Hem & H.A*
(Historically Adequate)

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.

Yet another take on my trusty blue waistcoat!  These photos were taken as part of my talk, "Wearing vs Styling: Accessorizing to Create a Period Look" for the Westcoast Elizabethan Clothing Symposium. (You can read more about the how and why in Part 1 of the talk HERE .)

This waistcoat has been on my to do list for a long time.  And it still is.  Let me explain... I originally intended this as a quick project, using the exact pattern and construction method as my trusty old  blue waistcoat . 

Another Faire season has come to an end and I was really hoping to have my 1590s gown finished in time for the last weekend. However, about a week out it was clear that I just didn't have enough time to get the various pieces finished and assembled, so I decided to do a last minute pivot back to my trusty  blue waistcoat .

I hope you're not bored of my blue waistcoat yet...cause here it is again! This time with the ruff I just completed. This version was originally intended for my first trip to the new-ish Nottingham festival in Simi Valley back in November. I wasn't able to go in the end, but at least I've finally got some photos to prove the outfit exists! (Though my old computer finally gave up the ghost and very nearly took all of them with it...).

A long overdue NorCal update! Back in early September I made my second ever trip to the Northern California Renaissance Faire. I really enjoyed my first visit --the location, with it's larger more northern trees, reminded me of Canadian Faires-- and I was really looking forward to going again. Hoping for a cooler event (compared to the SoCal Faire) I added a couple of layers to my waistcoat ensemble and drove the 5 hours north!

I had a week off work before the last weekend of this year's SoCal Faire, so I was able to make some new pieces to wear with my waistcoat for a much posher look.

(Note: This post was compiled before I realized that Blogger had a secret "enhance" feature that it automatically applied to all your photos.  I've since figured out how to turn it off, but I apologize for the crazy saturation and vignetting on some of the photos below.) Phew!!! So I finally finished the blue Elizabethan/Jacobean waistcoat I started planning...what? Three years ago? Yikes.