Frequently Asked Questions

Do you take commissions?

At this time I am not taking on commission work for individuals. If this changes in the future I will update my page here.

What is your favorite time period?

My first love will always be 16th century fashion thanks to my fascination with the Tudors and Elizabeth I of England early in life, but I do love exploring other regions and time periods.

How do I get started?

Pick out a project that you love. Experience, research, and practice will help you keep improving once you get started. I often find the hardest part is just o get started, and keep going when something about a project frustrates you. Your first project should be something you are so passionate about doing that the desire to see it done will carry you past that.

Do you do workshops?

I have done workshops for groups in the past to help people get started on their own costuming projects. You can e-mail me to discuss timelines and details. Timelines and sizes may be limited at this time due to covid-19.

maridith.smith@gmail.com

Phoenix Comic Con Fashion Show 2015
Photo by Patti Jo Collum

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Avoid These Common Mistakes: Packing for Pennsic and SCA Camping

#camping #mysca #societyforcreativeanachronism #glamping #pennsic This summer I've been letting myself fall back in love with the Society for Creative Anachronism. There have been some moments that have been hard for sure, but also some of my moments of greatest joy. One of the things I realized was I had completely forgotten what I need to pack in order to go camping in the different environments we see across the Western United States, at SCA events. This video does not speak in any official way for the non profit group or any of its branches. I simply wanted to share some of my pit falls and learning curves I've experiences over the years. I am a list maker. So I started planning for my second camping trip of the summer by making a list of the things that I would need to have cleaned and packed after my first trip did not go as smoothly as I had hoped earlier this summer. Towards the end of the video I give you 6 tips I've picked up from camping at these events...

Making my Viking Apron Dress

This Week's vlog is the follow up to my Viking Age Tunic dress which I posted last week. When discussing the clothing of Birka and other Norse cultures, a woolen dress is an iconic look which is functional while tending a fire or many other activities. My apron dress is inspired by the finds out of Birka. The wool I used was a light weight suiting with a 2:2 twill weave. The long seams of this dress were finished with a machine for speed, and all of the seam finishings were hand sewn. I used a woolen finishing technique I learned about while flipping through Woven into the Earth by Else Ostergard. The technique involves using wool yarn and a couching stich of sorts to encase the raw edges of the wool. The end result is a low profile and durable seam around the neck and hem of my apron dress. I love that all of the hand sewn elements of this dress start to create a decorative finish on the outside of the dress and the only extra embellishment I added was a herringbone stitch over...

I Finally Made a Viking Tunic for Myself that I don't Hate

#sewing #Viking #historicaldress My inspiration for this dress is that I never really wear the style. It looks lovely on some people, but I had just never really gotten into it or the time period around it until friends were asking me for help to make their outfits. This year I realized we would be having a local SCA arts event on April Fool's Day and it seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up and I had to do something. I decided on going incognito and making myself some Norse clothing. Even though I've done some work for others in this time period, I am by no means an expert and leaned on some of the work in this blog post: https://maidenanachronism.blogspot.com/2012/05/viking-underdress.html?m=1 I also referenced these books for some of the techniques and information I used (links are affiliate links): Woven into the Earth by Else Ostergard https://amzn.to/3o0kVb2 Medieval Garments Reconstructed: Norse Clothing Patterns by Lilli Fransen, Anna Norgaard and...

The Tudor Revolution

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