Julie's Dress Diaries

Herein lie my attempts at both blogging and creating period clothing for various locations and times of the Renaissance. Enjoy

Monday, January 09, 2006

I'm A Traditional Princess

Okay, so I rarely do these quizzes, and NEVER put them on my blog. But I ended up being the one that sews, and it was too cute. So, with no further ado:

HASH(0x8c95bfc)
The Traditional Princess

You are generous, graceful, and practical with both
feet planted firmly on the ground. You tend to
be a little on the old-fashioned side. You
value home, hearth, and family life and love to
be of service to others.

Role Models: Snow White, Maid Marian

You are most likely to: Discover a hidden talent
for spinning straw into gold.


What Kind of Princess are You? - Beautiful Artwork (Original Music is BACK!!!)
brought to you by Quizilla

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Christmas Was Good to Me

Yup, I got some great costume/renaissance fodder for christmas this year!!! The middle item is now being referred to as "my baby." It was a total surprise that I got this, since amazon.com said that it was a 6-8 week wait, and I didn't tell anyone that i wanted it til well after that window had passed. I mentioned it to my hubby and Mom#2 (how I affectionately call my mother in law), and told them there was no way it'd come in time for christmas.

But they are crafty. Yes, wonderfully crafty!!! Here are some of my new toys:

Incidentally, the QEWU book is amazing (thank you beth, for telling me that, yes, i would want this book).

The two blackwork books are ones that hubby got for me. They are awesome, and I am definitely having a heavily blackworked chemise for my next costumes (one that will work equally well for elizabethan and spanish is my goal). The best part of the books? Already charted out blackwork patterns that are period and droolworthy. Some of these will no doubt end up scanned and posted here in the future (as I will need help deciding which ones to use!).
I think Adam got the books for me so I would stop asking him to map out patterns on his graphy program. I have a sneaky suspicion that this was his gift to both of us. Hehe.

My other complete surprise gift (from the beauteous beth) was a set of two lute music books that she miraculously happened upon. Look at the insides:

Yup, they had style! My favorite part of the Dowland (Jr) book is that in the intro, he basically says "my dad was a famous lutenist and musician, but now he's dying, so you should transfer his fame to me." How's that for renaissance logic? Of course, the way dear robert writes it is much more flowery and spelled with a lot more "f" in place of "s", but you get the idea....
With beth's additions, I now i have lute music books for dowland sr(john) AND dowland jr(robert). It will be really interesting to compare the styles of the two.

...And now for something completely different. I was at my parents house a while back, leafing through the mound of vintage clothes that make up my sister's room. She was a goodwill diva back in the day. I came upon a freaking awesome couched long jacket:

Here's a closeup:

I have to ask the sis, of course, but she hasn't worn this in about a decade, and i think it would make one the most delicious foreparts ever. And well, i'm lazy, and this couching is already DONE. The jacket is just long enough to be skirt length on my stubby little legs. Huzzah--being short CAN be a blessing! Mustn't get hopes up. Must ask her first....

Also: updates on the thunderhosen and green venetian.