The Tudor Revolution

So if you are new to my blog, Hello! I took July off to focus on work and realities of covid life. Thanks for hanging in there.  This week we are doing to cover 16th Soccocia and their role toward the origin of pockets. People need a place to carry and keep their small items as they walk around. In the middle ages you might have a pilgrim satchel or a belt pouch. Some women in the middle ages had the brilliant idea to stop wearing their money purses outside of their over gowns and instead would wear them between their kirtle/sottona layer and over gowns. This arrangement still gave you access to the purse, but made it harder for thieves to cut your purse strings and run.  Fast forward to the 16th century and we find the heirs to this practice in socaccia. We have some visual evidence of these in mid to late 16th century art out of Italy. This is a detail of Alessandro Allori's,  Woman at her toilet, ca 1575-78. Currently in Florence, Church of Santa Maria Novella, Gaddi ...

I filmed this months ago while I was recovering from being sick. It has been a fun little editing project even if I left the camera tilted the wrong way. I learned how to correct it with my software but kept cutting off my own head in the process. Thank you to my friends in Ansteorra for this fun distraction.  I hope you are all safe and healthy. I expect us to share lots of stories when we are together again.  Just as a reminder, I am not an official spokes person for the SCA. To locate your local group you can go to  www.sca.org  or try Googling your town and SCA. 

Albrecht Durer, Portrait of a Young Venetian Woman, 1505 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_a_Venetian_Woman#/media/File:Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer_089b.jpg It is my understanding that this painting was produced on Albrecht Durer's visit to Venice in 1505, while he was studying the artistic techniques his Venetian contemporaries were using at the time. While the multiple rows of pearls can look intimidating, reproducing this necklace with modern jewelry making supplies is quite easy. I have strung this with silk thread, as it would have likely been at the time, but found it hear breaking when I eventually had a stand snap and I lost several tiny pearls. Empty plastic water bottles can be a great way to store broken necklaces waiting to be restrung in a pinch.  I made one of these for a silent auction to benefit a friend. Materials : - Nylon coated metal beading cable, a bit more than twice your finished length.  - Needle nose pliers - Wire cutters - 4 crimping beads - Necklace...

Hey there readers,  For a few years I've been in love with the idea of what would Belle from Disney's Beauty and the Beast look like if translated through the eyes of 16th century Italy. My first post in this series is actually going to be a white apron for this outfit, and give you instructions on how to make your own. Enjoy!  Use of Aprons in 16th century Italy The basic apron style of a rectangle gathered with a waistband has not changed for hundreds of years, and were popular with Italian women during the 16th century. Italians seem to have viewed this as much more utilitarian than other places in Europe where women were sitting in formal portraits with them. Italian women of the upper class only seem to wear them in private. These aprons have lovely embroidery or expensive lace worked into them. My goal in making mine was to continue to expand on my 16th century woman’s toilet, where women wore them to help keep clothing clean while dressing hair...

Below is my documentation of one of my competition pieces earlier this year. I got side tracked by other projects and will be posting an update later with the finished cuffs. Currently I have 1 cuff 3/4 of the way done. Wish me luck and happy reading. Punto in Aria Lace Cuff  The Honorable Lady Isabelle de Calais  Kingdom Arts and Science Competition 2019 Punto in Aria Cuff from late 16th Century Venice During the 16th century intricate lace work became increasingly popular. With the increase in popularity the methods of creating laces diversified to include plaited laces such as bobbin lace, and needle-based laces such as punto in aria and reticella. These laces could be added to linen undergarments and housewares. One of the most popular uses for lace in this period was on accessories such as veils, handkerchiefs, ruffs, and cuffs. Making the Lace  Pattern Books vs. Professionals It is easy to assume that all lace was made by professional artificers in ...

Women’s Hair in in Mid 16th Century Florence  The Honorable Lady Isabelle de Calais  www.tudorrevolution.blogspot.com To most of Europe in the Renaissance, Italy was seen as a source of learning, culture, and beauty.. While many women across Europe were covering their hair under hoods and coifs, the Italians had a long history of elaborate hair dressing which was embraced with zeal as the continent explored and revived classical learning. This class will outline some of the basic tools, techniques, and accessories used to create Florentine hairstyles from 1540 to 1590. Tools of the trade “Dirty Hair”- Many popular shampoos we used today are mean to achieve modern straight silky hair styles. To make your life easier when creating period looks use products without silicone and parabens. My favorite shampoos to use prior to period hair are from Lush Cosmetics. If you are using shampoos with those ingredients in them please don’t wash your hair for a day or two prior to styli...

This post is long over due and was from my Spring Entry into Outlands Queen's Prize Arts and Sciences Competition. Trust to see more posts about these in the future with patterns for some of the different styles worn around Italy at the time. It has been almost 2 years since I moved to the Colorado Area and I've been so active with my local SCA chapter that I have barely had time to write about some of the fun projects that have been part of my time here. Over the next few weeks I will be working to upload version of many of my class handouts that I have been using over the last 2 years for classes as well as documentation on my mini projects. Stay Tuned! Gorgieras in Mid 16th Century Italy  The Honorable Lady Isabelle de Calais The Outlands Queen’s Prize  Spring 2019 Gorgieras in Mid 16th Century Italy Gorgieras, known as partlets in English, are a popular dressing accessory across Europe during the renaissance.This article of clothing is designed to fil...

For the last few weeks I've been on a spree of finishing my own projects and sewing for me. This particular purse got my attention years ago s a joke, and I decided I wanted one to remind me not to take myself so seriously. This was entered into a "documentation light" SCA competition in  Colorado called Queen's Prize. I may edit this some more for a more in depth research project on the Renaissance concepts of Sacred and Profane Love. Venetian Lute Shaped Purse The Honorable Lady Isabelle de Calais Queen’s Prize Fall 2019 http://realmofvenus.renaissanceitaly.net/workbox/extpurse.htm Purses in 16th Century  Vencie People have been carrying items they find precious to them through out our time period. You will often see bags suspended from belts, pilgrims carrying bags with their possessions, but it is incredibly rare to find a Venetian woman carrying any bag in the art of the 16th century. We know they still had items dear to them, and we have the sur...