lady constance

ahhhh... what have i been reading and reading and observing in artwork that leads and directs me to IMPLORE that we think outside the box!!!!!!!!!! ANY woman found in any type of pirate company would soooooooooo not follow the rules and norms of culture... she has aldready left the comforts and rules of "civilized" society.... so, what would encourage her to follow any cultural norms and standards ??? aye-- she might love to follow the fashions of her old country... but surely she would incorporate what was avaailable around her--- enjoy and make use of what was avaailible to her....she would see much and could do as she pleased... and if a male had a problem with her, let him get drunk, and then she could slit his throat, rob him blind and make it look like an accident......{that is what i would do!!} and whilst we speak of headcoverings.... what about MANTILLAS???????????? why dont we see many more cultural differnces of the pirate women? dutch, russian, spanish, french, ??? why do we only see english intepretations? where are the imaginations about this? why are we so boxed in? has holly wood stunted our imaginations? i love allthe ideas--- but i so live outside the box already, i cant go back into small imagination scenarios ever again... life here in the wild imaginations and whatis known about textiles and art and embroidery and everyone homespinning and making heir own stuff--- well-- use what you have! your mind coupled with your resources!! CREATE!! MAKE NEW! re invent yourself !! PLAY PLAY PLAY!!! i dont expect everyone to understand-- there is apoint inlife that you no longer want or need understanding... i am at place that i can agree to disagree.... respectfully and happily!!! i love eveyones input...love it.... sometimes i am swayed, other times i will chart my own path.......infact most times.... i wont give away my happiness in crafting new things.........nor can you take it from me.... :) lady constance

yah know, i have to admit that when i am sewing, i do hate to simply sew aa a commoner-- i want the glitz and bling bling of the wealthier classes of people to imitate.... and i think that is common among all folks entering this pirate re enacting... and it always seem to impress me that the people who really know this craft ,steer us towards common folk... to master that task first.... there is wisdom in that, but there is a bit of boredom in that way from our end... here we are trying to live out a fantasy, and wanting the glitz and glamour of fantasy that we dont have in our daily lives....so we peruse that in our hobby...pirating.... when we dig deeper into levels of what truly was the everyday life ofthe pirates was, we find there was much hard work and very little glamour.... there was BLAH in their daily life and doings--- everything that i have read supports thefacts that people made do with very little.... but no one wants to re enact THAT!! somewhere in your mind, you must decide what youare willing to do and what you are not willing to do to be part of a group....what your purpose in actually re enacting that you are enchanted with,and following your fantasy there-- making what you see in your minds eye, reality of clothing for yourself and those re enacting with you....and what you shall actually be doing at these re enacting events..... if you fall in love with it, you will put{and enjoy doing so!!} up with alot of other kinds of people--and learn alot and choose too stay involved..in the degree that works with your true everyday life...... you will find a group of what i call " good people"...and they make staying worth it.... they will enrich your life in the area of pirating and your everyday life in general..... for me, i simply enjoy learning and the challenges of rising to the occasion... seeing if i can do that...can i master a new set of skills and thinking and doing? yes i can! and i must add that no matter what level another holds for themself and their gear, they ARE encouraging.... and you have to chose what level you chose to re enact at.... most of all you must and will find out if you are comfortable trusting your judgement on mnay things--and that will depend on the research you do indepenedant of the group....some of my best research was not done online, but insewing texts and art books at my local librabry... no one can sway me from what i have learned and read and have seen.... may it be the same for you... no hobby is worth loosing your peace ... find your mantra and say it often..... and remember that behaviours are things people do and not who they are..... you can be upset with the behaviour of another person, and still love the person!! as i always tell my family " we can hate bad behaviour,but we can never hate another person~!!" lady constance

so ------ post pictures when you are done...i would love to see them... happy sewing!!!!

you can get the simplicity jack sparrow pattern and modify the front and the cuffs to period correct shapes that you desire.... i have both RH and the simplicity jack sparrow patterns..... i used jack sparrow pattern and the shapes of the lines fom RH.... if you are a novice sewer-- your learning curve is going to depend on how much of a quick study you are... if you simply read the directions to either pattern and think to yourself "what the hey?????"... use cheap fabric since you might not like what it turns out to be....doing, hopefully, will teach you more than reading.... i have a few years of sewing{ not even close to decent by tailor standards} but i find that men in general can think inside out and backwards... ummmm....i used the jack sparrow pattern and recut the bell sleeves and reworked the front a tiny bit--- my husband wore it to PIP last year , and the one thing that folks commented most on WAS that coat....... yah dont always have to explain your construced peices to folks--- if they like it,say "thanks!"-- whenyou find someone that you want and desire their opinion truly, you can tell them and take their advice for the next peice you make... would you like to see the jackets i have made my husband????? using both patterns as mere templates and adding to or subtracting from??? and getting REAL technical here, people tend to sell short the patterns from major commercial pattern makers--- i have compared the lines of commercial patterns and RH, and a few other vendors patterns--- THEY ARE SO CLOSE--- a few lines shapes diferent here and there--- but they are so close that after being sewn together and placed side by side, YOU CANNOT TELL-- perhaps captain sterling or mary diamond can, but LOL-- they have YEARS in the business.... you have to ask yourself " am i wanting to be 100% historically accurate?" or "if it is close enough, is that ok for me as a beginner. i shall give myself a time frame to work myyself up to the standards." and one has to remember that there are time and money constraints placed upon all of us.... factor those in too... lady constance

lady spitfire diana.......... ohhhhhhhhh how i LOVE your take-- every word you say is truth--- the pattern IS too big--- it did not come in my size at all, and as a novice sewer, you dont even want to know how many times i took in each seam...... i can only HOPE it shrinks.... or pad my entire body.... WELCOME TO THE BOARD!!! now go on the pictures pages and take a look at my stays-- also from a pattern i jiggled with... and still too large-- i need to recut the back-- but tht would movethe shoulder seams , twist it out of shape on the front of me....so to sum it all up--i need to re do it and make it smallerand sewnot onthe 5/8th's but on the 1.4 mark!!!!!! i like how you use tailoring terms-- something needed when speaking to those who know about sewing and entering into the world of re enacting..... where on t planet do you live????????? near st louis?? YOU NEED TO BEMY NEIGHBOR--LOL!! critic me anytime.. that is what i need.... you know your shi*! i love that!! lady constance

hmmmmmm. firebox tells me to bring all prepared food--i am not going to hog it up!! thanks for the pic RM....and yah you shall join the rest of us!! hmmmm got to thinkaboutwhat packs easily..good ! a challenge inmy thinking skills { i will accept no comments from master silas about that subject!!} ohhhh--and the 17 year old cant think of a pirate name... so you all can think of one for him...i said how about "the lanky one".....heheheheeee!

that is just it!! i dont know exactly what size--- the smaller buttons all seem wrong as far as scale---- i thnk they need to be at least and inch and a quarter wide...and not brass colored.. but a delicate silver in nature....and i would need about 8- 10 of them..... and actually i am currently looking at "lacing" style buttons--- wouldnt that be fab?{ not saying it would be PC-- but how cooooool!!! lace the coat shut!!!i keep on trying to remember WHAT sizemary diamond had on her coat that i swa at PIP last year...........!! and for the life of me-- i cannot remember and even going thru all the pictures, the buttons cant be seen..........GRRRRRRR

umm i need advice... i have buttons that are pc...{thanks to you mary diamond!!} but when you place them on the coat, the scale is all wrong--- no matter how many you try to place on there..... no matter how few { that makes the problem MORE apparent!!!} so geeeeee how does one search for 17th centurybuttons? man would i love non pc blingbling as i intend to wear this coat all winter some flash in the pan!!! opinions please!!TIA

this is a celtic jacket pattern from clotilde....directions were less than desireable calling for no lining--but i added a pink linen lining i do think the fabric pattern is not quite period correct but one of those PFC issues.... let me see if i can foto the front of the jacket-- yah all can help me decide about closure issues.. since it is a celtic design, i am thinking about using a celtic type of cloak closure..... i am not sure i like the front closure line.....but i am immensely happy with the overall look--- i need to make it out of linen cor a common persons look..... and save this oen for gala events!!LOL { pirates dont seem to have too many of those!!"

here it is .... and it goes well with the silk skirts that i made to go with it... tell me what you think ladies.....{and gentlemen........

Jenny G, BRING it and i am sure that we can come to fiscal arrangement that shall please us both.... and i shall try my hand again at posting a pic of a hat that i found at good will long ago-- i THINK it would be fine for this era as it has the same "line" as the linen caps..... i would however have to spray paint it one color or another as it is black and white check... is that PC? LOL!!!!!!!!!!! lady constance

pirate otter boy advising me how to post pics.........

i am sure tht everyone here is familiar with the painting " the girl with the pearl earring" is putting ones hair up like that even CLOSE to period correct....??? i could make thousand caps.... no need for directions { but i love the site anyway and read every word}.........how shalli say it? I LOOK FEREAKING UGLY WITH A CAP ON!!!!!! someone please tellme where i can get one of those straw pancake hats....... and stickkla my hair up and wear a straw hat!!!! ugly in a cap lady constance and evenworse, at work, when backinthe OR,i am even UGLIER !!

i went to a garage sale about 18 years ago and found actual masons books and rules and tecniques of getting new members and what the society attempted to promote publicly.....th e wife did not know not to sell them and i did not say she should not--i wanted to read them....... man,it was scary stuff---- psych tricks , word manipulations and machination the highest ups towards and what to tell the lower ranks there........ twiating andperverting of logic qnd reason even had stuff in thre about "colored" temples versus the no "colored" temples... "hasidic" temples.... the vows taken, the lay out of the building..... et al..... yuck yuck yuck..... a

i am sorry that i strayed off topic--- but, i just get so excited that i CAN easily adjust and tweak jacket patterns and know they are period correct as far as line and shape.... think of just wacking off the long end of a mantua---and just the top with a minimal skirting attached...that would be a sort of jumps... there could be sleeves to it, or it could be made sleeveless...you decide if you wuold have worn it only around thehouse or outside in a formal setting.... i think we use our minds just like they did back then-- you can bet they did- i KNOW this seems to counterintuitive with some folks who really want and desire to stay period correct,,,then they can do so ,and i encourage them to do so! i personally like the possibility that we can match hemlines and shapes and period correct fabric, and construct our own garments... before i went to pip, i found art to be so incredibly helpful!it got me close to being able to nearly match GaOP--but i was gently corrected on a few things-- i learned! and that was the point... i also saw fabulously done things that inspired me.... when i run into someone wearing soemthing new that i have not seen, i ask that person-- and listen to what they have found intheir research travails.. alwys fabulously interesting and i haveto applaud anyone who thinks a bit out side the current beleifs and trends.... no one person can do a sweeping history and research ... i would think that veering into art wouldbe most helpful .....andi encourage it... your answers are there.. the art will convice you beyond a shadow of a doubt... your local librarian would LOVE to search for copies of 1700's paintings/ art books for you to borrow!! happy viewing and sewing!!!

Mission-- interesting read-- feels like i am at work at a lecture of current topics in grand rounds.... hmmmm this is my day off-- i w2ill read this one at work and my coworkers will be amazed tosee such things on a pirate board -- that anyone outside our profession can hanlde concepts of ECF versus ICF

tell him to send a pic of the temporary living room curtains--- but i think they might be too girly for him..... LOL!!!!!

ok--- my menu thus far-- pretzel buns ( and recipe jenny!!} mini brownies dip of 2 varieties and i want to bring a few new dishes to try out on you all...mind being my guinea pigs? and what about mission? where is the loquacious one about this event? are yah all sickof monster cookies yet? callenish- oh yah meat pies!!!! jerk chicken? dying to try it!!! cant wait!! lady constance ohhhh-- and it seems to me we seem to be forming a new crew!! i like that idea!! pirates o' the midwest????

eeeeeeeegawds.......... how do you wear straw hat pancake thin ????????? ad yah know, like just stinks------ some of these hats look like what we wear in the OR......