Diary started October 21st 2005
Garb research in progress.
Summary
It all started so innocently. One day while gazing at my love I asked “honey, if I made you ‘Henry the 8ths’ for Twelfth Night, would you grow your hair out?’. My honey is a natural red head. I think he’d look stunning dressed like Henry VIII. After a short time he agreed that he would.
In my mind, this was a scoping question. I was checking to see if he would grow his hair out (I happen to also think he’d look great with long viking braids.. but that also would require growing his hair out). At no point did I say “I am making you this. Grow your hair.” I simply checked the feasibility. Having confirmed the possibility, I promptly forgot the conversation.
About 3 weeks later my love loudly complained that he hated his stupid hair and that he was only doing this for me. By that time I’d completely forgotten about the scoping question so I asked why he didn’t just get a hair cut. He said it was because if he did I wouldn’t make him Henry the 8ths. My eyes grew round like saucers. In a panicked voice I declared that there was only 4 months until Twelfth Night (in which I was buying a house and cooking a feast) and there was -no- way I was going to be able to complete Henry the 8ths for him by then and that it just wasn’t happening.
After a short negotiation I agreed to make Henry the 8ths for some future Twelfth Night.
So it begins.
Research and Background
My primary research is 15th century French Woman’s clothes. I’m taking a stab with this being my first Tudor garb.
I believe the garments I’ll need to make are a linen shert (gold embroidery on collar and cuffs), slashed doublet, matching jerkin, fur-lined surcoat, hose and cod piece.
I’ve vetoed my love’s request for a “codpiece finger puppet”.
Resource: (not yet available but don’t want to forget about it) http://www.maney.co.uk/search?fwaction=show&fwid=649
Dress at the Court of King Henry VIII by Maria Hayward. Maney Pub.
(2006).
Clothbound with full colour dustjacket, ca 384 pages with ca 150 b&w
and 30 colour illustrations. ISBN 1 904350 70 4.