Crack that whip!

The other night I started writing a post on hand sewing and why it works for me.  It got a bit rambly, so I'll sum up:

I'm okay with a sewing machine, but out of necessity (starting my SCA involvement before I owned a "mechanical tailor") I was exposed to hand sewing, so I'm much more comfortable with it than someone who has been trained to use a machine.  I appreciate the historic accuracy of constructing a complete outfit by hand, and knowing that it's going to take a good chunk of time to finish, I invest in research and materials accordingly.  I won't have a large wardrobe anytime soon, but every garment that makes the cut will be something I'm proud to wear and tell others I made.

I think it would be really cool to someday become a costuming Laurel - and no, I don't think I'll become an authenticity nut.  I know how hard it is to find period materials on a small budget, and I know the frustration of fruitlessly searching for documentation for a plausible alternative to the prevailing conventions.

After all ... I am trained as a historian.

Here's a teaser!  Hopefully I'll be able to post a shot of the completed outfit before Gulf Wars.

A hexagonal neckline, you say?