The Secret and Mundane

I have done a "Thing" for a friend.  A shiny and glittery thing for a friend from a neighboring group.  After she receives it, I will tell you all about it.  Shhh.

Today I finished a nightshirt for my husband.  A simple, mundane item, you might think, until you see it.  My husband is mid 16th-century German and partial to coordinated, but non-matching socks.  This nightshirt is a basic tunic made in his colors, black and gold.

Yes, that's one green
sock and one blue

I still need to applique a counterchanged mask of comedy on front to mimic his Arms.

Now that the nightshirt is wearable, I can move on to other projects without eye-daggers thrown in my direction from my very loving, patient, ...very patient, husband.  Projects like Christmas presents.

~ Marjorie

Trimming the Neckline

Bjorn's Ceilidh is almost upon us and, believe it or not, I'm actually done with my Viking outfit.

    ~ And there was great rejoicing.

Last week was spent sewing?/weaving?...creating the trim on the neckline of the under dress.

I don't know if this technique has an official name.  Mistress Ose Silverhair taught it to our local Keepers of Athena's Thimble group back about six years ago, just before I started attending.  She learned it from an Australian who taught it at Pennsic that year.  Locally, because Ose showed it to us, the technique has been dubbed "The Ose Stitch".

Second pass is done on the diagonal.

The technique starts with a foundation of blanket stitches.  The length of the stitch determines the width of the final trim, while the separation between stitches affects the 'tightness of the weave'.  A row of color is created from two passes of the thread.  The first is woven in a simple over-under manner.  The second pass is woven over-under also, but on the diagonal.  (see photo)  The row of stitches is then pushed up to the top (or bottom) of the blanket stitches.  All rows are done in the same manner and patterns are created by the direction of the diagonal stitches.

Things I have learned:
 - Consistency of the length of the blanket stitches is imperative! It is possible to run out of room for your pattern if some of your stitches are too short.  A potential way to avoid this is to lay out side-to-side the total rows of thread you will be using to give an idea of how long the blanket stitches must be.

 - It is possible to have your blanket stitches be too close together!  Again, it's probably better to leave a space between them equal to the width of your colored thread.  In some places the blanket stitches were so close I had to weave my color over-under two stitches at a time.

 - If there is a 'background' color to your pattern, weave that as the first pass of the row.  Weave the pattern diagonals with the 'main' color.  In my trim, I wanted the orange/peach to stand out, so I wove the green first.

 - This is another one of those crafts that requires good lighting.  (see my previous post)

 - Perfection isn't going to happen the first time.

Materials used:
 - The dress is 100% linen (IL019 BLEACHED Signature Finish from Fabrics-Store dot com)
 - Blanket stitches were done with a natural colored cotton/linen thread.
 - Colored threads are 100% linen.

So, the apron dress, under dress, cap, and necklace are all done.  In the future, I will be adding the same type of trim to the sleeves of the under dress, making a scarf for a head covering, and adding gores to the apron dress.  I did not have enough material for proper width at the lower end.  I will also be tablet weaving new linen shoulder straps and a silk band for the top of the apron dress.  That is, after I teach myself tablet weaving.  Oh, and I still need to finish off the seams of the under dress.

On another note, here is a photo of my grandsons.  It was the younger one's 2nd birthday two weekends ago. 

~ Marjorie

The Sun Laughs

There is a Greek proverb that goes, "The sun laughs at what the moon has done."  It's from the times of poor artificial lighting available after sunset when it was difficult to see any fine handwork you were attempting.  In other words, don't bother doing anything of the sort after dark, you'll just be ripping it out in the morning.  The sun was having a belly laugh at my efforts this weekend and I basically made a cap twice, with all the seam ripping and resewing I did.

- Two rectangles, hemmed on each side. Check
- Two narrow strips, folded and whip-stitched to make ties. Check
- Whip-stitch together rectangles, right side out, along one short end. Check
- Whip-stitch one long side half way. Check
- Attach ties to bottom of open long side. Check

Voila, cap done!  Until I try it on and find it's way too big top to bottom and front to back.  That was Saturday night.  With that Greek proverb in mind, I went to bed.

The next morning I pinned, measured, calculated, marked, and trimmed the top and back to the proper size.  Hey, those ties were perfect and I wasn't touching them.  At the meeting of our local Athena's Thimble group that afternoon I finished off the cut edges and sewed it back together... only to find I had closed up the front, where the ties were, instead of the back.  Those usually canny Greeks seem to be mum about working while talking with friends.

The cap is properly finished now.  It will be used instead of the scarf for the time being.  I also assembled the necklace from event site tokens, handmade beads (by other's hands, not mine), A&S tokens, and some bought beads to round it out.  What do you think?

This past week I also made a new underdress to go with the outfit.  It needs to be hemmed yet, and perhaps not all the seams will be finished off before Ceilidh.  I will be embroidering the keyhole neckline this week.

~ Marjorie

P.S. The font size issue seems to be a function of which computer I use.  Not using the iMac again for this, that's for sure.

An overload of projects

I have an abundance of projects spilling out of my sewing basket.  They include two dresses, a cloak, a hood, a knitted shopping bag, a jewelry thing, a scarf, and ... I guess that's it for now.  The good news is that I'm done with one dress!

I'm a 12th-century gal who's going Irish Viking for Bjorn's Ceilidh on Nov. 2nd.  Our barony's A&S night in September was all about cutting out an apron dress.  Many showed up  with material and scissors, some to attempt their first sewing project, most because they were Norse at heart.  Fun was had by all, including the two laurels, one Viking and one 16th-century Englishman, who gleefully swapped linen for wool and told stories for the rest of us.

The material is a medium-weight wool.  I hand-sewed it with Gutermann's silk thread, found at most Joann's.  This is the first garment where I finished the edges first, then whip-stitched the seams together.

The turtle brooches are from Raymond's Quiet Press. 

The Other Projects:
 - The other dress is a linen underdress for the apron dress.  It's cut out.  I want to put a simple hand-sewn trim along the neckline. 
 - The scarf will be the headpiece for this outfit. 
 - The jewelry thing is the string of beads and trinkets to hang from the turtle brooches.  
 - The cloak and hood will be made out of a beautiful gray wool I found at Pennsic.  The cloak will be a full circle.  I'd like to have them done for Crown Tourney, which is the week after Ceilidh.
 - The shopping bag is a mundane thing and will be ignored for the next month.

And this is my SCA life in a nutshell.  Months of nothing, followed with bursts of Things-To-Do, then taking time to recover from those intense, project-filled weeks.

~ Marjorie 

P.S.  I have tried multiple time to increase the font but as you can see, I am not able to reproduce the font-size of previous posts.  My apologies.
P.P.S. Due to the wonders of time-travel via the edit button, this post is now readable!

The Laurels' Prize Tourney

I have decided to do Mistress Cassandra Grey of Lochleven's challenge, "Making Old Garb New" and will redo my lavender court dress.  The reasons are many and I have titled them, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

The Good
 - The embroidery is balanced around the sleeves and the stitching is well done. (It garnered me a Competency ranking in Free Embroidery at a Keeper's of Athena's Thimble paneling.)
 - The seams are hand finished
 - The hem is hand sewn.

The Bad (For a garb apprentice)
 - All seams are machine stitched.
 - Sleeves were cut too narrow causing the dress to be tight across the back.
 - I used A History of Costume, by Carl Kohler as my main source for the style of the dress  He fails as a good source because he does not list his own sources for the info given and he does not state what part of a century the style was in fashion.
 - Grommets were used to reinforce the eyelets.
 - I bought the material at Jo-Ann's, so it is not guaranteed to be 100% linen.
 - The colors chosen were not verified as being period.

The Ugly
 - The construction of the pendulum part of the sleeve causes the lining to bunch at the bottom.
 - It is too short.
 - There are center front and back seams.

My first areas of research have been into materials and colors.  By all rights, I should use a high quality wool for the dress, but finances being what they are, I will probably use linen again, though maybe a heavier weight.  I haven't settled on color yet, however it seems that just about any color will be fine, except for purple.  That is definitely out as Marjorie is not royal.  I'm leaning towards a yellow because 1) it's one of the colors on my Arms, 2) if I'm using linen, it might as well be considered a dress for summer courts and be a summery color, 3) I don't have a yellow dress yet.

On to more research, with an interlude for the Anglespur/Concordian Yule potluck.

~ Marjorie

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