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

The Burgundy Dress Monday, Jun 2 2008 

I found some burgundy polyster and some blue ?? at Wal-Mart for $1 a yard. I was going to make a lined cloak with them, but I got to thinking about this pattern and changed my mind. This dress was very fun to make. I used Simplicity 4940. Since the smallest size in that pattern is a couple of sizes bigger than the blue dress I made, I took the easy way for the princess seams and acted like the curves weren’t there, and then I just cut them off after I sewed it together. I decided against using a zipper since the burdungy is rather slippery (not to mention I’d have to go out and buy one). Instead I used eyelets that I took off a belt I never wear. That’s the first I’ve ever used them, and I must say, it was love at first discovery. Some of the holes ended up a little big so the eyelets are loose and I have to put them back into place every now and then, but the cord keeps them from moving around too much.

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I kept getting the criss-crossing wrong when I threaded that cord through the eyelets. I finally decided I’d done enough damage and let well enough alone.

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The sleeves have drawstrings, so you can wear them up or down.

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The sleeves are my favorite part :-)
God bless!
- Manwariel

 

Cloaks Monday, Jun 2 2008 

I’ve made three cloaks using Simplicity 9887.

The first I made was this tan cloak, my experimental model.

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For a clasp I used a jewelry toggle:
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I made the same version for a friend (blue) and my younger sister (green).
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My next cloaks will most likely be another pattern. I have a new one I want to try, and a lined cloak pattern. I made another cloak that I don’t have any pictures of yet.

God bless!

- Manwariel

The Blue Dress Monday, Jun 2 2008 

This is the first item I made using a pattern, the first princess seams I did, the first dress I made, the first zipper I put in…It’s made of a light blue broadcloth. I used Simplicity 9891. I did the main dress part, but the sleeves I was going to do (the ones other than the drapey chiffon sleeves) ended up too tight for comfort (I couldn’t bend my elbows well), so I used the pattern to get the shoulder part right and just made them a little wider. The only huge mistake is the wrinkles sewed into the princess seams near the top where one piece of fabric is straight and the other curved (any tips for getting this right?). Overall, it turned out pretty well. It’s worn over a white t-shirt in these pictures.

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God bless!

- Manwariel (if I ever sign my name WM, it’s because I’m used to doing that on my other blog)

Shirts Monday, Jun 2 2008 

This is the second item I made. I partially used instructions from http://www.reddawn.net/costume/costume.htm and partially did my own thing and followed some instructions from Mom. Sadly, yes, some of the pictures I will post are mirror pictures. Unprofessional and disgustingly reminiscent of MySpace…okay, I’m joking. Sort of.
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Here I wore it to the Georgia Renaissance Festival:
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This next one is more recent. I used Simplicity 3519.  It’s a bit shorter than I want, so if I make it again I think I’ll lengthen it. The gathering was kind of a pain, but it turned out well.
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God bless!
- Manwariel

Some Older Items Sunday, Jun 1 2008 

These are two of the first items I made with my sewing machine. The first is a tabard made from a dark blue broadcloth. I didn’t use a pattern for either of them.

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This is not a crusader tabard. Those are red. ;p

The other item is a vest I made from some fabric we had lying around. The armholes aren’t hemmed…
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God bless.

- Manwariel

Mae Govannen Sunday, Jun 1 2008 

Well met. I’m Manwariel, known as Warrior Maiden on Clean Place, and I was inspired by other people to create a costuming blog. I really enjoy making medieval/Renaissance/fantasy costumes. I started sewing in December 2007 when I decided to buy a Brother machine so I could learn to make costumes. I hand sewed some before that and used my mother’s machine once or twice years ago. Mom used to sew some, so she’s helped me with some things, like showing me how to attach sleeves. Other than that, I’ve learned on my own, gathering some advice from seamstress friends like Legossi.