The hand-embroidered medieval silk cap is finished! Sometimes worn as a base-layer under a hat or veil, but also sported alone, I wanted a cap that was both fancy and good for the hair, so I used real silk in a champagne color. The shape is based on St Birgitta’s… Read More »Embroidered Medieval Cap
Glad to be back with more creations to post after a month of progress. I’ve been reading, thinking, resting, and filling the creative wells. Lots of yoga and dance, including some recent public performances. The first renaissance fair of the year for us is fast approaching at the end of… Read More »Gold Stuffed Circlet Hat
Years ago I was gifted some old saris to make into costume pieces and recycle the silk and satin. Here’s a men’s tunic that I finally finished after years on hold, stashed away since before we moved into the house. Patterned by me in my favorite shapes: rectangles. I used… Read More »Recycled Sari Tunic
My latest masterpiece is complete. Inspired by illustrations of 14th century noblewoman’s dress, adapted for modern ease-of-wear. Does anyone else ever feel rushed for time in a dress that takes 10 minutes and a second-set of hands to lace up or get out of? For those certain events were time… Read More »Cinnamon Rust Medieval Gown
Have you ever heard of a sontag? It’s a historical women’s shawl that was worn wrapped around the body and tied at the waist to keep the arms free for work. It was probably in widespread use before the American Civil War, but that’s about when it started showing up… Read More »Crochet Sontag Shawl
I’ve been making a new dress for the 2024 cool faire season, and to make the project take much longer than usual, I decided to add intricate hand-embroidery to the shoulders. I’ve done minimal embroidery on small projects in the past but am so in love with texture wherever I… Read More »Sleeve Embroidery
He didn’t want mittens, but wanted all of the difficult bits of a mitten that would force me to learn a lot about crochet. I haven’t been crocheting for very long. I can make rectangles, circles, all the basic stiches and some scallops. Baubles, I can do. I don’t like… Read More »Men’s Handwarmers
Who doesn’t love having two garments with the storage requirements of one? Also, the best costumes have a lot of layers. Therefore I have sewn a vest and belt set which is fully reversable! Pattern created by Frankenstein-ing a women’s tunic pattern, I actually had one side of this vest… Read More »Gold Vest and Obi Belt
I finally made myself a perfect medieval chemise. Perfection existing in the fabric, the pattern, and the notions. Past attempts at chemise fell short when I tried to use cotton muslin. The stiff weight didn’t drape how I had imagined in one case or another. This time I found a… Read More »Medieval Chemise
Year number four of pandemic, year number four of our disease-free, plague-themed backyard renaissance faire. Annually since 2020 we have hosted a small group of friends for a pot-luck party, costumes mandatory! This year was pretty chill, as if we’ve gotten better at setting up for the fun over time.… Read More »Family Plague Faire 2023
Continuing the discussion on new items I made for Jake ahead of the 2023 Connecticut Renaissance Faire, is this very large canvas and remnant belt-pouch. Purely a bonus project, for my own decompression between more strenuous sewing, I pieced this pouch together with remnants of fabric from projects current and… Read More »Large Remnant Pouch
We had the absolute best day at the Connecticut Renaissance Faire in 2023. This season has been rough for faire organizers, as every-single weekend has seen rain. This means a lot of overcrowding on the few nice days. My ideal faire weather is overcast with even a very slight drizzle… Read More »Connecticut Renaissance Faire 2023, Review
Jake wanted a vest for the Renaissance Faire, but with an anime pop-culture flare. Very specific directives on the shape and poofy shoulders and collar on this garment. I started with a basic men’s costume jerkin pattern and slimmed it way down. We didn’t need closures or room for bulky… Read More »Poof-Shoulder Men’s Renaissance Vest
I’ve taken a recent interest in head-coverings to really bring a costume together. To that end I’ve sewn Jake a poofy men’s hat. This is a very classic example of a hat you’d see throughout western Europe during the renaissance, though his is a bit more flamboyant in fabric than… Read More »Men’s Renaissance Poofy Hat
Is it a bonnet? A great veil? Or a Hat? I needed a covering for my head at the renaissance fair to keep the sun off of me without creating too much warmth. My look is not completely historically accurate, but what I make is historically plausible. When researching medieval… Read More »Green Medieval Hat
Never underestimate the power of a 15-minute craft! After making a purse from this rope I had a little leftover, but not enough for anything big. We were also planning a camping trip, and I thought a nice thick pot-holder would come in handy for our metal-handled camping pot. Fifteen… Read More »Quick Crochet Pot-Holder
An improvement on the rope-crochet purse! I’ve crocheted an oversized rope shoulder bag. For this project I chose a 2mm rope for a medium-drape. The bag is heavy, but soft and pliable, and does not stand on it’s own. I learned a few things about crocheting a flat-bottom from my… Read More »Crochet Shoulder Bag
You need the right fabric for the job, and this one may not be it. I’ve been seeing a lot of 4-way stretch separates online retailing for hundreds of dollars. I thought the idea was cute for dance as a base-layer. I sewed the pants first, then wore them to… Read More »Dance Separates
My dogs get all the good stuff. I was gifted some baby-blanket fabric and decided to use it all in one go making two new sleepover blankets for the dogs. They will also make nice sturdy camp blankets for them. Our boarding facilities call it “sleepovers” now so us humans… Read More »Dog Camp Blankets
Happy Memorial Day! I hope you’re having a nice holiday weekend if you’re in the US. I’m sewing some clothes for dance, and while doing so I whipped together this twist-headband out of some scrap material. When life feels very full, quick crafts are satisfying. Good for keeping my hair… Read More »Simple Knit Jersey Headband & Gardening
Happy Beltane! I should have made a garden post for today, but I didn’t plan ahead enough for that. Maybe next week. Continuing my experimenting with free-size pattern drafting, I’ve finished a pink robe with biblical vibes. Knit jersey that I received for free from an online buy-nothing group was… Read More »Pink Free-Size Robe
Don’t you hate it when you’re getting ready for the renaissance fair and you have a nice pouch that’s just a little too heavy for your belt? Wouldn’t it be nice if you had an extra miscellaneous strap to throw on that pouch? A quick and easy project I threw… Read More »Crochet Purse Strap
I’m branching out into new materials and ready to get truly original with this crocheting habit. Yarn can be just so…fragile, I want to see what I else I can crochet with and what kind of forms those new materials will sustain. Tying in my other skills from a long… Read More »Crochet Rope Purse With Leather Handles
I’m diving back into drafting my own patterns while further exploring the most efficient use of fabric. That’s right, sewing with rectangles. Last year I obtained a free bag of fabric from my local buy-nothing group, in which, were two one-yard, 60-in-wide lengths of knit polyester. One blue, one pink.… Read More »Blue Free-Size Caftan
A very minor project while I finish up a few larger items to share with you: a simple crochet headband to finish up the yarn that I used to make myself a two-color winter cowl. Nothing fancy, but I did use two different stitches for a little texture. My posting… Read More »Two-Tone Headband
Spring is almost here! What a roller-coaster of a winter. Mostly absent of snow, we’re finally getting a few big storms towards the official solar end to the season. After several days in the 60s in February I thought maybe I was too late in making this gift of a… Read More »Purple Cowl
I don’t know what to do with all of the hot-pink yarn that I have leftover from my bridal shower, other than to make baby-stuff with it. Good thing a few friends have a few babies. Starting with this cute headband that only took an hour to make. The best… Read More »Pink Baby Headband Crochet
Getting back into crochet with my best rectangle yet! I made a color-blocked winter cowl. In an attempt to get a better handle on the basics, I made this entire cowl using single-crochet stitch, with an emphasis on consistent tension and as straight an edge as I could manage. I’m… Read More »Winter Crochet Cowl
What’s an ear-saver? It’s a strap that goes around the back of your next when you’re wearing a mask. You hook the ear-loops of the mask onto the buttons, which sit behind your ears, instead of on your ears. This makes the mask fit better, tighter, and it takes all… Read More »Crochet Ear-savers
This post is not for the faint of heart. I do not recommend washing your wedding dress at home if it is made of silk, or if you would suffer great emotional distress if your dress becomes damaged by your own hand. If, however, the $200 to $400 price tag… Read More »How to Wash a Wedding Dress at Home
Hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season! Back now with another wedding highlight; this time, tablescapes that are just screaming to be added to Pinterest, but I’m busy. We chose this venue with its refinished rustic barn because the whole scene looks complete with minimal décor. Wedding décor is… Read More »Wedding Decor: Tablescapes
The garden is expanding!! After two summers and two winters supporting our local farms by buying farm-shares, trying tons of new vegetables, learning the growing seasons and what thrives in our area, we have decided that next year, we will try to grow a much larger percentage of our own food. Farm… Read More »Vegetables in the Front Yard
I have finished all seven doilies which are to be the base of a certain type of centerpiece for my upcoming wedding reception. I enjoy crocheting, but not stitches or patterns that require me to count very high, because I like to crochet while I’m doing other things, like watching… Read More »Seven Textured Doilies
Well I just took all of July off from posting, didn’t I? I did come back August 1st with a finished garment; A bridal jacket, no less. Even though it’s summer, I’ve been very busy with wedding design, gardening, commissions, work, and volunteering. This drought has my lawn looking awful,… Read More »Summer Colors
The bridal jacket is finished! For now… I started this project well over a year ago when I decided that having a jacket option for an October wedding would be a safe plan. I wanted to have the jacket finished over New Years, but supply-chain issues made getting fabric and… Read More »Bridal Jacket
At the beginning of June Jake, myself, and several friends had a beautiful day at the Robinhood’s Medieval Faire in Harwinton, CT. We made a whole day of it, stopping for breakfast before the faire while the dogs were at their doggie resort. Starting the day well nourished, we had… Read More »Robin Hood’s Medieval Faire 2022
I did not make these bird houses, but I like to think that I facilitated their construction by fostering a creative environment. When we bought our house four years ago, there were some old and heavily-used bird houses mounted to the side of the old shed. Over the years I… Read More »Guest Project: Bird Houses
Doilies. I’m very happy crocheting my less-than-perfect doilies. Like coloring in a mandala, round and round in meditative fashion.
This weekend I completed an ongoing piece of party décor that I’ve been chipping away at in my spare time. A crocheted bunting made with free yarn, the best kind of yarn. My learning-how-to-crochet journey has really stalled out at doilies, tassels, and garlands because for the most part I… Read More »Crafty Crochet Bunting
This week on weird things my husband asks me to sew for him, a foraging vest. Specifically, a mushroom foraging vest. Last fall, in the expansive opportunity of a ‘don’t-socialize-inside’ mentality, Jake started researching how to identify and forage for edible native fungi. After months of research and starting with… Read More »Foraging Vest
Commission alert! Last year (? maybe, what is time?) I was commissioned to sew a custom A/C cover to keep the draft out of a mountain resort condo unit with a permanent A/C unit installed. I now have photos back of the cover in it’s new home. The cover is… Read More »Air Conditioning Unit Custom Cover
I take my leisure-wear very seriously. Considering I don’t leave the house much working from home and navigating a pandemic, it makes sense that more and more of my wardrobe is becoming house-clothes. This January I’m focusing on wrapping up unfinished projects around the house before making way for the… Read More »Silk Nightgown with Train
Happy New Year, everyone! Thank you for joining me in 2022. I had a little time off over the holidays and my biggest project was to construct myself a bridal jacket to wear at our wedding celebration later this year. The project is going great; the pattern that I chose… Read More »Bridal Jacket Work in Progress
Welcome to the family, Nimbus, who just turned six months old. His first Christmas approaching, I sewed him a stocking to match the rest of the family from scraps leftover from two years past. He’s been with us since August, but with every monogramed accessory or matching training aid, it… Read More »A Stocking for Nimbus
On the second weekend of November, Jake and I hosted the second annual Family Plague Faire in our side-yard. Inspired last year by pandemic lockdowns and the closures of all our annual renaissance faires, the event’s inaugural year was a covid-compliant tiny event with only eight guests in attendance and… Read More »Second Annual Family Plague Faire
When it’s hard to take on big projects, we take on small ones. This year has slipped through my fingers like sand; Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so too, another birthday. When I look back on the last 11 months and think of what went right, one of the… Read More »Blue Cotton Apron, Ahead of Thanksgiving
In the fall we harvest. We pickle, we can, we freeze. All winter, it’s baking. What garment helps with all that more than any other? An apron, of course. I’m in an apron-making mood. They are all my favorite sewing projects in one: utilitarian, good for scraps, all rectangles. If… Read More »Apron-Making Mood
Still working my way through a box of yarn, this time, making ‘rustic’ doilies. I started out with a pattern or two, but found that my gauge and the author’s were not matching up, which results of course in a not-very-flat doily. I therefore abandoned the patterns and struck out… Read More »Crochet Crazy Doilies
Crochet is extremely addictive, and I am falling down the rabbit hole. My second practice project, as I learn this new art, was a chunky triangle scarf in two colors. I learned a new stitch: a scallop, (ooo) and I employed a treble crochet to make the scallops tall and… Read More »Chunky Orange Triangle Scarf, Crochet
First actual project of my learn-how-to-crochet journey complete! I made a draw-string produce bag out of some low-quality medium weight yarn, not suitable for garments or anything I really want to last. The yarn broke a lot while stitching, so I have a lot of random knots tied into this… Read More »Ugly Crochet Produce Bag