Sunday, March 10, 2019

Reasearch papers to end all Reasearch papers

Now that all my handmade dolls are reasonably finished, these are inspired from the late period portrait paintings. Time to gather the observed data and make the epic paper of all research papers. Time to culminate it all in one document for each of the 13 dolls.  Starting with Pandora to current Catharina; a total of 13 historical reproduction dolls are to be considered a part of this journey.

There will also be some information from my toy research, puppetry research and fashion research will be in this documentation to add some depth of needed. That’s beyond my books, documents, websites, manuscripts and extant examples of dolls in period. My current goal is to make a excel spreadsheet for the paintings. I want to include the year, the county of origin, what doll is depicted, what human child is depicted and possible materials of the doll.

Wanted to show the new cabinet the dolls are calling home to keep them safe from cats dust light and other radical elements. Hoping to make more to fill the smaller case on top of the cabinet,  after all the research is done.

Also I am working on some storage for the dolls to keep tooth and claw from  miniature silk gowns and wigs.  Able to find a great yet small cabinet to hold most of the dolls. Along with a good travel cabinet for more of these dolls. So storage is good.

It will take me quite a long time to accumulate all of this, type all of it up. It will be awhile before a link will be present on this blog for consideration. I thank you in advance for your patience and keep checking back for more updates.

To the research,

THL Marrin O’Kealy

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Replica 1560's Venetian Italian Fashion Doll

Replica 1560's Venetian Italian Fashion Doll

Replica 1560 French Fashion Doll

Replica 1560 French Fashion Doll

Tudor Q and A

What is a Tudorosity?

A mashed combination of the words Tudor and Curiosity to create the word Tudorosity. Tudorosities is the plural form and the deffinition is as follows.

Tudorosity- an desire to learn or know anything about the Tudor dynasty associated with years 1405 through 1603.

Most people ask my why I make the Tudor garb ?

I find the clothing of this era not only beautiful but also challenging to sew. There is much more care and purpose put into making garments and wearing garments in the Tudor Era. I love the look of Tudor so much I wanted to explore the way clothes were made back then and the subtle changes in fashion and styles of time.

How did you get started in this interesting hobby?

I started with art first, I love to draw, paint, and sculpt all the traditional fine arts. So being able to draw helps me visualize the looks I want to create in my garb. History has always been a huge interest of mine and I've had a knack for sewing since I was 7 years old. It all started with doll clothes and I learned cross stitch embroidery from my grandmother when I was little. I am self taught sewer, crochet, knitting, embroidery and tatting. My methods are learned from books mainly and there is still so much more to learn.

What is my favorite outfit and why?

It would be like picking a favorite out of one of my future children, its impossible. I love all my gown creations and really like the distinct differences in all the styles clothing I make for the Tudor Era.

Do you make the whole outfit including hat, shoes, and undergarments?

I do have a goal of making a complete Tudor from the skin out. As of right now I make 90% of my gowns and accessories. The shoes and stockings, are bought online and the petticoats are a close reproduction but not made by me. .

How long does it take to make a gown?

It all depends on the type of gown. The making relies on the time period and class of the design. Generally if I work on it 8 hours a day on a sewing machine it will take 3 days to get the basics and another 5 days to do finish hand-sewing details and beading. So a week to a week and a half if working on it steady for that amount of time. I work a full-time job so it does take longer than a week to complete. I put over 40-100 hours per outfit depending on its complexity, its like its own full time job of sorts.

Do you make renaissance clothing for sale or custom orders?

No, due to new employment and changes in my lifestyle. Unfortunately, I have no time to support sewing for others. Though I recommend sewing lessons for those adventurous few. There are many fine folks who make and sell historical clothing. I suggest guidance with sew from many fine historical enthusiastic costumers out on the internet.

How long have you been making these elaborate costumes?

I have been in the Society of Creative Anachronism coming up on my 18th year. Active since 2004 working at demonstrations and volunteering when I could between working and other life's distractions. I really concentrated on Tudor sewing in 2007 and worked with patterns to learn proper fabrics, techniques, fit, and silhouette. I really enjoy the eras transition from a medieval form fitting layered cotterdie to the boned Tudor kirtle and then to structured Elizabethan clothing.

Replica 1490 Milan Italian Fashion Doll

Replica 1490 Milan Italian Fashion Doll
Based on art by Giovanni Ambrogio

O’Kealy Heraldry

O’Kealy Heraldry