Ardenwood Ren Faire

Hubby doesn't do ren fairs, so I went with my brother and sister, and enjoyed a toddler free couple of hours.

Pros:

*I was charged the "teen" entrance fee. The guy didn't even bother to ask my age. I will be 27 next month.

*The jousting was awesome.

*The mango lemonade was good.

*We didn't get lost driving there, or lose the car in the parking lot.

*The crazy dragon costume guy.

Cons:

*No shade= Wicked sunburn.

*Not enough vendors/ shows/ activities.

*Too many people in regular clothes. Seriously, why go if you are not going to dress up?

*Weak belly dancing.

*REALLY disorganized layout.

Crazy Dragon Guy

The Ultimate Upcycled Renaissance Costume

My costume is finally done!! Every single bit of fabric on this thing either used to be something else, or was a scrap from another project.

Dress: Hideous sofa slipcover from Goodwill
Sleeves: Leftover from sewing a corset
Chemise: Playpen cover
Partlet and hair covering: Old sheer curtains
Velvet ribbon at waist: Drawstring from old yoga pants

The only part of the dress that is new are the buttons. So I paid $15 for the whole thing.

For the geeks out there, this is a 1490's Florentine merchant class costume.

Ye Olde Ren Faire Update

The basic construction of my dress is done...You'll notice that I opted for a front instead of side lacing dress, as shown in a previous post. After looking at many more paintings, it just seemed more historically correct.

Extra foufy sleeves...check.

I still need to dye the over dress, and apply the trim. And of course I will get some more appropriate lacings. The following image is simulated. Badly.

Overall, I'd say its not too bad for a sofa slipcover from Goodwill...I didn't even use a pattern...totally winged it. Wo0t!

Faking It.

This is another ren faire garb related post. Blackwork is the standard decoration for renaissance era undies. As much as I would love to have this delicate stitchery around the neckline and cuffs of my chemise, it's not gong to happen. That would take serious amount of time; quiet, uninterrupted time, of which I have none. So, I am going to fake it. By combining some of the embroidery stitches on my sewing machine, I have been able to create a fairly believable substitute. Let's just hope I don't run into a group of hardcore authenticity nuts at the faire, who will have me burned at the stake.

Way Early Ren Faire Preparations

I designed my dress for this year's Ren Faire, but I can't decide what colors to use. The under dress has to be that gold color, since I already have the fabric (a sofa slip cover from a thrift store! LOL). So, cast your vote for one of the color combos shown or come up with a new one. No purple please.