Isabella's Project Diary

Gah!

2013-05-18T02:14:17Z

The skirt looks awesome but the mock up bodice is atrocious. Fixing once I am no longer mad at it. This is my historical fortnightly project and it's based on an extant gown in my collection. More to come later...

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/855437.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Cloak!

2013-05-12T02:04:40Z

A picture of the almost completed hood. The pictures of the almost completed cloak didn't come out well.

I've promised Mom for a couple of years that I'd make her a cloak to wear to the Renn Fest. She's always borrowing mine and I'd like it back. ;-) Plus, mine is made for me and, therefore, is meant to be ankle length, over a farthingale, on me. Mom is a good 5 inches shorter than I am. She'd always have her arms bundled with the cloak. However, she loved mine because it's WARM and comfy.

So, her's is out of a stunning wool twill thanks to the Fabric.com wool sale. It's a nice medium weight wool. I interlined it with cotton flannel for warmth and lined it with the blue satin you see in the picture. It's that flannel backed satin and about 70% "many stars" but it looks fabulous. And the point is to keep her warm during October (in which it has snowed at the Renn Fest). I need to hem it and finish the hood but it's at the point where it looks cloak like. I also need to add a clasp and I *think* I have one with the buttons....

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/854426.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Yard Sale Find

2013-05-11T16:11:01Z

In between studying and thinking of ways not to study, I went to a yard sale this morning. I found a lovely lavender china set, just two teacups, two salad plates, and two dinner plates, that I immediately fell in love with. I paid $3 for the entire set.

Although the plates look to have a blue design in the pictures, it really is a stunning lavender. They are by Spodes and the pattern is called Mayflower. Yes, I already looked up how much it would cause to get the full set on ebay and replacements and needless to say, it won't be happening anytime soon. ;-) Just one dinner plate seems to even out around $50 a piece. Oh well, I have enough for a tea for two!

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/854162.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Arwen Trim!

2013-05-10T21:37:53Z

Rather than spending $60+ for a yard on Etsy or just embroidering the neckline and sleeves myself, I found this trim that looks really close:

I'll cut the silver lace off at the bottom and maybe the two bullion bands as well. The embroidery is pretty close - though not exact- to the original trim. I doubt anyone will notice unless they read this. :-) I can just add the bugle beads around the edges to make it look even more like the original trim.

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/853894.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

What color should I paint the Vardo?

2013-05-08T01:17:35Z

The Vardo!

The background is the lower side of the vardo and shows the true colors much better.

I've already asked a few of you but I need to know: what color should I paint the Vardo?

The paint that is on it isn't exterior paint and it needs to be painted before Pennsic. I keep going and back forth between these two colors:

The color names are Strawberry Rose and Tardis Blue. I think the second one is easy enough to explain as to why I think that color is awesome given it's name. :-) So, the pink!

When I was little, and John Mellencamp's Pink Houses came out (I thought it was Born in the USA, my bad!) I loved the idea of little pink houses for me. (Yeah, I was way to small to even begin to comprehend what he was really singing about. I just figured everyone got a nice little pink house and that sounded awesome!). I told my Dad when I grew up, I'd have a little pink house. So, painting the house pink means my inner five year old would be happy. Also, pink is period for 15th/16th C Italy so...that would make me happy.

However, who can resist painting it Tardis blue? I figured I could just put up the Police Box sign on the door with a post it note stating "River fixed it. -the Doctor"

EDIT: The poll tag is NOT working, so please just comment below with Strawberry Rose or Tardis blue. Sorry!

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/852930.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Reposting

2013-05-06T23:57:06Z

Historical Fortnightly: http://isabelladangelo.blogspot.com/2013/05/historical-fortnightly-9-flora-and-fauna.html

Regency Apron Dress: http://isabelladangelo.blogspot.com/2013/05/checkered-wool-regency-dress.html

I posted to blogspot! Yay! :-)

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/852594.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

My latest Regency Dress

2013-04-29T12:01:50Z

I'll post more pictures and more about the dress later but it is 100% handsewn and it's 100% checkered blue wool, thanks to the fabric.com sale last year! Mom is in love with the fabric - she loved the way the dress moved. It was super easy to work with.

I probably need a bonnet to go with it, don't I? I think I have some of the pink linen from my 18th C petticoat somewhere...or maybe just go with the purple silk ribbon on straw? Hmm...

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/851015.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

The Fort Fred Hull!

2013-04-28T01:10:25Z

The very lovely tiara and pin are from jennylafleur for my birthday. Thank you so much! I wore the tiara all the way home. :-)

I bought five yards of lovely hand dyed blue green 1" wide silk ribbon and a yard and a half of 1/2" wide blue green silk ribbon. I'm thinking a purple silk caraco and petticoat with the ribbon. Not sure yet.

I managed to get 10 yards of white twill tape since I'm always needing that.

The little ribbon hat pin will go on a new hat I need to make. I just loved the colors and the little Celtic button.

The coral red damask caught my eye the second we got into the fabric tent. I had to get it, it's 100% cotton and had a very nice large scale damask print. It's perfect for the mid 16th Century and I'm thinking something along the lines of this:

but I'm not sure yet.

The fabric that is on the top of the stack is a lovely hot pink lime green linen that shimmers. I'm thinking something like the red dress in this picture for Pennsic:

I might go earlier.

Anyway, I hope everyone else had a good time and will post their pictures as well. My Fort Fred photos will be up tomorrow - hopefully. My camera died and the computer and camera don't like each other anymore.

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/850765.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Oh the problem of Pinterest

2013-04-23T22:51:33Z

So I saw this dress on pinterest:

And I thought "Oh! That's lovely! Maybe I should get it!"

So I click through to the website....

and see the dress is $3,290. Um, yeah. No thank you. Backing away now.

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/850542.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Boston

2013-04-15T22:09:56Z

My prayers are with everyone in Boston right now. I know details will follow in the next few days and I do hope we catch all involved.

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/848672.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Apologizing in Advance

2013-04-14T22:35:18Z

I'm going to be super busy studying over the next couple of weeks for my CISSP exam. This means I probably won't be on LJ/Dreamwidth as much and I will miss posts. Please, if you want to contact me, either call or email. I really won't mind a break in studying. ;-)

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/848494.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Historical fortnight Accessories part Two!

2013-04-08T20:22:20Z

A lot more information up on blogspot but I did make this:

Both the forehead cloth and the coif are made out of linen and handsewn with silk thread. The very ugly cording will go away soon. I had to have something to put the hat on and I have no idea where my real silk cording went to so...icky cording!

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/846240.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

A ruff post

2013-04-06T21:50:07Z

I finished the first part of my historical fortnightly project!

For more information, click the first link. It will take you to my blogspot page.

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/845920.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Costuming and Sewing

2013-04-04T03:13:16Z

I actually have everything out for the German Underdress I was going to make for this weekend; however, I'm not going to Coronation. I really REALLY wish I could but I calculated out the costs and $400 (gas, hotel, and the site fee plus food) for a couple of days really just isn't in the budget right now. Although I've pretty much given up on the Belle German Gown, I will work on the underdress for it since it will work for any future Saxon outfit. I'm not happy about it but I need to be practical right now. I hate being practical. :-p

For the Historical Fortnightly Accessories challenge, I'm thinking of doing a ruff. I have two but I could always use another one and I have the materials I need for one. It would be something a bit different and I might even attempt to make a coif and headcloth to go with the entire ensemble. Since, for the sea challenge, I'm doing something 'Bethan, minus well get an entire outfit out of the way.

My Dad and I had a very interesting conversation the other day that involved costuming and Hollywood that I thought the rest of you might like/want to comment on: Dad has noticed that the use of color in movies has changed drastically with the advent of digital filming. As he points out, most movies in the past ten years have a "gray scale" rather than the vivid colors we see in the old Technicolor movies, such as the Wizard of Oz. He mentioned Quentin Tarantino as one of the few directors who still sees the value of color in movies - which he uses through the use of both props (who can forget the blood in Kill Bill?) and costuming (again, Kill Bill but also Pulp Fiction). I pointed out that Tim Burton very often uses primary colors as a contrast against the gray scale for more vivid imagery (Alice in Wonderland being a good example). He was curious as to why many directors seem to have forgotten the importance of color in storytelling with only a very even thinking about the color palette for costuming. I pointed out that Marie Antoinette certainly used the colors of the costumes and props to further the story (despite my not liking the movie. I know. I'm the only one.) Dad hasn't seen it (I told him to put it on mute and just listen to 80's music while watching it) but found the concept interesting.

So, can y'all think of any movies this century that use color, particularly in the costuming, to help tell the story? Dad and I could only come up with pretty much the films above. Are there other directors that refuse to film in digital? I'd like to watch a couple of movies with Dad where we can both discuss the costuming. ;-)

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/844923.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Food Allergy Project

2013-03-26T22:39:17Z

http://isabelladangelo.blogspot.com/2013/03/question.html

Feel free to repost!

As I explain over on blogspot, I have a food allergy product in mind. All I need help with is if a few people are willing, just to take a picture of your weekly food related groceries and, if possible, their labels. I would like to bring awareness of what we consume and how someone with food allergies looks at an average food product. There is a lot more about it on the blogspot post but feel free to ask questions about the project.

Thanks!

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/843695.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Stripes Challenge

2013-03-25T03:24:54Z

http://isabelladangelo.blogspot.com/2013/03/historical-fortnightly-6-stripes.html

I made a short gown. It's ridiculously easy and quick to put together. If you don't have anything right now, I would highly suggest a short gown. It took me a grand total of a half hour from cut to finish.

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/843486.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Bump its are period, people!

2013-03-24T02:40:52Z

For Edwardian, at least. This is from my new to me, June 1904 issue of Ladies' Home Journal. It's way too much fun to just read the ads!

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/842995.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

More Yarn!

2013-03-22T03:30:09Z

When I made the purple wool thread with a hand spindle, it took two freakin' years! (Of course, it wasn't all at once. I'd do a small bit, get bored, leave the spindle for a week or so, and get back to it but it took forever!) This white yarn I just made that is slightly too thick for crewel thread? Two hours. I like the spinning wheel.

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/842528.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

pink!

2013-03-16T21:03:07Z

not quite what I was going for but it works. what do y'all think?

Medieval Question HELP!

2013-03-14T02:18:29Z

I remember an image floating around a few years ago of a painting. In this painting, there was a female messenger who had on a dress with a high slit to the side, no underdress anyone could see, and sandals. Does anyone else remember this picture? I want to say it was 15th C but I really don't remember that well and I can't find the image. Help, please!

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/839581.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Historical Fortnightly Peasants Challenge

2013-03-13T03:41:13Z

I ended up not having time to do the Fruit seller dress and just did a basic pair of sleeves and an apron out of scrap linen instead. It was cheap and incredibly simple. More here: http://isabelladangelo.blogspot.com/2013/03/historical-fortnightly-5-peasants.html

For stripes, I'm already working on the project. Gotta love Edwardian skirts!

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/838986.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Progress!

2013-03-07T04:10:17Z

I finished the skirt trim! I also finished attaching the faux robings, fixed the shoulder area, and basically got it to where I only need a couple more hours to finish up the dress. It will be done on Friday. I swear it.

I know the pictures are dark and the trim looks off - it's because I'm holding it so it looks curvy even though it's not- but I do have something dress shaped. The sleeves need to be attached and I need to do the trim around the robings plus finish the stomacher but the skirt trim always takes me the longest. Woohoo!

SNOWQUESTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2013-03-06T11:22:04Z

Yay!!!! It's code red at work which means....no work! Snow Day! I get to work on my dress all day, yay!

I'm over at Mom's because she has a fireplace and I am not staying in a cold house should the power go out. Given that we are now at 6-10" possible...power will go out. Besides, being over here will force me to handsew a lot more. ;-)

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/836364.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Sewing Progress and Snowquestration.

2013-03-04T02:51:28Z

I think I spelled that right. I have no idea.

Anyway...

The red silk got cut out, the back got pleated and sewn down, the front of the skirt got sewn on to the back pleats, the front of the bodice got sewn as did the faux robings and shoulder straps. The petticoat is in the bad corner until Tuesday. Pretty much, I have something dress shaped. I got stuck on what type of trim I wanted and I finally made a choice around 8:30 pm. I need to finish the trim, sew up the sleeves, sew on the sleeves, and then finish up the insides. Oh, and finish the stomacher. I think I can do that by Saturday.

It would help if it snowed like a foot on Tuesday night.

Which might happen.

I really really hope it does because that would be awesome. By the way, do we have a snow plan? Actually, it should be melted by Friday so that won't be an issue. I want snow.

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/835692.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

For the "Peasant" Historical Fortnightly

2013-02-24T05:23:44Z

I have the wool to make this and I already have a green apron so... I need some sort of red ribbon. :-) It looks like she has some sort of blackwork embroidery around her bodice but I'm going to hold off on that because I know there is no way I can do that in a couple of weeks properly. I do need to make the white linen partlet as well.

This entry was originally posted at http://isabelladangelo.dreamwidth.org/834035.html. Please comment there using OpenID.