The Gomlek, Part I

I started hand sewing my gomlek on Monday. Of course it's a slow process, but I'm really enjoying it! I never though I would enjoy sewing things by hand this much, but...

...look at that French seam!

Now, I don't mean to brag, but that's a pretty perfect French seam for being the first one I've ever done. I kind of feel like I've made a huge step here!

I back stitched the seam, pressed it open, trimmed it a bit and then folded it together into a casing. The purpose of a French seam is to keep the edges of your fabric from fraying to the point that your seams fall out. I'll be honest, though, I don't know if the French seam is necessarily period for my persona. But it was used extensively in the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe, and since thus far I have not found any secondary or even tertiary research on what seams were used in Istanbul during the 1540's, that is close enough for my liking. For now.

For those wondering just what the heck a gomlek is, think of it as underwear -- a chemise or undershirt -- that goes under all of your clothing, but shows at the collar and sleeves and hangs down to the knees or ankles. The neckline is cut into a high, round collar which is buttoned at the throat (I have some sweet little pearl buttons for this), but is open from the throat to the navel. It is not a fitted garment, but instead hangs loosely on the body. Based on what is seen in period miniature paintings, the cloth is sometimes very sheer, perhaps cotton or linen, but since there are no surviving examples of period gomlek, the fabrics they were made of and their construction is mostly conjecture. I prefer to use the pattern provided by my friend Basina, which can be found here (gomlek instructions start on page 41).

The best example of a reconstructed gomlek I have seen can be found here on Mistress Agnes' blog. Hers is made of linen, which is my goal once I find a good linen supplier. There is not much in the way of good fabric around here, so I may have to wait until Gulf Wars and purchase from a merchant there. (I know I could always buy online, but I prefer to feel what I am buying first and buy from SCA-friendly people.)

Anyway, back to my current gomlek. I bought the fabric for $1.50/yard at Wal-Mart. I know, I know, it's practically a sin, but I was desperate to get started and this fabric, while it doesn't feel too authentic, looks really good in person. I'm sure it's a polyester/cotton blend, but it is rough-woven and I'm okay with that until I can gain access to more period fabrics (and more money with which to buy said fabrics). And, yes, I'm planning on using the same fabric for my veil (I bought the entire bolt...).

I've been sewing on it quite a bit in the evenings at work and again when I get home. At this rate, I should be done with it some time next week, if not sooner since it's really pretty relaxing. The rest of my kit, however, will probably be machine sewn simply because event season is fast approaching and I've got to get this stuff done! But now that I know how, I'll probably do all the visible hems myself.

Edit: I should mention that my research on the gomlek comes mostly from Urtatim's Dar Anahita and the article by Basina mentioned above. I just condensed the information to familiarize you with the garment. Also, the miniature is from the mid-17th century and originally appeared in 9000 Years of the Anatolian Woman, borrowed from Urtatim's website with permission.

The 2009 Project List

I noticed the other day that my Project List was getting rather long and needed a more permanent home than a string of Post-It notes stuck to the computer desk. So I decided to take some of that pent up "Snow Day" energy and arrange it in a (slightly) more organized manner here.

Projects to Finish Before Company of Wolves
(February 27 - March 1)

Gomlek
I have a sheer burgundy gomlek waiting to be hemmed and a sheer white gomlek cut out and waiting to be pieced together. Shouldn't take me more than an hour for both, but I've been letting small weaving projects get in the way. And I'm debating whether or not to hand sew the white gomlek now that I have discovered an innate flair for hand stitching. Perhaps it would be more efficient for now to machine stitch the hidden seams and hand stitch the hems and neckline. I could always take it apart and hand sew the hidden seams later if it bothers me that much.

Kataginu
Though this should be the first item on my list and it looks like a simple enough project, the kataginu is one of the most annoying pieces I have encountered in making Japanese garb for my fiance. I know it sounds terribly whiny, but I absolutely hate doing the collar on these things and the shoulder pieces never look right to me, despite his insistence that they are perfect. I do owe him this piece, though, since I already finished a pair of matching red cotton hakama back in December.

Entari
This is probably the most important item on my project list. I have a gomlek that can pass for now, I have salwar that fit well enough, but if I had to go to an event tomorrow, I would have only ghawazee coats to wear over them. Just the thought makes me cringe and then break out into a cold sweat. Ever since I started pursuing a more accurate wardrobe, the very sight of a ghawazee coat disgusts me. Therefore, of all the projects I have ahead of me, this one is the most dire. (The only reason the gomlek is #1 is because the pieces are cut and waiting on me and that is a project I can throw together in an hour... unless I'm handsewing.)

But I do need to make a mock-up for this first as my last mock-up was a complete disaster.

Salwar
After tinkering with the pattern a bit, I need to make a new pair of salwar in a softer fabric with smaller leg gores. The last pair I made were in some kind of wool blend that was rather scratchy and there was a ludicrous amount of fabric between my legs. This leads me to believe that I either miscalculated my measurements (which I am almost sure I did not) or that the pattern is specifically designed to be fiddled with until you get a cut you like. For those of you who might steer me toward an answer to this musing, the pattern in question is that of Master Rashid.

Veil
As mentioned above, I am getting pretty interested in hand sewing and I blame it all on this silly veil. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about having a veil and having it completely hand sewn, but, I seem to be having trouble with the hand-rolled hem. I just can't get the hang of it. I have picked my way through online tutorials, but it still looks weird to me. Maybe I should wait until PFAN next week and ask Annabell to give me a lesson.

Chirka
Through sheer serendipity, I came into possession of a lovely pale peachy-pink woven-looking fabric in a large enough amount to make a chirka. Though the chirka follows almost the exact same construction as an entari, it is my assumption that a chirka should be even more fitted (since it is the support layer, much like a corset) and therefore deserves its own mock-up session.

Projects to Finish Before Gulf Wars
(March 15-22)

Kaftan
The construction is almost exactly the same as the entari, only a bit bigger, so this project shouldn't be a problem after I am finished with the former.

Frogging
Maybe it's the marching band geek in me, but I absolutely love the look of frogging down the front of a kaftan!! And now that I know how to fingerloop braid, I should be ready to try it soon (I want to practice my fingerlooping a bit more first).

Buttons
I found a tutorial online about how to make thread-covered beads to use as buttons. Not that I think this is a difficult project, I'm just not ready to sit down and make them until my frogging is done.

Japanese Garb
Ashikaga is going to need at least one more pair of kimono / hakama / kataginu before Gulf Wars. Now if I can just get him off his rear to pick out the fabric, I could get started.

More Ottoman Garb
I could always use more garb for myself -- even more so since Gulf Wars is a week-long event! I don't want to resort to wearing ghawazee coats just to get by!

Projects to Finish Before Medieval Fair
(April 3-5)

Something for HRM Gunthar

I would like to make something, whether it be food or largess, for his Majesty Gunthar since he was the first SCA royal I ever met and Medieval Fair will likely be the last time I see him before the end of his reign.

Ashikaga's Namu Sash
I started on this last year and ran out of time to finish it, thus it needs my attention once more.

Projects to Finish Before Ansteorra's 30th Year Celebration
(July 9-15)

My Kit
All Ottoman garb must be completed by 30th Year because I have been asked to help run a Middle Eastern snack bar at the hafla Saturday night and I want to look awesome!


I'm sure there are things I left out, but these are undoubtedly the most important. Hopefully some of these will find their way onto the blog in the form of pictures and tutorials. haha

SCA Idols: The Garb Goddesses

I think everyone who spends more than a little time in the SCA finds someone they consider their "SCA idol" -- someone who has inspired them, someone to emulate or someone they have always wanted to meet. Maybe that person wears beautiful garb or they are well looked upon or they fight like a demon on the field.

If you are like me and spend most of your spare time researching period costume, crafts and cooking, it's likely there is someone out there you have been stalking -- er -- following for some time. In the case of period costuming, I call these my Garb Goddesses.

In no particular order...

My first Garb Goddess is a lovely woman I stumbled across on Flickr named Lady Agnes Cresewyke. She is a Laurel from An Tir who does weaving, dying, and embroidery, as well as many other things that I could never hope to learn. As I understand, she normally plays with a European persona, but ventured into Ottoman costume, drafting her own patterns and making some of the most beautiful garb I have seen yet. I check her photostream religiously every week to see if she has posted any new garb photos. Lady Agnes has unknowingly answered so many of my questions about what period Ottoman garb should look like on the body, whereas most other websites have only provided me with miniatures and patterns. She also taught me not to be turned off by the shape of Ottoman pants (after wearing "harem pants" for nearly 10 years, having something tight around my ankles feels so alien!) because the length of the entari can hide this. And perhaps most important of all, she has taught me that I don't need expensive, elaborate fabrics to pull off a really smokin' Ottoman look. :)

Somehow I stumbled upon her LiveJournal where she goes into a bit more detail about her costuming methods, which was exactly what I needed (and that lets me add her to my Blogger feed)! From that LiveJournal account, I was able to find her personal LiveJournal, which led me to her personal page which has a lot of examples of her other A&S pursuits. (See? I'm not stalking her, I'm being resourceful!)

My second Garb Goddess is Viscountess Safiye Konstantiniyye from the Principality of Tir Righ. I first found Safiye's AMAZING A&S photo album on the SCA_Turkish_Personas_Moderated YahooGroup. I don't remember specifically what I was looking for at the time, but I was blown away by the lengths this woman will go to for authenticity's sake! She handmade a pece from real horse hair!! I have to tell you, I am in awe of this woman. Not only is Safiye a Laurel who makes incredible garb that looks almost identical to period miniatures, she has this tent that leaves me speechless! And she is a former Princess of Tir Righ!

Another of my Garb Goddess is Urtatim (urr-tah-TEEM), webmistress of Dar Anahita, your one-stop-shop for all things Near Eastern. That's right, I said Near Eastern. If you have done any googling on "Ottoman clothing" or "Turkish clothing," etc, chances are you have already found Dar Anahita, which I would call the ultimate resource for anyone interested creating an Ottoman persona. Urtatim has put a tremendous amount of work into dispelling myths and rumors about Near Eastern culture, clothing, and dance. On top of all that, she has recipes (which I will be utilizing in the near future as I have been asked to help with a hafla snack bar at Ansteorra's 30th Year Celebration -- more about that later).

Anyway, I owe this woman so much! It is because of Urtatim that I feel confident and beautiful in period garb and actually prefer the period cuts to the more revealing non-period stuff. She basically taught me how to feel sexy even when I'm all covered up. ...Now if we could just find a way to prove that tassel belts are period, I would be the happiest Turk in the world! (If you were wondering, tassel belts are NOT period.)

Of course, what kind of garbmaking fangirl would I be if I didn't mention my Garb God, Master Rashid of the East Kingdom. I have been fascinated by Master Rashid's patterns since I was a 16-year-old lurker on the SCA-Garb list. It wasn't until about a month ago that I finally figured out how to turn those lovely diagrams into tangible pieces of clothing. Now, my first pair of salwar didn't turn out exactly like they were supposed to (at least I don't think they did -- no one else in my area wears period salwar for me to examine), but at least now I'm able to think in terms of measurements and shapes and tweaking the instructions instead of relying on commercial patterns for everything.

Years ago I spent a lot of time studying the patterns of Duchess Roxane Farabi, but, unfortunately, I didn't save any of them before she took her site down. Also unfortunate is the fact that everyone uses Duchess Roxane as a resource, so everyone's links are broken.

My last Garb Goddess is Kass McGann, owner of ReconstructingHistory.com. Though my early period Celtic persona and I are no longer associated, this woman still made me drool over a thousand-piece reconstructed Irish bog dress for almost eight years. Okay, it didn't have a thousand pieces in it, but it sure had a lot and there was no way a newbie seamstress was ever going to figure it out on her own. I emailed Kass about the possibility of a pattern and one was being drafted, but then my interests shifted and I started pursuing Near Eastern culture instead. She does have some nice Near Eastern stuff, but I would much rather draft my own now that I understand how to do so.

So that is my first installment on the topic of SCA Idols. I have a lot of thoughts on this subject, so expect to see more articles about it in the future. Thanks for reading!

Ode to a Fair

As the new year picks up steam, almost every corner of my head is crammed with ideas. And with the highlight of my SCA year just two months away, it's getting worse by the hour!!

The University of Oklahoma's 33rd Annual Medieval Fair takes place the first weekend in April and is the largest event of its kind in the state, not to mention one of the top 5 or so largest in the nation... and it's FREE!

Even if I wasn't in the SCA this would be a much anticipated weekend, but being in the SCA gives it almost Mecca status. And I'm not the only one who feels this way...

People who haven't come to an event in four years suddenly show up with shiny new armor and fine clothes. People who haven't missed an event in decades are as excited as newbies. Okay, okay, maybe that's a an exaggeration, but it does get people pretty worked up around here, and for good reason. Our local groups see this as an opportunity to widen our appeal, bring in new members, educate the public about what we do, and maybe even show off a little.

Mostly I see it as a test of my abilities. It seems that every year since I was sixteen Medieval Fair weekend has been the time to prepare for and learn new things. The year I was sixteen I tried my hand at sewing my first piece of garb: a far-too-long, off-the-shoulder English-style gown in some heinous fabric I can only describe as a mixture of fleece and felt. I was miserably hot and constantly tripping over that ugly train. I think the next two days of the fair my friend Adena loaned me some middle eastern garb because I was so disappointed. In fact, I don't think that dress lived past its first wearing. I'm pretty sure I threw it out that night.

Last year I was just getting to know my new persona so I spent several weeks before Med Fair making middle eastern garb. I made two new ghawazee coats, two new pairs of froofy harem pants, and a standard undertunic, all of which I thought was period for this new persona -- wrong! -- but I didn't know that at the time so I felt like a goddess all weekend and got plenty of compliments on my new, pretty garb.

This year I know better. Much better.

So, in preparation for this year's festivities, I started working on some mock-ups tonight. I've been experimenting with period garb for several months now after finally learning how to draft my own patterns. Thus far I have only been able to get the salwar down because the entari instructions I had were a little off. But I've been tweaking the pattern and the mock-up I cut tonight appears to be the right formula. I'll baste it together tomorrow and, if it works, I'll tear it apart and make paper patterns off of it (then I'll sew it back together, chop off a foot or so from the bottom and call it a chirka!).

In the meantime, I also need to get a kataginu finished for Ashi. I made him a gorgeous pair of red court hakama for Wiesenfeuer Yule Revel, but he didn't get to wear them because we had to leave the event early. And since he is going to Estrella War in a few weeks, a couple more kimono probably wouldn't hurt.

Anyway, I will have a proper "dress diary" in the next week or so. Until then, thanks for reading!

Merhaba!

Welcome to my blog! My mundane name is Kasandra, but I am known in the Society for Creative Anachronism as Emine Hatun al-Tha'labii bint Abdullah.

I have been playing in the society for nearly a decade, but only "met" Emine last year (before that I was hanging out with this Irish girl whom I never really understood). Since then Emine and I have begun the long and arduous (but unbelievably fun and rewarding!) journey to "periodness." Thus, I have started this blog to serve as a chronicle of that journey as well as a place to record my musings along the way.

But this blog isn't only about the pursuit of accuracy. I have a little thing nicknamed "SCA ADD" where I get easily distracted by new and interesting activites and often drop everything else I'm currently doing to immerse myself head to toe in whatever shiny thing has wandered across my line of vision. These activities are usually related to period cooking or candymaking, needlework and other fiber arts (especially weaving!), or toymaking.

One of my favorite things to do is research a topic down to the smallest detail and then try to link it to Emine's world in some way. Or I will come up with a question and need to justify it for her.

Other times I will muse upon the SCA itself, its traditions and oddities. My fiance, Lord Ashikaga Hideyoshi, and I often ponder these things over dinners at our favorite Mexican restaurant (I blame it on the tortilla chips).

And every now and then this blog will serve as a place to outline garbmaking projects. I'm not the best seamstress, but I am improving in leaps and bounds and I don't think it's a half bad idea to have some sort of diary of the process.

So feel free to follow along, make a comment if you like, and we'll see what happens.