Been a Slacker!!

Well over the last couple of weeks haven't done much in the way of sewing. Did venture over to Stanzi's to continue to my spainish. Spent hours unpicking, sewin, unpicking some more and some sewing and lots of fixing up - don't know how & what happened but such is life. Have learnt to double check and take it slower. Have been finding it harder to do things differently to what i have been taught and learning correct ways to do things.

I have been learning 2 new stitches - stem stitch & a viking one that Mim was shown the same weekend I was unpicking..... I have been working with Dimitrii, Ange (newcomer) and myself working on improving a viking apron dress I have - we taught Ange the new stitches too and she is doing the patches for the apron dress for me - they are not the best but she is getting there I will put them on my dress for the time being - I am proud of her and proud to wear them...

I have been doing heaps of newcomers stuff for RH over the last few weeks as our hospit was missing in action but he has returned.

I would like to finish this spainish for Burnfield event 17th April - this will give me more time so I can take it slow. I have washed some wool that I got a few weeks ago and would like to make a coat for GNW - it's a mustard in colour (best way to describe it) - look nice with black bits...

I did score at the markets at River Haven hall on sunday - got 3 period shoes for $5 each YEAH!! 1 black 1 purple and 1 red leather I ended up given Ange the red set as my feet didn't feel right in them and red didn't suit me but couldn't say no to $5 shoes. THis saves me heaps of time and money for the time being.. So big thanks to Asa - might have to see if she has some more.

I have made a horse for Em's period toys and have made contact with woodworkers and we are getting some period wooden toys made up for us and for free!!! YEAH got to love connections.

Doing more GNW admin - organising festival booking folder, the information booklet and flyers.

Something for Em

I have finally started making some period toys for Em to play with at Events and at the moment at home as she totally loves them. I have made 2 dolls, and going collect/make a few more from knuckles, felt/leather balls, wooden top, a horse etc etc.

Hahaha they look funny! will keep practicing. Dimitrii helped with embroidery on their faces. I had trouble with sewing around the head. You can't see the hair to well in this photo. The female doll has wool hair and the male (daddy doll as Em calls it) has a faux fur hat. Still have to make boots/shoes which I will actually attach to the doll to save lossing them or Em eatting them.

I have two weeks to finish an outfit for Knights of the North and 1 saturday is taken up with RH collergia, taking a friend who is very interested in the SCA so that leaves me with 1 to get the idea of pin pleating and putting it all togethor - which I can get done!!! I will get done or I will be in trouble :)

This weeks adentures

It has been an interesting week for me but have caught up with my homework and have 4 dresses piled up ready for the next step. Have had trouble getting heavy demin over the Northside tried Lincraft, JJ's, Stafford & Morayfield spotlight and any other material shops i came acrossed. I did a 2nd hand shop hunt for good material but no luck there as well. I needed the heavy demin for inner lining for my bodies - I did use a demin skirt that I got from a garage sale for 50c I was able to get 1 1/2 bodices out of it - it was a long and big skirt - see sometimes having a big bottom comes in handy :) The material was very thick, heavy & non stretch and purple... YEah!! love purple!! I also had lost my rules - Thanks EM so I made up a hard cardboard ruler that was 5cm thick, and this saved me measuring everytime... I was also given heavy calico so I had a look at using for inner lining but i doubled the number of pieces and put the remaining purple lining with it so the front has 2 demin and 2 calico lining and the back only 2 calico. So I am going to see how that goes - doesn't hurt to experiment. I have had some help with week with cutting out patterns, so all my patterning this week has been cat approved...

But don't you just hate it when the cat jumps and tries to play with the scissors when you are cutting.... She loves the sewing machine too!!!

I am going to be doing underskirts this week - will go through my material cupboard to see what I have got.. Plan to do atleast 4 of different colours so that I can mix n match.

I also have had some ingredients from festival storage and have gotten sick of it being in the way so I have started making Apples in Pastry for morning tea snacks.

Baked Apples in Pastry - it's modern contemporary recipe but it uses period ingredients - still naughty but it's a nice recipe.

You use 6 apples, 3 cups of flour, 1.5 tsp salkt, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2cup butter 10-12 tab ice cold eater, 3/4 cup vegetable shortening, 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, 1/4 clupl ground or chopped walnuts, 1/2 tsp spices of combination of cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves.

Sift flour and salt in bowl cut shortening until crumbly, stir in cheese & walnuts to the flour and shortening. sprinkle wat over the mixture, mix lightly with fork until patry holds together and leavs the side of the bowl. Remove form bowl and knead into a smooth ball add more flour if needed and set aside. Pare apples and core just to the bottom, leaving the bottom intact. Remove any seeds. combine butter, sugar and spices in a bowl until smooth paste like. Spoon into centers of apples. roll out the pastry, cut into 7 inch squares and place the square on top of the apple and press pastry firmly around the apple, sealing at the bottome. Add pastry 'leaves' and stems if desired. place in a lightly grease baking sheet and bake at 435*f for 45 mins. Serve warm. serves 6

I have changed the recipe and method to suit our needs. Firstly I didn't have any vege shortening so I used 1 egg yolk and butter to make up the amount needed. This worked well and still did the desired affect. you would normally use egg yolk & butter in pastry making so not a biggy. See that we want finger food for Festy I am making the apples & spices togethor and rolling them into small balls and then wrapping them into the pastry. Rather then using a whole apple. I like this recipe because some period food was made to look like a shape or decorated food and this recipe does this.. I would like to find a period recipe that is similar to this to see if they did prepared apples in this way... I plan to make them into small apples the size of a large marble...

The pastry rocks!!! Tasted very nice on it's own. The cheese, walnut in the pastry gives this a nice twist to the pastry. I cut the pastry into 4 balls and rolled out to half a cm thick. I then rolled out a layer of glad wrap, then a layer of grease proof paper and then the pastry, then another piece of grease proof paper, repeated until all pastry is use. wrapped it up and in the fridge ready to be used.

New Week - New Homework!

Homework of cutting out, sewing the skirts are done apart from the pouch - that just needs the eyelets done and drawstring attached (that can get done today at the Baronial meeting)

Yesterday we sewed the lining, outer bodice together & quilted the inner lining (reinforcement ;) ) all with the Help of Em - Thanks EM love your work!

This weeks homework is:
1 - quilt the remaining 3 inner lining - need to get some more material for that
2 - sew the remaining bodices
3 - make more chemises - have 4 will try to make another 4

extra personal homework - something to do when not interested in sewing

1 - make pearl belt/guilded belt (don't know what correct name for them) have found some cool pictures of nice belts & protraits with belts in use.... This will be a fun activity to do with Em - will have to get some pearls for her.
2 - makes some more finger loop baid
3 - complete budget for festival so we have an idea of $$$

Journey so far

So far this week I have been slowly sewing (Em still wasn't the best) I have done 1/2 my homework so far. 2 extra dress patterens and skirts done. Pouch made need to do eyelet/holes, attach tassles & draw string. Also started a smaller pouch for Em with Monty on it - Mat will do some stem stitch for me. Also thinking of having household device/monty on Em's garb for Festy if forbid she does wondered off - she is labelled (as nice as that sounds)

I have been refining the festical menu - finding more premade items. Will be trying the rest of the items over the next week.... So far the food taste nice!!!

Haven't taken photos as yet will do tomorrow as Em is off to daycare so free day.

Revisited finger looping - haven't done this in ages - prefer the round then the flat pattern.. Will teach Mat to do this.

Have gotten some newbies interested in making garb - she was alittle confused and worried but we chatted, visit the hospit room (as basic as it is) to give her ideas and confidence. She is very kind and going home to start planning.

Looking for fashion templates so that I can design my garb. Will share the templates when I find them.

Til next time - :)

The Journey begins

Today I emback on a Journey to improve my garb - this has been a goal for couple of years. No more excuses I need to put myself first and makes some garb that I can be proud to wear. Was fitted by Stanzi and she confirmed that I am a freak hahaha! :) short arms, short legs, long abdomen and big feet for my height.

So what we achieved today was a pattern, french seam skirt & cut out a bodice - took it slow as I normally would rush it - so take time.

My homework is: - cut out all dress pieces, sew all skirts, make a pouch and fine my boning that I do have somewhere!!

We also laughed heaps at the video hit's on pay TV - wow there was alot of hair.