Medieval Overdress Tuesday, Aug 19 2008 

I finally have pictures! I don’t remember when I finished this…last month or this. I used McCall’s 5499.

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I also made the belt. I sewed one end of a length of ribbon around a key ring and hemmed the other end to keep it from unraveling.

McCall’s patterns are on sale for 99 cents each at Hobby Lobby this week, so we went today. I bought nine, including a replacement for the Renaissance skirt pattern that I lost a couple of pieces to. Here are the patterns:

Renaissance Skirt
Knight Costume (it has that V-shape of the Ithilien ranger tabards)
Renaissance Dress
Another Dress
Women’s Medieval and Renaissance hats
Medievalish dress
Easter costumes (for the Roman cloak and armor)
Shirt (I like version A)
Dress (to be altered for my inspired-by Susan’s overdress)

God bless!

- Manwariel

Ranger Gorget Sunday, Aug 17 2008 

I made the mantle/gorget piece of the Ithilien ranger costume. You can see it here: http://www.alleycatscratch.com/lotr/Human/Gondor/Ranger/Ranger2Parade_Syt.jpg

And again here, in brown: http://www.alleycatscratch.com/lotr/Human/Gondor/Ranger/Ranger_AFront_8354_GLeaf.jpg

I decided to make it out of the suede/leather-look fabric I used for my most recent cloak, and to make it out of an old sheet first to make sure it fit. I’m so glad! I ended up making…five or six versions before I was happy with it. The final piece looked like this:

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I saved this picture - http://www.alleycatscratch.com/lotr/Human/Gondor/Ranger/Ranger-gorget-flat.jpg - cropped it in half in Paint Shop Pro, and printed it as big as I could. I cut it out and used it as my first pattern piece (on the fold of the fabric). Version 1. Over the course of my mockups, I made it bigger and changed the shape some, especially at the neck so that the fabric wouldn’t bunch there.

I bound the edges with wide bias tape, added nine eyelets on each side of the front (my reference site guessed there are eleven on each side of the movie version, but mine wasn’t big enough to make that practical), and laced it. The finished product:

Without flash -

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With flash -

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You can see my skirt pattern beneath it. About that skirt…I need to work on it. I still have a couple of pattern pieces to cut out, aside from the ones I lost. I have a vest to do, and probably another vest, and my brown microsuede is begging to be made into a ranger jerkin. I just need lining for those. I might have some fabric I can use. The other items I want to make are waiting for fabric to be purchased for them.

Except for Susan’s farewell overdress, which has fabric but no pattern. I’m waiting for McCall’s to go on sale. The fabric I bought is blue and beige, but other than that, doesn’t have much in common with the fabric used for the movie dress. But I got six yards for five dollars, and I think it will look nice anyway.

Speaking of overdresses, I finished the one I was making, but I have yet to get pictures.

God bless!

- Manwariel

Change Wednesday, Aug 6 2008 

I made more progress on the medieval overdress yesterday. I just need to hem everything now. I’m hoping those skirt pattern pieces will turn up.

My list of costumes I want to make has changed yet again. The ones I’ve comitted to making are:

* Two Renaissance skirts

* Two chemises

* Two vests

And the ones I want to make are:

* Ithilien ranger spin-off (The Lord of the Rings)

* Susan’s farewell overdress (Prince Caspian)

* Ramandu’s daughter-inspired dress

* Elven style gown

* Cloak with linen-look outside and average lining

The first two are the ones I really want to make right now. But nothing is set in stone with me until the pieces are cut out ;) Since I don’t have fabric for any of these projects right now (except some of the items I’ve comitted to making), it could be a while.

God bless!

- Manwariel

Missing Pieces Friday, Aug 1 2008 

I cut out some of the pieces for a Renaissance skirt from the red linen, but I’ve misplaced two of the pattern pieces - the waistband and the “continous lap” (whatever that is). At least I should be able to improvise without much trouble.

We’re going to a bargain fabric center next week. I hope to find fabric for a chemise.

God bless!

- Manwariel

Projects Friday, Jul 18 2008 

I made some progress on the overdress today. I sewed the back sides to the back middle. Now I just need to sew the front to the back and hem everything.

I have several different fabrics with coordinating colors. I’m thinking about making a Renaissance skirt from two and a vest from another. The only thing is, the red linen would also be perfect for dress sleeves. So I’ll have to make up my mind at some point. I’m leaning toward the skirt. I want to make it with something I don’t care about as much as the jacquard to see if the size works, and then do it in the jacquard and whatever fabric my sister chooses.

Eventually (after make the Renaissance costumes for my younger sister and I) I want to make version D of McCall’s M4490 with the main part dark blue, the sleeves white, and the sleeve lining light blue. This is my current top priority of the future, which is subject to change. ;) You can see the pattern here: http://www.mccallpattern.com/item/M4490.htm??tab=costumes&page=5

God bless!

- Manwariel

Leather-Look Cloak Friday, Jul 18 2008 

I made this cloak out of the black, leather-look fabric that I mentioned. It feels something like microsuede but is smoother. I used Simplicity 9887 again but altered it some to change the length. I didn’t want it as long as the others.

With camera flash:

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Without:

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The clasp is from Hancock Fabrics:

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The hood is rather large.

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I think it’s the nicest of the five cloaks I’ve made.

God bless!

- Manwariel

Cloaks, Vests, Oh My Friday, Jun 27 2008 

A dear lady recently gave away some of her fabric. She worked at JoAnn’s, so she had (and still has) quite a supply. I got a black leather-look fabric I’m going to make a cloak with. I also got seven yards of gold crushed panne velvet that’s begging me to turn it into something. I haven’t decided what I’m going to use it for yet, but I have some ideas. The colors of other fabric I got coordinate well, so I want to use them together. And I have several pieces of jaquard that will do nicely for vests.

Speaking of vests, it turns out my younger sister wants the exact same outfit I wanted to make :o) So once we can afford to buy the fabric for that, I’m going to make a chemise, a vest (which I already have the fabric for), and a skirt for each of us. In the meantime, I’ll work on my other projects.

God bless!

- Manwariel

Upcoming Projects Monday, Jun 2 2008 

I recently bought 10 McCall’s patterns when they were on sale for 99 cents each (*happiness*). I’m excited about making things with them. I’ve already started one item - a medieval overdress (C). I’m using M5499. I was going to make all of it out of this $1 a yard polyester from guess where:
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In my haste and all-knowingness, I folded the fabric wrong. I ended up with the front and back middle sections in that, and the side pieces in the gray-green fabric leftover from making a cloak.

Other projects I hope to complete this year (or next) in order of importance:
Chemise C of M4091 in white cotton or linen
The vest of M4492 in brown microsuede
Skirt A of M4090 in dark green cotton, broadcloth, or something like that
Cloak C of 2853 in a medium or dark brown something
Dress D of M4490 in dark blue cotton or linen or something similar
I want to make a different version (a slightly altered A, or B) of M4995, probably in a dark red something. *coughSusanNarniacough*

Once my younger sister decides what costume she’d like me to make for her (it’ll be probably one or a mixture of the above patterns or something similar) I’ll make a version for myself and see if it fits her and then make it for her in whatever fabric she buys (I don’t want to use her fabric to make something and then have it not fit her. But we’re about the same size - I weigh a few pounds more - so it probably won’t be a problem). So the order of items I make might get messed up, but that’s okay! :o)

God bless!
-Manwariel

The Ranger Outfit Monday, Jun 2 2008 

I made the black shirt, which I already posted about, the cloak, and the brown coat…thing.

For the black cotton shirt, I measured across my shoulders (middle of the side of one to the middle of the side of the other) and to my thigh or however it long it is (just above the knee, I think) and cut out two rectangles of those dimensions (shoulder width wide, knee length long). For the sleeves I measured from my shoulder to my wrist and cut two rectangles that long and 20 inches wide (the wider the sleeve, the puffier it’ll be). I looked at one of my t-shirts to decide how long to make the armhole. It needs to be a little smaller than your sleeve. Since my sleeve was 10 inches on each side, I made the armhole eight inches wide. I sewed together the shoulder seams and side seams of the shirt (make sure you leave the armholes open ;) ) and the sleeve seams and attached the sleeves. For the neck I cut it in the front to a comfortable roundness and made a six-inch long slit. On the sides of the slit I made buttonholes and added the black cord. To learn how to make the sleeve cuffs go to http://www.reddawn.net/costume/shirt.htm

For the cloak I used Simplicity 5794. But I didn’t attach the A pieces to the ones they went with so it’s shorter and has an uneven hem. I also decided not to line it. I used a mystery fabric from Wal-Mart that cost a dollar yard and is a little like…*gulp*…lining, but not enough that I thought it was. I put an eyelet on either side at the top front and put some cord through it. On either end of the cord I added a leaf bead and made a knot, so the cloak slips over my head and I can tie it however I want.

For the coat I used Simplicity 4213 and cut off the “sleeve” parts. I used another $1 yard mystery fabric from Wal-Mart. It was damaged when I bought it (and I knew this) so there are a few tears…is that how you spell tears? Because it’s also how you spell tears )-,: … that give it a more weathered look.

A nice view of the cloak hem:
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It tapers to a point in the middle of the back.
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A nice view of the (oversized) “Aragorn coat” (note: you could make it more authentic by adding eyelets, doing it in a different fabric and color, etc. if you really want to look like Aragorn. I was just going for the overall ranger look, not to mention the fabric was cheap, and I didn’t want to use more of my eyelets on it. Oh yeah, and I’m a girl).
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Trim! Admittedly gold, un-rangerish trim (any trim is un-rangerish. Aragorn’s cloak didn’t /have/ trim. Oh well).
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The Dumbo hood (I think it has something to do with the stiffness of the trim, but also the way the pattern is. I’m not using that pattern again. There’s a curve in the back middle seam…why??):
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God bless!
- Manwariel

A Tunic Monday, Jun 2 2008 

For this broadcloth tunic, I used Simplicity 4942 and left off the yoke and added some trim.

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God bless!
- Manwariel

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