#hobbitpunk

In case anyone’s wondering how our move to Madrid is working out, today involved my landlord toting a duffel bag full of chainmaille, plate armor, and a broadsword up to our apartment so he, my husband, and I could all nerd out about historical clothing together. The three of us wound up comparing notes through broken English, terrible Spanish, and Google Translate for an hour. 

Landlord: has mad metalworking and leatherworking skills, but no sewing skills and minimal woodworking skills. Needs a gambeson for his chainmaille and wants a wooden horse crest for his plate helmet. Can’t speak English well enough to find tutorials on YouTube.

My husband: has some metalworking skills including several years of making chain maille whne we were in uni, and mad woodworking skills including beginning carving. Has been wanting to learn to make swords for longer than we’ve been married.

Me: Has intermediate sewing skills, mostly in historical clothing and making quilts, is a native English speaker who knows how to find just about any skill set tutorial on YouTube. Has been wanting to experiment with medieval clothing.

"The only difference between an experienced knitter and new knitter is that the experienced knitter makes bigger mistakes faster. Be bold; there are no terrible consequences in knitting."

Day 12 - How much time do you spend on studyblr per day on average?

The time I spend on tumblr really varies depending on how much I have going on. Currently that I'm working on the paper and having one crisis after the other it's not that much but when I have nothing to do I can be here all day 🤷‍♂️

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Day 13 - Do you have an ‘aesthetic’? If yes, what is it?

Yes! It's hobbitpunk and chaotic academia!

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Day 14 - What are some of your study essentials?

I have a sort of bullet journal that I use for everything concerning my life (journaling, organizing, planning, etc.). Specifically for studying I work best with low quality notepads. I have one with grid paper for my lecture notes and one with blank pages for my study notes. Generally I prefer taking notes by hand because I memorize stuff better like that. And I color code my notes based on subjects because I keep everything in the same notepad.

irOkay, so this started a while back with that one Bernadette Banner video about bringing back pockets as fashion. Watched it while I was trying to figure out how to restyle/resize a skirt that I loved, but was cheaply made and falling apart six months after I got it. And I knew that I wanted pockets, but couldn’t work out how to do that. 

Then I decided a while ago to make myself some 18th Century stays, pictures of which have been online before. I’ve written a whole rant on why I want stays before, and posted several blogposts about the history of stays. Not doing that here. When I made them, I decided to use some of the scrap fabric to make a pair of 18th Century pockets, the kind that you tie on under your skirts and access through holes in the outerwear. 

Here they are, freshly finished. They (and the stays) aren’t historically accurate, exactly. They were made with some scrap linen/cotton blend I had lying around, and bound in bias tape I made out of some teal quilting cotton. Because teal looked damned good with that unbleached linen/cotton. 

And here they are, tied on over my stays and chemise. I figured out a really good rubric as to how big a pocket I make should be: if I can’t fit a paperback copy of Dune into the pocket, I need to make them bigger. These? They can fit Don Quixote. 

Here they are once they’re on. 

You can’t wear stays against your skin, and I’ve got exactly one chemise made of cotton muslin. For now. There are a few more cut out and ready to be sewn up, because you have NO IDEA how comfortable this was. 

You can also see if you followed that link that I’ve shrunk a little bit in the last few months. If this were a bra, I’d be looking at a different size. As it is, I just lace it down a bit tighter and go on with my day. If I gain a bit, which happens, I’ll lace it a bit looser and do the same. I’ve got two more sets of stays planned out as well, because this shit’s more comfortable than any bra I’ve ever worn. Also: back support. So much back support. 

Adding my underpetticoat. Look at the slits at the hips, this is because I made it 18th Century style, I think it’s called “apron front?” basically the front is a drawstring you tie behind you, and the back is a drawstring you tie in front of you. The result is a skirt that expands or contracts with your body as you change size over the years.

It’s not even a “pattern,” per se. This skirt and the yellow one that’s following is literally just a bunch of rectangles sewn together with straight seams. My ancestresses didn’t have the money to waste lots of fabric on circle skirts, nor did they have the time to fiddle with weird seams. They had shit to do, much like I do now. 

Yeah, the yellow one’s made mostly the same way as the underpetticoat. Two drawstrings, slits in the side giving me epic pocket access. The chemise peeks out under the tee shirt, but honestly, no one gave a shit, least of all me. I’ll make the next ones with shorter sleeves. Or I’ll make the sleeves longer and just go with it. Dunno yet. 

This is what I wore to go to the salon, do grocery shopping, and go out to lunch with my husband. No one noticed a damned thing, and the linen and cotton reacted as such materials do with heat and sweat to turn the stays into a snugly laced, supportive, REFRIGERATOR held over my torso in the first days of a Korean summer. 

1: Shiny steel chainmaille looks AMAZINGLY COOL over a black hoodie.

This started because of... well, you can read it here. But the basic premise is that I love punk and I love cottagecore, but can't seem to find an online community that isn't mostly about “the aesthetic” without practical lifestyle ideas. Look, I love a moodboard as much as the next person, I really do. But I can only handle so many scripted TikTok videos and screenshots from Animal Crossing.

We've all been sitting here pining for a romanticized life that we see in curated media, but the facts of the matter are that most of us can't have that life, not the way things are now. I don't know about you, but I have neither the money nor the skill to go peace out to a farm and live close to nature. It would be a disaster. It would also accomplish absolutely jack for anyone who wasn't me and my husband. I also can't open a bookstore or a tea shop, and I'm WAY too broke to fill my wardrobe with fair trade, sustainably made clothing unless I pick up the needle and do it myself (which... in progress.).

If you're anything like me, you're at best living in a meh apartment that the landlord doesn't take care of, in a city somewhere. You might also be living with family in an environment you can't control, or in a small town where you're literally the only person with your interests. I've done both of these as well, which is why my punk/goth phase waited until I was in my 20s to actually become visible. Heh heh. “Phase.” I'm in my late 30s now.

Anyway. I'm not really proposing an aesthetic. There probably will be one, I can't see this happening without inspiration photos from time to time, but I actually want whatever this is to be a practical lifestyle that everyday doofuses like you and me can do. “Hobbitpunk” is... exactly what it says on the tin. Punk ideals in a hobbity skill set, or vice versa. Tearing down a defunct, bullshit system and replacing it with something wholesome.

The original post included this, as the sort of thing I've been picturing:

Imagine drinking tea while lounging in a room full of mismatched, thrifted furniture that’s comfy as shit, but held together with duct tape. You’re wrapped in a handmade quilt, and reading Karl Marx. There are assorted dumpster dived containers on your windowsill full of herbs and salad greens. You’ll make hot soup for supper, and share it with a half-dozen other freaks who showed up to plan a direct action that will probably involve stolen fireworks. Somebody baked bread to go with the soup, and a friend with a green mohawk and waistcoat covered in patches brought cookies.

From discussions with others, here are some of the ideas.

Ideals: Crafting, anarchy, adventure, home and hearth stuff, homecooked food, radical body acceptance, political activism, books, music, sustainability, feminism, and socialism (or communism, if that's your thing) are good. Transphobia, homophobia, the patriarchy, white supremacy, consumerism, capitalism, abuse, war, and whatever the hell these “Tradwife” folks are doing (I'm still not sure, other than promoting some serious Stockholm Syndrome with your abusers?) are bad.

I'm personally a fan of peace and love, but I do know that sometimes, you gotta swing the frying pan and bash some orcs.

Decor: Your living quarters are probably fine as they are. I'm not telling you to go shopping for this. If you don't like how your place looks now, then keep your eyes open at thrift stores for things like handmade quilts and afghans, good quality cooking tools, and anything that looks cozy and comfy. Don't worry if it matches or not, just make it the sort of place that someone would feel safe in. Books, maps, embroidered pillows, swords, whatever. You do you.

Clothing: Yes, yes, I know there's a “punk uniform” and the Hobbits in the movies had a very specific “look.” We're not cosplaying here. Put down the prosthetic ears. PUT THEM DOWN. Your closet... is probably fine as it is. If you've made it this far in my post, then I imagine you're already kind of halfway there. Dress comfy, and to your tastes. Have fun. You wanna dye your hair purple? Wear a corset and an apron? Combat boots and a wool waistcoat? Go for it.

Just try not to purchase “fast fashion” clothing from WalMart, or wherever. Thrift stores are what I'd recommend. Or learn to sew, and just kind of stay aware of where your fabrics are coming from.

Activities: Learn to make things. Sewing, cooking, woodworking, leatherworking, whatever. Hop onto YouTube and explore. Read books, all of the books. Take care of your neighbors and make sure the people around you are safe. Hunt racists for sport. Steal from the rich (if that's your thing). Rescue animals. Rescue people out of abusive/dangerous situations. Show up to the protests with soup. Find what needs done in your community and do it yourself if you can. Host potlucks and feed people. Go on road trips. Make tea. And beer if you want. Share your skills with the community so others can do the thing too.