One Man's Trash…..

Last Tavern Night one of our good gentles brought along several Rubbermaid totes full of assorted fabric pieces he no longer wanted. Most of it was entirely unsuitable for my kind of sewing: knits, shiny stretchy stuff, synthetics, modern prints, etc. (And truthfully I already have quite a sizeable fabric stash.)

One piece of fabric piqued my interest -- about two meters of heavy diagonally-ribbed pink wool. It must have fallen out of the tote at some point because it was caked with mud in one spot and there were also some suspicious-looking yellowish blotches. I took it home, washed it in hot water and dried it in a hot dryer, and it turned into a lovely, soft, clean, well-fulled piece of material.

Because the fabric was so thick and didn't need any seam finishing I decided to turn it into a very simple poncho-type cloak. Unlike the more familiar open-front cloak, this design allows the wearer to carry objects (or drive) without letting the cold air in. Pink is not a colour which suits everyone, of course, but I'm sure there will be someone who'll want to buy this cloak -- especially at a chilly camping event!

Hood up….

And hood down

Winter War

I had a wonderful time at Winter War yesterday, and I have pictures to prove it.

But first some explanations for my non-SCA friends, especially my cousins in Holland and Australia. Winter War is a big deal for us here. A good war needs a big war field and our fields are frozen and/or covered with snow or mud for about half the year. By this time in the "spring" all our fighters are just itching for a chance to do battle. There's a drill hall in Wetaskiwin, about an hour's driving south of Borealis (Edmonton) that's big enough to accommodate our war scenarios and related activities. And a bonus: people are allowed to "camp" in the hall overnight!

Jodi and Damon and their family came in from Humboldt, Saskatchewan (6 hours driving) just for this event, and I saw many other people there who traveled 3-5 hours. It's only a one-hour drive for us, but Dirk and I drove out on Friday evening to set up and then drove back home again. On Saturday I drove out there in the morning, my friend Laura borrowed one of our vehicles to drive to Wetaskiwin at midday, and Dirk drove out there later in the afternoon. (Our three vehicles were back home again late in the evening because we wanted to sleep in our own beds and get to church on Sunday morning.)

Merchanting was surprisingly profitable. It was fun hanging out with the grandkids -- Jodi's three boys and Derek's two girls -- and so many friends. The potluck feast went well, I think (I can't be objective about that because it was organized by the Culinary Guild, which also supplied the hot meat dishes). And I went home with another pretty piece of paper!

Coryn's Garb Shop is open for business!

A daughter and four grandchildren (the one with the hat is not related)

The A&S (Arts and Sciences) Champion organized a very successful activity

Laura (my temporary basement dweller) brought her friend Lana to the event

A pleasant musical interlude

There were so many children at the event: this really is a family activity!

And there were merchants…. here Master Deicyn explains the fine features of his crossbow design

Damon helps Jodi with her armour. Yes, girls are fighters too!

The beginning of a battle, as seen through the archery net

At the end of the battle the field is littered with bodies

This fearsome warrior also entertains the kids with his magic shows

Finally sitting down to eat. Really, the lights should have been turned down….

During court Derek (a.k.a. Hjalti Einarsson) waxes eloquent  about the Chicken of Loki

And a surprise: I received a Gilded Gryphon for my "untiring service"

Braies and Chausses: Medieval Underwear

One of the classes I took while we were at the Estrella War was about making braies and chausses. I did not actually sew anything in this class but got lots of documentation and detailed instructions for sewing at home. 

The braies were fairly easy. They went together quickly because I used the sewing machine. Next pair I make will be hand-sewn. The garment is comfortable but not form-flattering. So why do I want a pair of braies? So I have something to tie the chausses to, of course!

The chausses were more complicated because they are meant to be fairly form-fitting. Much of the class time was used for measuring our legs. Stretch fabric was not available in the Middle Ages so chausses were made of linen or wool cut on the bias. This method of cutting is very wasteful of fabric; however, I determined that the pattern could be cut from an old linen dress. Again, I used my sewing machine. I had to re-sew the seams a few times until the fit was reasonably close. Next I added the ties and then came the moment of truth….

This shows the drawstring of the braies and the front attachment of the  chausses

Here you can see the side ties and the way the braies are tucked into the chausses

This shows the back seams of the chausses, and a vast expanse of white linen (as my photographer pointed out, between snorts of laughter)

I had to endure some teasing from family and close friends, comments like "I wonder why they called them smallclothes?" Still, the braies and chausses are surprisingly comfortable, at least for a short while.  More testing is needed, especially at camping events. 

My next pair of chausses will be hand-sewn and will probably be a closer fit. I will look for a finer quality of linen, hoping that it will have a bit more stretch.

Next I tried making a pair of knee-length hose. The shaping of the feet went much better and faster too -- practice helps! The garters were made from leather scraps from an old couch and buckles from an old pair of boots. Only the tip of the garter shows because the top of the hose is folded over. I made a narrow band of embroidery (silk) along the folded hem.  Field-testing will happen at Winter War.

You ask, "Why go to this much trouble to make underclothes which will be covered up with skirts?" Because it gives me a better idea of what it felt like to be a woman in  the fourteen century. And it also makes me appreciate my modern clothing choices!

Estrella War

First an explanation for my non-SCA friends.
When I "go to a war" it's not for the fighting. I joined this medieval re-creation group because I enjoy the people, the costumes, the feasts, the travel, the merchanting, the research, the pomp and ceremony, etc. However, a war brings people together. While some people get into armor and beat up on "the enemy" (with whom they'll happily party when the fighting is done) others use the time for sight-seeing, shopping, socializing, taking classes and showing off their "stuff".

An added attraction of the Estrella War is that it takes place in February/March in Phoenix, Arizona. After months of winter the Arizona sunshine sure looks good to the folks from Avacal (Alberta and Saskatchewan). This was my sixth time to the Estrella War: three times driving and three times flying. The first two times the event was held at the Estrella Mountain Park. I've been to the site near Florence three times (good site when dry, disastrously muddy when wet) and now I've been to the Schnepf Farms site just south of Apache Junction.

It was wonderful to get away for a few days. We flew down so we had to rent a car and book a motel (can't bring much camping gear on an airplane). That made the trip more expensive but also quicker and more like a real vacation.

After a few hours at the medieval site it was very pleasant to return to modern amenities

I was disappointed with the event itself. It seemed the attendance was down considerably from what I remember of ten years ago. The site was not well suited to the event. Reminders of the modern world were everywhere. The main road through the camp -- from the gate to the parking lot -- ran right past Merchants' Row so there was a constant stream of traffic.  To walk from Merchants' Row to the area where classes were held we had to walk past the "large RV" camping area. The war field was a long way off and not convenient for spectators. The "Medieval Village" did not look very medieval. On Friday there were many school tours on site.

This was the main road through the camp, just across from Merchants' Row

Oh look, there's a war happening over there, on the other side of the mud and compost!

One thing I did enjoy was the A&S classes. I took a total of five classes (actually six, because one was a double class): Fabric Identification, Fashion Forensics, Norse and Rus Women's Headwear, St. Birgitta's Cap and Braies and Chausses. While I was in classes Dirk checked out the food vendors and sat in the shade reading a book.

This was the St. Birgitta's Cap class

Here the instructor models her version of Norse and Rus Women's Headwear

Dirk gives the meat kebabs a passing grade. Note the anachronistic vehicle in the background

Another fine pastime was looking at the merchants' wares. There weren't as many merchants as I remember from previous years but enough to make me spend money. I bought fine linen and silk fabric (for veils) and also a few books at Pastiche. I found silk yarn at White Wolf and the Phoenix. At the Calontir Trim Merchant's booth I bought yards and yards of trim. And then, at Revival Enterprises, I discovered a pair of shoes (purple!) which fit comfortably on my bunioned feet!

Yes, this is the place to spend money

All in all it was a satisfying trip. Will I go to future Estrella Wars? Perhaps…. Or maybe I'll save up my travel money for a different event. The sights, the classes and the shopping are much better at the Pennsic War. Too bad it's so far away…. and in the heat of summer… and it conflicts with Quad War….

More About That Hood….

Looking over my pictures on the computer I found a few more shots of the buttoned hood.  They were taken last August. Yes, that's how long ago I started the project. I took pictures of the early stages of construction just in case I wanted to enter it in an A&S competition. I didn't get around to doing the documentation, of course, although I do remember my references. Maybe I should bring the hood to Winter War? I understand one war point goes to the side with the most unfinished A&S projects….

It would have made more sense to just edit my previous post about the hood, but no -- I can't do that. I tried…..  This is all part of my struggle with posting. I just don't seem to be able to add any text after a picture: it always wants to become part of the last picture's caption. I know there must be a simple way to do this but it eludes me….

That's why all my posts are so tediously similar in layout: first text, then pictures with captions. *Sigh*

And while I'm venting my frustration with a simple blog program, let me add that I want to use the Helvetica typeface. That's not the default and I don't seem to be able to change the default. Oh sure, the checkmark is beside Helvetica and the title of each post shows up that way but the rest looks more like Times New Roman. Then I have to change each text block and each caption.

A real 14th-century merchant wouldn't have had to deal with this. 
Still, dealing with computer frustration is a minor hardship compared to rats and the plague!

Using a bathroom mirror to get a side view. One of my daughters has pointed out to me that I really need to  improve my "selfie" technique

The basic pattern pieces, partially basted together. Obviously the lining of the liripipe is not as long as the outer layer

Buttoned Hood

Okay, this will be boring for anyone who isn't into 14th-century garb. I promise my next posts will be about the Estrella War trip and my medieval underwear!

I've made a lot of hoods in the past ten years: open and closed, long and short, lined and unlined, with and without liripipe. This was my first attempt at a tight-fitting lined hood with hand-made cloth buttons.

It's made of silk noil  ("raw silk"), which is one of my favourite fabrics. It drapes beautifully, is very colourfast, doesn't fray much, has a slightly slubby texture and yes, it was available in England in the 14th century! I hand-stitched the whole thing including buttons and buttonholes. (No, I did not use my period scissors to cut the fabric nor my period brass needle for sewing…. but I could have done so. And I could have lost my precious brass needle with the way I carried this project around. Not worth it.)

All the stitching was done with linen thread. I would have preferred silk because it's more durable but I didn't have any on hand. Silk thread is not easy to find around here. I picked up several colors of silk thread while I was at Estrella so now I'm all set for future projects.

I finished the last few buttons on our flight to Phoenix. The last day we went to the Estrella War site was cool enough for wearing the hood. It has a long liripipe which I tucked into my belt at the back. I am very pleased with this addition to my medieval wardrobe.

The colours of the hood are pretty neutral so it "matches" well with the hot pink surcote

Up close you can even see the gussets on the shoulders. But you can't see if I'm having a "bad hair day"

Writer's Block Unplugged

Where shall I start? Yule Feast was so long ago that I've forgotten most of it. I remember I did some cooking, I baked bread, and I taught a class on inkle-loom weaving.
I had hoped to go to Kingdom Twelfth Night in January but that didn't happen.

There was Investiture in the middle of February. (For my non-SCA friends, that's when the new Prince and Princess step up to the thrones and the previous Prince and Princess step down.) The original plan was to combine that event with Winter War. I'm so glad that plan didn't work out! The two events are very different and combining them would have been a logistical nightmare. The argument for combining the two was that in the past attendance at Investiture varied from "poor" to "less-than-appropriate-for-a-principality-that-wants-to-be-a-kingdom-soon". Well, what do you expect? Alberta winters do not encourage long-distance travel.

As it turned out, attendance at February Investiture was just fine this year. Perhaps it was because the event was held here in the Barony of Borealis. Not only do we have a large and active group here, we serve up feasts that are worth traveling for!

I am very happy to be part of the Borealis Culinary Guild. Everyone works so well together, and our combined efforts  produce consistently good results. (Our success is due in large part to our "test feasts", which combine experimentation and great fun.) My contribution to this feast was twenty-two meat pies and two gluten-free meat pies, plus of course the fresh-out-of-the-oven bread.

That's what goes into a meat pie: ground beef, egg, dates, cranberries, currants….

Working with the gluten-free pie crust was a challenge!

There they are: regular pie crust on left, the gluten-free at right

The down side of working in the kitchen at an event is that you don't have much time to enjoy the event itself. I was rather busy running back and forth between judging A&S entries and kneading dough! But it was all worth it. Once the food was all served we had some time to relax and socialize….. and to bask in the compliments. Great work, team!

Master Jean de Chauliac -- don't mess with him when he's wielding a knife!

The Honorable Lordship Peregrine Falconer -- he cooks, he cleans, he makes food presentation a work of art!

Mistress Joan the Just -- she uses modern technology to make a period dish of mashed turnips and bacon!

AAARRGGH! And That's Why I Don't Post as Often as I Should

Yes, I know I should post more often (and spend less time doing other things on the computer, like MineCraft).
It's not that I have nothing to post about. I've been keeping busy, and taking pictures to prove it. It's just that when I try to post something my computer becomes downright uncooperative. Mulish, even!
I just spent an hour composing a nice post, and then, in the process of adding pictures, I lost the whole thing!

Now I don't have time to do it over again. After lunch I have to do my Food Bank volunteer work. After that I have to go out to walk some more…. have to get those 10,000 steps in every day! And after supper I have some more "volunteer" work. By the time I get home, MineCraft will look a lot more attractive than my blog's "New Post" page. *Sigh*