My Journey as a Viking Age Costumer

Less than a Month!

6/27/2014

We are under a month away from Pennsic! Have you finished your sewing? Have you packed yet? Are you ready for the best Pennsic ever???

I personally have only a few small sewing projects left. As I have mentioned before, I learned many years ago that too much of a mad dash before War actually diminishes my enjoyment of the event. So I will be wrapping things up and then will just putter with packing.

Oh, and writing. I have the next Sheep breed post almost ready. I need to wash some fleece samples this weekend and then hopefully get the photos taken so I can post it early next week. I would love to get an additional sheep article added before Pennsic as well, but we shall see.

And then there is Haberci... For those who do not know, this is a newsletter that I publish annually that lists all of the classes, roundtables, gatherings and haflas of interest to those in the SCA who study the arts and culture of the Middle East. It was born many years ago out of necessity and it was so well received that the tradition has continued. With fewer haflas happening, and the new University listing that allows you to create custom schedules, the publication has become less necessary.

I have to mention that if there is indeed a Haberci this year, there will be no more print versions of this publication. The cost is too extreme and while a few people have generously helped cover some of it in the past, it really is too steep to produce on in that manner (each paper copy was costing over $1 to print and consider that there have always been between 250-500 copies for distribution... well, you can do the math). If there are enough events happening to make it worth producing this year, I will be offering it up as a PDF download prior to Pennsic, and there will be laminated copies to view at Cafe Merhaba and at Touch the Earth.

Now it is time for me to step away from this computer and revamp my packing lists yet again. :-)

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Pennsic Registration Extended

6/17/2014

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Due to issues yesterday with the registration, it appears that the Coopers have extended the pre-registration deadline until tomorrow, Wednesday, June 18th at 11:59PM (Eastern).

So here is your one last chance!

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Repost of My Pennsic Lists

6/16/2014

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Pennsic 36 Field Battle

A couple of years ago I compiled two lists/articles of information for Pennsic newcomers. They are pretty much buried in my blog at this point so I am just posting the links here for those who are interested and who might not have seen them before.

And whether this is going to be your first, tenth or last Pennsic, have a wonderful time!

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Passing It On

6/13/2014

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So last night I ended up cutting out a number of linen rectangles to be turned into hats at Pennsic. I know quite a few folks who are interested in learning to hand sew or who want a cap to go with their Viking dresses. It should be a nice way to spend some of the warm summer afternoons.

But this quasi-hat-making-class is not really what this post is about. There was a recent thread on one of the unofficial SCA forums about those magical moments we sometimes have in the SCA. The follow-up to that thread asked people what they would do to help create those types of moments for others. I have done things to deliberately add to the atmosphere of events, or welcome a newbie, but I always want to do things to encourage budding artisans or to help someone who already knows their area of interest take the next step along their chosen path.

Projects like these hats can be part of it (by encouraging hand sewing), but beyond that, I want others to see how wonderful fabrics like linen can be to handle and sew. And for sewing thread I will be sharing linen and wool from my stash. So many new embroiderers stick to DMC cotton threads for projects not just due to frugal economy, but because they worry about using wool, or silk or linen. There is also a bit of self-doubt in it where one thinks "am I really ready for those special threads yet?" Making the decision to make that leap to buying those sumptuous fibres can often be difficult and sometimes folks just need a bit of encouragement to take that step.

A perfect example is a friend of mine who does some very lovely embroidery, but always works in cotton. She has a good eye for color and design, but the cotton does not have the richness and sheen of silk, nor has it the velvety depth and texture of a fine wool. My Laurel, after seeing this friend's embroidery, gave her two spools of silk and encouraged her to do some work with it. The friend was honored with both the gift and the compliment and thrilled to know that someone thought she should take her art further.

So many of us have ends of nice fabrics or half skeins of embroidery silk or wool in our stashes. Even thrums from weaving can provide ample yardage for embellishment or embroidery. I will be passing some of mine on this summer for use for these hats, and more will go into kits for students in a basic stitching and embellishment class I hope to start teaching this fall. I would just like to encourage others to wind off some of that extra yarn and pass it on for a new stitcher to handle and use for experimentation. (I have found that one small skein of wool yarn is enough to complete one of these caps, or is enough to use basic stitches to finish off the the top, hem and straps of an apron dress or the neck, sleeves and hem of a man's tunic.)

Passing on the magic is one of the things that helps to keep the Dream alive. :-)

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It is that time of year...

6/12/2014

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Right now, with only 43 days remaining, half of the Known World is scrambling to make Pennsic garb. While I no longer work on projects till the moment I walk out the door (as I find it too stressful and it dims my enjoyment of the event), I do still add a bit to the wardrobe each year.

One thing I do need, however, is headwear. I opted in December to cut my long hair down to a pixie cut (hair was thinning and damaged and honestly, I was over it). So now in addition to the sun protection afforded by hats, I also want to cover up my lack of hair. I am working on a silk tablet woven fillet to wear with a veil, and am very much liking the weaving process for this one. I may do a second in wool if there is time.

I also made a Dublin hood out of some scrap linen and it is cute and reminds me of some sort of gnome hat. I cut out a few more last night and plan to make myself another one and make one or two for friends. Very simple to sew, they are actually great practice for my hand stitching!

I may even cut out a few more and take them to teach others in my camp some hand sewing skills during lazy Pennsic afternoons. :-)

For garments, I made myself a blindingly purple Birka style underdress (from the linen stash my BF purchased last year), there is a green aprondress forthcoming to wear with it. The color is iffy for Viking, but it was material I already had and I am always more than happy to supplement my Pennsic wardrobe and further reduce the chances that I will be doing laundry while there. My BF has several new pairs of pants, a new tunic and new undertunic in the works. And my dear friend Galyana will be returning to Pennsic after a hiatus of a few years so she has earned herself a new Viking outfit as well.

Now I just need to find the scraps of my handwoven fabrics to make a pouch for the Kingdom's gift basket and to make a smaller pouch to hold my flint and the tinder fungus for firestarting.

It is going to be a wonderful War!

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Mid Month Inspiration - June

6/11/2014

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When I started my monthly inspiration posts I had intended to focus on artisans in the SCA community, or an occasional museum collection, rather than merchants. I realized that that would actually leave out some incredibly inspiring artists who can definitely serve as a muse for our own creations. Beyond that, I think that maybe highlighting an occasional merchant (who's wares go beyond costuming) can help individuals such as myself who are looking for items to help advance our kit and make our attempt at recreating the past more complete.

So my inspiration for this month is Reannag Teine. This vendor is actually a mother-daughter team located in California. They produce a wide range of stunning pottery that covers many time periods and cultures. I initially was introduced to their work when a friend out west shared their page on Facebook. Since then, I have enjoyed looking at both their wonderful recreations of period pieces and their whimsical unique art as well.

One thing I love about their Facebook page is a photo album that shows the original item and their recreation. (You can click on the photo to the left to go directly there.)

For other documentation, browse their website and note that often at the bottom of each product section there is information, documents or images of the historic pieces that inspire their art. Personally, have ordered a set of their 10th Century Viking pieces and am eagerly waiting for its arribal!. (Thanks very much to my mother who gifted me with a giftcard for my birthday that is allowing me this purchase!) I will definitely add images to this post when the pottery arrives!

They seem to have offerings for just about everyone, from Ottoman Turkish, to Greek, to Vikings, to some very nice Celtic knotwork, to those just looking for some nice new feast gear. Below are a few more of my favorite pieces.

Here again are the links for Reannag Teine. I recommend that you check them out!
http://www.reannagteine.com/default.html
https://www.facebook.com/ReannagTeinePottery

(And did I mention that these are cat people? With a host of wonderful cat inspired pieces? My world absolutely NEEDS these items!)

All photos use with permission!

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Planning Projects

6/5/2014

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There is an undoubted excitement that comes with planning a new project. This unbridled enthusiasm can easily lead to one being swept away with a grand idea of how this fresh undertaking will culminate into a grand display of one's skills.

I think that most artisans (of any level) have ridden high on this tide at some point in their creative lives. Unfortunately, I can say that without an abundance of planning that many multi-level projects can fail before they even have a chance to be fully explored. Though I am indeed speaking from my own experience on this matter, I also have witnessed the great ideas of others fall by the wayside (on more than one occasion). So eager are we to plunge into the act of creating, that crucial things are often missed. These omissions in the planning process often lead to a waste of time, effort and money and result in frustration that can dissuade future growth.

I am not saying that every thought or plan should be belabored to the point where all interest is lost, but having even a small bit of planning in advance can result in a road map that will give a clear vision of what skills, material and time you would need to finish a given project. Beyond that technical planning aspect, understanding that everything is truly a learning experience is something that should also be a given in a creative work. Not every project will end in a satisfactory manner, but one will have learned how to better accomplish the goal when the endeavor is revisited.

One project that I often see historical recreationists start, and then quickly flounder on, is the "I am going to spin, weave and sew my own dress from scratch". For most individuals, that is a better long term goal than it is an immediate one, as they are not even starting with the requisite skills needed to bring the idea to fruition. (Note that I use this specific example because it is one that I see come up frequently, and I typically see two things happen after the excited individuals publicly announce their project. The most common is that once they actually begin their research they become so overwhelmed by what they now realize they do not know, that they are discouraged from further involvement with the project or they manage to make a meager a start and then discover that the time necessary to bring the item to from dream to reality is so vast that they are deterred from moving forward. Those who, perhaps, lose the most are those who also invested a great deal of money in materials before they even have an understanding of the skill needed to manipulate them.)

I personally think the ideal progression of that particular concept would be to research and learn the specific garment in question first. Learn the patterning, learn the most economical ways to cut the cloth, learn the essential methods for sewing that specific garment and made several such garments out of purchased fabric. Knowing exactly how much fabric, of varying widths, one will need to complete that dress will assist in weaving enough yardage when the time comes. Additionally, learning the proper hand-stitches for the garment in advance will make for a finer execution on the final project.

While exploring the sewing side of a project of this scope, it is a simple thing to purchase an inexpensive drop-spindle and some wool and begin the process of learning to spin (many SCA groups have fibre arts guilds or experts who are more than willing to coach a newcomer into this art). Even badly spun yarn may make for a decent weft, but to spin yarn that will hold up to being warp is a more intricate task. Remember too, that just to practice spinning is not enough, one also needs an understanding of the type of textile of which the historic example is comprised, how fine was the yarn? What type of spin was employed? What direction was the twist? A thick, soft, woolen spun yarn with a Z twist would be useless in trying to recreate a gown that was a fine worsted with an S twist.

And of course, there is the art of weaving that needs to also be addressed. There should be an exploration of looms (again, a local fibre arts guild can come in handy). Will one be purchasing a loom? Making one? Warp-weighted looms are not complex structures and inexpensive to make, but if the end goal is to use one in the creation of a gown (on which countless hours were already spent spinning), then before the project is started there should be a understanding of weaving, of how it was done historically and of how to calculate the necessary amount of yarn is needed for a project so that there is little waste. Weaving test pieces in advance is so highly recommended that I would say it is a "must do". What if your hand spun wool does not hold up as warp? What if the wet-finishing process warps the fabric because the spin technique was so rough that the cloth puckers and will not lay flat for cutting? (The included photo shows commercial warp and handspun from my early spinning days. The spinning is somewhat consistent in terms of grist, but amount of twist varies far too much and wet-finishing caused it to pucker up like some form of tragic seersucker. I may yet iron this textile into submission, but I am very glad I made this mistake early on and well before I attempt something on a much larger scale.)

I will be the first to admit that I initially rebelled at weaving samples, and I have a definite preference to make use of everything I create. So in the process of learning to spin, I have made a good deal of yarn that I am going to use (or have used) as weft in mats, pouches or rugs (all things I have created while learning the process of weaving). Just because it is a sample or created in the process of practicing an art does not mean that it is a waste of time in terms of material results! Sample away and enjoy the actual process of learning a new skill!

Understand that it is not my intent with this post to discourage anyone from developing epic plans for projects. (Indeed, I am sure that someone out there has gone straight from notion to handcrafted gown with little in the way of samples or sidetracking. I do think that those people are minority and likely very exceptional individuals.) I think that grand goals are something on which artisans can thrive, but I do believe that taking smaller steps on that pathway are more likely to result in actuattaining the final destination.

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A Wandering Elf

Less than a Month!

Pennsic Registration Extended

Repost of My Pennsic Lists

Passing It On

It is that time of year...

Mid Month Inspiration - June

Planning Projects

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