Sempstress

Really, who doesn’t dress their dolls for a day at the ren faire? It can’t just be me… Well, ok, maybe it was just me, but it doesn’t have to be anymore – you too can have a copy of the pattern I used to make this little bit of cuteness!   Read the rest of this entry »

So, you’ve got a basic ren wench bodice pattern.  Yay! Now it’s time to pick some fabrics and sew it all up.  Read the rest of this entry »

Remember a while back, I posted directions for a Basic Conic Block draft? Everyone was sort of like, wow, missa, that’s great, it explains so much, but what do I do with it? Well, a basic block is used to develop other patterns in a big bad hurry, without all that annoying measuring and math. Today, we’re going to make an ultra-generic-wenchy-ren-faire-been-there-drank-the-ale-SEEN-IT type bodice pattern.  You know the the one I’m talking about…. It won’t win you points for originality or authenticity, but it’s a fun little piece to wear. Read the rest of this entry »

A lot of people seem to really like circle skirts. They look all cute and romantic on tiny elf-looking girls, and multi-circle skirts are popular with some dance troups. To me, for historical work, they always scream “sock hop!” and I avoid them even though circular hems are demonstrably correct for sixteenth century surcoats and capes. (They also eat fabric like you wouldn’t believe.) This is about the second easiest skirt pattern I can think of, though, and it’s a good trick to know. Read the rest of this entry »

Sewing a chemise can be as simple, or as difficult, as you want it to be. This is one of the simplest versions. Combined with your Simple Chemise Pattern, these sewing directions are all you need to produce a chemise. Well, I mean, you’ll need some fabric, too, and some thread and a sewing machine would be awfully handy, but you get the idea. Shall we? Read the rest of this entry »

This is a very simple chemise pattern.  It won’t win you any points for historical authenticity, but it’s a really great, “feel good” sort of introduction to pattern drafting. Historically, linen items (including chemises and smocks) were made by home seamstresses because of their relatively simple cut and construction.  To draft a simple chemise, you really only need to be able to sort out a couple of rectangles. Read the rest of this entry »