already looks the part!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsboys_Strike_of_1899

Source: http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/