Two Recently Finished Outfits

I have been working the past year on developing an SCA persona. For the non-SCA people out there, I have been developing a character for those crazy medieval reinactments I do. This means, at this point, picking a time period I like and choosing a name appropriate to the time and place as well as starting to construct a wardrobe. Up until this point, I have been trying out outfits from all different areas of SCA time frame. I have tried a Greek Peplos (early period), Norse apron dresses (also early period) which come in and out of Vogue in the SCA, Basic T-Tunics, generic gowns, Italian Renaissance (yay! late period), Tudor and Gothic.

Gothic, for me, has the best clothes, the best art, best architecture, and cool history, so I decided to go with that.

I have finally chosen and submitted a name. And in all fairness, I have had the name picked out for a year, I just hadn't sent in the forms. My old name had been something I chose on a whim which stuck - Hildegarde - and had used for 4 years, but I honestly didn't think it was me. And since I want my persona to be English, also doesn't work. I went with a pretty name from one of the name books (I think it opened to the page randomly) - Idonia - and then chose one of my family names as a last name - Sherwood. Sounds like it will pass the submition process, and then it shall be mine forever.

I have been working on fleshing out my SCA wardrobe with gothic fitted gowns which my housemate D has been helping me fit. I now have two, and have plans for a third for 12th night this coming winter. Here are two very silly pictures of my new dress (finally finished all the seams, eyelets and hem!) and a bucket. Awesome bucket for taking to events.


Details: 3 yards medium weight Linen (purchased from Fabric store.com) in red, and three in white for the lining.
This is a front laced dress with eyelets spaced 2 cm apart. The hem is not all the way to the ground as this dress is for tourney wear, and I dont want the skirt dragging through the mud and grass. This is a short sleeved version for now, but the short sleeve is based on peasant dress in Les Tres Riches Heures de Duke de Berry.

I have also taken a detour into later period with my Tudor gown. And now I have fallen in love with the so called "Jabobean Jackets." My friend Karis is a bad influence. Here is my latest from the back. The cap is one Karis made, patterned from Tudor Tailor, but it is too small for her, so I can wear it.