A Wandering Elf
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A Birthday Full of Books

4/28/2014

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My birthday is tomorrow and because my mother is awesome, she sent me several books I have been wanting as my gift!  I have not, of course, had a chance to read them yet, but I have flipped through them and can point out a few nice things about each in the event anyone is considering a purchase.
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The first one is Vikings: Life and Legend.  This volume accompanies the British Museum's current Viking display.  I have to say that this book is absolutely lovely.  It is jammed full of images (and while many are published elsewhere, they are larger and more clear than some I have seen in older texts).  There are only a few textiles, but it has an extensive selection of metalwork and other items.

I would absolutely suggest that anyone building a library of Viking research purchase this book.  It is a fantastic resource for the minimal price!  Clicking the image will take you to the British Museum's page, and the book is available via Amazon as well.

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The Material Culture of Daily Living in the Anglo Saxon-World is a nice collection of articles.  Of particular interest to me are the following pieces: "The True Staff of Life- The Multiple Roles of Plants", "'To eat, to wear, to work' - The Place of Sheep and Cattle" and "Woven Works - Making and Using Textiles." 

Some of the other topics covered are metal work, work done in bone, leatherwork and glass.

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Where the previous book is a collection of academic articles with each having a narrow focus, Anglo-Saxon Crafts is a more reader-friendly to a number of skills from the era.  There is some discussion of how each type of item was created and how it was used in society and some of the items found.  Some of the categories included are wood, bone, textiles, leather, pottery, glass and metal.

I really look forward to digging deeper into this book!

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Finally, I picked up War and Worship for myself as I happened to find a copy for less than $20.  This text discusses textile finds from 3rd-4th century weapon deposits in Denmark and North Germany.  It is pre-Viking era but I am always interested in textiles and this also gives more detail (as well as very nice photos of the fabric) for the Thorsberg trousers and tunic. 

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Pennsic Projects

4/21/2014

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Last year I was so wrapped up in my research and projects for the Pennsic A&S display that I did not manage to do some of the maintenance projects I needed to do for my camp gear.  Playing catch up with those now, and it is actually a very pleasant experience.

Last weekend I got the wood conditioner applied to my tent poles and this weekend I got them stained (using Minwax China Red stain) and I got the stenciling laid down on the first side of the uprights.  I am exceedingly happy with the results though I would not again choose to use the water based stain, it dries far too fast for my taste and can get streaks that you can usually rub out with oil based products.

The stencil is one I purchased last summer as a custom design from Stencil Planet. 
I used Craft Smart Outdoor Acrylic paint from Michael's and applied it with a Martha Stewart spouncer.  The key, when painting this using the spouncing sponge, is to make sure that there is not too much paint on the applicator or it will bleed under the stencil.  My first row was a bit rough, but I am very please with the overall results.

After I get the other side of the poles painted, I will be applying several coats of a spray
polyurethane coating to help protect the poles.  After that I have to do the same for the poles for our other wedge and then I need to sand and stain the new furniture we purchased last year from the Basketman.  Not as exciting as research and weaving, but it will definitely keep my gear in good shape for years to come.



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Pennsic A&S Display

4/18/2014

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PictureI am not sure who the artisan is but I love this display!
Information has been posted about this year's A&S display!  For those new to Pennsic, this display is incredible and just gets better each year (and this is its 17th year).  There will be arts of every conceivable sort and so many wonderful and engaging artisans who are willing to share information on the crafts they love.

It will be held on Sunday, August 3rd from 1-6pm in the Great Hall.  More information and sign-up can be found here:


http://pennsicwar.org/penn43/DEPTS/DISPLAY/index.html

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Pennsic News

4/17/2014

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Unlike this time last year, things are very quiet on the Pennsic front (in terms of official posts, announcements and irate arguments from people feeling like they were being shafted).  Quite can be a very good thing :-)

One of the most important things that has been announced is the same as last year.  Troll will NOT be open 24 hours during weekdays.  If you usually arrive at 3am on a Wednesday, you will want to make other plans.

Additionally, they have stated that the Staff will NOT be providing escorts for unregistered people during Landgrab.  Honestly, they should have done this years ago as that day is always a madhouse.  If you have someone unregistered who is coming onto site you either need to PAY FOR THEM (ideally, I would think that one would opt to pre-reg that person and allow their group will get the extra space) OR plan to arrive AFTER noon on Sunday, July 27.  Official notice from the official site is depicte

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Mid-Month Inspiration: April

4/16/2014

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I have made a few Italian gowns in the past - mostly from the Mediaeval Miscellanea's Period Patterns or as adaptations of modern costuming patterns.  While I think the style is elegant and positively lovely, I never loved this type of gown on me.  Yet, sifting through the pages of "The Realm of Venus" always makes me want to give the style another try.

This site is a wonderful resource of period images (Wardrobe), resources for creating your own garments (Library) and completed pieces by others (Showcase).  It is that last category that never fails to inspire me and that is why this site is my Mid-Month Inspiration choice for April.  Enjoy looking at the archives and the wonderful gowns so many talented costumers have made!  http://realmofvenus.renaissanceitaly.net/


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Vikings in Ireland - Video Series by the National Museum of Ireland

4/8/2014

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Because the internet keeps giving us great things, and because I have to share when I see something that is just too cool: http://irisharchaeology.ie/2014/04/viking-ireland-a-fantastic-series-of-videos-by-the-national-museum-of-ireland/

The National Museum of Ireland has produced a series of videos covering a delightful variety of Viking age topics.  Definitely worth checking out!
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    About Me

    I am mother to a billion cats and am on journey to recreate the past via costume, textiles, culture and food.

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    Blogroll of SCA & Costume Bloggers

    Below is a collection of some of my favorite places online to look for SCA and historic costuming information.

    More Amie Sparrow - 16th Century German Costuming


    Gianetta Veronese - SCA and Costuming Blog

    Grazia Morgano - 16th Century A&S

    Mistress Sahra -Dress From Medieval Turku 

    Hibernaatiopesäke

    Loose Threads: Cathy's Costume Blog

    Mistress Mathilde Bourrette - By My Measure: 14th and 15th Century Costuming

    More than Cod: Exploring Medieval Norway

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