Lagertha's Battledress: Insert Expletive Here

There's no doubt, and some of my friends will tell you, I can swear like a sailor.
I tend to refrain most of the time, especially online....but F$@&*#!!!

My intent is to get a large piece, or pre-made shirt, of chainmaille to piece apart into Lagertha's leather and maille Hauberk-like tunic. So when I thought I found a great deal (but still not cheap) on a chainmaille shirt via Ebay, I jumped on it. While I don't need battle worthy quality, I made sure to look at the size of the rings and the pattern they were linked in, to be sure this would have the same spacing as the one worn by Katherine.
This one was listed as having the 4 in 1 link pattern I needed, and each ring had an *outer* diameter of 10mm.

Wrong.

What I received was indeed a short sleeve Hauberk, but the rings seemed more than a bit too large. So I measured and they have an outer diameter of almost 13mm!
They are WAY too big and while I could just make it work if I were not altering it, this larger spacing is going to mess with the application and flush fit of the leather sections
Excuse me while I obsess a little.

Below is a photo I snapped of what we'll call 'the wrong maille' (above), next to a scrap of maille (bottom) made a while back my friend, Anders. The ring size on his is ever so slightly smaller than what Katherine wears as Lagertha, but it's still closer to the size I need. It also happens to have an outer ring diameter of 10mm, so you can see the extreme size difference:

Even if the rings aren't that much bigger than the film costume, the rings themselves are thinner and add to the spacing in between.
The new stuff is also shinier than what I wanted, too, but that is something I could have fixed with some super secret theater techniques. I can't reasonably fix the size of all the rings, so it's a moot point.
This evening I found a more trustworthy source that listed the specifications for their chainmaille more clearly and in detail, and they are based in the US. The Hauberk I bought from them, has rings with an *interior* diameter of 8mm. That will put them closer in size to the ones in Anders' scrap in the photo above, and Lagertha's below:

Hopefully this will all work out, and the chainmaille I have on order will do the trick. Unfortunately because of this hiccup, I might not be able to finish my Elsa coronation gown.

Update On The Silk Snafu: Victory!

In a previous post, I had mentioned some strife regarding a certain purveyor of silk taffetas. They seem to be somewhat popular with part of the costuming crowd. Yet there are still a few people out there that have either given them a full thumbs down, or just been annoyed at their lack of customer service and consistency.
Example; what arrived on their doorstep was not the fabric they ordered, and a long drawn out battle ensues.

Well I'm happy to say my issue was resolved. Unfortunately I did not get any of the silk I wanted out of it, but I did finally get a refund thanks to Paypal's customer protection team.
Prepare to be gobsmacked by the following exchange between myself and the seller, when they finally did communicate with me about the issue. And this was only after Paypal jabbed them in the ribs:

- From the seller (after I had repeatedly asked for a refund they are still trying to sell me stuff):
"hi,
we have a fantastic satin weave dupion in same color sending you an image would you be intrested
let me know you received image
thx
*******

 - My reply (I was at my wits end):

"No. That will not work. I don't want your fabric, I want my money back. You do not have what I purchased in stock, but took my money anyway.
I have sent you multiple emails and even a Paypal dispute to get a refund of my money.
I am now escalating this to a full claim via Paypal."

~Nicole *****

- From the seller (who lied and actually did accept my money via a Paypal withdrawal):
"but dear nicole
i do not have your money
paypal took it from you immediately
so how can i refund what i do not have
  thx"

- My reply (I was thinking to myself; call me 'dear' again, and I will fly to India to personally rip your head off):

"You accepted the Payapal payment, and you can reverse it. It's not hard to do.
It's all there on Paypal showing that you or someone in your company completed the sale. The money is not in my bank, nor is it in my Paypal account. YOU have it and Paypal has the proof. I have now filed a claim.
~Nicole"

After that, total radio silence for another 3 days. Paypal started bugging them and they were caught in their lie.
I imagine their paypal account had to be frozen for a few days because of it. Good.
Anyways, I received my refund finally.
If I ever do buy from them again, I'll do it via their Ebay page. That is the route I took for previous purchases, and all went smoothly because Ebay will tear you a new one if you screw over a buyer.

A Bit Of Light In The Darkness

After digging through my stash of silks, I ran across a lovely ivory/lavender/rose stripe silk taffeta I've had or years. The ivory stripe has a satin finish and a light ribbed texture. I also had to bite the bullet and buy some Ivory silk taffeta from Renaissance Fabrics, so I can make a complimenting bodice. I only have 5 yards of the stripe for the skirt.
I hope to finish both that and my Sisi velvet ensemble before the end of Dickens fair.

 I might use a cotton broadcloth for the skirt base, and do the silk in 2 tiers with the stripes going horizontal.

Also, I love my new 1850s hoop crinoline from Kay! It's the perfect bell shape and doesn't have that annoying "lampshade" look that so many modern (bridal) hoop petticoats do.

***WARNING***
For those seeking a good deal on silk taffeta fabrics, you may want to be wary when dealing with B.R. Exports. Better known as puresilks.us. The hilarious thing, is the stripe silk shown above is actually from this same seller, but from their Ebay store ages ago. They still carry this weave (supposedly), and while I would love more, after my recent experience with them, I don't want to roll those dice.
While I am always careful about where I order online goods, I had done some research on these folks and heard current reviews that varied from fantastic, to slightly annoying. Well, I decided to place an order last week for 10 yards of that light royal blue silk taffeta from their website.
They were super quick (less than 24 hours) to contact me and said they no longer had the fabric I ordered in stock, and offered other similar options (other colors/dupion textures, etc). Right away I replied that the other options were not going to work for my project, and could I please have a refund of my money.
Keep in mind I used Paypal for this transaction, thank gods.

Even though they didn't have the fabric in stock, they accepted my payment right away.
They have yet to reverse/refund it, and after a week of little to no communication from them, I filed a Paypal claim to get my money back.
Granted they are in India, but if they were so quick to contact me initially about my order, why should it take so many extra business days for them to even discuss a refund of my payment.
I heard from them finally yesterday morning before I finally escalated the dispute to a claim, and they continued their attempt at selling me fabrics I did not want! Then they had the balls to say that they didn't have my money!
Well, Paypal shows the transaction as complete and in their hands under their company name. 
When I pay for something via Paypal, it comes from my bank account and goes into a balance toward the purchase. When the seller accepts payment for a purchase, it takes the funds from my Paypal account into the sellers Paypal balance, where they can then withdraw it to wherever they want. Either way, they have my money. It shows that they took it, and it's not sitting in limbo. 
I will keep you all updated as to how this unfolds. XOXO