looking into jewelry making

So I spent all of Saturday wiring small filigree pieces for my Amalia of Cleves ensemble. I was thinking of taking the velveteen off and putting brocade on, but then I may as well go whole hog and make the frock described by Hall for Anna. I have very big glass pearls to potentially work for the decoration. (I spend all day yesterday asleep because I totally forgot my body is in the chronic phase of my disease which means it’s a bit sneakier.)

I made the pieces match the rest of the pieces I had already made. I have run out of flowers but have a few different kinds.

And that is a smaller gold borstlap made more rigid I think it will be fine over my current front lacing leibchen/mieder/ and will work with a side lacing version too.

I’m finding more and more information to understand their clothing- most of which support of my theories- some were a bit out there but I seem to have been right :). In the mean time also better understanding about Cranach so that I can get that part of The Frazzled Frau back. (I have a cunning plan- it changes a little but I think I have it 🙂

Anyway. I am loving the pieces, and how I matched them, and stylistically they would pass with maybe a few “where did you get that from” if people got close. But ultimately I like them.

But I now have a really good feel for the scrolling shapes of the style, and have a few pieces that can mix and match. So I think it’s time to actually sculpt. And I may even be able to try something else that I think is very needed.

I think lost wax is the most appropriate method so that means making a silicone mold after sculpting so that I can reproduce them.

I want to do this part myself but will need help with the molding process as I do want these in metal so as to feel the same as the original- possibly be the same as many originals. If you ever go on ebay- take a look at the small metal findings of brass and bronze rings. There are so many they are actually affordable for collecting now.

I have my own small bronze seal that appears to have a squirrel on it.

Also I was going to do this in 3D. And I may still. I wasn’t sure how to do scrolling and petal shapes. Well okay actually I do know. I can do the basics in Sketch up and detail in  But I do know how to carve wax to those shapes.

And it’s very exciting. But it means getting all my research up as I go or no one will know why I’ve done something the way I did.

|    

a walk and rest

It has been an amazing few hours! Since my last post I have had a windfall of luck in finding more keys to unlocking my Cleves project! A book arrived that includes information about Anna and Amalia and in there was a footnote about a triptych. The triptcyh I have been looking for without knowing what to look for. The triptychon der Rosenkranzbruderschaft, the 1528 one not the actually well published 17thc one! This triptyich has the ruling family in full. And attendants behind them. After years of finding paintings of citizens it has been very hard to find portraits of the nobility.

This is the only online image!

Anna is in the yellow gown, Amalia in the reddish pinkish gown. This picture alone confirms a few theories I have had as well as supports some documentation I have held onto and not shared because I had zero frame of reference!

But my book also includes a small list of items for the laundry, including a lot of garments for the head, but not only is the transcription good, there is a photo of the list from the document!!!

On the next page is what I think is her inscription in the song book (which I also have a full copy of so should be able to find it) and it confirms my suspicion about the use if ij and y in this location at this time. Which means even more ways to look for information but it also makes it hard as most transcriptions of documents are slightly modernised.

So then from this book I went looking at other books, and have the exhibition catalogue that includes a photo of the triptych and more. And I also found another copy of the inventory that got lost in the mail- I have no idea how the book worked its way out of the packaging but I got a little envelope with my invoice which was very battered.

And then I found a free catalogue from early 1900s with more lists of paintings I probably won’t find easily.

And.. oh yes. I will bring back The Frazzled Frau. Already started as a series of pinterest boards as it is honestly a very easy to maintain visual database of images. I do try to find the original in all my pins, but occasionally wind up linking to the nearest best option.

 

Anyway. With this new information I am indeed going to work on my accessories this weekend. This means I need to rest and repair my hands as well as get a little exercise to make up for the inactivity of trawling through archives for a good few days. Well months. Years in total but a walk can only do so much.

 

But now I can be really pretty darn sure that my investment in my projects is in the right direction!

|    

Current projects

I took a day  this week to make sure all my projects are easily found and while initially it was overwhelming, I think I am not just at the inspired stage 🙂

I have a lot of current projects, but having them nicely divided into clear containers mean I can actually see them 🙂

I really want to finish my Cleves research this year. Or at least be at a point where I can say “yes, I can talk about this.” Because let me tell you, I have a heck of a lot of info for Cologne but there is very little for Cleves, Jullich and Berg. It’s a larger geographical spread and lots of archives are just gone. I have looked for donor portraits, any portraits and they are just.. not there.

Later yes.

Anyway. I now do have a pretty Cleves dress, a beautiful Cleaves dress, and a working kirtle type garment. I’m mainly working on accessories. But my red velvet gown is at the same stage my pink and black Cleves dresses were a few months ago so I can definitely work on the hand finishing of that this year.

So that least the later historic and modern media recreations.

I want Mina finally finished. That has been a struggle for fitting the bodice as my fabric has zero give. So the lining has to have zero give. I may have finally managed that but I need a bit of time to work on making it all tidy and transportable.

And I want my Elissa costume done. I should have left it alone but well… I wanted to wear it where accuracy is still prized so… but it’s okay. I think I’m just not wanting to face the rope skirt. It’s about 8m of velvet and while I have cut the pieces I have to pull and roll them and somehow make sure they don’t unroll. This is easier with velour but these are clearly velvet.

And Ahsoka. I am now happy with where Rebels has left her (in fact it’s exactly what I hoped and thought was the most logical outcome) so feel a lot happier in investing in the project again 🙂 It’s been intense and nothing is even close to finished due to just not having any luck with any material.

 

So that leaves Marie Antoinette as my other must finish project. It’s hard because I really do need a metal frame. Luckily the original is very short so it’s possible I can find support material for it. I am very disappointed with the plastic stuff now available. It’s not at all like the older stuff with an oval cross section. That had a fibrous property that made it really quite firm, and the oval cross section helped curves maintain shape. I get a greally nice kidney shape but that is not at all the shape of these things.

This may be a project for next year. I have all the fabrics, it’s a matter of boning for the stays and hoops. I think I have an idea for making the hoops solid and transportable though.

|     

update of sorts

I have a draft post saved about goal post shifting, as someone who has been involved in multiple facets of costume and community I have a few thoughts.

It boils down to: I am an expert in my field. But I can’t rest on what I learned 10 years ago. I have to keep seeking out new information to be so.

I don’t expect people who don’t have the same foundation to be an expert, but I do expect experts to keep pushing in their field. And anyone who aims to be to do the same. Believe me there is no end point in research. Just endpoints in access.

 

I have also heard it’s harder now to achieve that level. I would argue that it really is not. It has always required a bloody minded persistence to follow paths of unsuccessful research and to find new ones.

There is a lot more information yes, but also a whole lot of new tools to sift through that information. There are now OCS scans of documents in scripts I couldn’t make head or tale of before. With these transcripts I can identify words that were not visible to me a decade ago.

 

Those of us held in regard as experts need to share those tools as well.

 

 

So that’s what I’m working on.  Figuring out how to describe what I do instinctively. But usually it’s started by throwing a word in a search engine and seeing what dictionaries have to say and how many peer reviwed articles it appears in 🙂

 

Also slowly working on finishing work on my Cleves projects 🙂 I think I’m getting a handle on the words of mystery based on breaking down how clothing must function based on how they sit in images.

 

And have a new thing to research so, yay!

|   

cleves headgear

I still need to do some tidying, and I am definitely making a few more of these, so it’s not totally complete right now. I need to sit it slightly further forward too.

 

(Wearing my Kimmy Schmidt cardigan because it’s so much part of my new me- allowing myself to wear several colours at once.)

I added more pearls yesterday to the embroidery of the pink hat and sewed up the brim.

 

The seam allowance was caught through all layers with a pick stitch every 2″ which anchored the gathering running stitch into short curves that follow the edge. The prick stitches are nearly invisible on the other side.

The pearls were removed from the frame. I made two more circles of the same heavy duty fusible/shape-forming material to add extra support the pearl platter shape and basted a layer of shot silk to the inner most circle.

Then clipped the extra fabric to the same depth and gathered to create the turn under.This was easy as the support circles kept the shape perfectly.

I bound the edges and trapped the gathers in place. The silk is bias cut. I used to also believe this was fairly wasteful until I started to think like a workshop. Bias is not at all wasteful if you use a short length over several projects.

As an example. The skirt for the gown that this hat is made for used 3m of velveteen for the hem guarding. That is more than I used in the skirt. It is in part because I was cutting on the fly but I kept my seam allowance to a minimum.

But I used three strips of bias tape for the hem facing and about the same for the underskirt. And I have a lot of silk left over.

So, think about how many projects you can use your bias strips for and dedicate a length to that 🙂

 

The cap was pulled apart a few nights ago during a bit of insomnia and then I got to test a few lengths of brocade.

I decided on a denser piece of the same saree I used originally on this form. And I used the same silk as used in the bias tape to tidy the inside. I do not have any curved needles but I found a cheapie one that could be bent and oh they are perfect for this kind of seam.

 

The internal part of the headpiece can be of two shapes. This curved edge is seen in both linen and silk versions but I haven’t seen it with the flat cap as well. Only with a fairly pointed piece to put a jeweled strip over.

 

Sorry for the use of English terms. I don’t want to use terms that come from the area as I’m not convinced we have them correct. All the terms at this point are in a bit of fluidity. i think I’m getting closer and will do a proper run through very soon.

|      

my pink cleves gown and some inspiration behind it

From Facebook: Emily Gibbs‎ to Canterbury Faire 2018, 29 January at 19:58 · Kaikoura Suburban, New Zealand

I am so inordinately happy with this! It has everything I love about the Cranach Saxon style with the weirdness of everything in the Nordrein (North Rhine.)

But it is weird. I’ll break down all the weirdness as I go but of note is the tone on tone. I deviated a little from the original, or rather combined two (three) figures in one. So the pink ground of two and the crimson velvet borders of another.

But tone on tone is very definitely part of this region, especially in the red/pink tones. And especially as velvet on a flat fabric.


Bildnis einer Frau 
Zuordnung:kölnisch
Datierung:um 1555/1560Sachbegriff:Gemälde
Sammlung:Köln, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Sammlungskontext: Stiftung Dr. Hubert Dormagen / Kerp, Inventar-Nr. WRM 3300, Zugang: 1980.12.31, Dauer: ab 1980.12.31

KostĂĽme der Männer und Frauen in Augsburg und NĂĽrnberg, Deutschland, Europa, Orient und Afrika – BSB Cod.icon. 341
Publishing place: Augsburg
Year published: 4. Viertel 16. Jh.
Pages: 384
BSB Call Nr.: Cod.icon. 341
Project ID: BSB-Hss Cod.icon. 341
URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:12-bsb00011752-7

Thuringen, I am not sure, Cologne (see what I mean by variations of spelling!)

So this is just one manuscript, and the Cologne image might be shot gold and red, but it is from the period. this is a hand drawn costume book, so little concern about it being coloured in at a later date. This work is full of pink as a main fabric. Full. But I am specifically looking for the tone on tone elements.

The Triumph of Maximillian is another illustrated book full of pink. But here again I have limited to tone on tone in red/crimson.

 

Title Triunfo del Emperador Maximiliano I, Rey de HungrĂ­a, Dalmacia y Croacia, Archiduque de Austria :… de quien están descritas y colocadas en esta colecciĂłn las acciones gloriosas de S.M. Imperial, durante su vida…
Date entre 1501 y 1700?

Edition S.XVI-XVII Type Manuscrito

Subject Maximiliano I, Emperador del Sacro Imperio Romano Germánico

Page 96 and 97 and 97 again.

(these are huge zoomable images)

 

 

 

(Royalty Guide and Wikicommons respectively)

Sophia von Mecklenberg, married the Duke of Brauchweig, part of estphalia and so also has the mix of influences.I did not know of this image until today, however I am familiar with the two pieces of stonework depicting her in a very similar dress- I had it set aside as research for the sleeves, this confirms that the sleeves are weird, hooray! She was buried in Cell an

But the colours are nearly identical to my frock 🙂 So that is exciting. I was working with a limited range of fabric.

I knwe of her through the following images from Bildindex (handy hint, grabmal is a great search term for looking for images

 

Grabplatte der Herzogin Sophia von Mecklenburg
nach 1541 Grabplatte, Grabskulptur,  Sandstein

Standort: Celle, Kirche, Evangelisch-lutherische Stadtkirche Sankt Marien, Chor

Gedächtnis: Sophia (Mecklenburg, Herzogin) Herzogin Sophia von Mecklenburg war die Gemahlin Ernst des Bekenners

Also a full 3d view

  

Epitaph des Herzogs Ernst des Bekenners und seiner Frau Sophia, Herzogin von Mecklenburg
Cornelis Floris (2) (Werkstatt) 1576 Epitaph, Grabskulptur Alabaster

Standort: Celle, Kirche, Evangelisch-lutherische Stadtkirche Sankt Marien, Chor (Nordwand)

Gedächtnis: Ernst (Braunschweig-Lüneburg, Herzog) Gedächtnis: Sophia (Mecklenburg, Herzogin)

So side track aside there are many more examples of red based tone on tone garments of the wider region.

 
Both by Noclas Neufchatel.

Brady hart Gallery and wikicommons and liveinternet respectively.

These are of course from Nuremberg and so are quite a distance, but we see the range of tones for tone on tone (also the red dyed braids!!!)

 

1516 Circle of Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) Portrait of Dorothea Meyer, wife of Jakob Meyer zum Hasen (Basel)

From Barbara Wells Sarudy’s post about winter clothing

Kunstauktionshaus Schloss Ahlden GmbH 2017 

Christoph Amberger
(Um 1505 NĂĽrnberg – 1561/62 Augsburg) attr.;
Portrait der Maria Hieronymus Sulzer

This is much more suble, and leaning towards the crimson on yellow seen at about the same rate.

 

|     

magaret audley in high resolution

While a lovely friend was working out her costume inspiration, I went looking for decent resolution of images and woah! This did not come up in my google search, and it should, but rather another portrait with a link to the other works by the artist.

https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/asset/margaret-duchess-of-norfolk/bAHhU8C_AFAgZw

Maraget Audley, Hans Eworth

I think most historic costumers know this one already, this though is delicious in being able to see stitches. It’s actrually inspiring me to get back to Elizabethan as I could transfer that design almost exactly.

However I already have the Worth skirt I have had to set aside for hand health- not aside aside. Working out a safe way to store it between stitching. Also it is ivory silk satin. I have a dendency to get so far and then get something on projects made of pale silk. And my skin snags it, so basically still working out a Me safe storage and working space.

But it is inspiring, If not as a direct copy at least to enjoy my own tasks. I find that by imagining working with the materials above that I can imagine the embrodery as a privilege to work- being able to handle the fabric and threads.

So I just need to apply that inspiration to what I already have. For I have some lovely, lovely fabric and threads to work with as well.

 

In fact even with my mix of threads for my pink Cleves dress I enjoyed sewing the gown at the event. I may have to undo some (the bodice is a smidge too big- very stretchy fabric- and my sleeves should really go in the other way around.

 

saxon maybe

I was going through my folder of illustrations and I am not sure if this is an illustraition or wall painting. It certainly has the qualities of translucency seen in illustrations.

But I would dearly love to see a group do this. I have a love of the black check border- some more examples in etchings that I know of as well as the girl with triangular decorations on her cuffs. But really. I just think this looks like a group from the old h-cost/lj days.

I’ve been sharing to IG today some of my older photos. You can sort of edit images in Chrome if you “inspect” choose one oft he mobile devices, refresh, and upload. Editing button is on the right and allows you to zoom centrally or full width and you can move the image, or full height. I have “inspect” set to Nexus 6 right now.

 

Anyway. So I realised how long it has been since I started down this Westfalen route. I moved into 1560s Koeln due to the ability to basically copy straight from the de Bruyn book. Since then I have enough courage to create my own garment without copying directly from an era where I’m mainly working with allegorical paintings and text. So that is really cool. But yeah, the de Bruyn book is literally able to be copied line for line for the Dutch-German areas. I mean it’s so accurate as to be something I’d point people to and say trust your gut because this artist knows what he is looking at.

 

But also while sharing I’ve decided to say Fork It. I love pink. And I love blue. I’m going to let myself wear both. So my current frock of frockness is raspberry on baby pink and I have accessories to match. So a book has been recovered and my pin book now has a cover. Woot! But next I need to decide on how to handle carrying my items around. So I think I’ll grab some more of the velveteen and add another border to my dress and use the excess for a hat and for a scrip bag.

 

A single layer of black wool twill (super fine, not a gabardine and not quite a satin) for my heuke.

This is the kind I need to make. I think the weird shape is pleated. Think of a paper plane and I think that is pretty close to what is going on.

This is what only Koeln used. So annoying as it’s perfect for shade and rain protection. Also it just is super out there.

Duerer’s drawing shows a half circle with a half circle cut out, but that is an actual dutch style. I think the half circle cut out is gathered to the duckbill shape seen further west. So time to dig a bit deeper for what was going on in the Duchy of Cleves because I believe de Bruyn on this point. Heuken were very much shaped by regional preference.

 

Also this portrait was what really got my inspiration for my first Nordrein gown in 2004, but this is also tone on tone, and, and, red velvet is everywhere in inventories. I men every where. Mainly for sleeves and bust decoration. This tone on tone thing though? I love. So that’s why I was okay when the store had no black velveteen and only raspberry.

|  

hemmed

My pink Cleves gown is hemmed! It’s full enough I can do the overlap even if my source art doesn’t show it. But I’ll have a lot more to say on that later.

The front is flared and the sides but the back is fairly straight. This makes the centre back spring a lot more from the body with the hem not folding as deeply as it could. But also ugh! How did I wind up with a 2″ wide piece missing!

Mr Carlo really loves this fabric. Like loooves.

Initially i was sewing on my knees until I found I could weave my needle through the fabric and not pick up the carpet. So that made it much easier to sew the curves without stretching the fabric.

 

 

I am looking at getting my Schnittbuch up this year, as well as a whole lot of research, and thus loads of documents for others to sift through. There is a lot, not a whole lot of costume info, but lots about life in the region.

 

 

Ginger fluff loves skinks. Luckily he is interested in the twitching tails so we’ve been able to rescue the actual skink. They are pretty canny. They play dead in my hand but as soon as I get them near foliage they can hide in, VROOM!

|   

cleves progress

I’m taking a short break now from hand sewing. I have cohesive bandage to lay down as I think I’ll need it.

Anyway. I forgot how annoying and fiddly it is to hand sew  a piled fabric to a fabric that is springy but without a pile. Thread just stretches and the turn under moves. Like moves moves. I am not sure I can adequately measure so I have to eye it.

I also think I’m doing it wrong. It’s absolutely right going by portraits but every single extant example has a narrow braid/twists of thread to hide what is likely a raw edge. Because yes, velbet has always been a PITA to work with. My best work involved making card templates and pressing and steaming my velveteen over it and still unpicking every single hem at least once.

I cut my guards to shape. 8cm wide from one selvage for the fronts and then I laid the fabric over my right sikirt front and pinned at regualr intervals 8cm for each guard. SO far so simple. But the velveteen has a nap. Which means turning and turning the remaining fabric to make sure the pile goes up- so the velveteen looks the most rich.

Then I lined up left over to the back centre which means piecing at the sides. This is based mainly on what Alcega has to say- actually all the Spanish tailors. All piecing is at the sides. Like everything. Or under arm, but basically sides are a mess, underarms next, CF and CB pretty much untouched. The Austrian tailors also show piecing in places we may not automatically think of.

I suspect it has everything to do with expectations. We expect no piecing- we limit most pattern pieces by the width of fabric. this is mostly okay when you can top and tail perfectly shaped pieces. But historically really special fabrics were narrow. So it was expected that they would not be wide enough so vertical seams at regualr intervals were expected. And ad they tend to be near the side seam it is a handy place to add any piecing as ther eis already an expectation of seams there.

So Centre Front and Centre back being, usually, cut with the selvages are expected to be continuous.

There are obviously exceptions. But this is the rule.

Anyway, so after matching fabric I was even able to follow the curve to cut my neckline guarding. And then was able to make strips for arm guarding.

I only hand sew while sitting cross legged. SO I do have to stop every so often to stretch. But knees make for a very handy “frame” to stitch. Also you can adjust tension by just moving, and also it only take a pin at each seam being worked on.

I’m not 100% convinced on the source being accurate. but I basically have two two portraits to go by otherwise, and they do confirm wide bands. And later examples show at least one wide band about the width of one of thee, and lots of religious paintings where it’s basically zero guarding. I think this is an acceptable variation in terms of colour, texture, and width of guarding. I like the tone on tone, the original is black on pink but it looks so Saxon. I love Saxon, and Cleves did have Saxon influence (Sybilla married the Duke and kept up correspondence with her brother so yes, very definitely an influence.)

So there is heaps to go and I have to pace myself or risk not being able to go to the event at all. I can work on hems while there as I have my linen kirtle and silk frock. So you know. I am set to just pack. But I want this dress and hat. And then I can upload my resources.

So i think I should do some stretches and call it an evening.

 

Also I have to get to the city some time soon. I know I have a reference for Jocabaa wearing frocks that outshone brides and also got numbers of how many cows brocade cost…

|