Inkle Pattern Chosen

I was playing on the pattern generator for way too long and getting nowhere. Then I went out, bought ten kilos of chicken breasts for insanely cheap ($3.99/kg rather than at least $9.99/kg from woolworths), cut it all up and froze it in portions. Which took HOURS!!!

Afterwards I sat back down and this pattern just sort of created itself.

Rain Rain Go Away, I Guess I'll Keep Weaving Today

My red wool wasn't quite dry yesterday afternoon so I left it on the line overnight. And it rained. It's also still cloudy and will possibly rain again. So definitely no kirtle making going on here today. Instead, I have decided to look up some new inkle patterns. 

But before I get to that, some history. I bought my inkle loom on ebay about 5 years ago and it basically sat on top of a cupboard that whole time as I didn't know how to warp it. I learnt how to tablet weave very early on, and thought inkle weaving was basically the same (which it sort of is) and that I could just teach myself how to do it. Now I probably could have done that, but it would've been so much more effort than someone just showing me. So I waited, and waited, and waited for someone, ANYONE, to teach an inkle weaving class that I could go to and learn. It's actually one of the main reasons we ended up going to Rowany Festival this year. That and all the other classes I wanted to do. So my unreserved thanks go to Lady Tatianitska Iaroslavna who not only taught me how to warp up my probably-not-an-inkle-loom loom, but also showed me an awesome new way to start and finish without an ugly big knot. It's so clever and I am going to use it for my tablet weaving as well. These are the relevant pages from her class notes. I hope she doesn't mind me posting them here. In essence, you weave both ends of the thread at the same time when you start, and when you finish you use clever little thread loops to do the same thing. Sneaky huh!

1550-1575 French Kirtle Pattern

Jonathon was nice enough to sleep for a few hours so I managed to get my kirtle pattern sorted. Thanks again to Lady Christine Duvant for her amazing bodice pattern. I was fortunate enough to be able to try on a pattern she had made for someone else and it fit me exactly. It just needed to be lengthened a bit as it sat right under my bust. I then altered the neckline and made the bottom edge dip slightly to fit with the French style gown I want to make. (Nb: The front pattern piece is not symmetrical because I am not symmetrical)

Lady Christine's Pattern

My adjusted kirtle pattern

Inspiration for a 1550-1575 French Lady's Outfit

One of the classes I attended at Rowany Festival last week was C16th French Women's Fashion taught by the lovely Lady Alliette Delecourt (her amazing website is over here). Now I like many others had previously assumed that French fashions were largely similar to English fashions during that time period. Lady Alliette was kind enough to correct me and at the same time gave me a new world of costuming to explore. Combine that with the previously mentioned gravity-defying-sleeve bodice pattern that I am dying to try out and we have ourselves a project!

And did I mention that Alliette has hundreds of photos on her website? I am finding myself particularly fond of the third quarter of the 16th century, so from 1550-1575. And I have some dark blue cotton velveteen that I bought at a finish the bolt sale a few years ago that I think would be perfect. 

This red one looks like it might have been made out of velvet, and I like the shape of the neckline.

1550 - Francoise de Breze, Duchess de Bouillon.
Artist - Francois Clouet

My first foray into blogging

Me, Grace, Seth and Jonathon at
Rowany Festival AS XLVIII

My name is Phaedra and I am a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism here in Lochac (aka Australia). I joined the SCA in 2006 when I was at uni, and after taking a bit of a sabbatical due to having two children (Grace aged 2, Jonathon aged 8 months) and my husband starting a business, I have just started playing again. On Monday we came home from Rowany Festival which is basically the biggest event in Lochac, held over the Easter long weekend each year. I was fortunate to be able to attend a few A&S classes where I learnt about 16th century French fashions, how to use my inkle loom, got a pattern for a bodice whose sleeves defy gravity, and a myriad of other inspiring ideas from campsite comforts (HOT SHOWERS are achievable!) to children's toys to beautiful garb to period pavilions to four poster beds to period cooking... etc etc etc

As you can tell, I am inspired. And my head is so full it hurts. So in order to order my thoughts, and prevent project ideas from getting forgotten I am starting a blog. Hopefully this will see more projects getting finished (unlike that tablet woven belt that has been sitting on the loom for the last 3 years) and maybe my mistakes (of which I am sure there will be plenty) will help others.