Previous Work - Brianna Panel

The panel below is the device of Baroness Brianna JeNell Aislynn of Blue Shadows, OL. This project was my first time working with hand-blown glass, and it proved to be pretty difficult because the surface of hand-blown glass is not uniform or smooth. I made a poor choice in that I couldn't get anymore of this glass.....what I had is what I had. Meaning if I had made a mistake, I was out of luck in trying to fix it. Happily, I was able to finish the panel and paint on the gold ermine spots.

This panel was made using copper foil, but is surrounded with U-lead cames.

Previous Work - Bronwyn's Device and Rose

The person I credit for getting me interested in stained glass at all is the lovely and gracious Lady Bronwyn McKay Kellogg. She was working on a project for a friend, and wanted to etch a glass goblet. She brought me with her to a place called Blue Dolphin Stained Glass in Lemon Grove, CA, and at first sight of the beautiful shop filled with stained glass and bright glass and shining bevels, I think I fell in love.

I immediately took a class on how to do stained glass, and I learned both copper foil and leads. My first panel, a small picture of a koi fish in a pond, was given to a lady named Mary. My second project was the heraldic device of my then knight, Sir Guillaume de la Belgique. I enjoyed it so much, I went on a bit of a spree and started creating heraldic devices for all of my friends. The one below was for Bronwyn. The glass is Baroque Streaky, and I used copper foil to execute it. The small rose suncatcher was my first attempt at working with mirror as a medium, and it went pretty well.

I still have the cartoon of this rose, and think it might be fun to make a few as gifts, maybe for the queen or perhaps as largesse for out-of-kingdom royals at Gulf War.

Previous Work - Armand Panel

*The first picture is of the Tewkesbury Abbey original, with the pictures of the panel I created to follow.*

The panel below is the panel of Duke Armand de Sevigny, the largest panel I've created thus far and the first panel I have ever displayed at a Laurel's Prize Tournament. I created it to be a representation of the knights windows from Tewkesbury Abbey in England. I didn't seek to necessarily copy the window exactly, but instead inserted various SCA-specific motifs and symbolism that would clearly communicate who the subject was to the audience. I wanted people to take one look and know clearly who the knight was without a doubt. My panel was well received, although sadly His Grace has never seen the panel himself. I still have the pouch full of 'Laurel Loot' that I got from the event and keep it in my glass toolbox for good luck.

This panel resides in the home of HL Avenell and HL Bronwyn in Calafia, Caid.


And detailed views:

Previous Work - Korwyn panel

It has come to my attention recently that I need to post some of my previous work online. I have been meaning to do this for quite some time now, and the opportunity finally came up for me to get some of my old pictures scanned and put online. I am happy to present a few entries showing my previous works, all of them stained glass or leaded lights. They each mean a lot to me, and I hope, to the recipient. *Side note- I do not have any of these panels in my possession. All of them live with their recipients.

The first is the panel that I created for a People's Prize tournament in Calafia in the Kingdom of Caid years ago. I don't remember the specific date, but I do recall it was at Calafian Anniversary. I had been inspired by the knight panels at Tewkesbury Abbey in England, and had created a panel for His Grace, Duke Armand de Sevigny to enter for my first Laurel's Prize Tourney held at Great Western War I. I had such a good time creating it that I wanted to give it a go a second time, and so I asked Baron Master Korwyn Arionnod if he would be my subject. As he was the Knight of my then-boyfriend, Sir Rustam, I thought it would be a nice thing to do, and he seemed quite pleased that I asked. I had fun making the panel, and was able to show it successfully at the event. I was happy to see it well received, and as I recall, I received quite a few bits and bobs of favor from the populace.
This panel is more simple than the Tewkesbury Abbey windows which inspired it, but that's what Korwyn preferred.

It's been such a long time.....

Where the heck has the time gone? Oh yeah, right about the last post, I went into serious study for my test out at the salon, and I've been focused on that ever since. Apparently my SCA life has suffered because....wow....I haven't worked on anything since my sideless surcoat snafu.

Ok so the golden Burgundian of linen screw up has been salvaged. I have decided to recreate a dress that I saw on the Marie-chantal's page, and about the only thing I need to do is to line the thing, and add in the sleeves and collar. I expect I will do this out of velvet or maybe a similar weight fabric as the linen and call it my summer Burgundian. Thank God all was not lost!

The buttons on the sideless surcoat....the fur part is totally salvagable and I plan on putting it atop something pretty. The dark red brocade, however, was totally lost. Ah well, thats what I get for chopping up a table cloth. I should have used actual yardage so I'd have enough. I can probably use the bits for something, probably on Aaron's stuff since he has red on his device. But yeah, gotta find a suitable skirt fabric.

In the meantime, I have found a burgundy velveteen that was screaming out to be a Burgundian gown, and so Ive been messing around with that. The truncated henin of awesomeness has been completed, the mega beaded one, and there has been much rejoicing! Best of all, I plan on wearing it to Lysts and feeling like a million bucks :)

Thats about all for now, I need to get a game plan together and figure out whats going on next. I will write again once Ive found the clue I currently search for.....

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."