Hardest bit of kit to make ??

saxon · Post by **saxon** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 6:28 pm

What's the hardest piece of kit you've ever made ? i.e. hard as in a 'pain' or 'fiddly' and did it turn out right ? .............. would you make another ?

Jenn · Post by **Jenn** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 6:51 pm

a padded jack for sheer effort - not sure
A really well fitting pair of long hose - yes but only if I loved them very much
a dress with a wheel farthingale - not if I can help it

Quayn · Post by **Quayn** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 7:03 pm

I'd have to say hose, though bear in mind i'm pretty new at this but with the constant reconfiguring of said hose I'm actually to a point where i'd make for anyone... actually i take that back, I'd consider for anyone. My only pat on the back really has to be my lack of any pattern or adequate prior garment to make from. I've seen rough shapes and gone from there. I've been through the big wow of being told about the bias of wool for hose and also pointed out about how and where everything should stick, cling, go. I'm so thankful for the help but still not doing to bad.

Yep, hose.
Q.

Neibelungen · Post by **Neibelungen** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 7:09 pm

Charge of the Light Brigade 1850 Officers Dolman and Pelise.

20m hand made chain gimp
45 m gold russia traceing

The entire thing was completely hand sewn including handmade chain gimp (a three loop trumpet cord if anybody has ever made it)

Took 3 weeks of work or something like 150 hours.

And the price was one of those only ask if you know you can afford it.

Marcus Woodhouse · Post by **Marcus Woodhouse** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 8:08 pm

Cups of tea for the wife as she does the sewing.

chrisanson · Post by **chrisanson** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 8:36 pm

A large seax. I am not set up for large blades, it was right on the edge of my capabilities with the kit I have but it was fun and the chap I made it for was really pleased which always make it worth the effort.

chris

Drachelis · Post by **Drachelis** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:17 pm

I'll go with the completely hand sewn padded jack that I made for Ming - truly a labour of love ( well the fabric didn't go through the sewing machine I was then using) went to bed with y hands in the air cos they hurt so much.

Having said that it has lasted season aftr season and still looks good - and more inportantly , works.

Cheryl
Shadowlight Designs

Dave B · Post by **Dave B** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:58 pm

Hose. Very frustrating.

Jacks take a lot of doing, but they aren't difficult, just hard work. Hose are frustrating. You think you did them perfect then one leg works and the other looks wrong.

Mad Mab · Post by **Mad Mab** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 11:10 pm

Corsets, every time! I competely hand sew everything I do because of the authenticity you know! (Actually because I can't work the sewing machine!

) and all the boning channels and then the eyelets and then having to re-adjust the whole thing cause I've managed to either lose or gain weight since I started the thing!!!! And the most irritating bit of all is that you can't take a break from it and do another piece of kit because you need to have the corset on before you can sort out your patterns for the rest of the kit cause it completely changes your shape........!!!!!

Corseting madness. It exists!
mab

Tuppence · Post by **Tuppence** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 2:05 am

Corsets are easy (but have made dozens).

Jacks and gambies are easy (but have made dozens and dozens).

Ditto to C17th casaques with hundreds of buttons, and naps stuff with loads of braid.

All are hard work, but not what I'd call hard head wise (i.e. to figure out).

Hardest things - a replica of the trews of Joseph(?) Cotton. Blasted 18th century highlanders - they couldn't make it a bit less complicated could they??

For the uninitiated, think perfectly fitting, single legged footed hosen, with trunks attached, and assorted unnecessary triangles and rectangles all over the place, and seams in weird places.
C15th hosen are soooo easy in comparison (and I hate making those!)
Mind you, viking Thjorsbergs are just as bad - rectangles and trapezoids where there don't need to be any!!

But....the very hardest thing I've ever made - a properly tailored, bespoke, 1930s man's three piece suit. That makes everything else look like a piece of cake. Took about two - three weeks all told (lots of hand stitching), was incredibly stressful, but I loved every minute

Sometime I might get time to get around to doing the very hardest thing - 30s white tie.....

Lady Cecily · Post by **Lady Cecily** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 8:28 am

Not so much the dress but the 50 buttons and button holes on my 14th century dress. All hand done, aching hands and trying to keep the holes relatively uniform (I failed) was a real pain.

What's worse is that I'm conemplating making another.

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 8:33 am

your purple dres yes is it purple it looked like purple then again I'll just blame the drugs

Couldnt notice apart from thinking nice looking butons Iam that sad

btw hanging in your living room one acheton Baronail size

Lady Cecily · Post by **Lady Cecily** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 8:36 am

Nigel wrote:your purple dres yes is it purple it looked like purple then again I'll just blame the drugs

Couldnt notice apart from thinking nice looking butons Iam that sad

btw hanging in your living room one acheton Baronail size

I'd call it burgundy myself. Others may think it's purple. I've made tentative arrangements with Tuppence to pick up the acheton tomorrow - unless you've made other arrangements.

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 8:49 am

ah nobodytells me anythig

I'll get the good coffee out

then again she probabaly gave me a detaild timetable which i wiped a paint brush on

lidimy · Post by **lidimy** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 7:42 pm

making a french hood.... getting the satin to be flat on the front, but then to gather all the material on the back was a right pain!! and fitting the black tube on the back aswell

i made 3 of them.. i dont know how!

Annis · Post by **Annis** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 8:22 pm

COW PAT HATS!!!!

They sound so simple, yet they are darn hard!
I actually cried over it

Shadowcat · Post by **Shadowcat** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 10:13 pm

The gable headdress I made for the Museum of London. I must have made and remade that thing a dozen times at least. When I delivered it, finally, I was quite proud of it, but after the MoPs have been at it, it is a sorry sight!

S.

Tuppence · Post by **Tuppence** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 1:26 am

But saw that when we dropped in there a couple of months back, and people were still having a fab time trying it on!!

purple peril · Post by **purple peril** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 8:28 am

C17 lined riding coat with two full circle 'tails', scaled up directly from an original pattern, made for Trix to look swashbuckly in. Some swearing may have been involved, but it certainly looks the part with brocade waistcoat

Oh and stirrup hose are also absolute sods to make!

lidimy · Post by **lidimy** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 9:54 am

The gable headdress I made for the Museum of London. I must have made and remade that thing a dozen times at least. When I delivered it, finally, I was quite proud of it, but after the MoPs have been at it, it is a sorry sight!

S.

-----
was never brave enough to try a gable hood.... considered it, but it just seemed too tough and i didnt know where to start!! thought about a transitional hood though! (but made a french one instead)

Annis · Post by **Annis** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 9:56 am

My mum would probably say that my purple cosy cloak was the hardest.

She had to attach the lining to the wool. doesnt sound too bad? it is when its 6 foot.

Neil of Ormsheim · Post by **Neil of Ormsheim** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 7:53 pm

SHOES!!!!!!!!!

I have come to the conclusion that there are three types or re-enactors in the world.
1. Those who make their first pair of shoes, which then last them a lifetime

, and say, that was easy, I'll now make them for other people.
2. Those who make one pair of shoes, say that was horrible, I'm never doing that again! But at least their shoes last them a lifetime aswell.
3. Those, like me, whoi go through hell (buckets of blood and more profanities than even Klingon has) to make a pair of shoes, say I am NEVER, repeat NEVER going through that EVER again. And then, to rub it in, the shoes disintigrate after 20 minutes half way through the battle! No wonder they say I have no sole!

frances · Post by **frances** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 8:54 pm

Just about every item I make is the hardest at the time I am making it. I always start very optimistic, and about half-way through start to run out of skills and knowledge. When it is the first time I have to learn the skills as I go along. Oh yes, lots of stomping about and loud muttering!!

I too decided that I could make my own medieval shoes. So I had a tryout with a pair of red leather ones for a child model I was using in an exhibition. They took me a week, I could not believe how time-consuming they were. And I did not enjoy doing it, sad to say - never again. I buy my shoes from someone who does enjoy it.

By the way lidimy if you have a look at my website there is the start of a guide on how to make a gable headdress. It is probably not the way that Shadowcat makes hers, but that is authentic - there would not have been just one person in them days making hoods, after all. I never did finish the guide as the headdress was not needed in the end, so I did not finish making it. However, whilst it took a long time, I enjoyed doing it. And, to tell the truth, it was less challanging than other things I have made. But maybe that is because I already had the skills, I just needed to put them into a new use.

lidimy · Post by **lidimy** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 9:33 pm

thanks frances, authenticity in the headresses are less of a priority for me than making sure they look authentic, my french hood has a ye olde tudor cardboarde fraymeworke, so i'm not fussed as long as the end result looks great!! will check out your site

Tuppence · Post by **Tuppence** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 2:25 am

SHOES!!!!!!!!!
I have come to the conclusion that there are three types or re-enactors in the world.

Four - you forgot the kind that skip the making, and just go straight to Mr Beaby / Hubbard / Garlick, and say, "please sell me some of your nice shoes"

gregory23b · Post by **gregory23b** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 7:59 am

Jack, in the past made them wrong, worked ok but one looked like a quilt slab with a head board.

Closed hose have been a challenge

I made a pair of boots way back when, not very good, lots of work, now I buy them.

A near A4 woodblock of the crucifixion, two weeks plus of being hunched over a piece of wood, came out fine.

Loads of projects that were difficult, with different measures of success.

mac (crucesignati) · Post by **mac (crucesignati)** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 12:41 pm

Wisby armour 1 coat-of-plates, it was nails to put together and took an age.

Annis · Post by **Annis** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 2:37 pm

lidimy wrote:my french hood has a ye olde tudor cardboarde fraymeworke

Just dont wear it when it's wet. The cardboard will go soggy and you wondeful hard work will be ruined. I managed to get some buckrum quite cheaply for my one.

A x

chrisanson · Post by **chrisanson** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:24 pm

I know I am gona feel really silly, but what is “buckrum”?
chris

lidimy · Post by **lidimy** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:59 pm

good point annis - i honestly didnt think of that lol! though most of the cardboarde is covered in extensive ye olde tudor selotaype!