April – July 2020
This apron dress was made using the same pattern as the yellow linen version. It’s from a 2.75 yard length of medium weight blue linen, with a woven cross bar in beige. The fabric was initially purchased for a pair of Regency drop-front pants. I quickly discovered that lining up those checks in shifty linen, for such a complex garment, was not a great plan. But it turns out the fabric is an excellent match for my oatmeal colored viking tunic. The checks still had to be aligned, but with four straight seams, it was very doable. In fact, the project was a breeze – just lots of flat felling and hand finishing.
For this ensemble I experimented with new head wear, like scarfs and fillets, but in the end I prefer the simplicity of the Jorvik hood. Plus, it can be worn in multiple ways, including tied behind the neck (as I’ve done for these photos). Two new Jorvik hoods were sewn: pumpkin linen in the same fabric as Aaron’s viking tunic, and light blue hanky linen from a scrap in the stash. Both are embellished with a row of catch stitches in DMC floss, along the front edge.
The turtle brooches and Thor’s hammer pendant are cheap knockoffs from Aliexpress, though based on the same extant pieces recreated by some reputable jewelers in the reenactment community. Unlike my first set of brooches, these came with holes at the bottom, for attaching beads, and vertical pins. I have no expectation that these pins will support the weight of my dress. So my apron straps are sewn down, rather than hanging from the brooches. In fact, I came up with a simple solution for attaching them to the straps, which holds them securely in place without having to pin them to anything at all. The most fun part of the project, was placing an order at Fire Mountain Gems for a couple more bags of assorted glass beads. I spent a ridiculous amount of time happily shuffling beads around, trying out various combinations for the hanging strand. Being blue and green, it matches the first strand I made (for the yellow ensemble). The smaller beaded necklace is with leftover beads. Finally, my Thor’s hammer pendant was strung on a leather cord with slide knots. I then made several more pendant necklaces. One is never enough.
