First note: I am not a trained costume historian. I'm a veterinarian whose current obsession is Dutch costuming. However, it should be noted that I have the attention span of a 2-year-old and rapidly flip from obsession to obsession. Sometimes I come back around again.
I'm not a trained seamstress, either, though I was taught the thorough-going basics of dress making by my very talented mother when I was a girl. I still take tough problems to Mom. I don't make costumes for other people (who aren't immediate family), and I don't generally use patterns. So my advice in that department is academic at best.
I've got two small children, one of whom is special needs. Hence and therefore, updates to the site and the eventual addition of some dress diaries may take time. I can also get a little distracted and forget to answer my e-mail . Please be patient with me.
Among my other interests are embroidery in general, and whitework and smocking in particular. I'm also fascinated by 16th century confectionery and pastry work, orchard and fruit-keeping, and formal gardens. Expect those subjects to appear here on a when-I-get-time basis. Ditto for contributions from my husband on the subject of medieval brewing.
Please do respect my work and don't copy it wholecloth without permission. If you want to reprint something for a newsletter or similar purpose, just ask. I'm likely to give permission, I just like to know about it. If you're in the SCA and documenting a project for an Arts and Sciences competition, please credit if you're using this site. Going back and finding all the original images does not constitute independent research that came to the same conclusions. I'm just sayin'.
I am a member of the Society for the Creative Anachronism , currently residing in the Barony of Andelcrag in the Middle Kingdom . Within the Society I go by Femke de Roas, and someday I may bother to put some sort of persona explanation up here. The name is Fries, to go along with my primary interests. Other than that, I tend to be more engrossed in making stuff than in "persona development." Femke currently holds and Award of Arms, and is a member of the Order of the Golden Willow and the Order of the Evergreen - Middle Kingdom Awards for the Arts.
Thanks!
Holly