Winter warmth.

It's getting colder outside these days. This morning it was 34 Fahrenheit which is pretty darn brisk, and feels even colder because it's so damp here in the Pacific Northwest. Imp is wearing two blankets these days, one for warmth and one for water-resistance (although after 12 hours out in a steady drizzle, nothing really keeps the wet out.) and his formerly sleek coat is getting thick and soft. 

I'm thinking a lot about ways of keeping warm at the barn; I won't give up my weekly riding lessons just because it's getting colder! On the other hand, if I'm shivering and miserable, it will be hard to focus on instructions and that makes for a confused, unhappy horse. So what can I do to keep us both warm and comfortable?

First I made a quarter sheet for Imp, That's a blanket that extends all the way back to his tail, to keep his haunches warm. I used an old wool cloak I had appliqued a border onto and then decided wasn't really in period with my usual look, so it'd been hanging out in the closet. The cloth is a very heavy weight about a quarter inch thick. 

Imp helpfully swings his haunch away just as I snap the pic. But you get the idea.

I tried to think of a way that I could wear the cloak around my waist or something, so it would drape over Imp's rump and also keep my legs warm, but everything I imagined ended up getting tangled or slipping sideways or interfering with movement. Then I had a thought -- chaps! Well, actually, short chaps called "chinks". They only come to the knee and are usually made of leather. I've been secretly wanting a pair for ages because I think they look neat, but they are rather the mark of a working cowboy and I felt like if I just wore them for looks, I'd be teased a bit. If I made some for myself from the leftover cloak pieces, they'd provide extra warmth just where I needed it, and they'd be attractive and useful. 

In my leather stash, I pulled out a pair of tiny stirrup fenders I'd picked up for five bucks. They formed the top of my chinks and their straps made the belt part. I dyed them dark brown to match the rest of my gear and added some silver conchos just to be extra pretty. 

I still need to finish up some rivets and stitching before they'll be ready to ride in, but I'm already imagining Imp and I trotting through a field of falling snow looking very sharp.

And then today at lunchtime, I whipped up a quick bit-warmer for Imp. It's widely advised that when it is cold, you should warm your horse's bit in your hands before putting it in his mouth. This sounds perfectly nice, but then my hands will be all cold from holding the metal! So I made a little pouch. I can put one of those hand-warmer packets in it (I usually keep some in my pockets when it's freezing out.) and wrap it around the bit while I put on Imp's saddle, and when I'm ready to put the bridle on, the bit will be all warmed up. I can take the wrap off and put it back in my pocket. No frosty fingers! 

I'm always happy to find a use for wool scraps. Some hook-and-eye closures keep it snug around the bit while I saddle up.  And the B monogram looks very sharp in red! 

More leatherwork

I told you I had made a breast collar for my friend Emily. I put the top coat of leather dye on it this morning and gave it a final polish, and now it's ready to go. And I took a picture for y'all. I'll get another of it on her horse some time soon, I hope. But for now you can take a look at my work.

I didn't have to buy a thing to make this; I used hardware from my stash, made the straps by re-purposing some heavy reins, and cut my own straps. Putting on buckles is pretty easy, and to think; I was worried it would be a hassle!

I find a great deal of satisfaction in cutting and stitching my own strap keepers -- those little leather circles that you tuck the end of a strap into so it doesn't flap.  Details are what take us into the realm of art, my friends.

Secretly busy!

I know it's been a long time, y'all. I've been busy with my day job and also, my hubby has been out of town since last Thursday. He's gone to the cigar convention he attends every year with his buddy, and I just love the timing of it because it gives me time to work on his birthday present without worrying about him walking in on me.

Yes, I've been enjoying five glorious days of "me time", doing whatever I feel like and hogging the whole bed to myself. I always start out saying I'm going to spend all my time at the barn with my horse, and I do, a bit, but then I find other projects to work on, too.

You'll have to wait until the end of the month to see what I've made for Dave.  But I finished up a dark brown wool Bocksten tunic for myself or to lend to a friend. I'm still deciding on if I want to put embroidery on the neckline or not. I can always do it at another time. The fabric is very soft and fine. I might end up wearing this around the house!

Then I cleaned up and repaired a saddle for my riding instructor. Her youngest student is eight years old, and a tiny little thing, so the saddle she uses is also small. The first time I saw it, I squealed with delight -- it looks like she stole it off the mechanical pony in front of the drugstore! The seat is about ten inches from horn to cantle and it looks like a toy, although it is a proper piece of equipment. I polished it up and put a few stitches in a tiny tear in one fender, then brushed up and vacuumed the fleece to get it nice and clean. For size comparison, here is Ivan playing cowboy.

For two nights I worked on Dave's present. More on that later, of course.

And then last night I got out my box of leather whatnots to see what I had that could be re-purposed into a breast collar for my friend Emily. Nothing fancy, she said, and I aim to please. A heavy pair of harness leather reins seemed just the thing, and my tin of hardwares offered up a few rings and buckles to answer my needs. It's so nice not to have to run to the store! It's just three simple straps, so it doesn't look like much by itself. I'll see if I can get a snap of it on her horse later.

And now it's time for me to get back to work. I really wish I could show you Dave's present. It's kind of a departure for me, something I haven't tried before, and I'm quite pleased with the results. More on that later!

Ahoy!

A quick picture from last weekend's Steamcon V. I kinda wish I'd thought to take my name tag off, but it's a fine picture of us just the same.

"Dave, I think I see where you dropped your monocle!"

Photo credit goes to the fantastic Nate Zimmer, whose creativity makes me smile!

More Steam!

I think I'm a little excited about my first con and my outfit. Know how I can tell? I keep making more things to go with it. Necessary things, though!

Like I suddenly realized that wearing a hoop skirt would mean I'd be getting drafts up my legs while I walked, and I'd be cold. I have long, over-the-knee socks that would help, but I didn't want my thighs to feel like chilled hams. Brr! I needed an undergarment. I was all set to make my own -- in fact, I had started stitching pink swiss-dotted material together, but then I looked at all the other things I have to do between now and Friday morning, and decided that it was time to lay down some money rather than work my fingers to the bone.

I bought a pair of pajama pants in the perfect colors and  rosebud design, cut and hemmed them to the proper length and ran some elastic through the cuffs. I stitched on some ribbon bows for a touch a fancy and ta-dah! -- a quick pair of bloomers.

Don't tell my mother I posted a picture of my knickers on the internet! 

See the shoes in that picture? The angle is not great, but those are three-inch heels. As a girl who usually wears sneakers and riding boots, I knew my feet would be likely to complain after a bit, and no one wants to have sore feet at a con. I think it's the most basic rule: Wear comfortable shoes.

But I am a rebel. And those shoes are so cute and perfect for this outfit!

My plan: to wear the heels and carry a pair of ballet flats in my bag to change into when the going gets tough. Then I looked at the little tapestry mini-carpetbag I had planned on using and realized that changing my shoes would mean carrying my heels in one hand for the rest of the day. And that tapestry mini-carpetbag really didn't go with the rest of my outfit, despite its steampunky cuteness. I needed a new bag. A big one! To the thrift stores!

I found nothing. Nothing. But then I remembered an old satchel-style bag I got years ago. Maybe I could remake it into something workable.

I didn't want to just hot-glue a handful of gears onto it and call it Steampunk, because sticking non-functional gears onto everything is kind of like putting a picture of a horse on your shirt and saying you're a cowboy. I took leftover fabric from my skirt, a brass peacock medallion, some paper fasteners, and soft leather scraps and thought about old trunks and hatboxes. Half an hour and some hot glue later, I had finished my bag, and I'm terrifically pleased with the result. Now I have a nice roomy bag to carry all my doodads, my flask of something sustaining, and my heels -- and it matches my outfit perfectly!

The bag itself is black, but I'm gonna hit it with a little brown spray paint (protecting the fabric flap from the spray, of course!) to make it look more aged and beat up. I think it's a total win!

Okay, now I swear I'm gonna stop making new accessories. I am, really. No, really. Only two days 'til Steamcon! I'll try to take loads of pictures to share here when I come back. In the meantime, have YOU ever been to a Steampunk event? Do you have any advice (besides comfortable shoes!) to share with a newcomer like me? 

Steamcon 2013

I'm headed to my very first convention, you guys, and it's a humdinger: Dave and I are attending Steamcon V this weekend!

We've only dabbled a bit in the local steampunk scene, so my costuming and research isn't as developed in the field as my middle ages stuff, but I have a few nice things -- like the ruffled skirt I made a while back, the one I call my "candybox skirt".  That skirt is the basis for what I'm calling my Steampunk Equestrienne outfit. Behold!

I got the burgundy jacket a year or so ago for three bucks and was going to tear it apart for use as a basic jacket pattern. Imagine my delight when I found how nicely it matched the stripey taffeta of the skirt! It had two big patch pockets on the front, but I took them off and I think it improved the look of the jacket greatly.

Leftover gold fabric from the underskirt makes an ascot and a pocket square. A basic white linen shirt goes underneath it all, with the collar turned up. A finishing touch of fancy is a cameo-style brooch I found (where else) at thrift, for only two dollars. I think it's hilarious.

There's a riding crop, and I have a tapestry bag that holds my brown leather riding gloves and a flask of something sustaining. I found a plain black felt bowler hat that fit me and was five bucks, so that was a good deal, but it seemed a bit lackluster. I tried tucking a small peacock feather into it, but that didn't seem right either. So I took a trip to the craft shop.

Ten dollars later I had some silk flowers, a decorative bird, some accessory feathers, and some tulle fabric. I fussed with them over the hat for a bit (pitching the kitten from my lap where she was "helping" at least a dozen times) and was delighted with my results. Look!

The colors look really bright in this pic because of the flash. They're actually much closer to the muted tones you see in the first, full-length shot. I think it's really effective!

I feel completely prepared to turn out smartly at Steamcon and you know what?  I've managed to avoid the top three steampunk tropes: gears, corsets, and goggles. How about that!

Okay, I really like this one!

We're planning on going back to Camlann Medieval Village for Yule, and I wanted Dave to have something new and festive to wear. I had originally decided to use this dark spruce-y green wool to make a dress for myself, but I knew it would look good on Dave so I pulled out his measurements and my scissors and started cutting. (For reasons unknown, my camera insists that this fabric is a medium grey. I thought that it was the fault of the flash, but no, the pictures I took in daylight are all pale, too. I'll try to get a better shot of the color later. I just really wanted to get a post up for y'all.)

Funny thing about those measurements. I've gotten so used to making close fitted garments for myself that I forgot that Dave's measurements were for his actual body, not for a garment.  So I was a bit dismayed when he tried it on and looked like a sausage! Also, he made some remark that cast doubt on my skills. He should know better than to do that when I have pins and scissors at hand. 

I needed to put some width in there somehow, but how? Finally I hit on the plan of taking out the 6" square underarm gussets and replacing them with kite-shaped ones. This would provide a little ease through the chest and I hoped that would do the trick. 

Nope. Better, but there was still some tightness through the waist. Fortunately I had made the side gores a bit too long and hadn't hemmed the bottom yet, so I took them out and raised them higher, overlapping the underarm gussets a bit, and got about three extra inches per side that way. Dave slipped the tunic over his head one last time and I crowed with delighted success.

This is the side, showing where the underarm gusset meets the skirt gore.
That little bit of overlap made all the difference!

I finished the bottom hem and did the embroidered trim while watching the Walking Dead season premier. I'm not a huge fan, but my friends were there and it was a fun time. I sorted through my stash of tapestry wool and tried all kinds of color combinations but Dave and I both liked this pale grey and cranberry look best. I worked the design freehand with a simple stem and cross stitches and I'm pleased with the results. 

The Xs aren't perfect, but they weren't meant to be.
I just wanted a little pop of color. 

I'm trying not to think what a pretty dress this would have made. Dave will be very handsome at Yule in his new green tunic, and I'll be so proud to show him off. Besides, I have five yards of a beautiful blue wool in the stash waiting to be a dress for me.

Subtle and handsome, just like my Dave.