Another Avatar, with the Insulaires & Griffons

Well, another year has passed and once again we went to Avatar, a large LARP held near Hensies, Belgium. There are roughly 1200 players (not including staff). But I thought I'd share a couple of photos people took of me while there. hah, not narcissistic at all ;) so  I'll also put in the links that were posted for more photos.

 Hard to see in this one, but that great red blob in the back is me... this is the only photo I've yet seen of me in the red dress. But I know that there were more taken. Just need to find them!

 My ever large backside, and the uneven draping of my blue linen skirt (hey, it was wet and muddy, not gonna get that full of all that!, well ok, the white petticoat didn't really matter, it was still short enough)

 And now the awkward side view. Waiting for the battle to start. It was a moment's pause before I started giving everyone water and a cold wet cloth to cool down. Sneaky weather it was!

So, to the left is me without stays... definitely time to go on a diet it seems!

And to the right, is me with stays, makes a bit of a difference, although I think someone (not me) did a sneaky photoshop job on it to make me a bit thinner, and take away my woobly chin. Ah well, I don't care it still looks great :)
It makes me feel about 10 years younger.



Photo Albums
http://www.facebook.com/groups/242131822486330/
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=o.101946325235&type=1  (ok, this one is from last year)
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2299538090964.137702.1324515454
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2288132165823.137176.1324515454
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.242479695784876&type=1
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.242132782486234&type=1
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150358312678777.357237.600183776
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150251251512196.334771.542392195&type=1
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150255105158651.325417.558683650&type=1
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150255077588651.325401.558683650&type=1
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150255130323651.325422.558683650&type=1
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150255155428651.325431.558683650&type=1
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150255174933651.325442.558683650&type=1
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150273330332403.353437.766187402&type=1
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2099681445175.117565.1039563504&type=1
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2107293973813.111699.1589469854&type=1
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1438717299814.55444.1589469854&type=1 (ok, another one from last year...)
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150271556644660.352727.730294659&type=1
https://picasaweb.google.com/misszaz/AVATAR2011?authuser=0&feat=directlink
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150275427339661.349820.730709660
https://picasaweb.google.com/106808609148679686840/Avatar2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCOfr-bGFmKi9IA
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150273330332403.353437.766187402
https://picasaweb.google.com/Arganak
http://portfolio.sudpresse.be/main.php?g2_itemId=838456


Videos (sorry, they are in French! and these links may go dead over time, that's just how the news is)
http://www.lavenir.net/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF20110729_280
http://www.rtl.be/videos/Video/346626.aspx
http://www.rtbf.be/info/videos/detail_jeu-de-role-grandeur-nature?id=1158523&mediaset=rtbfinfo--belgique&type=video
http://www.pluzz.fr/jt-19-20-nord-pas-de-calais-2011-07-31-19h00.html
http://www.notele.be/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14717&Itemid=31
http://www.dhnet.be/regions/mons-centre/ar...ers-avatar.html
http://www.dhnet.be/regions/mons-centre/ar...-dimension.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRZSsaebqQo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkyTxA8TSgs&feature=related
http://www.telemb.be/content/view/8605/166/
http://www.rtl.be/info/votreregion/hainaut/812754/vivre-avatar-c-est-possible-hensies-
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150270013368624&comments


Other (Articles, blogs, etc)
www.lavenir.net/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF20110728_00027331
www.lavenir.net/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF20110728_00027371
www.lavenir.net/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF20110728_00027553 
http://astrid.blogs.sudinfo.be
http://jonathan.blogs.sudinfo.be
http://sarah.blogs.sudinfo.be
http://simon.blogs.sudinfo.be 
http://archives.sudpresse.be/wallonie-record-de-belgique-avatar-a-hensies-jeu-de_t-20110727-H38E2J.html?queryand=avatar&firstHit=0&by=10&begYear=2011&begMonth=08&begDay=0&endYear=2011&endMonth=08&endDay=01&sort=datedesc&when=-1&pos=3&all=2365&nav=1
http://www.larp.be/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=2545
http://www.lavenir.net/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF20110727_340
http://video.belrtl.be/video/344890.aspx?CategoryID=4114
http://www.rtl.be/loisirs/sortir/evenements/10926/10eme-edition-du-jeu-de-roles-grandeur-nature-avatar
http://www.telemb.be/content/view/6628/576

Pretty shoes by American Duchess!

Pretty shoes by American Duchess on Pre Sale now!:

(Can you see that I also want a pair of these? or maybe 2...)

The Devonshires are a leather 18th century shoe based on museum examples from the 1760s through 1780s.  They're made of top-grade dyable leather, with a beautiful, smooth Italian leather sole for dancing, and are hard-wearing, water- and mud-proof, for even the toughest of outdoor re-enactments.

Pre-Order the Devonshires through August 10, and get the special $100 price.  We're only making 200 of these shoes, so don't miss the chance to own one of only a couple hundred pair on the planet!  Visit www.american-duchess.com to order.

 So here is an update on the red embroidered alcantara fabric dress.

The red dress is starting to take some form and some more definition as to what it wants to be. I found some lovely white lace (on the cuffs) and some copper and red trims. The red trim looks like ruching, so that will save some work down the line. Here the fabric is still mostly draped over the dress form and pinned in place. The embroidery from the border of the fabric has been been placed upside down for the bodice. This means I'll have some funky piece work because of the scalloping on the edge.  Still not sure about making this a caraco jacket vs a round gown.

In the meantime, while deciding how the red dress would end up, I started  doing a rework of a blue linen dress that I made last year. That dress definitely belonged to the Hall of Shame, but well, it was made only in an afternoon. The stays I had made (see previous posts) hadn't yet been fully fitted properly. They were definitely still too high along the bustline. It was too hot to wear the chemise closed, and I had been off washing dishes right before this photo was taken. I'm actually kind of glad my face is hidden in this picture!

Luckily I still had some linen left from that disaster above. I also found a small bit of black linen in the stash. So I decided to make my first attempt at a riding habit. This will be my first attempt to also make anything 18th century.


Here you can see everything just pinned to the mannequin. Definitely not finished yet. I also had to try to make my very first set of panniers. You definitely don't want to see those! I used garden wire, duct tape and some muslin to put them together. I didn't care about the color of the thread either... it was a mockup after all. 

Here is a bit of the back side of the jacket. I have to redo the peplum pleating. It didn't quite match where I wanted it to. I also haven't decided on the lining yet for this jacket. You can see my cat Yumiko on the ladder watching the whole process.

 The repleating of the skirt came out well though! And you can catch a peak of the construction of the jacket. Yes, I'm using a mix of machine and hand sewing (it's my first time after all!, all patterns were draped by me, with some looking at other pictures for reference). The interior of the jacket has some stiff cotton denim/duck to hold the shape.

 Here you can see where I need to rework the pleats!

 And last but not least, some look at the buttons. There are some pewter buttons with a sphinx design and the blue buttons are wood covered in leather. I think I'll not use them however as the blues are not quite right. The black linen waistcoat is at this moment only a false front. I might decide later to turn it into a full vest so I can take the jacket off in warmer weather.

Finally a couple new dress designs are started.

Well, it's been a while since I last put anything in here, I tend to be more active on FB for some reason. Anyways, I thought I would share with you 3 dress projects that are lurking around the house.

The first I think will either be a 17th or 18th century style dress. It will be my first time trying to make a full dress from this period.  It hasn't made up its mind yet whether it wants to be a robe a la francaise, robe a l'anglaise, or something a bit more baroque, I'm not yet sure. But then again, it could go a bit like like a caracao jacket, or riding habit type dress... 
 The main fabric is completely non-period, as it is intended for a fantasy event. It is an embroidered alcantara like substance. It has some lovely "distressing" on it, and gives off the feel of suede. I have this in both red and white. At this moment the fabric is only draped over my duct tape dummy and I've been staring at it off and on for the past few days.

This is just fabric draped over a form, nothing has been cut yet .


Another closeup of one of the other embroidery motifs scattered through the main fabric. You can see the colors a little better here.

The copper antique satin fabric below actually matches the embroidery motifs on the red fabric. I will probably use that fabric to make more trim for the dress. The "stomacher" is a cut red upholstery fabric that I only have 1 square meter of. It's not really good for much besides accessories

Here you can see the fabric in white, along with the velvet I chose to go with it. The red version is done with this brown and green, as you see, the white does not have so much color to it.

 

And of course, as usual both cats have slept on or otherwise investigated the fabric... (that's Miyu)


 

These are a few inspirational images for this dress I have in mind. They come from a variety of sources such as movies/TV (Pirates of the Caribben, The Aristocrats, The 3 musketeers); museums (Met, V&A, LA, closeup of embroidery from QE2's coronation dress, etc), and other costume recreations from historical reenactors (ie Harmon Hay, Mode Historique, some Czech and German sites I can't read very well, some Etsy shops, to name a few - please let me know if you would like a specific mention for your image or if you would like the image removed).

 And here is the second set of inspirational images, more in the blues, but here I was looking more at form or function, fabric or embroidery. (One lady photo is "cheeky" from pyrates pub)
I'm particularly fond of the blue outfit on the bottom right
I was amused at some of the coats with the hoods. Definitely something to be converted into modern wear ;)

 Now imagine with the fabric I've posted here, which way do YOU think I should go with this dress? Robe a la francaise, Robe a l'anglaise, riding habits, caraco jackets, baroque (musketeer style) ? I am imagining that the lower hem embroidery can turn into all kinds of interesting things in the dress. and I'd like to display it to its best. The copper can turn into all kinds of trim as well. The red velvet can turn either into a stomacher, hat, or purse or other accessory, so not necessarily located in its final position.

To give an idea of what the dress will be used as, it will be to portray a sort of "madam of a seaport brothel" at an event in the near future. An additional inspiration is "the Red Lady"- a female pirate during the 1600s, but I will not be necessarily sticking to that time period since it is a fantasy type event.

The second fabric set will most likely end up as something Elizabethan. I'm just not sure about putting myself in these pale colors and tromping around a muddy site however. And as I'm of a bit larger set, I'm also unsure the color will make me look even bigger.  I haven't gotten much further with this one yet...

The third dress project that is hiding around the place is a brown and gold "hunts" Elizabethan. The design is largely inspired by this website: http://www.waistedefforts.com/barker-beautification/

I have however imagined instead a brown leather jerkin embroidered in gold, with a brown velvet overskirt which uses the same leather as guarding around the hem. Gold brocades of course for the forepart and sleeves.  I'll post that one as I start working on it, since it will be an interesting feat to do with this particular type of faux leather, and the piecework I will need to do to ensure the embroidered motifs lie correctly.

The picture below is from the Barker's, but I have completely mangled it with some of my own fabrics. It was just a lot easier than drawing it all out myself (sorry!!)

Now, I only have to pick one and get started! Oh yes, and of course some more outfits for my husband as well :)

Pair of bodies - with reed boning

Since moving over to the Netherlands, I sometimes get annoyed with trying to find decent supplies for fabric, notions, boning and other items. So I order online often from the UK since I can read the websites a bit easier (although google translate is a wonderful help, and yes, I can read some Dutch... I'm just lazy.)

I realized that my old corset would not fit my new shape properly anymore thanks to age and (much) more weight on me. I looked around at various types of steel boning and came to a grim conclusion. I had no idea anymore how many bones and what sizes I would need.

So, I first tried using the corset pattern generator found on http://www.elizabethancostume.net/.  I did have to take in the sizing a bit. I actually tried this pattern first with the remainder of steel bones from my old corset and did the normal Elizabethan straight style of corset. I found that I didn't have enough bones, and it didn't...ahem... keep me contained... very well. I looked even bigger than I actually am.

I then thought to myself, this might be a perfect opportunity to try out other types of boning. Lo and behold I found a site in the UK that would send me rolls of reed boning for a good price (~ 15 Euros per 12 foot roll http://www.venacavadesign.co.uk/ ) . Perfect opportunity to create a mockup without having to go through much fuss. Or so I thought.

I also realized that the corset pattern didn't exactly fit me comfortably or create the shape I wanted. So I decided to try out some 18th century corset styles. I figured with my size I would probably get away with using this corset for Elizabethan on up to 18th century by using this pattern. I know it's not exactly historically correct, but I'm looking for comfort as well.

My first mockup corset with the new patterning was made with one layer of cotton canvas on each side and reed boning cut to size for each channel. The whole thing is machine stitched (again, it's a first mockup, so no need to go through much fuss). I've only used prepackaged cotton bias tape for the binding. Since I wasn't sure if the reed would actually support me I decided on a fully boned corset. It definitely took some time to cut each piece to size and round off the corners. I wore that corset for an entire day just to see where the "odd pokey bits were". Afterwards, I shortened the front of the corset so it doesn't hit me quite so high on the bosom. This runs a high risk of me popping out (thank you smock!) however it doesn't ride up as much then when I sit down, or create other strange effects with the bosom. I haven't yet figured out how I'll do straps on this thing yet. Lowering the front line of the corset also helped with any bones poking me in the armpits.     I altered the corset to be front and back lacing.. I don't have it laced completely in the front in this picture,  but hey, it's just a quick picture while I'm trying to do some fittings of other items.  I'm not quite sure yet how to correct what is going on in the front with the boned tabs without having to use a busk.  They flip up to that position when I sit down. It is also where my belly pudge tends to go. It also does not give a perfect straight line but indents slightly under the bust.

However overall I'm actually pleased with how this fit me despite the tabs poking up strangely in the front. I find that the corset is more comfortable than having steel bones and also breathes quite well in the summer. I definitely think I will use this option again for middle-low class costuming. I might consider the pattern with steel bones in case I want to do another nobility outfit - only to make sure the line is somewhat straighter - but then again, maybe not, this one is doing surprising well all things considered. And at least I have something that fits me better than my first attempts.

(once again, my apologies for the slightly fuzzy picture - I can't seem to hold my hand steady like this, and oh my, I do not like my profile, it's looked wierd like that since I was 20 or so and even with less poundage! You also can see my attempt at renaissance hair taping in this photo)

More from the Attic Trunk

Just a few more items from Granm's attic trunk.

Child's dress

 

 

Some underpinnings

(Now I know why they always say to have clean ones, it's for all those costumers documenting them a century from now!)

Black Wool Coat



Various objects

This fan is unfortunately crumbling

 

 It's a child size Elizabethan flat cap! The rest of the child's Elizabethan costume is on the Picasa webalbum. There were also pants and skirt to go with the top pictured there.