The joys and frustrations of trying something new

[callistotoni]

After the barn today my throat started feeling worse, so I decided the best thing was to go straight home. Being home, I decided to tackle something I'd been thinking of making for J/S, namely, the Norlund (or Herjolfsnes) No. 63 gown/tunic/whatchamacallit (see http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~Marc-Carlson/cloth/herjol63.html ; also depicted in the Woven Into The Earth book.)

Yes, I know historicenterprises sells these, but I wanted to figure it out for myself as a mental exercise and I don't have any money anyway. Per the mental exercise part, I thought it would be interesting to try to recreate what I saw without imposing what I *expect* to see as a modern or 16th C costumer, albeit moderated by common sense/logic.

I got a pattern for the body relatively easily, although I did have a few false starts.

The bigger challenge was/is the sleeves. My personal bugbear today was whether the main seam is at the top (opposite the underarm), or whether it is towards the back, more like your classic suit-like-seam-half-way-the-back-following-to-elbow-etc sleeve. It almost looks like that gore at the top back sorta pushes the main seam back towards the center back, but then the line mores towards the "top" going towards the elbow and wrist. When I started it looks like it was the former, and that was being weird enough that I wasn't being able to draft it. Now I think it might be more to the back. But, I have to say, when you look at the picture of the garment in Woven Into The Earth it really looks like it's on top. Still working on it; decided to let it sit overnight and see if my brain can see it better tomorrow.

Anyone else ever do this?

Oh, and on another 14th C front, I see that there's a first and a second edition of one of the Greenwood Press's Daily Life series, Daily Life in Chaucer's England. The first edition is by Jeffrey L Singman, the same author as for Daily Life in Elizabethan England (which I own and have found quite useful). The second edition has two different authors. Does anyone own these? Do you know what the difference is? I can pick up a first ed. for between $10-20 from amazon.com vendors, but the second edition is more like $40-50. Oh, and I was happy to be reminded that the Decameron is 14th C. Story telling! Finally I've found something "salon like" about the 14th C. :-)

Comments

Re: Yes, I know historicenterprises sells these

[allison-is.livejournal.com]

I've had pretty good experiences with them - I ordered a hood color that was out of stock and they called to tell me the day I placed my order. They've also shipped veil pins to me when I don't meet their order minimum.

Not always excellent in customer relations...

[sarahbellem.livejournal.com]

My experience with H.E. has been different. I've emailed them a number of times to check whether something was in stock, or if it was listed as "out of stock", when it would be reordered. Never heard a peep from them. Sucks, because they do carry some nice essentials like pins and whatnot...

[ula1066.livejournal.com]

I don't have the book on hand but from memory I think I deducted that it was along the back, like a modern suit. Most other depictions from the mainland in the same time frame are definitely down the back. I've tried to fit it with an underarm seam before and it never works right, also leading me to believe it is down the back.

If you ever want to geek on 14th C. stuff, let me know. I have a head full of knowledge and several reference books that I'm happy to lend you.

[callistotoni.livejournal.com]

I'd love to set up a 14th C geek-date with you. I'm new to the period, so I'm coming up to speed. I'll be up in April -- pirate black light mini-golf here we come!-- but the big deal that trip will be to get J/S's mom's garage cleaned up. Possibly squeeze a few hours in there? Or I'll be up in May for the Grand Thing (hm, does 14th C geeking at a Viking-specific event count as "trangressive"? ;-) ).

Re: the Decameron

[callistotoni.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the offer! Will you be at March Crown? Could I take a look at those books then?

[roswtr.livejournal.com]

I've played with that sleeve for years, and I wish I could remember where I picked up this nugget, but at one point somebody suggested that the pie-wedge gore goes from the underarm seam to the sleeve-back seam. I've played with it both ways, and I think it works better that way, especially if your sleeves are tight.

[aastg.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's a "back-seam" sleeve. The size of the sleeve gore can vary depending on the size of the armscye and the relationship of that to the bicep. I line up the center of the gore to the hollow below the shoulder joint - I think it helps mobility.

[callistotoni.livejournal.com]

Take a look at it, though. This is not the Grand Assite (sp?) sleeve, although it looks like its tending in that direction...

[aastg.livejournal.com]

I think the Grande Assiette sleeve likely developed from the type of sleeve represented in the Herjolfsnes gown: GA is the result of more gussets being added to allow for increased armscye.

The simple gussetted back-seam sleeve is amazingly versatile - you can fit anybody with it, especially fighters and their notoriously idiosyncratic musculature.

De-Lurking Again....

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

I see that there's a first and a second edition of one of the Greenwood Press's Daily Life series, Daily Life in Chaucer's England. The first edition is by Jeffrey L Singman, the same author as for Daily Life in Elizabethan England (which I own and have found quite useful). The second edition has two different authors. Does anyone own these? Do you know what the difference is?

The main authors of the first edition are Will McLean and Jeffrey Singman. The main authors of the second edition are Will McLean and Jeffrey Forgeng (who is Dr. Singman with a new surname). IIRC, the new edition has added in material aimed at the recreational medievalist (which was the main focus of the original, self-published work upon which Daily Life was based)--but I haven't received my comp. yet, so I can't address specifics. I do know that there have been some changes in the Music section (for example, my spouse and I contributed two 14th-century English songs redacted from facsimile).

Re: De-Lurking Again....

[callistotoni.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the info!

Re: De-Lurking Again....

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

You're welcome :-)

P.S. I think your C16 salons sound great! (I'd love to show up, but I'm on the wrong Coast :-()