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Yes, it's true! The most renowned costume
expert had to start somewhere. Chances are, they started out
asking what seemed like stupid questions to those more knowledgeable at
the time. But that's the point -- they asked questions.
They were curious enough to learn more, to question assumptions, to dig
deeper.
So, in the interest of maintaining my own sense of humor about what I do
and don't know (and I'll be the first to admit that the more I
learn, the more I realize I don't know -- I'm NOT an expert, I'm just
obsessive), here is the Newbie Photo Gallery, beginning with some of my
own early garb. If you have pictures to contribute of yourself
in an early costume attempt and in more recent garb, please send it to me
at lindo@radix.net and join on in!
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| Then: |
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Here I am, circa 1984, in a Gunne Sax
dress that my mom found in a thrift shop, with Mom's poodle
Nicholas, and a staff with a dragon's head that I carved out of an
old Christmas tree trunk. |
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A picture a year or so later. I'm
wearing a 'leine' with sleeves pleated to a strip of fabric, a
green wool A-line skirt (another thrift shop find), and a corset
(that you can't see very well under the plaid) made of beige
corduroy, with red rayon lacing, with the pattern taken off a
Victorian corset in my mom's antique clothes stash.
Accurate? No way. But I didn't know any better, and
the corset was the first time I'd ever tried to draft a pattern
from a piece of antique clothing. Oh, and the plaid/arisaid
-- not nearly big enough (maybe 2 yards, should be at least 4),
and hemmed with a _huge_ blanket stitch in red polyester knitting
wool. I still have it; it covers the blanket chest at the
foot of my bed. |
| Now: |
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About three years ago...
What I'm wearing: a blue petticoat, a red jacket (shortgown,
actually), a proper shift, an arisaid of the right size, and some
kind of cap. Ok, maybe it's a head-wrap. At least
there's something on my head.
What's wrong: I didn't have an annular brooch yet (more pics
soon!), or a proper cap, and it's likely that Scottish highland
women wore fitted jackets, rather than shortgowns, and I didn't
have one yet. In fact, I still need to upgrade my
summer-weight jacket. |
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Last summer...
Here you can see my cap, stays, shift... I'm mending my hubby's
trews. |
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Here we are, same event: I'm wearing my
jacket, and have my neck-scarf and kertch on. The
neckerchief is not pinned properly. I probably shouldn't
have the petticoat hiked up that way. The jacket should have
shorter sleeves (since altered), and should be of linen or wool (I
need to get around to making a new one). But, it's getting
better... and you can see the handmade pampooties I'm wearing,
too!
Hubby's costume: this is the waistcoat I made for him when we
were first starting out in this group and I had NO idea what
patterns to use, etc. I've since made him a new waistcoat of
linen, and replaced that cotton shirt he's wearing with a linen
one. I did hand-knit the hat, out of yarn I spun and dyed,
from a historic pattern. |
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So, as you can see -- it's a work in
progress, and always will be! |
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