It's been radio silence from me lately, and for good reason - I'm moving!
Or rather, I'm basically done moving out of my old place, but still have a lot of unpacking and organizing to do in the new place.
I'm really excited to have a dedicated (mostly) sewing area again, AND a small closet just for craft supplies! I've already got some of my historical costumes hanging in that closet, and the few long rolls of fabric I have are in there too.
What I purchased four years ago to be a work table spent the last two years as a dining table, and it is now returning to being a work table (give or take a few nice dinners).
I'm really hoping that having some space to spread out and leaving things out will help me get sewing again in the second half of the year!
you know what ren faires need more of? 60s/70s medieval revival. and since we're reviving the revival, i suggest the term "mod-ieval". lets go back to our roots
I don't really do one-off ensembles in my historical costuming. I tend to lean towards small, almost capsule wardrobes for the eras I've done (or am planning to do) so that each piece in the "wardrobe" is as versatile as possible.*
My Regency wardrobe is a good example of that. I have one Regency dress. A basic white dress, specifically chosen because I knew I'd be able to layer and accessorize it, changing up the look every time I wore it.
Now obviously not every era has such an obvious, easy to coordinate option, so I go back to modern capsule wardrobes for inspiration and create a color scheme for each era I want to do.
Creating Your Pallet
If I already have a fabric or an accessory in my stash, that serves as my starting point. If I don't have something in my stash, I'll pick a project idea to serve as my base.
My Regency wardrobe actually started with my stash. I made that white dress knowing that I had several small lengths of blue fabrics in my stash that I could use for bodices and reticules. I knew that red coral necklaces were popular in the Regency era, and I knew I wanted a (faux) one. I was able to find a red pashmina shawl pretty quickly, too. So my pallet became red, white, and blue, which was feeling... unnecessarily patriotic. So I've opened my pallet up to include brown, grey, yellow, and pink, but as accessories, not main colors.
My Greco-Roman-ish wardrobe, on the other hand, started from a color pallet I found on Pinterest. Seafoam green, stormy blue, and pale amethyst. (A nice, muted, analogous color scheme.) I bought a blue double gauze for my chiton (which I later replaced with a better blue lawn) and a minty green lawn for my pallas. I've made a few necklaces to match - one stormy blue shell and pearl, one amethyst and aventurine, and one aventurine and amazonite.
My Italian Renaissance wardrobe was inspired by contemporary paintings - rich reds, golden yellows, warm pinks, tawny orange. I've only made one red gown, but I've already made sleeves in two shades of red and one yellow fabric, and I know all those sleeves will coordinate with any future gowns I make if I stay in my color scheme.
Pick Your Neutrals
Shoes are often the most difficult purchases for a historical costume, and they're not cheap. So having one pair of shoes that works for multiple ensembles for an era can be very helpful. Choosing a neutral color for your shoes can help.
My 1890s color pallet started with some charcoal grey suiting, some teal and black shot silk, and a variety of plum-colored fabrics I've been accumulating. I chose black as my neutral for the 1890s wardrobe because it would match all three fabric stashes (destined for three technically separate ensembles, which I know I just said I didn't do) effortlessly. I'll bring in white and ivory as accents, too.
I went with brown for my overall medieval/SCA wardrobe. It's easy to find brown leather items like shoes, belts, and pouches, and it goes well with the mostly warm-toned color scheme I'm using (navy blue, olive green, mustard yellow, and tawny orange). I used brown as my Italian Renaissance neutral as well so that I can reuse and mix-and-match accessories, and I'm using it as an accent in my garb, as well.
For practicality's sake, I won't be getting white shoes for my Regency ensemble. I was lucky enough to thrift pointy-toed grey flats with a fun "laced" detail that keep the shoe secure while dancing, and eventually I'd like to purchase brown booties for heavier walking.
Conclusion
Having a set color scheme for historical costuming can be so helpful for keeping your look coherent and guiding (or at least limiting) your fabric, trim, and accessory choices.
*Color schemes are obviously also useful in creating a one-off ensemble that looks nice, but I think they're something that can be overlooked in a more mix-and-match wardrobe. Or perhaps a wardrobe's color scheme takes more conscious thought than a single ensemble's, which can be a bit more vibes-based.
i've mostly been focusing on small fix-it/finish-it type projects lately, but last night i finally mocked up the underwire bra project i've been putting off (size selection was an unnecessarily difficult process but i needed to do it before I could order underwires) so i treated myself to a online order including the underwires i need for this project, the powernet i need for another project, and two lengths of pretty lace just as a motivator.
I am procrastinating on a vintage-inspired modern make (brown flannel pinafore dress). the lingerie-making bug has bitten me again but the project i'm focusing on (a soft stretch cup underwire bra) is stumping me in the size-selection stage (it's bad).
i never completed the capelet for my navy blue redingote. it literally just needs bias binding around the edges and some hooks and eyes. i did impulse purchase a spencer pattern i've been eyeing for years and discovered that i can, in fact, squeeze it out of the remnants of my red linen gamurra (very exciting).
i'm also want to knock out a few quick mending and/or ufos this month in an attempt to shorten my project list. examples: fixing an old reticule, finishing the edges of an inherited shift, attaching the underbust band to a bralette that's otherwise done)
i really cannot put into words how much the weekend sewing retreat i went on really lit a fire under my behind for sewing again. i was so excited just from packing that i put the finishing touches (for a project i wasn't bringing with me) on a project the night before i left.
i made decent progress on three of my projects for the Regency weekend next month (two shifts and the bodice of a redingote) during the retreat, and I've sewn every day since I got back!
my ability to sew and iron in my own apartment has returned, though my time has not. i've got a sewing retreat with some friends coming up, though, so I'm hoping to make good progress on my Regency projects.
in the meantime, the only project I have both started and finished this year is hemming a pair of pants
it's been awhile since i made progress on my two on-going projects (40s-inspired pinafore and 60s-inspired minidress). i've been making slow but steady progress on my entirely hand-sewn shift. and last night i finally started the sewing part of my regency redingote (or at least the spencer part)
i can start reclaiming my apartment from our furry house guests later this week (if all goes according to plan), so i'll be able to sew on a larger surface and iron at my leisure soon. i'm counting on that to Fix Me
