Buttons and wool

As usual, I am always on the hunt for more projects since apparently I dont have enough already.

My E.S. dress.....yeah, Im still doing it, but its been kinda on the back burner while I refigure out the headdress. Some new research has come to light and I would rather not go back and take the stupid thing apart.

The golden Burgundian gown is still draped over Sally, and it will stay there I suspect until I can stop being broken hearted over it. I am still upset that I screwed up the stupid gores and will now have to take the gore off, and piece the rest of it together. Stupid gores.....

The stained glass scroll project is going ok, but its going to cost a pretty penny and I havent talked to Myfanwy yet about that one. She might be waiting a while until I am making a crapload more money then I am now.

My guild is on pause until after BG Anniv. to give people time to freak out on the clothes they are sewing and such. We all do it, Im not going to pretend like we actually all get sleep the day before a big event. Shhyeah, right.

So with all those projects on pause or hiatus or simply waiting until looking at them doesnt cause me emotional pain, of course I had to add more crap to my 'to do' list.

First was to work out the kinks of the oven bake clay stuff. I am not going to work my butt off making golden fleece bits only to learn I have the wrong clay or it will break or whatever. So to work that out, I am working on some buttons. I will be wearing mostly 14th century at Anniv. since I just worked out the last remaining problems with my crispinettes, and I just gotta show em off. I found a picture of Margaret of Dampierre, see above, and of course she's looking all kinds of medieval fabulous. The buttons are to die for, so as I type this I am waiting for my prototype to come out of the oven. If all goes well.......and it should, Im following the instructions after all......then this should provide me with a sturdy look-a-like for gold buttons. And, best of all, it will make ready my next big clay piece.....the Golden Fleece :)

Second, if I am going to go to all this trouble to make a really cool looking fleece, then my model MUST look the part! My buddy Gaston always looks awesome (his wife can sew like it's going out of style!) but he doesnt have the uber-cool Duke Philip black tunic. Just for fun, I hit up my favorite fabric drug-dealer, fabric. com and snagged 11 yards of designer wool with free shipping for under $40. Yes, I know......I totally hit it. Anyways, so I got 4 of that 11 in gorgeous black, and its so thin you'd swear it was linen. I plan on buying the pattern after the next paycheck and getting started. I am sooooo stoked!!

So the buzzer is going off, time to go check buttons.....

...but it's period

My first true Burgundian gown has quickly become a disaster. It pains me just looking at the poor thing draped over 'Sally,' my trusty sewing mannequin. It began as such a lovely dress.....

I bought Kass' pattern for the V-necked gown, what most SCAers have come to know and love as the Burgundian gown. Granted, Burgundians werent the only ones wearing it, but hey. So I got the pattern, and omg it's just confusing as all get out. The way its laid out is the totally correct period way, but consider this......the period way is using thick wools or velvets for the outside of the thing, and the lining is fur. Ok heavy wool or velvet lined in fur + Texas = death. So I decide to toss that idea and instead make the gown out of the prettiest cross-dyed gold and purple linen youve ever seen. From far away, it looks like a classic antique gold....just loverly. I also manage to snag a near 4 yard bolt of the softest black faux fur ever invented. Golden Burgundian gown with black fur collar, cuffs, and hemline.....I am thinking of wafting about a court event or even around a list field looking and feeling like a million bucks.

So I get into the pattern, and drape my sloper. All looks good, except the pattern is waaaaaay too short (see the pic....way too thick fur hem for my tastes.) I want it longer without such a thick bottom hem of fur, so I elongate everything, trim the fur hem to a much more palatable look, and start cutting linen.

All is going well. The dress is coming out beautifully and every seam is straight and ironed flat. It's laying so prettily on Sally and Im doing the inner-hollaback girl dance congratulating myself for such a big project coming along without a hitch. And then......the hitch.

I elongated all my pattern pieces.....except the side gores.

Shit.

The hollaback girl dance is gone, replaced by that visual back in the 70's of the Agony of Defeat guy from Wide World of Sports. I have tumbled down the snow slopes of costuming with my proverbial skis flying off my feet as I slam head first into a brick wall.

All is not lost, of course. Piecing is period. And I have lots of scraps. And its on the side in the massive folds of the gores. No one is really going to be able to tell unless I get gown-checked. And someone will gown-check me. Just like Im sure Im going to get veil-checked. I cant help but hang my head at how much promise this dress had, and how upset with myself I am over such a dumb mistake. Sure, it happens to the best of us, and no doubt even the finest costuming Laurel has had these snafus. But man.....to just once make it through an entire dress without having one of these moments.

"The Thrill of Victory.....and the agony of defeat."

Glass panel done for Her Majesty Elisabetta

A while back, I was asked by Lady Isabella to create a stained glass panel for Her Majesty as a gift from the Autocrat of Her Majesty's Queen's Champion event held at Castleton this year. It was a great success, and I had all kinds of fun creating it. Below are the pictures showing the progress of the whole thing, from drawing the cartoon to the final piece. Needless to say, Queen Elisabetta was quite pleased, and even called me up into Court.....and she even hugged me! Later that night, she totally stealth-Queen'ed Claire and I at the tables near the tavern. I think that night was the first night I truly understood the 'courtly love' all rapier fighters have for the Queen. I was smitten, and ever since, I honestly think she is just amazing :) So here for the enjoyment of whoever might want to see.....the birth of the Queen's heraldic panel :)

Progress on the E.S Project

This is how far Ive come on my beaded had for my Elizabeth Seyntmaur project. So far, Ive gotten responses from people ranging from 'Wow, thats gorgeous!' to 'You are insane!' to 'You have wayyyy too much time on your hands.' LOL

In any event, Im about done and hoping to have it done by the end of sunday at the latest. Once the beaded cover is done, I will be wrapping the hat frame and sewing/ gluing it all down. Ive decided NOT to attach the wires permanently, that way I can wear the truncated henin with other veils or without any at all if I want. To limit myself like that just doesnt seem the smart thing to do.

So here we go.....the pictures of the work so far. The flashy beads are gold foil rocaille beads, and the center dots are garnet round beads. The pattern is what I copied from the brass rubbing of Elizabeth, which I then cut out from a blank stencil template that I drew up. I used gold fabric paint to do the pattern.





As for the dress, I have decided to go with a soft petal pink, a totally period color, and out of the softest linen I could get my hands on. It should look absolutely smashing, and when paired with the velvet belt with brass fittings from Raymond's Quiet Press that are a perfect replica of the belt Elizabeth wore in the rubbing, I literally should look like Ive stepped right out of a scroll. At least, thats the idea.....

More to come once the beadwork is done!

Heraldic yumminess for a friend

My E.S. project has been great fun, and I continue to work on it, perfecting it since I have the time to do so now. However, endless beadwork and research and planning a dress can get tedious, and a bit......well, endless. Knowing how I am when faced with such a situation, I did what always works for me. I took a break.

Putting the beadwork down, I decided to have a go with heraldry. After all, I do like heraldry, especially heraldic display and heraldic clothing. That said, I also knew that if I was going to do something like that, it would need to be something easily recognized by a large group of people in case I wanted to show it for an arts competition. I have plenty of SCA friends that have a really impressive fruit salad.....Sir Gaston, Baroness Claire, etc. that I could have chosen for a heraldry project, but the one person that I decided to do this for is certainly one of the most deserving of a little hero worship.

His Grace, Duke Aaron McGregor

Aaron is a very kind gentleman, definitely a knight in every way, but what always gets me about him is that he treats every person as if they were his equal or better. He does not look down his nose at anyone, he is fair, and his pride in his people, his Kingdom, is so strong I continually stand in awe to hear him tell tales and recount the history of the Kingdom he has had a stake in making so great.

Another thing that always gets me about Aaron is that he is so humble. For some reason which I dont think I will ever understand, he does not believe himself worthy of admiration, or gifts, or the service of those around him. If asked whether or not he would like an artisan to make him some new clothes, he will smile shyly and suggest that he would be honored, but only if everyone else already has the clothes they need. If asked whether or not he might like someone to bring him some water or perhaps a snack, he would appreciate it but never asks.....he would rather everyone else enjoy such things, he will go last. His level of self-sacrifice and willingness to be so giving consistently warms my heart and reminds me of the romance of chivalry that, for me, was one of the factors that lured me to the SCA in the first place.

I decided to combine my love of heraldry with my appreciation of such a wonderful person, and have come up with my latest project (which will be completed tonight, yes!) I dug around the heraldry pages at the Kingdom webpage, and came up with some information about Duke Aaron, namely his 'fruit salad' or awards listing. Surprisingly, almost shockingly, he doesnt have a ton of stuff to his name, but what he does have is meaningful and significant. To do honor to this, I researched the details of each award, the tinctures, and placed them within my design.

When I am done, I will post a picture here since I found the cam and stuff I need to post. Its definitely one of my best heraldry display pieces, and I am very excited to see his reaction tomorrow at PiP. To see the mans smile at receiving a gift he has no idea is coming his way should be a pleasure in and of itself :)

The Golden Fleece Project

As if I dont have enough projects going on.....but seriously, how could I resist?

The Order of the Golden Fleece knight's collar project

One of my best friends here in the SCA, Sir Gaston, who is just as much of a Burgundian geek as me if not moreso, gave me this great idea.....how about recreating the Order of the Golden Fleece chain? Talk about a great project!! The collar is such a beautiful work of art, and it just screams out to be copied.....but who wants to fork over $200-$300 to some renn faire guy to make one for you? Waaaaayyyy more fun to do it yourself, I always say.

Ok first thing's first....I have no idea how to do this in true jewelers fashion, and PMC is right out because I dont have a blow torch. So my remaining choice is basic polymer clay. Not a bad choice, imho, and fairly inexpensive and easy to work with, all pluses in my book. I also have lots of glass beads and shards at my disposal, left over from previous beading projects and stained glass panels to use as my jewels.

Now, this will be my first endeavor with polymer clay, but I have a secret weapon.....I got a book over at Half Price Books today called 'Creating Your Own Jewelry' by Cris DuPouy, and its practically written for just this sort of project!! She basically shows you how to copy museum pieces using polymer clay, shards of glass, and glass beads. I dont think it could get any more perfect, and best of all, the book itself was only $10!

Im thinking the fleece collar I want to copy is going to look roughly like this:



I have a feeling this is going to be a really fun project! :)

Progress

So the E.S. project continues to go well. The beadwork on the canvas part of the hat is just about done. Ha, Claire told me I was insane for even trying it!! Well, maybe so, but its going to so kick ass when I wear this thing.....I intend on making a sensation, and a butterfly hennin definitely qualifies! I have also figured out how to do the wiring, and I have to say that I totally disagree with Cynthia Virtue on how it's done.

Dont get me wrong, I think highly of Ms. Virtue's work. Hell, just look at all she's done!! But, I tend to be a 'big picture' sort of artisan.....yeah, it's all well and good that someone else has done it, but until I get my hands on the thing, find out all I can about the thing, its life, why it was created, why it looks the way it does, etc. I just cant go along with the 'I told you so' reasoning. For some reason, her pictures and such about the wiring on the truncated hennin was just rubbing me the wrong way, and I could never figure out why. Its the sort of thing to make you crazy! So one night Im messing around, drawing sketches and trying to wrap my head around the idea.....

1) The brass rubbing shows the veil coming way way forward on E.S's forehead....why does it do that???

2) If Ms. Virtue's documentation is correct, then it should account for that veil sitting so far forward, but the wires coming up from the back just doesnt fly in this particular situation. For other hats, absolutely....but *not* for this one.

The following is from Ms. Virtue's page:



So it rises up like it should, but the veil stops where the front brim of the hennin stops......and the E.S. hat does not.

Now, before you freak out on me, I *know* the E.S. rubbing is an exaggerated design. There's really no way for a hat to sit THAT far back on the head without a buttload of bobby pins, but still....Im willing to bet it wasent right on the hairline. It probably sat further back, especially if you consider that plucked hairlines was in vogue at the time. Given that fact, I would say it's fairly safe to say while it wasent at the back of her head, I think the hat would have sat further back then what we would consider 'normal' today.

Ok, back to the hat thing....

Ms. Virtue's constructed hat, while lovely, again doesnt really have that nice point in the front.....



So Im left to conclude that her method just isnt going to work for my project. Not that its wrong, because I think it is a viable method of producing a butterfly hennin.....its just not the one for my E.S. project.

At this point, Im kinda left sitting here going 'now what the hell-icopter am I going to do?' I decide to cruise the net to see if maybe I can glean more info. or find some inspiration, and lo and behold.....what do I find?

A cheesy little kid's book on amazon that actually has a method that will work!! Check this out.....



Holy wow!! So naturally I order the book immediately so I can look closer and stuff, but I broke out a wire hanger, snipped it with hubby's bolt cutter, and bent it just so to see if it worked. Voila! The V-shape of the wire when positioned on the truncated hennin provides that deep V that will sit just passed the brim of the hat and over onto your forehead. Genius! I have since bent a few more in the hopes of messing with it enough to build a double-butterfly hennin.....why have only one level of insanely HUGE awesome hat goodness, when you can have two??

(Insert mad scientist laughter here)

Another update to follow once Ive got the beadwork finished and secured to the base of the hat.....

Elizabeth Seyntmaur's hat

I am ready to start creating the hat to go with my Elizabeth S. dress. My materials are as follows:

A basic planter basket, Thrift Town, .50 cents
A used towel, Goodwill, .20 cents
A black fabric remnant, black cotton duck, Joanns, $2
gold fabric paint, $3
blank plastic template, Hobby Lobby, $2
exacto knife, hubby's tool kit
hot glue gun
glue sticks, gifted from mommy-in-law's crafty friend
wires, Hobby Lobby, $8
white floral tape, Hobby Lobby, .78 cents on sale
pearl beads, old necklace from Goodwill, .50 cents
gold beads and black thread, from my own collection saved over the last 15 years

I tried to go with upcycling as much as I could with this project, and the only thing I really had to buy brand new for any amount of cash was the wires since I needed thick wires, and craft wire just isn't strong enough and I dont have the ability to cut wire hangars. I can't find the vid cam since Scott put it away, so Im taking pictures on my little camara and will just have to have them developed and emailed to me......thank you Walgreens.

Anyways, let the hat begin!

Upcycling, SCA style

Before I do anymore posting about my sewing and accessories projects in particular, I felt I should do a posting about upcycling. This is a topic near and dear to my heart, and hope that maybe some other folks might think its a good idea and give it a try.

Ok, so upcycling....what the heck is upcycling?

Well, the idea here is to make something neat out of something that already exists, ie. from materials that are not virgin or brand new. To give you an idea of what I mean, I bought a cranberry-colored jacquard table cloth from Thrift Town (across from Bowie High School....*awesome* finds to be had there!) for around $2. My intention is to use it to make sleeves, a collar, and edgings for one of my Burgundian gowns for the fall. See where Im going with this?

So a while ago, I made a silent promise to myself that whenever possible, I was going to upcycle to create my SCA garb and accessories. The reason for doing this is two-fold:

1) This is Texas. It's damned hot and lotsa humid, so just about every article of clothing I had from the old days isn't going to work here because it's all lined cotton. For Ansteorra, linen is in order (and lightweight wools) simlpy to have garb that won't try to kill you.

2) Linen is damned expensive. Something like $14 a yard when it's not on sale, and since I'm not nearly along at the salon as I'd like to be, thats going to be a tough order to fill. I either have to wait for insanely good sales (even 50% off doesnt help....more like $3 a yard is what Im looking for!) OR Im going to have to find some other way to do this.

The answer to both of these options is simple......UPCYCLING.

A linen tablecloth or garment is as inexpensive as $2 at most places, and the garment can provide already created sleeves, and the solid back of the garment is usually more than enough to do a collar and trim if I am careful. The large tablecloths to be had can provide an entire kirtle if I watch my layouts. Both of these are also dyable, so if that bone cream color or whatever isnt working for me, all I have to do is throw some dye and salt into one of the washers here at the complex and add 4 quarters, and blammo.......insta colored fabric in my color choice.

Now, accessories take a bit more McGuyvering. I'm a huge fan of anything filigree, and luckily for me, those gold, silver, and brassy looking filigree vanity sets are almost always discarded and offered for insanely cheap. I'm talkimg around $1, so the price is definitely right. To that, add wirecutters and a buff husband, and voila.....filigree peices to hotglue together to create faboo headdresses. However, to be perfectly clear, I did *not* make the first headdress in this way.....the credit must go to Dame Angele Plaisance, OL now of Atenveldt. She taught me the whole headdress thing, and Ive simply taken her original idea and ran with it. I still need to take some pictures to send to her.....

So, that is upcycling, SCA style. Now back to my postings.....

Next Project: Elizabeth Seyntmaur dress

The minute I first saw this dress and that fabulous headdress, I had a feeling it would eventually come around to my wanting to make it. Im fairly sure that Elizabeth Seyntmaur isnt a Burgundian lady, or even married to one.....but her fashion sense is obviously along my own and well, it just looks like a great dress! While Im fairly picky about my clothing and if I can I like to keep the methods of creation period, Im not above wanting to make a dress just because its cool, or even using methods that arent period if it means I can achieve the look a little easier (or stay within an already tight budget.) That said, I am confidant that this dress is going to be a stunner, and easily made just in time for the Tiny Tourney in 2 weeks.

Playing catch up

The last time I posted was quite a while, and in that time, I enjoyed the Lysts event and being a part of Sir Gaston's lance....I completed a stained glass window panel for Her Majesty Elisabetta.....and I completed my first of many headdresses planned, this particular one a set of crispenettes. All in all, not too bad as projects go. I intend to post a few new blogs about the making of these two projects, and then documenting a few new ones I have in mind. Next on the list....a new dress :)

Starting the thing

So Ive ordered all the fabric I need from fabric.com, and the stuff I could buy at the local JoAnns is now all together. Pretty much now its just cutting, sewing, and putting it all together.

I should have at least one viable kirtle for Lysts, more than likely the cornflower blue one that I bought the fabric for today. I also plan on finishing my red hood tonight. Tomorrow's projects are to complete the first kirtle, possibly a pair of sleeves to pin on later, and a 'coif wrap' that Im going to wear, kind of like a faux coif, to pin my hood to so that my short hair is covered.

I am having the worst luck trying to find appropriate fur edges for my Burgundian gown. Im thinking Im just going to go with black velvet or even a black linen edging since it will more than likely easier to come by. Its frustrating to say the least, but what can I do? I only have so much time, and even less money. I will do the best I can.

Hopefully things will work out.....Im hoping to make a sensation, so we shall see :)

Current Project list- Lysts

Burgundian Ensemble- Lysts
Gown, teal-blue with white trim (not done)
Kirtle, soft red linen, laced up the front (not done)
Henin, black, with sheer organza veil (hat done, veil not done)
Black headband with loop (not done)
Breast bands (not done)


Flemish kirtle and hood- Lysts
Kirtle, soft red linen, laced up the front (see above)
Kirtle, soft blue linen, laced up the front (not done)
Chemise, cream bubble gauze (not done)
Blue pin-on sleeves (not done)
White coif, linen (not done)
Open hood, red linen (done)
Open hood, black linen (not done)

I am probably insane for planning all this for Lysts considering its barely 2 weeks away, but I think overall it should go together pretty quickly. I have the patterns for everything all worked up, now all I have to do is make sure I have all the fabric I need and the time to actually sew all of it. Thats going to be the tricky part.....finding the time.

Still, nothing ventured.....

First Jewelry Project: Mary of Burgundy beaded necklace

Mary of Burgundy is definitely an inspiration. I love her style and the fact that her fashion sense is so outrageous while still hinting at ladylike reservation. One of her decorations from the portraits I have collected of her is a simple beaded necklace of black and white seed beads. Since she is a Duchess, I assume the beads would either be jet and pale jade, or more likely, glass beads made by hand. While I am not set up for lampwork, I thought achieving this necklace would still be fairly easy to achieve.

For the past three weeks, Ive been collecting packages of opaque white beads and black beads, all in the 'E' size and shape. They are all glass beads, tho I did find jet and white shell, but they weren't quite right, as they were perfectly round in shape and a bit too big. I found the black beads at Hancock fabrics (which from here on out, Ill be avoiding at all costs if I can help it as their employees are rude as hell) and the white opaque at JoAnns. I decided to use strong beading wire rather than a string so that it wont fall apart easily, and sealed the necklace using crimp beads. I will seal it further with a clear craft glue once I restock up.

The picture of the necklace alone isnt actually my necklace, but you get the idea.

In the beginning

So here we go, my first SCA blog and my first posting. I intend to use this blog to document the projects I undertake, complete, fantasize about, or just want to love/ hate on. I might also flap a little about where I am, the people I hang out with, my friends and family, and general SCA stuff. What I *wont* be doing is gossiping, posting about people in a negative way, or posting stuff that isnt really SCAish in nature. This is for my reenactment life, not my mundane life......reading about the life and times of a fledging beautician learning the ropes of a busy hair salon just isnt as thrilling.

My goals for my persona:

1) I have *got* to fill my closet again. All of my Caid clothes are just awful.....all over the place persona-wise since back then, I was all about Rustam's success, not neccessarily my own. Yeah, I was the Lady of a Knight, but I sure as hell didnt dress like one. But then again, I was 23 years old and clueless. I need new clothing, preferably all linens, summer wools, and silks, that fit my Burgundian persona. Oh, and hats. Must have hats. Big, big hats.

2) I need to find a place to do my stained glass work. My dinky little apartment and patio just isnt going to cut it.

3) I want to start making a name for myself here as a skilled costumer and glazier......so basically, that means coming out, showing up in full 'regalia' and presenting my work in the best light I possibly can.

Starting out here in Bryn Gwylad with absolutely no one to speak for me, essentially making a name for myself without any help from outside sources, is going to be a daunting task. This place is devoid of households, almost anti-household in fact, and if there are peers about interested in taking students, they are either not playing or havent noticed me yet. Im a little intimidated, honestly. Just goes to show how much I did lean on Rustam during our time together.....because he was a peer, I didnt have to do much, all I had to do was drop his name or be seen on his arm or at his field when it was fighting a tourney, and my place was set. Here in Bryn Gwylad, I have no knight to escort me, no fighter to admire from the sidelines, no peer or mentor to speak well of me to strangers. Im totally on my own. Its going to be an interesting journey to say the least, not to mention a time of personal growth. No more letting others make my name for me....

Lysts is the next large event that Ill be attending, and most likely Ill be going alone. The event after that is Queen's Champion where I will be presenting a gift to Her Majesty on behalf of the Autocrat staff. Im hoping to make a positive showing at both, and start earning some reknown for myself. I just hope I dont blow it or come off as too much of a prude. I haven't enjoyed 'flirting' in a long time, and I fear Im severely out of practice.