I have Renai'ed the -ssance! Walked around for about an hour and a half. Watched a show. Gave out a few trinkets! Wore the two costumes I prepped. Pretty much all went according to plan. Accidentally parked about as far way as I possibly could, BUT the parking turned out to be free, so I got that going for me. Weather was about as nice as it's going to be around here, at this time. Scattered clouds, strong sunlight, but a decent breeze helped. And my costumes being hooded and long-sleeved kept about as much sun off me as I could.
Details and pics below the jump:
Managed to finished up just about all I had left to do last night. Got up at about 6:45 AM, to finish up some charms, and sew the beekeeper mask together:
Those charms are a pain in the butt to make, frankly. Everything takes forever. Tying the knots is especially fiddly and slower than you'd expect. They do look OK, tho. Gave out ... four of them, I think.
And handsewing the medieval beekeeper mask back together was ... actually, pretty OK. It's real simple work, with my biggest handsewing needle and some upholstery thread. Takes a little time, but not a nightmare. Photo above is of the inside-out interior; all that gets turned right-side out when the sewing is done. That, you've seen before (old pics below):
No, I am not a sandworm from Dune.
Hand to get up early not just to finish this stuff, but because I was going out for breakfast with family first, then right off to Ye Olde Ren Faire.
Started the day off with the beekeeper, but then switched to the Greyfriar! First time wearing that out. Looked and worked pretty decent, if I do say so myself:
I was wearing two satchels / bags for this, one big one with the important stuff (keys, phone, wallet, etc) and a small one with the trefoil charms. It was a little tricky trying to figure out what order the tunic / belt / hood / bag straps should put on in. It's a little more awkward because of the pectorals and the belt; the beekeeper has neither of those.
Got in some last-minute sewing this morning, for the greyfriar: Cuffed the sleeves. Trimmed and zig-zagged the bottom of the tunic where it needed it. Trimmed and zig-zagged the raw edges of the hood. Cut and sewed the scapulars.
Threw all of that in with a special load of laundry, which also contains the online fabric purchase (which finally got here) and some brown & black scraps of fabric which may be useful for things like pouches / pockets.
Secretly hoping that some of the brown / black dye may also migrate to my grey material in the wash. Not very likely, but it would be a nice touch to push the color a little warmer and darker. This wash is primarily to get rid of chalk marks and glue.
After all this is dry, then the final tailoring can be done. I think I have enough scraps left to make a partial lining for the hood, which is good because the interior is partially visible when the hood is down. The bottom edge of the hood needs to be hemmed, and the scapulars attached. The bottom of the tunic may need to be hemmed, but I may be able to get away with it looking raw and only zig-zagged.
I still need to find some good rope / cord for the belt – I'll have to hit the Joann's because the Michael's didn't have anything satisfactory when I checked.
I still need to fabricate the satchel & strap. I would like to subtly dry-brush the edges of the costume to show more separation between the parts. And I'd like to finish some little trinkets, but time is of the essence, and motivation is sometimes of limited supply.
Took some time just now to do a bit of sewing on the greyfriar costume. Sewed the scapulars (or whatever they are) to the bottom edges of the hood and then clumsily hemmed the edges.
Assuming the weather is OK tomorrow morning, I may just be crazy enough to wear the thing to the ren fair. This will be my last chance for a while.
Today reminds of a very wet and windy trip with my little sister to Edinburgh! We got absolutely drenched 😂 Here's Greyfriars Bobby for you :) #historic #history #statue #greyfriar #greyfriarsbobby #learn #explore #edinburgh #culture #city #citybreak #weekend #family #roadtrip #scotland #drenched (at Edinburgh, United Kingdom)
