KMSKA Antwerp, Joachim Beuckelaer, “Allegory of Negligence” ca. 1563 Zoomable Image: https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/allegory-of-negligence/BgG4bAyIMcG_bw I updated the date on this entry to specifically 1563 because I see that written on the end of the wood piece the man is using to prop up his leg. The museum link did not list a date so MMV. Context:Keep in mind that the painting is entitled “Allegory…
Author: Sylvie
Cobalt Kirtle no. 2
Blue sleeveless waisted kirtle started June 21, 2019. Finished on July 2, 2019. I’m getting back into the swing of things. I need a new dress. The plan is to make a cobalt blue linen kirtle and wear that under a bright coral wool Antwerpen gown. This is the second kirtle I’ve made using the Cobalt blue linen from Fabric-store.com.…
Why be an apprentice?
I feel guilty writing on this topic. I became a man-at-arts about 5 minutes before I was offered the Laurel. For a very long time I did not have someone I called “my Laurel”. There are a lot of reasons (some of them wrong-headed) that fed into that decision. Even though I’m now coming at it from the other direction…
F*king pockets
A few nights ago my husband came home from fight practice and said we had to talk. He said that he was having a crisis of faith and was feeling that he was making no progress at his fighting. “I should be better at this,” he said. We talked for a while and eventually I told him about my problem…
Late period doublet for a 5-year-old
Grey linen lined in light tan linen doublet sized for a 5-year-old started March 9, 2019. Finished March 20, 2019. In order to be a “properly dressed little boy” my son will need a doublet. This will be used both to cover his under shirt and to point his breeches to keep them from falling down. The doublet I’m making…
Ease
There’s two ways (that I know of) where you talk about “ease” in sewing. First you add (or remove) ease on a garment so that it is larger (or smaller) than the actual measurement. An early period tunic has more ease than a late period form-fitting doublet. A corset is constructed with negative ease. Second you talk about easing one…
Prick Stitch (also sometimes called pick stitch)
Make a seam. Iron (or finger press) the seam open. Working from right to left (if you’re right-handed) on the face of the garment work a back stitch where the stitch showing on the face of the garment goes over 1-2 threads leaving a little tiny stitch showing. On the back the stitch will be much longer. This will hold…
Basting Stitch
A long loose stitch used to hold two pieces of fabric together. This is normally either hidden in seam allowance or intended to be removed once the garment is completed. This is one of the pieces of the skirting to my son’s new doublet. To give the skirting a bit of body I’ve added some linen canvas interlining. First I…
Late period breeches for a 5-year-old
Brown wool lined in natural linen breeches sized for a 5-year-old started March 6, 2019. Finished March 11, 2019. Continuing with the theme of “clothe the child” I made a pair of “Gorinchem breeches to fit a child aged ten years” shown in “The Tudor Child” (p. 94-95)(https://amzn.to/2ld5iZS). My son is only 5.. but he’s a HUGE 5-year old. Technically…
Being
When you say to someone “draw a tree,” what they draw is, no matter how complex, visual shorthand for a tree. The picture does not capture the “being” of a tree. The beauty of the limbs. The complexity of a leaf. The texture of the bark. The sweet clean “tree” smell. In much the same way, when we say “I’ve…