Ah, modern life. Sleep number bed. Smart thermostat. Long, hot shower.
Yeah, it’s true that I will miss being at war with my SCA family, but I am still glad to be home. I can get back to my normal routine and worry less about freezing in the middle of the night. (And yes, it can get to freezing temperatures in the desert at night.) I got a new cloak out of it though, so that’s a bonus. Reversible with cotton on one side and wool on the other. Warm.
Today is a day for recuperating before jumping back into modern life full-on. The house is still in progress, work is still there, and bills still need to get paid. Can’t run away to a camping event forever, unfortunately.
For the most part everything’s back to normal, but I’m far from done with SCA stuff. I have things to sew, research to do, swording to learn. Basically, even though I’m back in the now, there’s still plenty of the then to keep me busy for quite some time.
I haven’t found a Laurel yet, but I’ll admit I didn’t try too hard to seek them out at war. I was too busy absorbing all that Estrella War had to offer me. Tournaments, melee fighting, shopping, Grand Court, etc. I’m proud of myself for not having a freak-out with all the people around me, but I still have a long way to go before I’m comfortable enough to try approaching strangers about stuff. I may start talking to the Laurels that I know, though, to get an idea of what I need to do to get on the path to that path.
I’m already “officially” on the path to a white scarf in that a good friend of mine accepted me as her rapier student. It’s kind of exciting to be on a set path and not just swinging blindly.
Eventually I’ll get there. It’s not like I’m on a set timetable here. Some people take a decade or more to become a peer in the Society, so I don’t have to rush myself.
Category: Art
Oh, what a tangled web we…stitch?
I’m slowly but surely whittling down the Estrella War projects as I wait for the latest edits to come back on Book 1. Bee trim sewn to my fighting tunic: done. Embroidery on one of my husband’s tunics: mostly done (hoping to finish today, in fact). Stamping of top fabric layer of my husband’s fighting tunic: done. Assembly of said fighting tunic: up next on the docket once the tunic embroidery is finished. So hoping to start on that today.
Still to do: some miniature embroidery for a couple of my husband’s projects (they’re now joint projects–gotta love teamwork!), two pairs of linen pants, and … Oh yeah, I have to find time to make sleeves for my husband’s Italian Ren doublet and figure out some way to attach them. Those are the pre-War projects I have for now.
It seems like a daunting list (especially to those of you who don’t sew or craft), but I am confident that I can get most if not all of it done. The sleeves are the most concerning for me, as I had not originally planned to make them so I skipped the step in the pattern where you make tabs for attaching sleeves, so I have to engineer something for that. Otherwise, between off days and half days in the interim I think I’ll be fine.
The embroidery on the seams of my husband’s tunic is turning out nicely. I still need to couch the stitches, but here’s what I managed to do this morning:
The coloring is a bit off, as the red is more a true red and the yellow is brighter, but what can you expect from a closeup on a cell phone in a room with weird lighting? Lol I do see a few minor flaws, places where the stitching isn’t 100% even, but I’m getting better with each project.
Speaking of which, if I hustle I can maybe get at least half of the couching done before work.
Until next time!
Resting on my laurels
So I’ve finally figured out what arts I want to focus on for the SCA…now I just have to get up the nerve to talk to several different peers (Laurels specifically) so I can get to know them and hopefully find a mentor.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not fooling myself into thinking I’ll be at Laurel level any time soon. Years. Many years. But I think I’m ready to start getting to know different Laurels and hopefully find one who will be a good fit for me. Then there’s the ask-vs-being-asked dilemma…some Laurels want you to approach them about apprenticeship, while others want to get to know you and your work and will then eventually ask you. So I have to test the waters on that a bit before diving in. Don’t want to offend a potential Laurel by being too forward.
As far as peerages go, Laurel is the most likely one I could potentially get. Yes, there’s Master of Defense for rapier, but I’m probably decades off from that one, if ever. And of course I’m not going to be a Knight (because I am too weak for hardsuit fighting), and Pelican (the service peerage) isn’t really for me. Not that I don’t mind helping people or anything, but I just don’t have the intense drive to serve that a lot of good Pelicans have.
I’ll get there eventually, but first thing’s first.
Project-ions for the future
I’m not quite sure how it keeps happening, but my project list for Estrella War and beyond keeps growing…not that that’s necessarily a bad thing. 😉
This is how my sewing project list began (a few weeks before Christmas):
Sewing projects:
- Italian ren
- Doublet
- Shirt
- Belt loops/buttons/buttonholes
- Fix snaps on stomacher/dress
- Hem dress
- Underskirt?? (if time!)
- Christmas gifts
- Makeup bag
- Wine bottle bags? – make anyway, if no time save for later gifts
- Bento boxes for carol/titia??? (if no time, belated gifts)
- Garb/sca
- Linen pants x 2
- Fighting tunic (chris)
- Viking coat (aimee) ??
- New fighting hood (embroidered/layered)
- Feast gear utensil holders?
- Thread snipper holder (leather?)
- Belt favor? (embroidered?)
- Leather cover for sword guard?
- Accessories
- Wallet/card holder/checkbook cover
- Purse organizer
- Key case thingie for keychain
- Mug caddy thingies
- bento box for tourney prize
- knee pillow thing
- moar headbands?
- Notions bags?
- Cosplay
- Re-make phoenix corset!!
This is the new(est) version:
Sewing projects:
- Italian ren
- Doublet
- Shirt
- Belt loops/buttons/buttonholes
- Fix snaps on stomacher/dress
- Hem dress
- Underskirt?? (if time!)
- Christmas gifts
- Makeup bag
- Wine bottle bags? – make anyway, if no time save for later gifts
- Bento boxes for carol/titia??? (if no time, belated gifts)
- Garb/sca
- Linen pants x 2 **
- Fighting tunic (chris) **
- Viking coat (aimee) ??
- New fighting hood (embroidered/layered)
- Feast gear utensil holders?
- Thread snipper holder (leather?)
- Belt favor? (embroidered?)
- Leather cover for sword guard?
- Embroider Chris’s fighting hood
- Embroider pieces for ends of belts for gifts to visiting king/queen **
- apron dress/underdress
- embroider apron dress
- cup covers (embroidered)
- Viking-style hood for Chris (embroidered)
- Another Viking hood for me (not for fighting) – embroidered
- Sew trim onto garb
- Accessories
- Wallet/card holder/checkbook cover
- Purse organizer
- Key case thingie for keychain
- Mug caddy thingies
- bento box for tourney prize **
- knee pillow thing
- moar headbands?
- Notions bags?
- Cosplay
- Re-make phoenix corset!!
While I have made it through some of the list (the crossed-off items), I seem to keep adding more and more things to do, particularly in the SCA/garb category. Notice a pattern to the new things on the list? Yep, I have decided that embroidery will be my “thing” in the future, so now I want to embroider as much as I can before the Baronial Arts & Sciences competition. I still can’t decide what I’m going to submit as my embroidery piece, but I want it to be one of the newer pieces (so I’m not wearing the stuff and consequently spilling on them before the competition).
I’m in the middle of two projects at once: the bento box that’s to be used as a tournament prize (I had to put it aside until I could get plenty of binding, which I now have) and my husband’s new fighting tunic. I accidentally got the sleeves on that a touch really big, so I have to take them in before I finish. Thankfully, I hadn’t fully assembled the tunic before I had him try it on, so that’s a blessing. I do, however, need to acquire buttons for it. I guess he wants buttons.
I feel like I’m missing something in this list, but until it comes to me I’ll just have to keep working until the list is more manageable. Ah, who am I kidding? I’m going to keep adding to it until I physically can’t sew any more. Lol
Listing forward
Remember that list of things I have to make before Estrella War? Well, it’s still there–and not much has changed. :/
I started on my husband’s fighting tunic, but I made the sleeves a tad too big so that has to be altered before I can put the pieces together (thankfully I assembled the lining first, so I don’t have as much undoing to do). He also wants buttons, so I have to make adjustments for that. The embroidery is coming along but slowly. His rapier hood is larger than mine, with more seams to stitch, so even though I’m nearly done there’s still a good bit of work left on it. I have to stitch the trim he made for my fighting tunic onto the garment before I finish his. I have pants to make still (not complicated, but involved). And there’s a scroll I have to complete in addition to the sewing. I’m hoping to get a good bit of the prep work on that done today between my pre-work waking up time and the scribal class this evening.
There are a couple of things I had wanted to complete that I don’t think I’ll be able to this go around. I had wanted to make a coat of some sort (Viking style, of course) to wear at Estrella, but that’s not going to happen. I won’t be able to get decent material for it prior, and it’s just going to take up too much of my time. So it’ll be a cloak to keep me warm on those cold Estrella nights, at least this war. I had also wanted to make a Viking apron dress and under dress to go with the Viking “treasure beads” I got for Christmas, but that too will take too much time. I suppose the latter is for the better though, because now I can take my time on it and use those as one of my Arts & Sciences entries.
That’s right; I still plan on entering in the A&S competition for our barony, and despite some peoples’ reservations, I plan on competing for Champion. Go big or go home, right? Besides, I have confidence in my abilities, and I have a secret 3rd project in the planning stages that I think will at the very least be interesting to the judges. It sure as hell will be interesting to me to research, and any learning is a good thing. Yeah, there’s always the chance I won’t win, and I might be judged more critically if I enter for Champion and not a couple of Novice pieces, but I don’t care about either of those. I’m in it to prove that I can do it at this point. Go ahead and naysay; there’s enough stubborn Leo in me to push on and keep working towards my goal. And if I win? It’s all cherry at that point.
I keep telling myself that things will slow down after Estrella, but who am I kidding? I’ll be busy busy busy right up until and after A&S. That’s okay, though. I can do it.
The great debate
I want to branch out, but am I diving in too deep?
Let me explain:
There’s this thing in the medieval reenactment group that’s called “Arts and Sciences,” which is basically focusing on medieval and Renaissance period art and, well, science. As science-y as they got back then, anyway. There are also annual competitions on a baronial and kingdom level. I was considering entering my latest embroidery project as an arts project in the next competition (which is in July). The problem? I found out today that I have to enter in three different categories in order to compete.
Okay, there’s the embroidery, sure, but what else can I do? Garb? Yeah, I can probably make some garment(s) for a secondary entry, but the third thing? Maybe … illumination? I could try that, but my drawing/painting style isn’t really up to even medieval par yet. I can make pretty scrolls, but it’s nothing that could be considered a medieval style. And as far as calligraphy goes, I can trace the letters fine and mimic the strokes, but I’m not actually doing true calligraphy … yet. Can I get there by July? Eh, maybe. Maybe.
Decisions, decisions. I really want to enter. Like, really. I haven’t entered an art competition, seriously entered something, since I was a kid … and that was, like, when they kind of made the whole class enter. I just never had the confidence. Now I want to, though. I want to make myself break out of that comfort zone. It’s just–what will my third thing be?
I have a few months, but the clock is ticking. I know there’s some kind of deadline for entry, and there are research papers involved, not to mention the second and third projects to make.
As if I needed more on my plate lately. *Sigh*
EDIT: I have been told that the three-entry thing is for Champion, not just for regular entry. I have the option of entering one or two pieces as a novice, so that takes a little stress off…but now I want to try just to see if I can. Plus, I learned that there are other categories that I didn’t even know existed, like poetry/prose, drawing, painting (not illumination), and leatherwork. So I have options, and ones that I’m more comfortable with. So “the great debate” is still on, but it’s a slightly different debate now…
In stitches, part deux
That’s it. I’m hooked. I’m going to embroider all the things!! Tunics, coats, hoods … whatever I can wrangle up that I think would look good with some embroidery.
Remember the Little Red Fighting Hood? Well, I didn’t end up doing knotwork embroidery along the edges of it, but I did do some herringbone stitches along the seams. They turned out a little wonky and uneven at first, but not too bad for a beginner who didn’t bother to mark out even lines or anything:
Yeah, not the greatest, but again, I’m a beginner. Next up, I decided to try a little addition to the herringbone that I’d seen on Pinterest, using a different color of floss:
Still not 100% even, but it looks a lot better. Now I have four seams with that stitching treatment, which gives me this:
Ta-da! You see now why I didn’t do the knotwork? The proportions would all be off. As it is, the design may end up being a touch too close to the bottom corner of the panel because once I put the lining together and stitch it to this, it’s going to be shorter on the bottom there.
Overall, though, I’m proud of what I accomplished and can’t wait to do more.
Well, maybe I can wait just a little more.
Like until tomorrow.
After bed.
I’m turning in early. The new year is nigh, but I’m going night-night early because I’ve had entirely too much going on lately and I need to rest. These ol’ bones ain’t gonna be happy if I stay up ’til midnight tonight.
In stitches
Check off embroidery as a new addition to my crafting repertoire.
Yeah, that’s right, as if I’m not busy enough lately, I’ve decided to take up the time-consuming art of hand embroidery. Not including cross stitch (which I feel is a more specific type of embroidery and not really what I’m doing right now), I’ve finished two pieces: a “tester” piece to see if I could do it, and a panel for a new fighting hood I’m making.
The test piece was just on a small scrap of fabric:
Being the person that I am, after I finished that piece I decided to start on a project that I will eventually wear. Yep, one little 3 inch thing (that was pretty much entirely done with satin stitches) and I was ready to dive into something more substantial. It still was simple, but I used a couple more types of stitches… so that’s progress, right?
Here’s the second one:
This will either be the front or the back of my new fighting hood. I haven’t decided where yet, because I like it so much I don’t want it covered up by my gorget all the time. I also don’t want it damaged by lots of rapier stabbing. Guess it’s going on the back. Lol
I’m going to put the top two layers of the hood together and stitch some knotwork along the edges, too, before I add the inner layer and close it up. Lofty goals for someone who just got started, huh?
I already have another embroidery project lined up (for my husband), and I think I’m going to choose embroidery as my first Arts and Sciences entry. I just have to pick a design, do the research, make the thing, and oh yeah, write a research paper for the entry. No sweat.
By the way, I did take my meds this morning, and I will take them tonight even though it’s going to be a late night for me. And I’ll take them tomorrow morning, and so forth and so on.
'Tis the season
Just a few more days until Christmas! Not that I’m Christian, but I like to celebrate the spirit of gift giving this time of year. I think that giving presents to friends and family to show your appreciation of them is something I can totally get on board with, regardless of the religious reason for said gift giving.
I’m a little disappointed that I’m not going to get done sewing one present in time to mail it out, and that I wasn’t able to get to the post office to mail out another one. Then there’s the one I ordered last-minute the wasn’t on the Prime program, so it won’t arrive before Christmas. And it took me forever to figure out what I was getting my husband–so that will be late, too. Boo. None of the recipients mind that their gifts will be late, but I still feel guilty that I didn’t get everything in on time.
Despite the fact that I create an Amazon wish list every year of stuff I’d like to get, I’m not really concerned with what I end up getting. Its the spirit of the season, those friends and family that I mentioned before, that really matter. Seeing how happy they are with their gift(s) (or pretend-happy, depending on how good a job I did of selecting/making said gift) is what makes me happy, not necessarily what kind of haul I end up getting. To be honest, I don’t know if I’d even be disappointed in the slightest if I got no presents–so long as I still was able to buy/make for those I care about.
As the year draws to a close, I think back on my one “resolution”/goal for the new year: to get the first draft of my WIP in finished. I blew past that goal and even finished the first draft of the sequel, plus got a publishing deal. I’m still amazed that I accomplished that much.
This isn’t where I usually post my goals for the next year, but since I mentioned it let’s just get that post out of the way, shall we? Here goes:
- I want to continue working out with my husband and my friends to gain strength and endurance (and hopefully lose a bit of weight)
- I don’t want to break my motherfucking foot again…or any other bones
- I want to continue to learn and grow in my rapier practice–maybe win a small tournament? We’ll see
- I want to get Book 2 finished enough to send it to my publisher for consideration
- Oh yeah, I want Book 1 to be published. I want to see it in print in a bookstore. Maybe some book signings? We’ll see on that one, too. Oh, and to get at least started on Book 3 🙂
- I want to make it through my current sewing project list and then some (that one might take up the entire year lol)
- I want to do my hardest to push back some of this social anxiety to the point where I can enjoy SCA events more and not get overwhelmed by the number of people I don’t know that are around me
- I want to learn a new art/craft. I’ve already started trying to embroider something, but that might be my “new” thing seeing as how I’ve only just barely started
- I want to stand up for myself more. On those occasions where my social anxiety is not under control or for events/meetings that I don’t want to go to, I want to be able to say “Hey, honey, I don’t want to do Thing X; can I stay home/in the tent for it or maybe do Thing Y instead?”
- I want to move into our own home and out of this freakin’ apartment
This probably isn’t a comprehensive list of goals for the coming year, but I think they’re all reasonable. Attainable.
I used to grab a 3×5 index card and jot all these goals down, sticking the card on the fridge for “motivation,” but I don’t think I’ll do that this year. I can keep a running tally in my head of things I’ve accomplished that I set out to do.
Speaking of things to do, I had better get cracking on the gift I’m currently working on. It’s taking a lot of hand sewing because I can’t figure out a good way to use the sewing machine on the weird angles without screwing it up.
Until next time!
Big plans, but nothing much planned
It’s another full weekend as I head off to “war” tomorrow, but I have surprisingly little to do. There’s a guard shift and marshaling, but other than that my schedule is pretty much wide open. I might take a look at some of the other activities available at the event. Usually I stick to my comfort zone and hang out with the rapier crowd, maybe go shopping if there are vendors. This time, though, I may not want to stand around the battlefield all weekend, and I doubt I’ll do any shopping. So I might actually get a chance to check out some arts and crafts that might interest me.
Not having a period craft that I want to focus on seems weird to me. I normally jump head first into crafts, but nothing I’ve seen so far really grabs me in the way that modern crafts do. Illumination: I just don’t have enough confidence in my drawing/painting skills. Maybe the painting… maybe… but not the drawing. Beadwork? Meh. Weaving? That’s my husband’s gig, and he’s plenty good at it. Sewing? Yeah, I love to sew, but period clothing can be tough. Viking clothes are easy enough, but the later period stuff is more complex. I’m not sure I want to focus on that.
Embroidery interests me somewhat, but I’m wondering how much of a time-suck that will be… Not to mention the potential for arthritis flare-ups in my hands. Of course, any craft has that potential. I’m just not 100% committed to embroidery yet. But who knows? Maybe this weekend there will be a class that gets me hooked.