Lofty Goals on a Zero Dollar Budget!

Woo hoo! Go me! I am an expensive woman on a very tiny single income budget but go me!  
 
The SCA and me is an odd affair. I am not involved as much as I would like to be, or should be. My first event was Pennsic, I am very at home at Pennsic but locally I tend to not be that involved. And I have been working on changing that. I just have an incredible shyness and tend to cling to people I know. It is not easy for me to just jump into these situations so I tend to avoid or fade in or out, quietly.
 
However.. I have a registered persona, she is Turkish and that was years ago and now I can't remember why I chose Turkish. The history of Turkey intrigued me but for me being a through the ages fashions fan, not expert, fan, I can't quite put my finger on why I would choose Turkish. I am a fashion 'ho, plain and simple. The last few years my shifting interest has been Italian Ren, Flemish and Spanish is what I would really like to play in! I have been thinking about changing my persona but I really don't want to bail on Safiye yet.  
 
I do know I want to explore fashions of many area's and kid and tease that I am going to change Safiye bint Kara Sun'Allah to "Safiye of a Thousand Dresses"! But then again, maybe I will have a lot of fun with that many dresses! Woot.
 
I have had this idea for a couple of years now and then decided why not put it in a plan. I may not get to it or much of it but why not get it down on paper what I would like to do?  
 
The Idea. Take one woman - middle class/lower noble class during the years 1550-1560 and create complete ensembles of different places. I already have a plan in mind for Florentine. I want to do Venetian, Spanish, Burgundian, Scottish (Only because that is my heritage) and maybe German. Flemish? Oh, and Turkish! My Turkish garb has been Pennsic serviceable, not any WOW! affair. Anyway, you see where I am going with this. And why am I so hung up on Smocks, Chemises and Camicia's? But guess what? I have kind of started. I have two very plain Camicia's that I made this winter for Pennsic and I didn't end up going. The Florentine dress I want to make has a Camicia much like what I made and so I will add the embellishments. The other might work for the Venetian, I have that half kind of planned.
 
I know what I like, not much of the history so this will be a challenge in sound documentation and research. I am a family Genealogist so it is not like I don't know how to cite my sources and pay attention to detail, still.. I am in unfamiliar territory.  
 
Like I said, lofty. I don't know how to do things small I guess. I have the sewing skills for this at least, my weak area's being knowledge and period construction techniques. There are a wealth of blogs out there that I follow and websites and I am sure I will be able to do this project. Or at least as long as I stop looking at fabric that is over $200 a yard! :) I am not putting a time limit on this, it will be a long term project.

Can we say... OMG! What were you thinking or were you?

Today was Pennsic laundry day. Today also required a nap but that was a different story. My daughter and I dragged mundane laundry, bedding and our garb laundry to the local laundromat with a stop at Starbucks on the way. Necessity, of course. *grin*

Filling the machines and then waiting.. when transferring to the dryers it was then I saw what I did! At Ice Dragon in 2008 I had purchased this gorgeous length of wool. Granted not my persona really but raspberry purple and deep forest green, I am so there. So I bought it and coveted it for the perfect project then decided that project would be a Turkish coat that I could keep the chill off at Pennsic and for winter garb wear. So.... boldly! I went at this piece of fabric with scissors and a picture in my mind of how I wanted it to look when finished and came out with a finished garment that was not to shabby. It was just the outside with the plan to line it this winter and it was oversize which I really liked and planned on making it super warm to wear. We needed it one night at Pennsic, I froze all night. (Air beds get cold and stay cold - which is another Pennsic camp box project. A wool blanket for a mattress pad.)

I have been working with wool for 15 years. I know the properties of it, know how to spin and felt it. Know how to take it from sheep to spinning wheel bobbin.... and apparently, today, I did not know NOT TO WASH IT IN A WASHING MACHINE! There, the ugly truth and confession... I agitated my wool Turkish coat! I know you wool experts feel my pain!

It did full rather beautifully though I didn't want it that way. And it might not be a total wash. While not an oversize coat (Ferace) like I wanted, it just might be a toasty warm Yelek though not silk that is lined but... fulled wool! So while not a total tragedy yet.. it just went with the vein of the day. I had a brainless day, it took two rides around the block to actually remember I was going to the bank... the look on my daughters face was priceless by the way.. so why not wash that wool!

Pictures:

The OMG, look at this moment.

As you see, it did full nicely!

The left over pieces were sewn into a rectangle shawl. This is not washed as you see.

Hrm.....