AkashaZuul

I love your hat! I'm thinking about making some hats by hand for myself and my man, and was wondering where you grabbed that original image from, and where you purchased that particular hat blank. Is it fur felt or wool felt? Thanks!

I Loooove Cutthroat Island! I agree on the acting and plot stinking. . . somehow, the dialogue seems so forced and "I am reading this off the teleprompter" style. There is something very inspiring to see a movie with that much money spent on sets and props having a woman as a strong lead character. Geena Davis looks a bit clumsy at pirate things, but is still fun to watch. Frank Langella is still a good actor even with bad lines, and he plays a great bad guy. The costumes are fabulous! The ships are lavishly done, and worth renting the film just to ogle. I got the DVD just to stare more closely at the amazing costumes. Worth looking at are Frank Langella's pistol and sword. Rent it, don't expect much, pop some popcorn, and be pleasantly surprised at the parts that are pretty good.

Wow, how many hot pirate lasses do we have on this board? That is a spectacular dress, Lady Elaina. I'd love to see more photos, if you have them, especially of the embroidery.

That price is what's listed on the Loyalist Arms' website, and is their regular price not for bulk or discount. It's for the full pistol. Perhaps if we buy a bunch of stuff they'll cut that price down? I'll email them and see if they do bulk discounts. I'm a recent happy customer of theirs, and would love to give them more of my business.

I'm in on a Queen Anne if someone finds good bulk pricing. Loyalist carries them for $198.95.

Ahoy Salem Bob! Thanks so much for the wonderful information. Although I really bought the sword because it was good quality and "looked right" to my aesthetic tastes, it makes the purchase that much sweeter now to know I picked one that fits my period and reenactment aspirations as well. It's still really heavy with that blunt edge and all, but when I accidentally tipped the scabbard over and tried to catch the sword by the blade as it fell out, I was really glad that the blade sliding down my finger *wasn't* sharp. Now all I have to do is remember that the brass scabbard point can remove kneecaps when I turn around too quickly with it strapped to my waist. . . .one pirate skill at a time, I suppose. Anybody have suggestions for not whacking other people while wearing swords on your belt? I also have to compliment you on your use of the term "Screamapillar".

How about these balls? http://www.promedproducts.com/Merchant2/me...ategory_Code=EB Theraband Weighted Balls

I'm fondest of using cotton shoelace lacing, 8 yards long. So far, I've not heard of anyone breaking one in a corset, nor have had the problem myself *crosses fingers*. I'm not sure if leather is going to hold up as well. Has anyone used leather cord a lot in bodices? I bet it would look really great with leather. I vaguely remember people at RenFaire complaining about breaking their leather lacing. . . .

African greys are super smart, but as a proud pirate parrot parent, I think Ferdinand is definitely in the running for the cutest pirate parrot ever. Ferdinand now says "hi", "chicken", and "Arrrrr!". We're working on "Pirate", "Pieces of Eight", and "Dead Birds Tell No Tales" as we speak. That's his baby photo below; he's now about 8 months old. Ferdie is a cherry-head/mitred cross conure, native to Argentina and Peru. It's conceivable that one of his ancestors could have been picked up as a pet by a pirate in Maracaibo. That pirate would have had a handful. . . they're like small green golden retriever puppies with beaks, constantly playing and getting into trouble. You can read his rescue story here: http://www.mickaboo.com/see_our_birds/story.php?id=194

I have to admit to doing "period cheating" frequently and wearing a bra under a bodice or corset. It works great, especially if you don't want to tighten your corset way down i.e. just had a big meal and need to tie your shoes, but still want to have clevage. I have a lot of bodices that are right at bust line or below, so I also like the extra coverage a bra offers. I imagine a bra will be very hot under a chemise and bodice during the summer, though. . . . a possible solution is wearing a sleeveless vest and sash with a bra and unbuttoning it a la Geena Davis in Cutthroat Island. That would be a great summertime alternative. And I just have to say WOW to the photo of Iron Bess. You look so hot!

I just weighed the sword, no scabbard. . . my postal scale (I use it to weigh birds and it's pretty accurate vs. the vet's expensive scale) says 2 pounds, 15.8 oz. . . .so almost 3 pounds. Compared to Deacon Frye's quote of 1.5 pounds, that's pretty heavy, huh? Is that unusual for a sword? Its blade length is 24 3/4", and the total length is 30 1/2". If I swing it around for more than a minute or two, my wrist gets really tired. Thanks for the tip about the weights, Hawkyns. I'll see if I can pick up a weighted ball to toss around, and I also have a gyroscope designed to help with repeatative stress injuries that I haven't used in a while which would also help. How silly will I look carrying around a sword I can barely lift? Time to get buffed. ARRRRRR! Loyalist was so friendly and helpful that I'd really have a hard time telling anyone to worry about sending them money. Just to be safe, I'd recommend sending the money with tracking just in case. :) I'm definitely saving up my dubloons right now for a Queen Anne pistol from them.

Just got my sword in from Loyalist Arms. . . it's beautiful! I was torn between getting a pirate cutlass and something smaller, and I'm glad I went with the smaller sword since I'm a petite lass. As it is, it's very heavy and has a gorgeous unsharpened blade that will still hack through an arm if I swing it with any force. I picked the British 1751 Pattern sword. Small, cutlass-shaped, with a nice brass hilt. http://www.loyalistarms.freeservers.com/in...ntryswords.html They had really helpful customer service, but unfortunately don't accept credit cards so you have to mail a money order. They were very kind and rushed my order so I'd have it this week. I'm bringing it on the Valentine's Day sail, so ask to see it if you're interested.

A properly fitted corset should do whatever you want it to, regardless of your chest measurement. No, it's not going to make an A cup into a double D, but there is a lot of room for "improvement", so to speak. Your endowments should be showcased in a properly fitted corset! This applies double to ladies with much to show off. Most bodices don't have the design or boning needed to support larger chests and so they travel southward or fall out. A properly fitted corset should also not constrict your breathing in any way. It needs to fit snug over your chest to hold things in, fit snug through your ribcage, and then tighten up like crazy in the space between your bottom rib and your hip bone. This area is different lengths in different people. Someone with a 5 inch gap and lots of flesh can cinch down over 4 inches on their waist. Why? Flesh is easy to corset, bone is not. This method will give you a great hourglass figure while allowing you to breathe. Victorian corsets were designed to put more pressure on the ribcage area to move not just flesh but internal organs and bones. Children were given corsets at a very early age to begin this process. Us modern wenches don't want a permanent body change, just to wear corsets a couple of times a month, so making the corset tight in the ribcage area is a bad idea. Anybody who specifically wants to do waist training to permanently alter their figure will need a different garment than a fashion corset, something more akin to braces for your teeth that get tightened once a month. As for over/under bust, corsets right at the nipple are period Victorian style. They were designed to be worn over a chemise and under a dress. They have no cup shaping, and just allow the breast to rest at the top without being constricted or shaped. Unfortunately, as I have to regularly explain to my clients, this doesn't allow you to wear it solo as a garment suitable for public display in most venues. My favorite but very-hard-to-fit style is a curved bust area that rises about 2" above bust apex with really good underbust support and straight side seams to push the bust inward. This is hard to fit because you need to put the shaping where you want the bust to wind up, not where it actually is when you fit someone into it. Enough info about corsets yet? If anybody wants a custom-fit corset, and lives in the SF Bay Area, let me know.

I guess the real question is, when you sit down in a chair in them, or squat down like you're picking something up, do they ride *downwards* and show more of your *ahem* tailbone than you'd like? Baggy pants = no plumber's crack while riding a horse. I guess that extra room in the seat is intentional for that. I find this thread useful today because as we speak I'm trying to fit a pair of men's breeches to my not so mannish frame. The extra room in the seat is actually useful when you're a lady with a somewhat curvy figure. What I'm also happy about is that breeches seem to have a waistline that hits higher than your regular waist. Great for wearing under bodices. Anybody know any good patterns for breeches?

Lady Elaina, Congrats! I hope you have a great time learning how to fence. If you still need a foil, try these folks: http://www.americanfencerssupply.com/ I bought my first foil there. They're located in San Francisco, and have lovely weapons in their armory to peruse that aren't on their website.

Are you looking to actually fight with a sword, or just get one to whack around a bit? I'd suggest learning to fence first, starting off with a cheap practice fencing sabre or foil off of eBay. Amazon.com and your local library may have fencing books, or you can take classes at your local community college. I took fencing at UCSC, and it was the most fun class I ever had! If you want to learn to fight with a cutlass, that's going to be different than using a modern fencing sword. At least you can develop the hand-eye coordination first, then hunt down a stage combat studio to take more classes at. I'm thinking myself about getting back into fencing shape with a sabre, but for now I am sticking with my new toy, my new Loyalist Arms cutlass which should be in the mail tomorrow. :) They say they're light battle-worthy, and I'll give an update on the quality etc. when it gets here. Ahh, nothing like new toys in the mail. . .I'll be a proper pirate now!

Why does my boning always wind up rusting? Even the white-covered ones, i.e. flat bones get rust on the sides where the plastic sheathing wears off. Unfortunately, I prefer using spiral boning for most of my corset clients (except for back and front seams) so I'm always telling them to dry clean, or wash with care. The worst part is taking the corset apart to make adjustments a year or two into its life, and pulling out the bones to find they've rusted all along the inside of the fabric. *sigh* Rumba, you're the second person in two days who has said that they broke a rib wearing a bodice or corset! I've been wearing corsets for years and can't imagine how tight they'd have to be to do that. Yipes! Generally, if I can't breathe while standing, they're toooooo tight. Sitting is another matter, and sitting in a car . . . How tight was the bodice you were wearing? Eeep. My sympathies on your bodice injury.

RumbaRue, I agree with you. . .plastic boning is the worst! Try using 1/2" flat steel bones on the fronts, backs, and the diagonal seams to the side of the bust on your bodices/corsets. The larger flat steel in those spots keeps the shape better than the spiral steel, and gives better bust lift. However, unless you want poked ribs, use the spiral ones on the side seams. :) The only benefit to plastic boning is that it makes your garment easy to wash in the machine. Steel bones have a tendency to rust. . . -J

Poor girl. . . . not only was she put through torture, but missed out on a great experience! I've never heard of anyone being afraid of just the boat. Generally, it's either a fear of the water itself projected onto the object "boat", or it's fear of falling off a boat and drowning. I searched, and there doesn't seem to be a technical phobia name for it, nor anything about it other than fear of objects or natural phenomenom in the DSM-IV. The closest I can get out of my Abnormal Psych text is fear of the sea, Thalassophobia. Me, I'm the opposite. I am terrified of the water, but love boats. Staring mindlessly at heaving water will give me panic attacks, but I've never gotten motion sickness on a boat. I only get queasy after I've gotten *off* the boat, and I'm trying to sleep in bed while my body is still rocking back and forth. Someone once told me that I was probably a sailor who drowned in a past life. Go figure. :)

Hahahah. . . I'd like to have a long chat with anyone who wears period clothing *and* washes it in a period fashion. Where do you find the time?!?!? On a more serious note, I'd love to know what sort of soap you use, what methods, etc. Most of my sinks couldn't handle a large coat for handwashing, but perhaps the bathtub? My favorite new "marketed for goths" product is Woolite Dark, which probably doesn't do a damn thing different than regular Woolite, but smells lovely. I try and make everything I sew from scratch washable (and sturdy enough to handle repeated washings) in the washing machine. It's just so much easier! Perhaps it's just that I go so many places in my fine clothing that generate sweat and ale stains that they need a washing after every wear. My only exception is the corsets I make, which obviously cannot be washed in the machine because of the metal boning and the rust problem, even though they are generally made of fabric that could be washed. I am pretty sure pirates didn't have a good dry cleaner. Alas. All those man hours spent on embroidering those gorgeous coats only to have them worn dirty until they fall apart. -J

Duck and Twill canvases wind up wearing strangely after a while and leaving paler spots where the fibers have been distressed. This is particularly noticeable on black and darker fabrics. Not as much of a problem if you're going to wax it, but still something to consider. I'm also not terribly fond of waxy coats. If you want something that will last you forever, get a good quality medium to heavy weight wool that's a weave, not a felt, and wash it in hot/dry it in hot. The fibers will shrink, leaving you with something that will take quite a beating *and* will be washable at home, unlike a lot of stuff I see online. This of course implies no satin lining as well. Disclaimer: Please test this out on a sample before throwing your whole yardard in the wash just to make sure it's going to come out the way you want it! You can also use a wool blended with polyester or rayon which will be cheaper and still provide the correct look and durability. I'm in the process of sewing a new coat for my man out of wool for the Feb. 15th sail, so we'll see how it goes. -J

Yeah, make them fit better i.e. tighter in spots, and more bonin' in the right places. Now get that naughty thought out of your head. That's *not* what I meant by "bonin'". *smirk* Although you'd probably forget about the wrinkles in your leather bodice if it were with the right person. Wasn't this a discussion about Bloom vs. Depp? I vote Depp. . . older wiser smarter pirates are sexy. Bloom needs some corrupting before he gets interesting. -Jennifer "Corrupted Pirate in Training"