Hem & H.A*
(Historically Adequate)

An now for something a little different...some fantasy-esque silliness. This project all started because of the stupidest (read: best, most glorious!)  hat I'd ever seen. Back in 2023, I found this felted wool hat on Esty from the Polish maker FeltYourself... ...and I absolutely had to have it.   I mean look at it! How could I resist? I didn't yet know what it was going to be, but I knew it had to be something. Obviously, the hat is giving strong gnome-vibes. So I started by developing a colour palette based on some wool swatches from DorrMill, just to see what spoke to me. I wanted the red hat to be the standout, so I mainly focused on complimentary shades of green, with a somewhat analogous burgundy as a transition shade. From there, I drew a couple of quick sketches comprising of green dress, lighter green sleeves, and a burgundy capelet. Unsurprisingly, the overall silhouette is still strongly rooted in the 16th century.  I had recently finished my red and blue ...

This ruff is another piece that was originally planned for my presentation at the  Westcoast Elizabethan Clothing Symposium  ( "Wearing vs Styling: Accessorizing to Create a Period Look" ), which focused on using accessories to build a richer, more period wardrobe.  Specifically, it was meant to feature in  Part 3  of my talk, which centered on re-styling the same black fitted gown for different decades (from 1540-1650). 

As part of my talk for the  Westcoast Elizabethan Clothing Symposium ( "Wearing vs Styling: Accessorizing to Create a Period Look" ), I decided to attempt to make a pair of late 16th / early 17th century embroidered and decorated leather gloves.

I decided I needed a quick, last minute project for this year's Renaissance Faire (I like to try for at least one new piece every season, even if it's just an accessory) and settled on the short waistcoat from The Typical Tudor.