Perfumes...

Requesting information from a couple of sources, I was overwhelmed with information from various people. A tidbit here, a load of books there, a new receipt for perfuming gloves! It is wonderful. I have to go through the herbals and such that I've been loaned to see what I can gleam, but for this afternoon, I must embroider!
On that score the foliate circles of the gauntlets are coming out much better, and quicker, so that's good. I am inclined to work on the purl around the seahorses before I do much else, since those were the ones I held back on, and they are perhaps the most time consuming of all the sections, so I want to get them done and out of the way ASAP!

so off to work now. Will post pictures of the finished gauntlet (well, minus a few pearls and spangles that is) as soon as I find my camera.

Gloves and their perfumes

I finished the glove pattern. It took more than I thought to finish, modifying the body of the glove and the thumb again, as well as figuring out the fourchettes.

It feels a little bulky at this point, and it wasn't easy to turn either. I'm thinking at this point that I will try an overlay stitching pattern, so I won't have to turn the glove when finished.

I also located a local source for the clove oil, GNC carries it for about 7 dollars. So all the ingredients of the perfume are located. I'm planning to purchase the perfumes come payday - well this one or the next. The perfume people suggest that a fragrance should be mixed and left sit at least 48 hours, or more if you want it to be stronger. I'm not sure two weeks is enough if I wait, and if what I want isn't local? I did confirm the price and source on the net, so they might not actually have it in the store. That's the dilemma at this point.

If you haven't guessed, I've decided that I am going to work with the three scents, the Oriental Musk, Arabian Rose and essential oil of cloves. I have to figure out exactly how they should go together, equal amounts or more or less of the parts. I know this isn't exactly the way it would have been done, but with my limited knowledge, skills and sources, it's what I'm going with. For this one, I will develop the doc's more, displaying I understand the process, even if I don't take it all the way to completion.

well, I'm off to look up what ever I might have in period cookbooks for perfuming gloves, before I settle to embroidery for the evening....

to pefume, or not...

In reading more about the gloves of the period, I keep coming across the reference to perfumed gloves, so I'm inclined to perfume my gloves. The question is, do I want to make my own perfume, or purchase something?

I'm the first to admit I am not a perfume person, strong perfumes are a problem for me. SO do I want to spend the money on the supplies for something I'll use this once, or purchase something already made that will work?

I do have a recipe for perfuming gloves from period, or near period anyway. It calls for several ingredients that I'm not sure that I can get, and whether I will even like the result. I've done a bit of reading on the net regarding perfumes. There was a lead to fragrances/oils that are available in the soap making section of Michaels/Hobby Lobby. Those fragrance/oils are available at about 3-4 dollars each. I checked at Sun Harvest next door because I had purchased clove oil years ago there. Clove oil was one of the oils I needed and IIRC it was expensive, but I needed to confirm. They didn't have any of the oils there, but they did have a line of perfumes /oils that my granddaughter and I had to check out. I was particularly interested in one, called "Oriental Musk". It wasn't bad, but not exactly what I needed. I added a trace of "Arabian Rose" and there was a perfume that I think would evoke the right sense, well, maybe, I need a touch of cinnamon or cloves, but otherwise, I think that mix is about right. So, do I purchase the 8 dollar a bottle scents (needing two bottles, for a total of 16 dollars) and an additional 4 dollars for the spice oils. That's another twenty dollars to add to the project. Which, I don't really need, but really, the double the cost on two of the scents isn't that bad. I need to see if I can check out the rose scents in the soap department, maybe I can use just the one scent from Sun Harvest. I have been pretty frugal on this case, compared to other years, so I don't feel too bad on the extra spendature. I am also hoping that HL has their 40% coupon this weekend, so I can get some of the scents for a lot less, so the scent from Sun Harvest won't add up too much.

well, now that the sinus headache is mostly worn down, though not gone, I think I'll embroider, maybe play with the glove pattern. I just have the fourchettes left on those, so maybe that's where I'll play tonight and embroider tomorrow while waiting on a sewing session with friends...

It's related... sort of...

I've spent the day working on the garage and I am so tired. My arms are sore, headache from the heat, and not tired enough to go to sleep early... The purpose of this clean up is to get the second workbench cleared so I can set up the lathe and turn my bobbins. It was a good thing that I did this, and yeah, I have to go back out there and finish the second half of the garage. I'm hoping it won't take as much effort and I'll be finished early enough to actually try putting something on the lathe.

I have a find today that is good, but unknown how it will be used. Some five years ago I had ordered two blocks of pewter. Honestly, I thought my x had used it, and that the bits that he'd left on the workbench had been it. So it was really cool to find that whole five pound block still in the bubblewrap. I'll do something with it in the future. Just don't know what yet.
sigh, for tonight, though I think I'll just pull out the embroidery and see what I can do before I tire myself out enough to sleep.

I HAVE LEATHER

I offered up sewing services in exchange for some leather and a friend came through! I not only have some basic tan leather in hand, I also have some faux suede stuff for the practice gloves. There's a bit of concern that the leather may be too heavy, but the piece is fairly supple, so maybe I can do this. I was already planning to cheat with the punching of sewing holes by running the leather through the sewing machine without thread. This leather makes that mandatory, or I'd never be able to get through the sewing of it. We had a laugh over the whole from beginning to end of the project, that it wasn't really a good project unless I was involved with the insemination of the sheep, raised it, butchered, and tanned the leather for the gloves - points must be taken off! I'm willing to go to extremes to do this right, but I think I have to draw the line. Both Haraldr and Czina both offered up red leather that is much thinner and would be better, but urgh! I have to have tan, white or buff leather. Of course, I could attempt a dye job, but I don't think I can get lighter on this leather. And it looks right with the gauntlets.

well, time to go finish that first gauntlet- at least the purl work!!!

Progress!!!! YAY!!!!

Almost finished with the first gauntlet!!!

I've just a little bit of the purl left to do, a few pearls and that last foliate circle and I will have completed the first gauntlet. The goldwork has been more work than I thought it would be, but well worth it. the mix of silver and gold is great too, so it's not too gaudy, glitchy, over the top ... I know, I know, it's Elizabethan and should be over the top, but hopefully, this will make the statement. Well, I think it does, and will do so better once the spangles power the ground that has white spaces.

I'm already making plans for that interlining. My last source on gloves came in, indicating that canvas was used to support the embroidery and if that wasn't enough cardboard was used. I'm thinking of making some buckram rather than cardboard because I don't think it's that heavy and at the same time, I think it will need something!

Spangles

I made my first set of spangles! After figuring out that I needed to work on a hard surface with a hard(metal) hammer, I was able to punch out about fifty of them in less than an hour all together. I'm guessing I'll need about a hundred per gauntlet, SO tomorrow afternoon, I'll be back to work on those. I will need to figure out how to sand the edges, some are sharp, evidence the slashed figure tip on my left hand. After punch I was able to use an awl to punch the center, I suspect I'll need to use a beading needle to sew them on, but otherwise, they came out well!!!

yeah!!!

Bobbins and purl embroidery, oh my!!!

Yesterday was my turning lesson with mom. She had the wood there that she'd ordered for me, and gave me the run down on how to do it, and started the first bobbin, before turning it over to me. It was kewl!! Then we marked up the second half of the first stick and put it to the lathe and I was on my own. I did it too. it was beautiful, right up until I went to cut it off, and the shaft snapped. But I did two nearly identical bobbins!!! Mom also helped out by giving me a couple of her old tools to get started with (goes well with the old lathe that she gave me a few years ago, so, all I have to do is clear out the garage and find a place to work on the lathe and I'm set!!! She also gave me a couple of other things that I could possible turn some hollow things, like boxes for the spangles and such. The biggest challenge after getting up and running will be sharpening the tools. I haven't a bench grinder, so that's on my list, as is a band saw and a drill press.
While I thought I'd come home and set to turning today with a sinus headache I decided I wasn't up to the garage in this heat. So I ran and got replacement needles and set to working on the purl again. I think with just a couple of hours, I may finish the purl on the first gauntlet. I'm thinking of pulling at the brass sheet and playing with making spangles too today. I've had the day mostly to myself, so it's been fun.

Also just received the last glove book (I suspect yesterday but was that a holiday? I don't know, It was just there when I went looking, Maybe the day before? if I'd know that, I wouldn't have been at seaworld then!!) There is some excellent information regarding the gloves, things like a few measurements mentioned, commonalities, some I had noticed, one or two I hadn't and of course, there's the idea of inserting card stock behind the embroidery to hold it up if it weights too much to do so on it's own.

Anyway, I'm back to work in the hot living room, so I don't fall asleep in the nice ac as has been my wont of late.