Best Foot Forward

Yesterday I finished sewing the second shoe, and I let it soak while I was at work, and turned it when I came home. It has now dried, and I have greased them both a couple of times, and will do it several more times before wearing them outside. Why is it, when you make a pair of anything, that one is invariably better/nicer than the other?

I’ve also finished the soles of my pattens – yay! It doesn’t seem likely to rain this weekend, but my shoes might need protection from gravel and the like. I took the pattens home to my parents when I visited last weekend, and it went rather quicker to finish them when I had access to my Dads’ wood chisels than it did with just my knife. They might not be pretty, or 100 % accurate, but hopefully they’ll be functional. As I’ve said before, it’s a good thing my feet will mostly be hidden by my skirts. If all goes well, I’ll nail the uppers to them tomorrow – doing it now would, I fear, upset the neighbours.

I’ve also made some linen sewing: when I was at my parents’ I finished a new veil. The weather forecast says it’ll be horribly hot and sunny this weekend, so I’ll really need the protection. Yesterday I finished changing an apron (narrowing the waistband) I made years ago. It’s made from half bleached herringbone weave linen, and has simple embroidery over the pleats, keeping them in place.

This might not be accurate, but since I have a bit of an emotional attachment to this apron, having made it during a period of enormous stress and grief in my life, I will wear it anyway and hope no one will censure me for it. Anyway, a lot of people have made smocked aprons lately, it seems to be all the rage amongst female 14th century reenactors at the moment - some variety might be a good thing. I'd like a smocked apron too, but not when everyone else wears them, and they (or what have been interpreted as smocking, and as far as I know) have only been portrayed in the Luttrell Psalter. The apron was made from five scrap pieces: one for each tie, one for the waistband and two for the apron skirt. The skirt parts where whipstitched together, having nice selvages. As if that weren't enough, I’ve begun to change one of my shifts a bit.

I’ve got a lot to do, and less time to do it in.