Amazing Blackwork Project

I'm including a project today made by my friend Linda, a/k/a Mou, a/k/a Baroness Gabriella. She took me to my first event almost 9 years ago now at 12th Night in Castel Rouge. We knew each other from an embroidery shop that we take classes at and she talked warmly about the great fun she had with this historical group.

This set was my 2009 birthday gift that I just got as she submitted it for a fundraiser through the Embroidery Guild of Winnipeg. It was accepted for their fundraiser calendar and is just exquisite. The large pin cushion is called a Biscornu and the small cushion is a scissor fob. The pattern is her own original one made up of leaf patterns, lovely tiny red beads, gems and a stunning tassel and cord. She provides so much inspiration and is always trying new techniques.

If you ever want to talk about blackwork, speak with Gabriella!

Motivation or, where did mine go?

Lately I have been working on Christmas gifts and my SCA sewing and other projects has taken a back seat. Also, I'm finding while I have a list of projects that I want to do, I seem to be lacking a spark to get them done.

I'm posting some pics of some mundane projects but I ask you to share...where do you find your inspiration and how do you share it with others?

SUN-Stellar University of Northshield

This past weekend was the SUN event in Nordskogen. In spite of the weather, many people made it out to share knowledge and laughter with friends, old and new.

This was one of the first events I have not offered to teach and not attended any classes. It was not on purpose that chose not to go to classes. But I got busy helping a friend with her baby, chatting with another friend about garb and just sitting and chatting with friends that I have not been able to visit with much lately. Friends who attended said the classes were very good and covered a great amount of subjects from Developing a Persona, to Sprang Weaving and more.

Sometimes the best learning comes from just sitting and sharing your knowledge. It does not have to be in a formal setting. The SUN event gave a great opportunity for a lot of knowledge to be shared. And it was a wonderful setting for Berwyn to be elevated to Pelican. Very well deserved.

SUN and inspiration this weekend

Good day everyone,
I know it's been ages since I posted. The new job is great but I'm getting wiped out by the time I get home from work. I'm looking forward to SUN this weekend to get some much needed inspiration. I'm about to embark on one of my biggest projects to date and although I know what I need to get done, I need to get that "boost" that helps us all move forward.
I have packed my bag of goodies to help purge out my fabric stash. While it's great to have tons of fabric, it's important that it gets used and dosen't just sit there.
I have some shawls I want to complete as these will be relatively quick projects to help balance out the goldwork project.
Hope to see you there and I'll be back with photos.

What to do with oops moments

There are a few no-nos when sewing such as don't eat or drink when sewing however, the reality is that many of us attempt to multi task when we do things these days. Such was what happened recently when I was working on a set of cuffs for a friend. It is a 36 count white linen with black silk thread. I was drinking tea, put the cup too close, the dog came by and splash. The cuffs are stained. I am currently tea dyeing them however, I'll keep them for myself and work on a new set for her. Note to self-put tea far away.

A tip for snacking while embroidering is to use chopsticks. You don't need to touch the food, you only eat a small amount at a time and you can keep the snacks far away from your sewing.

Prioritizing projects

When you look around your living room and realize you have 6 or more projects on the go, it's time to figure out a way to prioritize them. I used to start a project and just work it through until it was done. Now I find that I need some smaller projects to help offset the longer ones. Here is where I am with some:
Cuffs-a day of working on the cuffs and they will be done. I've decided to gift them to a friend for his new tunic that I'll be making.
Black shawl-this one is for Ninka and I'm struggling with whether to attach commercial trim in the red/gold colours that she loves or weave some and stitch the gold thread in later.
Socks-I had to rip out and start over. I stitch loosely and they would have been bagging around his ankles.
Hood-I'm trying to figure out how to do two types of hoods for ladies. One needs to be open at the front but I'm trying to decide on lacing or buttons. The other needs to be a hood with a small cape. I'm thinking linen on the inside and wool on the outside.
Lombardi garb-I'm working on the pattern for the embroidery plus figuring out how much cording I'll need.

In addition, I really need to get a new set of garb ready-Italian Courtesan (not too racy) or a burgundian set. Decisions, decisions.

Honour, chivalry and hope

Today is the Crown tourney for Northshield. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend. It is one of my favourite events for a number of reasons:
1/What crown tourney is-to find the heirs and to see the best fighting.
2/Honour-watching people fight with honour and dignity. There are some who do not but rarely are they tolerated.
3/Garb-it's a great people watching event with some of the best garb being out. Wonderful hats, great dresses, amazing work.
4/People-it's really all about the people. For those not directly involved in the tourney, it's a mix of anxiety and hope, watching those you care about fight and hoping they win their bouts and ulimately, the tourney.
The A and S part of the event is a great place to see projects from all areas. Embroidery, armour making, cheeses, etc.
I hope all that attended had a wonderful time and I encourage everyone to actively participate in making the crown tourneys a success.
Vivat!

Bring Home Ec back to school

This week, I am in Edmonton on a training course for my new job. I brought along my other cuff to complete and when I was waiting for the doors to open for our meeting, I pulled it out and started stiching. I was stopped by at least 4 people asking what it was, one girl asked where I learned it, another commented she did not know how to thread a needle and another who said she regretted not learning about sewing from her mother and grandmother.

Home Ec still exists in school (or so I'm told) but there is less emphasis on the basics. Please encourage your schools to teach kids basic skills like sewing a button on, how to do a simple hem, how to refinish furniture, how to cook a nutritious and economical meal. Show them crafts like knitting, embroidery, felting, braiding, etc. Show them how wool goes from a sheep to a sweater. Encourage them!

I applaud all my friends and family who take the time to encourage individuals, teach their skills and show their works. It's never too late to learn a new skill.

One cuff done

I'm posting the first cuff that is complete from the set I'm making. I still haven't figured out if I'll keep them or gift it but I'm pretty sure I'll gift them to someone with a norse persona.

It's done on red linen and the threads are mainly silk or wool. I have used one orange cotton thread for accents as I was unable to find a suitable (and cost effective!) silk alternative. I will post pictures of the cuffs on the tunic when completed.

If you are looking for a nice addition to a tunic, cuffs are the way to go. You can also do a neck design to match or coordinate if you wish. I normally suggest doing cuffs or necks on a separate piece of fabric than the tunic. Reason? If you stain the tunic or ruin the tunic, you can remove the cuffs and move them to a new one. It took approx 11.5 hours to complete one cuff. Understand that I was not working at top speed so you can do it more quickly. You may notice one small part is not done. After I took the picture, I noticed it and have since fixed it.

Progress of cuffs-Sept 28

I finally got back to the cuffs as I want to have them finished by early October as they may be a gift for a friend. The next decision is the finishing colour. I'm thinking of a vibrant orange or purple. I realize the colour combinations may not be everyone's cup of tea but they are period and the choices are deliberate to make it "pop". I'm thinking of adapting the pattern for a collar as well.

The colours have not come out very well in the picture but once it's done, I'll be outlining it with black to make it stand out more.

Craft Day results

Saturday was a great day of A&S in Korsvag (Fargo) at a local church while the Knights School was going on at MSNU. There was knitting, sewing embroidery, banner making, garb making and more. Lots of ideas being shared and friends visiting. Often at events we get so busy we don't have the time to stop and chat so this was a lovely occasion to catch up. We had a potluck luncheon which showcased other talents our friends have. Thank you to Fina for arranging it.

The picture today shows my first attempt at a sock. I'm making it for a friend who I forewarned that they would probably be the ugliest socks in the world but he just laughed that off. I gather that I stitch loosely which normally does not matter for my knitted felting projects but for regular knitting, I may have to tighten up.

Persona change

When many of us started in the SCA, we were advised to look around at garb and see what appealed to us and consider that as a guide to our persona. I love early period, mainly anything Norse. That being said, after 8 years in the SCA, I find myself starting to get pulled to other periods. Embroidery is a passion of mine and norse provides some options but not as much as other periods.

I'm off to enjoy a work day with friends tomorrow in Fargo (Korsvag) and continue to investigate. Should I have a fun alternate persona or change altogether? I'll pose the question to others.

For those who read the blog, what do you want to learn more about? Garb, embroidery, embellishing, beading, blackwork, goldwork, stumpwork, reticella, spinning, knitting-please drop me a line and let me know!

Talent, talent everywhere

I'm back from Silfen Mere's Shades of Sherwood Demo near Rochester, MN. I have a number of friends in that group and decided to go down for a last camping event for the season. There was so much talented work going on including:

*Aig and her weaving-I need to look for the small rigid heddle loom she was using. It makes great wide trim and/or belts. She also taught kids how to make potholders with small looms that are made for kids.

*Karel-he has done it again-he made a great double bed that was made from wood and hinges. Ailinore teased that he uses more hairbands then she does as he attached them to his keys, etc which is a great idea.

*Alethia-was doing a demo of jewellery making and produced a lovely necklace for the silent auction coming up for crown.

*Ailinore-made split pea soup in the cast iron pot in the coals. Although not one of my fav soups, I understand from friends it was yummy.

*Cathy-Ailinore's mother-in-law made wonderful blankets and cards for sale plus she had supplies to help teach how to make your own cards.

There were many more things such as one of their members brought out two goats, someone was making beads plus she had been doing book binding as well. There were so many people participating in fun things and sharing their information. Bravo!

I gifted Karel with his first two pater nosters and he was thrilled. The second pater noster has a silk tassel that was made from 12 strand silk called Splendor. I recommend their fibres as they are consistent and cost effective. One the tassel was made, I separated the fibres with a small needle. It took a lot of time but it gives a great look so very worth the effort.

Aspiring to success

Today's post is about a friend of mine, Jes, who goes by Asny in the SCA. This past weekend she received an award called Bridget's Flame. It is for individuals who have shown, over time, that they are enthusiastic about their craft, that they share their craft and continue to research and strive for mastery. Asny demonstrates this in spades. I have yet to see her at an event when she is not sharing information whether it is someone who is admiring her garb or if she notices someone working on something and provides encouragement.

She shares her information with anyone who wants it and on a selfish note for me, is currently leading up a project to make me a set of Elizabethan garb. She started the project with Isobel (Debbie) and has gathered a small army of helpers. I am constantly impressed and amazed when people like Asny demonstrate chivalric qualities that we all strive for but rarely achieve. I encourage you to seek her out at an event and learn from her and I can assure you, she'll be wanting to learn your craft as well.

More about inspiration

It's been a short but hectic week and I must admit to not getting much done this week at least towards my 50 for 50.

Today I'm posting a picture of the dragon that Fernanda made for Erec & Amaryllis' wedding cake. She is so amazingly talented and took a basic structure of floral wire, tin foil, modelling chocolate, melted chocolate and gold dust. I hope you enjoy it and promise more next week fibre wise.

Gimli and amazing projects

This past weekend was our group's annual event in Gimli. We had a great event, weather was cool but pleasant. I got to see tons of great projects and here are just a few:

Satchel for Tarrach for his award of the Pelican. It was a group project and made from scratch for most everything. Really lovely!

Token for Tarrach made by Thunderbunny

Spinning of wool

Weaving

Silk Banner making (thank you Liz!)

Fingerloop braiding

and lots of discussions about projects to undertake. Here is a picture of Yngevar and his hood which is one of my 50 for 50. He hates wearing hats but this helps keep his head covered and cool. It's made from a lovely dark cherry linen and is cross hatched with an overdyed silk/cool mix which I know is not period but I like it!

Weekend of inspiration

This weekend is our group's annual Gimli weekend and this year, we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Barony of Castel Rouge. It should be a lot of fun, great friends and wonderful food.

I'm looking forward to seeing Liz's banner making class (her first time teaching), watching Athena spin (amazing fibres), see Ia's progress on her latest socks, help Asny figure out a viking leg wrap (14 layers?) that she found with a bells that looks like it will be amazing and see a lot of other great work.

I'll bring back lots of pictures and wish you all a happy and safe Labour Day weekend.

Blackwork Sampler

I'm attaching a picture of a blackwork sampler band that I work on from time to time. The reason for the sampler is to see the size of the pattern and how to adjust it to fit when I'm working on cuffs and collars or other blackwork related accessories.

There are 3 pictured here on a 32 count oatmeal linen. They were stitched with cotton floss but for garb, I would probably use silk or linen thread. For most of these patterns, I have used http://www.blackworkarchives.com/ which is a website by Paula Katherine Marmor. She has done an excellent job putting together some easy to follow patterns that can be adapted for your projects.

Veil edge beading

Today is about veil edge beading. I enjoy beading veils as I think it adds some style to the veils, weight to help them from flying up (and potentially into the face of someone behind you!) and is more historically accurate for fine dressing. In the attached picture, I'm working on a black silk organza veil which I had pre-hemmed and am now attaching the black and gold seed beads. I could have hemmed and beaded at the same time but it's my first time using the silk organza and I need some more work on that. Baroness Eithni has a wonderful magic veil stitch on her website that I encourage you to use.

To give you an idea of the time needed to bead in this fashion, it took me 55 minutes to bead 20 inches of veil. I'm using 14 black and 1 gold seed bead for every "swag". For my next black veil, I'm going to use the black seed beads again but also adding garnet style teardrop beads for a triangular effect.

I've had some criticism to say that black veils would not have been used but I disagree and have found some in use in pictures. I'll post pictures when completed plus give you an idea of the amount of beads you'll need and time. I'm not sure who will get this veil. It's quite large and on me (I know I'm short!) it goes down to my backside.

Thanks!

Colour choices

The embroidery continues slowly due to other projects to get ready for our group's event in Gimli next weekend. I've started to build the colour and decided to go for a very striking colour arrangement. I started the ends by using a kelly green wool and have now added purple wool/silk mixture. I found some funky yellow to use. While the colours may not be everyone's "cup of tea", I believe a multiple of colours would have been used when available. I'm sticking to wools, silks and linens as much as possible to keep it authentic. Not sure if it will be a gift or for myself.

Next stage of cuffs

The cuffs are coming along and the picture is attached. I'm using red linen as the base and so far I've used two tones of green. The kelly green is a wool/silk mixture and the dark forest green is a strandable, washable silk. I'm trying to figure out what to add next in terms of colour. Whether to keep it simple or flashy.

Making cuffs

Good day everyone! I'll be posting a series of posts and pictures as I assemble a set of cuffs so you can see the process.

Some people, ie. my friend Isobel, have great success with transfer pencils. Me...not so much. I use an old overhead and gel pens for darker fabric. One of the challenges is that the gel pens don't always adhere enough so I need to ensure the pattern comes through enough to go over it again. Deciding on colours is a challenge too as I try to decide what to put the cuffs on or if I'll be giving them away. I decided to use green which I realize may make you think of Christmas but I'm trying to use up some of my fibres which have become separated from their tags. Think of it as the no-name project.

Pater Noster - to tassel or not to tassel

Good day everyone,

Attached is a picture of my latest pater noster for my friend Karel (Shhhhh!). I made it out of:

Black silk thread-6 ply and twisted

Black lace agate

Red glass beads ( to represent large rubies, if only we could afford them that large!)

and an Alexander pewter cross I picked up at Pennsic.

I'm debating whether to add a black silk tassel to the end. Any thoughts?

Back from Pennsic with tons of inspiration

I had a great ten days at Pennsic and have come back with lots of ideas, inspiration and supplies to work on projects. My class on Tassels, Cords & Braids went well with some lovely people attending and participating. I do need to tweak my handouts with more detailed illustrations and my next step will be to recreate specific tassels and cords from pictures.

I helped out at Viscountess Mistress Aramanthra the Vicious' classes on breadmaking in firepits. It was great and I learned so much. She is correct in that once you have had homemade English Muffins, you'll never have the storebought ones. One of their neighbours brought over honey to have on the bread which was so great.

I had a quick trip through the A&S display in the barn on Monday and wished I could have spent more of the day talking to people. I'm including a picture of one sweet bag that a woman made and I cannot find her name unfortunately. I finally found beads for my veils after a few days of searching as my usual supplier did not bring any and I decided to try making my veils from scratch rather than premade ones.

Heading to Pennsic

The wagon train (or in this case, the station wagon) will be ready for the road on Tuesday. Isobel and I will be heading to Pennsic until the 15th. I'm looking forward to taking some classes, including the bread class taught by Mistress Aramanthra, and teaching my own. That being said, I'm quite nervous about it.

I'll be at Master Giles Horsebow shop most mornings and in camp or bounding around for the rest of the days. Please drop by to say hello.

I'm hoping to learn techniques and info from:

Bread making by Mistress Aramanthra

Card weaving by Athena

Viking knowledge from Asny

and many more.

Today's photo is not about my 50 for 50, sewing or other. It's about why most of us do what we do in the SCA-for the fun and camraderie of friends. See you soon!

Recycling old garb

When you find you don't have a use for pieces of garb anymore, consider a couple of things. One, consider giving it away particularly if it dosen't fit you in size or persona anymore. Two, consider remaking it.

I'm in the process of taking apart a Byzantine dress I made a number of years ago (for Hrodir's first cor'n as prince before we were a kingdom) and making it into a coat. I split the front, moved the two stripes from over the sides to lining the opening and cuffs. I just have to line it, fix the top piece (small sec'n missing), and hem it. I also stripped the garnets, pearls and hematite from the dress to use again but I'm switching out the round large pearls for seed pearls instead.

Part of the reason for doing this is economy but I really like the burgundy fabric. Originally, there were 4 dresses made using the fabric but each was different for each person who wore it.

Inkle Weaving

Inkle weaving is a fun and relatively easy weaving technique to learn and use. A loom is not necessary but helps. I have friends who use a clamp to hold down one end of their weaving however, I have never had success with this. Other supplies include a beater (to pack the threads) and a shuttle.

I'm attaching a picture of my most recent project. It will be the trim for the cuffs and collar for a friend's tunic. The funny part is that I have not found the fabric for it yet but the colours of the threads were so nice, I decided to make the trim first and make the tunic around it.

I've used a 3 cord cansew gimp which is similar to a fine crochet cotton and there are 45 threads. While I enjoy inkle weaving, my aim is to learn card weaving in the next few months as this is a more period technique.

Class Handouts

I am teaching a class at Pennsic on Wednesday of war week called "Tie me up, tie me down". Now I realize the title is provocative but that's the point. I want people to not take themselves too seriously when they are attending my classes. It's on tassels, cords and braids. It's a practical class with tips and techniques plus some historical information. I want people to walk away feeling they can try any of the techniques and have success. In saying that, I realize I may get some odd people attending thinking it's an S&M class. We'll just have to see.

What I didn't do was save my last set of class notes on a word document, only a PDF. I had to redo my notes completely over the past couple of days. Note to self: always back up to a memory stick.

If you are attending Pennsic, I look forward to seeing you there. If you want to review any techniques or have questions, please feel free to contact me.

Embroidery and pattern transfer

Today I wanted to share an embroidery mistake with you. The picture that has most of the embroidery filled in was transferred onto the fabric with a transfer pencil. Problem? The marks wore off before I finished the hawk. I will finish it but for the 2nd hawk (these will be a set of cuffs) I traced the picture onto tracing paper and stitched through the paper onto the fabric with a running stitch. It took a little while but as you can see, I have a pattern that can be followed and won't wear off. Once the stitching is done, the basting stitches can easily be removed.

Not sure who is getting the hawks yet. I did a set for Baron Erec a few years ago and I'll try to get a picture of those. I have used silks and cottons for both sets.

More about inspiration

I'm still sewing so I thought I would write more about the inspiring people I know and how they share:
Asny (Jes)-lives in Minot and is a great resource on all things Norse. She is constantly sewing, researching, trying new things and sharing. Recently, I commented on a lovely headdress she made for spring crown and shortly after, she made up 20 of the wire spirals for my Finnish head dress. She is the push behind the the Patty Anne LeProject (see facebook) and she encourages and inspires all the time.
Isobel (Sally)-is part of the Silfen Mere group. She seems to be a wiz at whatever she turns her hand to. Her beading is wonderful and she's always trying new techniques. She recently made a particoloured cotehardie that was stunning! I'm tempted to make one.
Xristinia (Ninka/Melina)-lives in Kingston and is the main reason I'm doing the 50 for 50. She does beautiful Byzantine and related garb. No matter the situation, she always has the proper headwear and layers to look stunning.
Ailinore (Becky)-another friend from Silfen Mere. Her research is far better than mine will ever be and I have to thank her for looking up stuff and sharing links with me. It helps so much! Her cooking keeps the inspiration flowing, particularly those fritters from WW-yum!
Yvan(John)-is from WI and the latest embroidery laurel for Northshield. I met him a few years ago when he taught a basic sewing class at Gimli. His embroidery is stunning and the quality of his stitching is great. He teaches as much as he can and will share tips and techniques with anyone who asks. See my pics from Nordskogen's 12th night in 2010 to see his ecclesiastical piece. Better than what I had seen in the cathedrals in England.
More inspirations will come down the line.

Where do you find inspiration?

One of the things I enjoy about the SCA are the number of people who readily share their knowledge, skill, etc, to help others. Sometimes, just by being skilled at what they do, they set an example we can aspire to in our skills. Here are a few of the people who have inspired me. This is not a complete list and just a few of the people. In future, I'll share more name of peopoe who provide inspiration:
Maddelena-our "Maddy" is a genius with wool and most fibres. I've seen her teach dyeing, knitting, felting, etc. She shares readily and teaches in a way that is easy to follow.
Isobel-Although in the SCA for a relatively short time, she has provided a great amount of knowledge on embroidery, colour combinations, design layout for cuffs and collars and more. I'm always amazed by the consistency of her stiching and the quality of her designs.
Karel (Tom)-he works with wood and is in the Shire of Silfen Mere. I have rarely seen such quality work done in wood plus the imaginative nature of his creations. One example are the garbage cans he made for the encampment. It looks like a butter churn. Practical but beautiful.
Ellen-one of the other "evil aunties" is a whiz with elizabethan garb. I'm tempted to learn how to make a corset simply by seeing how well she makes hers.
Find inspiration in the people around you. Share your info, have fun, please teach!

Sewing Marathon continues...

I've posted a couple of new pictures today. One is the black apron dress for HRH Anne which is black linen (thank you Eithni for the great deal!) and trimmed with card woven trim by Christopher Heth (Robert). His weaving is attractive, neat and easy to use-thank you Chris!

The other is the red wool cloak for Isobel. I stitched the angel on in a combination of outline and split stitch and I finished it with outline in black.

The eura dress pattern has come out well after I wrestled with it for a while. Keep old fabrics and/or muslin handy for new patterns. Save your linen for the final cut. While most of my garb is plain, I decided to pull out the trim and decorate a few. It's amazing how trim can make an old item look new! Pennsic is just a couple of weeks away now so I'm going through my garb to see what fits and what dosen't. A friend is coming over to help with hemming tomorrow.

Why the blog?

July 19, 2010
I decided to start the blog after overhearing some new people at a recent SCA event discussing how they felt they would not have the time or resources to be "good enough" to participate. They were referring to garb (costumes) for events. I sat with them for a while and talked about garb, where to find fabric, what to make to start off, etc. Unfortunately, they come from a small group that does not have a large amount of people and few to share knowledge. I hope that by reading my blog and asking questions, people can get some information they can share.

I finished 3 pieces this past weekend. 2 Eura dresses for HRH Anne. One is white linen which I ended up handsewing a large part of and the second is black of which I ended up machine sewing most of it. The difference in time? About 10 hours. Handsewing gives a beautiful finish but sometimes you have to consider what needs to get done. The third is a black linen viking apron dress with gold and white trim woven by my friend Christopher. His card weaving is exceptional and once hemmed, the outfit will be great. Pics will be posted later.