The Tudor Revolution

One of the things I have always wanted to try was making a version of Elenora di Toledo's funeral dress as shown in Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion. The Italian Renaissance Costume Challenge 4, hosted by Bella at The Realm of Venus, provided me with an opportunity I could not beat. Below are some of my inspiration images. Citations will be edited in as they are found. Unknown Florentine Lady, Agnolo Bronzino. 1540s San Diego Museum of Art Eleonora di Toledo by Angolo Bronzino. 1540s Bianca Ponzini Anguissola by Sfonisba Anguissola. 1557 Portrait of a Woman, Florentine School, Mid 16th Century. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

While working on my projects for the Realm of Venus costume challenge, I decided I wanted to try a different way to make buttons for my new muff. Vecellio mentions gold and crystal buttons being used to keep them closed. My digging and research through the Elizabethan Costume Page on Facebook  lead me to this lovely piece of documentation.  6/30/14 Note:  Katrine De Saint Brieuc was the original poster of this image to the Elixabethan Costume Page on Facebook. Thank you for sharing your knowledge! My next step was the bead store where I found decorative headpins and settled for gold plated beads. Rock crystal was not in stock and ordering it was starting to look expensive. After gathering tools I was able to produce something very similar to these buttons, but the holes in the beads did not allow me to insert the wire back in so deeply. Beaded Buttons Materials: - Decorative headpins for jewelry or non-decorative pins and fancy "caps" - Large bead of your ch...

Earlier this month I presented research and pop culture surrounding Henry VIII and his court. This year included two panels; Dressing the Court of Henry VIII and The Tudor Project . I would like to thank Jo Stomel for all of the hard work she, and her staff, put into the costuming programming at Phoenix Comic Con. The whole event was topped off by the Silhouettes of History fashion show. If you saw our group at Phoenix Comic Con and would like to see us back to do more let the staff know. Here is to next year! Fashion show slide by Rose Wood. Photo during fashion show. Taken by Phoenix Comic Con staff. 

As my two big, and most recent, projects draw to a close I have been looking for my next mountain. My heart has settled on competing in the Realm of Venus' 4th Annual Costume Challenge. As of tonight there are 37 competitors ready to pour thier blood, sweat, tears, and time into their entries. Over the next 4 month I will be constructing an outfit with at least 4 pieces: A hand sewn linen camicia A quilted skirt to add some stiffness to my silhouette without hoops A gold silk gown in the Florentine style with sleeves A silk chiffon partlet with goldwork If time allows I am dreaming big with lots of items I would love to make for this competition: Black velvet "doublet style" overgown Another muff Jewelry Parasol Saccotta (pocket) Flag Fan Linen Socks Shoes I will be posting an update once at least once a month as the competition goes on with my progress. For more information on the competition check out the competition's main page and track us as...

Why have I been buckling down so much to restore my Anne Boleyn portrait ensemble? Many of us at rennfire.org have been invited to strut the catwalk at Phoenix Comic Con 2014.The goal of PHX Comic Con's Silhouettes of History is to show the inspirations of many popular historical dramas. Henry VIII and his court will be appearing to represent the Tudor court. I understand there will be many wonderfully talented people portraying other historical periods as well.  The show is Sunday, June 8 at 2pm. For more details please visit the Phoenix Comic Con website or Facebook pages. As of now registration for models is closed.  Phoenix Comic Con Facebook Page Phoenix Comic Con Website  "Learn about historical inspirations for the costuming in such shows as The Tudors, The Borgias and Rome! Local re-enactors will present historically accurate costumes from all parts of history, from the Romans to the Renaissance. You can vote for your favorite costume and check them out up...

A dear friend of mine recently had another baby boy and loves to dress him in period clothing. I unfortunately missed her baby shower, but finished up these darling little shoes made of cotton for easy care and mailed them to her. When worn there is a ribbon that laces through the eyelets to help them stay on her son's feet, but if he is getting active I could see those being ignored completely. These were inspired by several adult pairs of shoes and to give me some small scale practice before trying to make my own shoes later this year. Children were dressed as small adults during the 16th century, so it made perfect sense to me to use their shoes (and modern booties to some extent) when choosing styles and constructing this pair. I Keep your eyes open for test pieces on shoes in the coming months. Extent Pieces: Unfinished Women's shoes in Boston Italian Slipper in the Met

Beads completed and sewn to kirtle In August 2012 I started a project to replace the brass beads on my Anne Boleyn gown with wooden beads covered in metallic threads. Because I did not have a solid timeline I needed to finish these by the beads were put aside for other projects. Now I have the deadline that I needed I have been working steadily to finish covering the beads. New research has also encouraged me to place all of the embellishment on the neckline of a supportive kirtle rather than the edge of my gown as I had done before. This kirtle will also replace the corset I had been wearing under my gown. The first kirtle had varied amounts of success. It was supportive improved the silhouette, but the "cups" of the kirtle were too small for my bust. This version is more accommodating. The kirtle also laces under the arm on both sides to allow for more flexibility and an unbroken neckline under my gown. Progress of embellishing the kirtle. Kirtle bodice is made...

If you really want to understand Henry VIII and his reign, you need to understand the world his parents were born into. The BBC has recently started a series based of Phillipa Gregory's Couins' War series called The White Queen. In order to help the public sort our the fact and fiction a two part documentary was created on the roles of three important women during the Wars of the Roses. If you don't have access to BBC4, the full documentary has been uploaded onto Youtube by someone else. I am posting links to these videos for educational purposes only, and I claim no rights to these videos. Alison Weir's book The Wars of the Roses is another great resource. The Real White Queen and her Rivals part 1 The Real White Queen and her Rivals Part 2 Enjoy a little bit of the history that brings the Tudors to the throne!

Its been a while since I posted any updates, but the stitching never stops I promise. Over the winter I participated in the Realm of Venus Fabulously Fashionable Fur Competition. While I didn't win, I gave the other extremely talented ladies a run for their money and I am very happy with my end results. Here are some brief snippets of my documentation. Please enjoy and go visit the competition page to see the work of the other talented costumers. Fabulously Fashionable Fur Competition Sofonisba Anguissola  (Italian, 1532–1625) The Artist's Sister Minerva Anguissola , ca. 1564 Oil on canvas Layton Art Collection, Gift of the Family of Mrs. Frederick Vogel, Jr. L1952.1 Description and History of Renaissance Muffs The earliest documentation on muff comes from Italy around 1550. By the late sixteenth century, muffs were becoming a popular winter accessory in Europe. From Italy to England women of means were embracing these fur or silk lined envelopes to war...

I found this portrait over a year ago and became fascinated with it. So because of my need for lightweight court clothing to wear at Pennsic I set out on making my own rendition on this gown. Palma Vecchio, Woman in Blue I have chosen to interpret this dress as the ancestor of the "ladder laced" dresses seen on many noble. Venetians later in the century. I would like to thank Melissa Jones and Anabella Wake for their insight into constructing this garment. The camicia was constructed using Anabella's instructions on T he Realm of Venus. The Materials: 5 yds of blue cotton damask (During the time period it was made with silk) 1/2 yd high quality blue velvet (Period material would have been made with silk) 2 yds green silk (sleeve linings) 6 yds of homemade cord (in place of silk ribbons) 1 yd of linen for bodice lining 2 metal bones 1 hook and eye Process: At this time an extent garment of this style has not been shared with the public. My co...