The New Year Cometh

Given the title and nature of my last post the subject of this one was fairly predictable, yes?

My 2017 calendar has been filling up already, as I'm sure yours is too.  Here is what I'm looking forward to participating in/ helping with in the following months:

Jan 7 - Anglespur - Concordia Yule Pot-Luck, shire of Anglespur.  Games, Friends, and Food, in garb.  What more needs to be said?

Feb 4 - at the sign of the Dancing Fox XIX, Shire of Nordenhalle.  Dancing, Friends, Dancing, Feast, and Dancing.  Fun times.  I may be going by myself, as my husband is not that much interested in dancing.  Also, depending on the kids' work schedules, they may need a babysitter.  Who knows, I may have a short dancing partner for the day.

Feb 11 - King and Queen's A&S and Bardic Champions, Barony of Concordia of the Snows.  We get to host this.  Come!  It will be awesome!  I will be volunteering in the A&S room, so look for me there.  No babysitting for me this time.

Mar 11 - Novice Schola & Birthday Feast, Barony of Bergental.  I will finally be teaching my First Class!  It will be on those multi-century, ever pervasive, eyelets.  Photos of paintings and extant garments with them shall be available, examples in my own garments, and hands-on lessons will make up the class time.

Mar 25 - Laurel's Prize Tourney, Barony of Carolingia.  I'm entering this one. *gulp*  There are two challenges that fall within my field of interest: "Making Old Garb New", by Mistress Cassandra Grey of Lochleven, and "Under it All", by Mistress Agatha Wanderer.  Documentation for the latter would be difficult for my late 12th-century persona, but would be an interesting exercise.  While I've been playing for just over five years, I do have an early-made dress that has a lot about it that could be improved upon, including being made a size larger so it fits me.  I'll have to decide which one I'm going to do within the next week and get going on it.

Pennsic may not happen this year for us.  We have a family reunion happening in Hannibal, MO in June which will eat up both funds and vacation time.  If it's the case that we don't go, it will seem to set a pattern of going to Pennsic every other year.

In the next weeks I will have to:
1) Pull together class materials and produce examples of different types of eyelets
2) Make something for the Laurel's challenge.  That may be a dress with eyelets on the sides and embroidered sleeves.
3) It would be really cool to finish my brown dress for the K&Q A&S/Bardic event so as to have something new to wear.

See, this year promises to have lots more to post about on my adventures in sewing and research.

If you're at any of these events, come by and say hi!

~ Marjorie

The Old Year Passeth

The end of an event-filled 2016 is fast approaching and I have a few moments to catch my breath before the new year arrives, with it's share of happenings and Events.  This past year included:

Receiving our AOAs at our first Birka.  Our friend had to find my husband because he hates court and was hibernating elsewhere on site.

Our son's wedding in April, for which I made my dress.  Because he needed help with the arch, I left a day earlier than planned, toting my sewing machine, half-made dress and iron with me.

The birth of our first grandchild, three weeks early.  Which nixed me teaching my first class.  It would have happened the following weekend at Wars of Roses.  Still haven't taught that "First Class".

Pennsic XLV, for which I made a rope bed for us (thanks to John fitz Thomas for all his help, and access to the COG in Troy).  It did what all rope beds do, it S-A-A-G-G-E-D.  I have plans to modify it to a slat bed for next time.

Pennsic also included my first A&S display, which I have previously mentioned here.

Shortly after Pennsic, I took my grandson to his first event, Hunter's Moon, in the Shire of Anglespur.  He had a grand time and charmed all who met him.  I also learned a thing or two about making garb for wee ones which I will share when I have a few more examples finished.

Then life went sideways when my daughter and her family, including cat, moved back home while they were in between apartments. I still haven't recovered and they're still with us.

And here they are!  My husband's red running pant.  I have plans to make the complete Pantalone ensemble in the future, but this is what he wore for the Troy Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day.  I was up until 3:30 am hand-sewing them and somehow still managed to host our son and his wife that day.

That brings us up to Christmas and the main present-receiver of the day.  He's wearing a pair of slippers I crocheted for him based on a photo I saw.

With smiles like that every day, do you wonder why I like my life?

This year I also committed to being our barony's Chronicler and Clerk for two years, which means I get to be my own boss, or my own minion, depending on how you look at it.

Next year is already shaping up to include more sewing and apprenticing than this year has.  Thank you, God!  I'll have more things to blog about.

Wishing you a safe and healthy New Year,

~ Marjorie

Running Pants

My husband likes to run.  He is also hooked on this medieval game of ours.  His persona, Temyl von Zweibrücken, is from 16th century Germany and is a commedia dell'arte performer. On Thanksgiving Day he plans to combine the two and run a 10K dressed as one of the Commedia stock characters, specifically, Pantalone.  He's already ordered a red fez and a Pantalone mask. Now I get to make red pants for him.

Pantalone is usually portrayed in red tights, and I will eventually make these for him.

But for this occasion, we're going with the pants version.

I'll use the same pattern I used for his plunderhosen, only put less material around each leg.

Here he is from Pennsic 45, playing Pantalone.  He really needs red garb!


I'm off to the cutting table.

~ Marjorie

Life...and Pennsic A&S Display

L-I-F-E happens.  And tends to put a big dent in hobby-time.  In my case, Life was my daughter's pregnancy, my son's wedding, and the birth of my first grandchild three weeks early.  And then came Pennsic.

Pennsic, as you most likely know by now, was hot!  I had plans of relaxing and writing, but the heat so sapped my strength, that I barely made it to the classes I wanted to attend and the must-do shopping while at Pennsic.

At the insista...(cough, cough) encouragement of my Laurel, I entered the wool dress I had made over the winter in the A&S Display on War Sunday.

This is a late 12th-century English dress with side-laces and beadwork at the neckline.  The sleeves are tighter fitting with underarm gussets.  The skirt has front and back gores, as well as at the sides.  The main body of the dress was cut as one long piece and has no shoulder seams.  Everything is hand sewn.

Two main things I took away from constructing this dress:
  - I LOVE working with wool.  Seams were sewn by overlapping the pieces and stitching down the edges.  No elaborate finishing needed.
  - Wool likes to heal itself.  Using an awl to stretch the holes for the eyelets wasn't enough.  If I didn't quickly tack open the opening at the four cardinal points (N,S,E,W or 12,3,6,& 9 o'clock positions) the wool would close back to its original shape, something linen doesn't do to me.  I overcompensated on a few eyelets until I caught onto the best method. Consequently, some of the eyelets are oversized or misshapen.

Many people stopped by to talk with me, from the young girl who was there with her mother and so very excited about giving me a bead, to laurels and A&S Champions of all levels.  I answered every question as best I could, justifying my styling and methods.

Two main things I learned:
  - Document, document, document.  I had researched paintings, illuminations, and read research and suppositions of other SCAdians, but none of it came with me in written form.  I had to pull it all out of my head as I talked.  I could not remember individual sources or examples.  While I could say with confidence that there are extant period ecclesiastical garments with beading, I could not recall where they were from.  Written documentation will be a must in the future, even for a Display, as opposed to a Competition.
  - Create a pleasing display.  This includes the tablecloth, documentation, and any other aspects that will better present my work.  I'm planning to finish off the edges of the material I bought last-minute to cover the table, and make something else that is larger if I happen to have more space next time.  I'm a large woman, and my clothes take up a lot of table space.  I need a proportionally large table covering.

I will close with a photo of the main distraction in my life now, my grandson, B.

YIS,

~ Marjorie