Supplies

Gold and blue. I have a bunch of gold and blue that will hopefully become a dress. Once I bought the gold brocade at less the $4 a yard and my nifty blue silk ribbon for trim, I had to match them. Turns out I really like this blue apparently and had a few things lurking in my stash in the same color that I think will work. I bought a bunch of robin's egg blue linen about two years ago on deep clearance and it is going to either be lining or a petticoat or possibly drawers. It will most certainly be involved somewhere. I was considering it for the short jacket/jerkin ala Montemezzano's "Portrait of a Lady with a Squirrel that I want to make, but I think I'm going to splurge on a silk brocade instead. The jacket will take such little fabric compared to any other article of clothing, that it seems the place to go nuts and buy something great.

I have several balls of silk/bamboo yarn that I picked up when I was buying crochet cottons for making buttons and frogs for the loose gown. I will finish it. Eventually. In the meantime, I think the yarn will find its way into either stockings or woven garters. It is a bit deeper than the ones I'm using for the trims for the loose gown and the soft texture isn't really what I wanted for the frogs. It should make lovely knit stockings though. The only issue is if I have time to knit them.

In the center there, is the discarded thumb of one of my first attempts at gloves. I had a soft icy blue pigskin suede to do my gloves for my Lucretia gown. I wasn't really happy with how the first pair turned out, but I still have a good portion of the side left and the leather actually matches this dress better anyway. I'm going to give glove making another whirl and stop trying to cut corners and use my machine and see if I like what I come up with better.

I bought the jasper beads a couple of weeks ago when the gem faire was in town. I picked up the swarovski crystals first, then pulled out the swatches and realized how off they were colorwise. The jasper has a marbling of gold and is just perfect. I may still use some of the crystals though. Even if Fia does say they look like they belong at the Country Music Awards. I need to pick up more pearls for sure, and will be disassembling my pearl girdle and re-doing it completely and maybe mixing some of its bits and bobs in with the blues. Not really sure what I'm doing with jewelry yet to be honest. hopefully once I stare at beads and findings something will gel.

The little red minks are going to be something different. I have been staring at Tawny Sherrill's article "Fleas, Fur, and Fashion:Zibellini as luxury accessories of the Renaissance" in Medieval Clothing and Textiles II and looking for inspiration.I already have the two regular zibellini and wanted a fur, but didn't want to just make another one just like I already had. I have pretty much settled on doing a matched set of zibellini to be worn around the neck. There are no images of them, but there are listings in inventories. I considered trying my hand at carving a rock crystal head, but the price of the quartz in that size, especially if I were to mess it up, dissuaded me pretty fast. Haven't decided if I'm going to do Sculpy again or try something new. I really wold like to try some repousse and chasing and form the heads out of sheet metal, but that might be a pipe dream.

Still need to pick up loads of things, not least of which is white linen and laces for underthings and ruffs, but it was nice to pile everything together and feel like I had at least a start.