The spring time festival is one of my favourites and was always associated for me with a name "Beltane". This is how it was called when I first attended it with friends from my Irish dancing club. We stayed overnight in the woods, everyone was dressed in historical clothes and I also had ribbons in my hair. There were a big bonfire, lanterns with candles, live music, wine and dancing, a lot of dancing. In our interpretation, faeries come out of the forest during Beltane and join people in their celebration. They could even grant you a wish, if they would be pleased with your dancing. Everything felt so magical during that night.

(clothes and embroidery are made by me)

For my first corsetry project I chose bodies from queen Elizabeth’s funeral effigy. One of the reasons is that, of course, I would like to make the whole outfit of queen Elizabeth I some time in the future and decided to use bottom-top approach. Another reason is that I am in love with the geometry of corsets/bodies with a lot of channels. Materials are linen and some mix of cotton and something else (what I found in my cupboard). I used plastic bones of 2 sizes due to their accessibility. Eyelets are worked in linen thread. There is an extra cut similar to princess seam, which was made for better fitting.

Renaissance summer seems to be a theme of this summer for me. I am finishing my trossfrau outfit and torn between trying to make it a bit more historically accurate and to “slash it all”.

“det gör detsamma vart du går och vem du var, ty minnet av en god kamrat skall alltid dröja kvar” 

Good evening to everyone!

I was a bit busy past couple of months finishing courses at sewing school and trying to work more focused on my sewing projects and orders. Here are a couple of photos from the spring: I made two 1940-1950s inspired pants (pattern for green pants was borrowed from Burda). I am currently working on setting up my Etsy shop and website, but I hope to come back to more regular posting soon. 

Best wishes,

Y.

Trying different time periods and techniques. As for now I am in love with all of them and it is hard to choose one for more thorough studies. 

Here is my first Viking (inspired) outfit. Note to future self is to use more historically appropriate colours. And in this hood’s embroidery I decide to work with two colours (I usually work only with one). And I realised that I prefer to work with one colour. I took Viking inspired motive for embroidery.

The undergarments of old times are the dresses of today. Here is my medieval undergarment with slightly deep oval opening and full-body length. I decided to show it separately because it is usually not visible on other photos, but it is still a whole garment

Decided to participate in current flashmob of making copies of paintings and since I always was thinking of doing so with "Girl with a pearl earring" here it comes. 

Materials: different fabrics from my stash and 17th century coat that I am currently working on. It was actually a bit tricky to create the same face expression. Does it look similar, what do you think?

Slow motion cut with a medieval sword in my favourite dress. I miss fencing and waiting to be able to come back

Good day, Sirs and Damsels!

By a happy accident, this blog turned into my historical projects blog and this is a reason why sometimes I do not post so much. (I am studying at a tailoring school now and also make modern clothes. If you are interesetd, https://www.instagram.com/luenelsdesign/ here you can find all of my works)

Here I made an alms purse for my medieval clothes. I used grey wool and viscose threads for embroidery as well as leather stripe to attach it to the belt.  

The 1920s style hat that I made from the scratch at the hat-making course. 

Learning machine embroidery. Here is a renaissance inspired design called “Elizabethan scrolls” (not a historical name) and I am thinking if I should put it on my late 17th century skirt or on a coat. This little 9x9 cm piece took machine 30 min to embroider.

I always feel so dignified when I wear renaissance clothes. I have made this trossfrau dress from wool and the shirt with smocking from linen

“It's not without particular Reasons that the Old Writings of the Knightly Free Art of Fencing with all diligence, in their Books are praised and reposed and the Princes and gentlemen themselves, with earnestness Ordered namely but that more portions of Knightly Fighting and forthright strikes from there have arisen from trustworthy,credible words, that what through' splendid feelings for Manhood originated, for the Praise also thereby in the Highest Command and administration of War will be attained not solely in the History of the Greeks and Romans but is especially proven also through daily experience, that the training in various Knights games and Fencing, is learned with diligence, like those same practices that came long before, and it is masterful with all speed.” (From Joakim Meyer’s fencing manual, translation by Kevin Maurer)

Renaissance man’s costume, pattern for pluderhose is taken from “Patterns of Fashion 3″. Fabrics: silk, wool and linen.

My medieval woolen hood and outfit. The embroidery is done with free-motion quilting technique

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten“ (c) Neil Gaiman

I am in a slightly sentimental mood tonight, so I decided to add one of my favourite quotes of Neil Gaiman. On the photo you can see my medieval outfit of this summer with woolen dress.

My Viking inspired dress: wool, hand sewn with linen thread. And leather bag and shoes are made by my partner.