Strano and Franco

Via

 I've been busy trying to clean my house after a week or so of neglect. That and four kids don't really mix; unless your goal is a giant mess. Therefore, no crafting happened today. I spent my down time reading. I'm catching up on Italian culture since I've been more immersed in medieval Russia up to this point. I'm drifting more and more towards a change to an Italian (or possibly expatriot Greek) persona though so want to ground myself in the history. I've been working through a lot of art history and enjoying it a great deal. I needed to branch out in order to better understand the art though, so I got a copy of Margaret Rosenthal's biography of Veronica Franco, The Honest Courtesan ,as well as Franco's Poems and Selected Letters edited by Rosenthal and Ann Rosalind Jones. Just starting them, but it's certainly fascinating and dives right into to sociological issues.

 Medievalists.net posted a link to a thesis I found interesting today as well, so I figured I'd pass the link along. "Defining the Strano, Madness in Renaissance Italy" by Nicole Cama. There actually is a relationship as both are in some way dealing with the Other. Certainly a round about way of familiarizing myself with Italian history, but I'm having loads of fun dipping my toes in.

Yup, I'm lazy. . .

I decided last night that I would get over my lazy and sit down and finish painting the block printed fabric for the drawers. About an hour in, when I had only painted about a dozen of the 300 or so motifs, I decided I truly was just not that ambitious.  I decided that one color block printing was going to be just fine for the drawers.
My husband helped out by wandering by and telling me he preferred the plain version. While I don't usually listen to "Khaki Man's" opinion, as he is a firm believer in less is more and thus my antithesis, it was late and lazy was looking for any excuse to not have to do more work. So, drawers have been cut and sewn and are blue on blue. I just need to decide on some lace for trimming and they're all done.

However, I couldn't let the already decorated fabric go to waste. The silk I had planned to use for the saccocia got put away and I used the painted linen instead since I had just a small amount of it. It's lined with the block printed linen and the tie is the herringbone silk ribbon I plan to use for trim. This is my third saccocia. I liked the size of the orange silk one from my last dress so well that I just traced around it. the linen will certainly be more washable.

Home from Quest, and I (mostly) finished the dress.

I didn't end up wearing it because it was far too wet and muddy. Not to mention the fact that I forgot to bring bodice laces.  Oops. They actually cancelled the event early Sunday. We're crazy and stayed until today anyway. The weather got loads better once the event was cancelled and my tent dried out before I packed up so that was a happy thing. I still need to do the guards on the skirt, but the eyelets are all done and the skirt is cartridge pleated to the bodice so it is in fact a dress at this point. I'll get a picture up as soon as I dry out and unpack and snuggle my kiddos a bit more.

Still have far too many eyelets to do

I have the eyelets on the front edges, just need to do the dozen on the back piece. Shoulder seams are complete. Still skirtless, however. Not sure I'm getting this done by Saturday. Tomorrow is the drive to and from my husband's brother's graduation. Still need to get kids ready to go and then pack for Saturday's camping trip once I get back. ACK! I may end up wearing my pseudo-Persian or Viking dress with unfinished embroidery. I really, really have slim pickings for camping outfits.

Finished the guards on the camping dress bodice.

I need to spot clean the glue I used to tack the guards into place where I changed my mind on the layout, but other than that the guards are done. Stitching them in place went much faster than the ones I'm couching down with gold on the cappotto.  Need to stitch the eyelets for the lacings and then I'll  double check the fit of the shoulder seams and stitch them. Sleeves are close to done and I have lacing rings to attach. Hoping to get the skirt stitched on tomorrow. I may or may not get the skirt guards on before the event on Saturday.

Yes, I know my lacing position is a bit odd and should be further back and more angled to match the guard. With my body shape that just isn't a particularly good fit. When Noelle drafted this pattern for my red dress last year we moved it more forward under the arm. Looking at my bodice patterns spread out is always weird for me. I have the shoulders of a football linebacker and am just such a broad body that it odd to compare what fits me with what other's bodices look like. I swear it looks right when on. Same deal with the inner most guard, it looks kinda wonky laid out flat with the two upper ones angling off and it going straight across but once on it looks good.

A couple of quick cauls

I'm working on a working class dress to wear this weekend for Quest for Atlantis in Barony of Gryphon's Lair, so the IRCC isn't getting all that much time, but I'm determined to keep plugging away. With that in mind I made two quick cauls out of pre-embroidered fabrics. They're just simple circles gathered to a fitted band. This one has a pattern of eyelets done in brown thread. I cut the circle far too big and it hangs lower than it should so I cut the second one smaller. It has whitework circles on it. I'm considering adding pearls but we'll see. I'm going to wear it this weekend (assuming I finish the dress.) Hey look! I got the feather's curled. The white one isn't cooperating much. I might remove it. Considering making a hat jewel as well.

The dress for camping this weekend is a blue/green teal linen with spice guards. I had intended to do only minimal boning/interlining since that is the more correct look. My vanity got in the way, however. As a super fat person who has had 4 children I really like the smoothing and support of a boned bodice. So it has 2 interior layers of canvas and one of wool felt and not as many bones as my court gowns but still quite a few. The bodice is assembled, just needs eyelets done and guards attached. The guards are today's project. Eyelets will probably get done Friday since we're planning a trip to my husband's brother's graduation and it is a good car project.

Since I'm planning to machine sew the drawers, they might get started today too. Not sure yet. I got the fabric stamped and after counting over 300 of the stamps that I'd need to go back in with gold I decided to be lazy and leave it as is. I like the stamping a lot. I think I'll try it again for an outer garment. Then I'll go through the extra work of adding additional colors. As a first attempt I'm pretty satisfied with it.

Makes a really nice tablecloth too.

First experiments with block printing

I think it is going to look much better once I paint the gold into the center of the blue outlines, but I'm relatively pleased so far. Lots more stamping to go. Yet another one of those times that I wish I was smaller and needed less fabric to make things in my size. At least I'll get lots of practice.