Quiet round here, isn't it...

I've been being distracted by modern life this year, but there will be things forthcoming

- stand by for the Blue Wool Officer's Suit, doublet and breeches tailored to the client, involving fine-wool, white-linen lining, canvas, muslin, cotton batting and many yards of white linen thread to stitch it all together. Officer's shirt to go with it. And pewter buttons. Only not on the shirt, obviously.

- stand by for the Gloves of Bling. Well, glove-cuffs, not making the actual gloves myself... They need to be finished by late January, because I need to be starting another project then. They are spectacularly over-the-top and I love them already. Featuring ivory silk-velvet; 1.5mm glass beads in red and blue and golden-brown; many yards of gold thread (real gold!) as well as gold smooth purl and possibly gold spangles, both real gold as well. Fifteen colours of silk for the polychrome embroidery. Coloured silk to line them. And learning a tiny bit of bobbin-lace to make approx 16 foot of very narrow edging-lace to edge all of the tabs.

Shirts, common and posh!

During April, I'll be making a common soldier's shirt in unbleached linen, much like the one shown so far here, and also making an officer's shirt in fine white linen. It uses the same principles but the stitching is near-invisible and everything is just so much finer.

PLEASE let me know what wasn't clear in the extant shirt blog-sections, and what it would be more useful for you to have. That way I can photograph throughout the making of each!

I will also, in May or June, to making stays using unbleached linen and split-reed which looks a lot like chair-seat cane! I'll be posting about that too.

I want this to turn into much more of a practical guide to making kit. There are lots of variations out there, many ways to make kit, and this is only the way I happen to do it - but as money gets tighter and standards are raised at the same time, making your own kit is a good way to meet new standards, please event-sponsors, and not end up selling your family! :-)

So please let me know - ideas for future projects, what isn't clear enough in the posts so far, all that kind of thing. Useful proper constructive criticism, please!!