The older I get the more I gravitate to the books about redemption. Don’t get me wrong, I still like a nice coming of age tale - which is good, since that’s 90% of what SciFi/Fantasy is filled with. But I find now that it doesn’t resonate with me the way it used to. The books I find myself rereading (and emotionally clinging to) are the ones where ( Read more... )

So I had more fittings for Calum's grande assiette cote today.

Here are pictures from the pattern I draped in my first attempt (the one I wasn't that happy with) -- I got it to fit reasonably well... but I still was not pleased... it did not have the characteristic shape to the front gore:


( Read more... )

For those of you who aren’t local SCA folks, Calum and I put our names in the hat to become the next Baron and Baroness of Cleftlands. We won’t actually know who’s selected until April, and the investiture will be April 14, so it behooves me to start on possible “stepping up” garb just in case. It feels incredibly presumptuous of me to do this, but ( Read more... )

I finally finished my last YWU’d paper on the black velvet titanic-era evening dress! Yeah!!! *Happy Dance!* I’m so tired of this paper… the dress turned out to be very difficult to pattern and document. Which I predicted it would be - I thought it would be a nice challenge. It was beyond challenging. I am exhausted. I’d say, I never want to see it ( Read more... )

I meant to post this last week... but being sick really put a crimp in all my plans last week :-( Anyway, after starting feast planning back in 2007 I finally did it! For the Cleftlands’ Standardbearer’s Tournament the weekend before last I did a feast from the 1529 Spanish Cookbook, Libro de Cozina. (Which makes the very first artsy-craftsy thing ( Read more... )

So much for sticking with the 15th century this year: I’m back to playing with the bliaut thing (mainly because I’ve slowly been putting my project binder together for my unfinished/unstarted projects and the bliaut page with the associated fabric has really been inspiring me! :-) ) . So, I thought I’d do the easy stuff first: the embroidery.

Yes, I ( Read more... )

I was hit with inspiration when I was unlacing my GFD:


( Read more... )

 I feel like yesterday was all about me :-D -- this weekend was one of my local SCA group's BIG yearly events - Northern Oaken War Maneuvers. In the morning gwacie  took me as her apprentice *squee!* (despite my being late for my own ceremony -- I got a flat tire *sigh*).

The ceremony was relatively informal - it involved:

(1) Gathering of friends as  ( Read more... )

Based on the test pictures I did comparing the curved-front GFD to the straight-front GFD when worn under a Burgundian, I decided to make the underdress for my English Burgundian with a curved front - multiple etchings have the double arches over the bosom and I get that with the curved front dress but not the straight front version.


( Read more... )

I’ve been meaning to post about this since before I got distracted with my regency petticoat. I decided that while I’m waiting to buy all the materials for my green May Dress (and most especially waiting to have enough “fun money” saved up to actually afford the materials) I decided to start on a completely new and different 15th century project:


( Read more... )