News:
Since our little Incipient Canton of Ealdnordwuda (no, don't try to spell it OR say it--we don't either, hehehe) has FINALLY gained full status as real Canton (Cue: Pinocchio voice "I'm a real Canton!"), we'll be elevated at 12th Night this year in the Barony of Cynnabar. This is *ideal* because we won't have to worry about running an event and Cynnabar is a friendly local Barony that will gladly share the limelight with us at their magnificent 12th Night celebration.
This means two things for me.
1.) I must prepare a small gift for Their Majesties in thanks for elevating us. And perhaps something for the Baron and Baroness of Cynnabar for hosting our elevation on their 12th Night.
AND (You knew this was coming.)
2.) I GET TO MAKE A NEW OUTFIT!
I'm still in the planning stages, but presumably, it will be:
--a white muslin slip-type chemise that commercially looks a bit like this one from Revival Clothing
Here is one art example from period. There are plenty more on this site from the Wenceslaus Bible. Excellent examples.
--A GFG (gothic-fitted gown ala Robin Netherton) easy-fit (translation: wide enough to get it over my gigantic boobs with fitted enough not to bunch up under the over-gown) kirtle in white muslin dyed with RIT (unfortunately I don't really have time to gather anything natural and process it properly) in dark chocolate brown. I find this looks better than brown quilting cotton solids. Much better drape and softer, but still rich in hue. Muslin seems to hold the color better than white quilting cotton solid too. I'll use lacing on the sleeves instead of buttons.
--A GFG front-laced, short-sleeve in medium-heavy natural colored linen dyed maroon with RIT with turn-back tippets lined in white lightweight linen (my one splurge--everything else I have in the closet of DOOM!). The skirt and bodice will be lined in white muslin to fool the eyes and the pocketbook into thinking I actually have money for full linen-lined garb. This woman has a great site with tons of pictures of her creations spanning the centuries. She does a great recreation of a short-sleeve GFG/kirtle (no fold-back tippets, but I can easily add them to the sleeve cut) here.
A good period contemporary art perspective on this look with the tippets (that I and others more scholarly predict were most likely fold-back as opposed to separate attachments) is from the Les Tres Riches Heures April illumination
You can see the woman kneeling to the middle right of the couples. She's is wearing a black/dark green/dark brown over-gown with white tippets and a white lining or a white hem at the bottom. Her kirtle is blue without visible sleeve buttons, but I'll be lacing them discreetly from the elbow.
The Tres artwork and the rather good accompanying article is hosted here. This is an excellent presentation with zoomable images for each month.
--A new oval veil and barbette in lightweight linen (from the tippet lining buy since I'm only using enough in the sleeves to do the fold back plus an inch and the tippet lengths). I'd like to use tissue weight linen, but this is just not possible.
--I'm investigating the possibility of making or having someone make for me (Emma?) two matched hair nets to approximate cauls for my temple braids with a crochet technique as explained here. There is thankfully extant examples of these types of nets as seen on the above site, however, I'm keeping it simple and doing a plain weave net.
I'd like to attach them to a dark bronze colored satin ribbon to tie around my head under my veil. I don't have the money for a metal circlet (or a right to wear one yet, not being an official Lady). Some people don't care, but for me it's important to have the AoA first. That's how I play the game. Makes it more special for me.
Here's an art perspective from the statue of Jeanne de Bourbon from Cynthia Virtue's excellent page on simple cauls
And here is an even closer art representation of what I'd like to recreate with these caul nets from the funeral brass of Sir Symon de Felbrigge and Margaret his wife, 1400. Felbrigge, Norfolk. Note the veils over and under her cauls. Mine will be less rigid, but this is closer than Jeanne de Bourbon because Margaret does not wear a crown. This is clip art from the Florida Center for Instructional Technology at the University of South Florida, but the funeral brass picture itself falls under public domain usage rules.
--Also planning on treating myself to a pair of period shoes for Christmas to complete the outfit.
So that's it for now. Updates soon and more frequently as construction of the outfit begins.
Yours in Service,
Gillian de Chelseye
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