A Hobby within a Hobby
I have had a lifelong interest in (and love of) textiles and costuming. As a very young child I tried to recreate costumes from the American Civil War by making a hoopskirt from coat hangers suspended from acrylic yarn to be worn under a nightgown. Less than a year later, I attempted to weave fabric with a shoebox, sewing thread, masking tape and a needle. Neither item was a success, but those failures in no way hindered my my growing costume obsession.
Subsequent years yielded slightly better results during my attempts making at faerie dresses and creating costumes from the Elfquest comic series. Finally, in college, I discovered the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) and that launched me onto the path of costuming and research that I still follow.
Over time, my SCA costuming passion has evolved. Initially, it was a matter of producing enough garb to get through a long event like Pennsic. Currently my focus is on creating heavily researched pieces by hand and trying to understand these items in the context of a medieval persons life. This is where one hobby turned into many. Instead of merely Sewing (for costumes) and Dance (as a Middle Eastern Dancer), I now Sew, Spin, Weave, Lampwork and Research everything I possibly can.
I was admitted to the Order of the Laurel in 2016 for my work on Viking Age Textiles and Dress. I still teach that class as well as a similar one that covers Late Hallstatt and early La Tene period ("Celtic") textiles and women's clothing. I have also dabbled in Early English clothing (400-500CE) and Bronze and early Iron Age Scandinavia.
Currently I am serving as Deputy Warden of the Æthelmearc Royal Guild of Foresters. These guilds are present in several SCA Kingdoms and we explore the outdoors and outdoor living through a historic lens. Because I mundanely live in the middle of woodlands in Appalachia and spend a fair bit of time outside, I am very passionate about this Guild and the things I am working on in this context. With the foresters I have a 14th Century English persona and explore medieval forestry and apothecary research.
I started this journal as a way to keep record of my progress and experiments. It has been a bit quiet here since the onset of the Pandemic as I am now outside more than I am sitting inside with a computer. I still hope that this blog serves as an outlet to strike up dialogue with those with similar interests.
Please check out my blog (the "Journey" button above) if you want to know more about my general SCA work, Viking Age textiles, or lamp working. Secondary blogs exist here for my Celtic research and for my Forestry & Apothecary projects.
Elf
Baroness Álfrún ketta of Akeru Thunder, Order of the Laurel
Deputy Warden of the Æthelmearc Royal Guild of Foresters
Shire of Sylvan Glen
Kingdom of Æthelmearc
[email protected]
Subsequent years yielded slightly better results during my attempts making at faerie dresses and creating costumes from the Elfquest comic series. Finally, in college, I discovered the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) and that launched me onto the path of costuming and research that I still follow.
Over time, my SCA costuming passion has evolved. Initially, it was a matter of producing enough garb to get through a long event like Pennsic. Currently my focus is on creating heavily researched pieces by hand and trying to understand these items in the context of a medieval persons life. This is where one hobby turned into many. Instead of merely Sewing (for costumes) and Dance (as a Middle Eastern Dancer), I now Sew, Spin, Weave, Lampwork and Research everything I possibly can.
I was admitted to the Order of the Laurel in 2016 for my work on Viking Age Textiles and Dress. I still teach that class as well as a similar one that covers Late Hallstatt and early La Tene period ("Celtic") textiles and women's clothing. I have also dabbled in Early English clothing (400-500CE) and Bronze and early Iron Age Scandinavia.
Currently I am serving as Deputy Warden of the Æthelmearc Royal Guild of Foresters. These guilds are present in several SCA Kingdoms and we explore the outdoors and outdoor living through a historic lens. Because I mundanely live in the middle of woodlands in Appalachia and spend a fair bit of time outside, I am very passionate about this Guild and the things I am working on in this context. With the foresters I have a 14th Century English persona and explore medieval forestry and apothecary research.
I started this journal as a way to keep record of my progress and experiments. It has been a bit quiet here since the onset of the Pandemic as I am now outside more than I am sitting inside with a computer. I still hope that this blog serves as an outlet to strike up dialogue with those with similar interests.
Please check out my blog (the "Journey" button above) if you want to know more about my general SCA work, Viking Age textiles, or lamp working. Secondary blogs exist here for my Celtic research and for my Forestry & Apothecary projects.
Elf
Baroness Álfrún ketta of Akeru Thunder, Order of the Laurel
Deputy Warden of the Æthelmearc Royal Guild of Foresters
Shire of Sylvan Glen
Kingdom of Æthelmearc
[email protected]