project journals
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blue gentleman's outfit
gold & red Venetian
Jacobean jacket
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mushroom kirtle with green low neck doublet 2008

My newest outfit consists of a mushroom colored kirtle that laces under my arms and due to its color, resists showing dirt! It is gaurded in red linen that matches the red flowers in the low-necked doublet. The doublet buttons in the front and was made using the pattern on page 83 of The Tutor Tailor. The sleeves are the same red linen as the kirtle gaurd. This outfit made its debut at Bristol on a day that rained off and on most of the day, but it still looked good. Underneath the kirtle, I wore a corded petticoat I made using hemp as the cording. It kept the skirts from tangling in my ankles and gave them a bit of fullness as well. 

This gown for my friend Chrissy is made from some fabric she found at Mill End, a thrift store skirt and a yard of black velvet. It made its debut at the Highland Fling weekend of MNRF. We still have some matching sleeves planned, but they are going to wait until after her October wedding.

rose and green gown 2007

This may be my most girly gown. It's pink brocade from my mom, the green velvet is leftovers from the dresses my mom's sisters wore for her wedding and the green silk ties used to be part of a wedding gown-I dyed them to match the velvet. I used patterns from The Tutor Tailor for the doublet part of the gown and this time I put a pocket on both sides of the skirt. I also make of the the thread covered buttons on the sleeves. Our friends, Karen & Pat (aka the Baron & Baroness) are in the pic with 4 people, it was taken outside the gate at Bristol.  

 jacobean jacket 2006

FOR SALE!
The fabric is a cotton back with wool embroidery, lined in silk with green velveteen piping and
a pink silk ribbon tie.  It can be hand washed in cool water and should lay flat to dry.
Shoulders 12 3/4" across     Bust upto 38"
The waist & hip are loose, so these measurements are not needed.
$150 or best offer.
Please email me: peggybeg @ comcast . net   if you are interested.
       

I made this jacobean jacket out of the most beautiful crewel fabric, but sadly, I haven't worn it because I cut the shoulders too narrow! If you visit the journal page you can read all about the making of it.  I do plan on making another jacket just like it someday, because it breaks my heart not to wear it.

 venetian gown 2005

Commentary on the making of this gown can be found in the gold & red venetian journal.  It's now complete and if a ton of fun to wear, but I found out that wearing it on very busy fest days isn't the best idea because it doesn't keep people out of my personal bubble the way a farthingale does so I become a bit claustrophobic. The fabric was found on a clearance table and some careful cutting allowed me to made this gown from just 4 yards.

A very quick side project as I was working on finishing the blue gent's outfit, this is my HOT weather gown. It's meant to look sort of Scottish with the tartan kirtle, but is heavily influenced by the women of Flanders. I found the basket at a consignment home store for $20, it's reminiscent of those carried by women from many countries shown in paintings and woodcuts.

HUGE thanks to many online journals and articles regarding this style of dress which served as guides in building this gown.
Of special note are those that influenced the construction the most: 
Jen Thompson's "A Working Woman's Dress Revisited", on her site A Festive Attyre
& Drea Leed's "Working Womens' Dress in 16th Century Flanders" on her The Elizabethan Costuming Page.

blue gentleman's outfit 2005  

This project is finished! I don't know about anyone else, but I think Joe looks great in this, he really understands how to work the Elizabethan doublets and slops. I felt that my husband Joe needed to have more things to choose from when attending faire before I allowed myself the pleasure of a new gown for my wardrobe. Although there are things I'd do differently next time, I really love this outfit. If you'd like to learn more about it, please visit the  journal.

 brown hunting costume 2005

This started as a test project. I knew I wanted to make another outfit for Joe, but I was already working on his Blue outfit. I didn't want to goof the blue so I made the brown.  It turns out that I love this doublet! It just looks so right! The patterned fabric is a Walmart special from a few years ago. The olive silk piping is the same fabric as the lining and puffs on my Italian Ropa. The venetians are a brown wool blend lined in muslin. The olive corduroy slops replaced the venetians in 2006. The cloak is also corduroy and trimmed in gold.

I like to wear a high necked chemise because I sun burn easily and it serves as a first line of defense. The chemise has been treated with Rit Sun Guard which adds SPF without changing the other qualities of the fabric. I found the fabric at Jo-Ann and it's quite comfy.  I know that a cotton & linen blend isn't really very period, but it's practical and washes beautifully! The buttons are one of my favorite things about the chemise, I think I paid a total of 30 cents for all 3 and they look so cool.

The Suit of Ruffs are made from grosgrain ribbon and I used Drea Leed's directions at The Elizabethan Costuming Page.  It holds it's pleats beautifully and washes well. I've made a Suit of Off White Ruffs from grosgrain as well.    

This is definitely my most comfortable and versatile gown. The bodice is "boned" with hemp cord, an idea that I got from Jen Thompson at her site A Festive Attyre. The pattern was draped on my dummy using instructions from Melissa's great www.Sempstress.org  I used the info on the Kolher kirtle page of the Project Muslin section. In most of the pictures is is worn over a small farthingale. It's a great basic and can be worn under a number of garments to create many different outfits.

The Italian Ropa was made in 2005, but I have yet to take any photos of me in it. It's a Jacobean print lined in olive silk with silk poofs on the shoulder wings.

I made the charcoal surcoat in February of 2006. It's very nice for chilly days and is fun to wear. It is dark grey cotton corduroy with brass clasps.

A grey velvet doublet with striped lining has now been made, but I don't have photos yet- soon, I hope.

The best part about these pieces is that they work really well as loader-garb. By changing the small hoop to a plain petticoat, it can be worn by someone taller than I am & the underarm lacing is workable for different body types as well.

green silk gown 2003 & the remake 2004

FOR SALE!
Despite my love of this gown, it is too big in the waist, so I'd like to send it to a good home.
Bust 36"    Waist 32 1/2"    Waist to Floor over farthingale 43"   Across Back of Shoulders 13"
I will be making a new underskirt out of the same gold fabric shown in the photos (I'm keeping the old one)
Also included are matching gold sleeves (not shown)  $ 400 or best offer.
Please email me: peggybeg @ comcast . net   if you are interested.

This gown is my first real Elizabethan. The design was inspired by historic portraits, but not one specifically.
The reasons it was remade in 2004 are this:
I found while making my Mary Queen of Scots gown that I really like my bodice & skirt attached. It distributes the weight of the skirt to my shoulders and allows less to be on my hips. I also found that I really hate wearing a bum roll, which I'm wearing in the 2003 photos, which required re-hemming the skirt. I wade a brand new bodice and re used everything else, even the trim and shoulder loops. I really love this gown for a couple of reasons. Since it's silk it is light weight & very comfortable in hot weather. I also adore the color. There is just something about that shade of green. As with my Mary Queen of Scots gown I'm able to wear more than one underskirt & forepart with it.
The last photo is competing in the daily costume contest at MNRF.  I ended up winning that day and Joe and I got in free!

This is maybe my favorite gown so far.  It's based on a portrait of Mary Queen of Scots circa 1560. I chose to use lovely navy blue cotton damask which makes it rather heavy, but it hangs beautifully. My dear husband Joe took these pictures at Landmark Center in St. Paul, MN in the upstairs courtrooms prior to Scottish Ramble 2004.
This by far is my warmest gown. I was even able to stand outside in Minnesota in February & not feel chilled. It is rather warm on a muggy August day, but it also turns heads which is a lot of fun! This gown was featured on Jennifer Thompson's Featured Attyre in March 2004.
I also won a Creativity and Photo award in the Margo's Pattern's Yahoo Group contest.  The last two photos are my favorites.

A couple of years ago Joe and I visited Minnesota Renaissance Festival in regular clothes. After a stop at Felix Needleworthy's shop,
I was in regular clothes and Joe was in a lovely doublet, tights, shirt & a different pair of simple slops. He picked up the hat at Tall Toad. Then the quest began. We hunted for quite some time (years) to find the perfect fabric to make sleeves and paned slops to go with the doublet. These are the first pair of slops I've made. They were much easier than I'd thought. I think Joe looks quite dashing & although the cut velvet is rather warm he is very comfortable.
 

I created this banner for Scottish weekend at Minnesota Renaissance Festival.  We were representing Scottish Ramble & Minnesota Scottish Fair & Highland Games at the fest. So, I thought an appropriate banner was needed. It's cotton pin wale cord and the letters are Ultra Suede that I used a fusible binding to attach. The trim, the inspiration for the banner, the fringe and the hems are sewn. Although it's not visible in the photos, the banner is double sided, what a lot of cutting! This banner was used at Scottish Ramble 2005 and will be used there in the future.

Every girl needs a fan, right? Since I thought that the price of most fans available at faires were ridiculously expensive I made my own.
I purchased the feathers on Ebay and used a bamboo cooking paddle from a Dollar store as the handle. I found the shell decoration at Menard's home improvement store in the millwork section and used hot glue to put it all together. It works great & gets lots of complements.