Linen order is on the way, and that means new garb for me! I am very excited to upgrade my kit. I learn new things constantly and look forward to applying them, making each item in my wardrobe better than the last, whether in fit or finish. This is the game that I play, and I love it. I love the constant air of discovery, experimentation, and application.
Why do I say that it is "my" game? As a reminder that it does not mean that I am judging your own kit. It does not mean that I am scoping the "periodness" of anything in any condemning way. I do not have expectations when it comes to your garb. It is your garb and I am happy you acquired it or made it and came to the event! If I see a lovely garment, I will absolutely comment on it. If you ask my opinion on how to improve something, I will gladly offer tips or resources. But I completely understand that we all have our own reasons that we go to events, and my geeks might not be your geeks. ;-)
And since I mentioned "period", I have a further comment to make here. A friend recently made a comment online to the effect of "saying something is not period is not an insult". She is right. Now, we are not talking about unsought after advice (which is rude), but rather someone posing a question about the appropriateness of a specific garment concept or of a particular textile. It really is ok to answer that question with "that is not period" (or, as others prefer "that is not historically accurate"). That is not an insult to the idea or the questioner, it is just a statement of fact. It does not mean that they cannot still use the fabric or create the costume, because really, it is all good as long as someone is making that "attempt at pre-17th century garb" and getting out to events and enjoying the day. We can absolutely have discussions about digging deeper and learning more and producing better garments that are closer to what might have historically been worn, and one group of people having does discussions in no way belittles those who really do not care for those things. The Known World is a very large place with room for us all.
But back to my upgrading my kit... I am finally ready to let go of some of my early pieces of garb. Some of them I still adore, and some should have been removed from inventory years ago, but they got displaced when I moved. I know that more than once I have mentioned upgrading my gear and people roll their eyes at me. My garb is already nice. I have spend a great deal of time on it, but there are definite areas for improvement and I can recognize those (and take joy in making changes). I would love to make more items that fit in better with my current research and that avoid reenactorism pitfalls, because doing so makes me happy (even if I do not actually like doing the sewing that comes with this, lol).
I mentioned this online, and someone offered to take my old things and sell them. I said that these things were from so much earlier that the construction flaws would not allow me to try to make a profit from them (I have a very skewed set of ethics when it comes to selling handmade goods, if my name is on it, it needs to be of a certain quality). I will, however, happily give those things away to newcomers or those who just need to beef up a wardrobe for Pennsic. Someone commented that that was the problem with learning new things, that it makes you hate your old wardrobe. This was my reply:
"Hate? Nah, however, I do have moments when I wish that I knew what I know know back then. I wish I had known how many things I put time into that are nothing more than wishful thinking reenactorisms.
However, I can also say that most of my garb, even some of the really early things with loads of mistakes, have memories attached that makes me not really dislike even my worst choices. When I wore something to my first Pennsic, or to an event where I made new friends, or wore something for a performance, well, I cannot hate those things. Sometimes I even have memories of making things in the company of friends or planning them in conjunction with others. I think this is one reason that I am very much ok with the SCA concept of "reasonable attempt" when it comes to garb. Even a newcomer in a cobbled together outfit can have the time of their life at event and carry those memories with them going forward, and that is really what this is all about.
Each piece also represents how far I have come as an artisan and researcher (and each piece I will make will show me that I still have even farther to go). So I look forward to making all sorts of new things, even if the differences in my old things are only subtle and at the same time I will pare down the closet and let some others have garb to hopefully start making happy memories as well."
Why do I say that it is "my" game? As a reminder that it does not mean that I am judging your own kit. It does not mean that I am scoping the "periodness" of anything in any condemning way. I do not have expectations when it comes to your garb. It is your garb and I am happy you acquired it or made it and came to the event! If I see a lovely garment, I will absolutely comment on it. If you ask my opinion on how to improve something, I will gladly offer tips or resources. But I completely understand that we all have our own reasons that we go to events, and my geeks might not be your geeks. ;-)
And since I mentioned "period", I have a further comment to make here. A friend recently made a comment online to the effect of "saying something is not period is not an insult". She is right. Now, we are not talking about unsought after advice (which is rude), but rather someone posing a question about the appropriateness of a specific garment concept or of a particular textile. It really is ok to answer that question with "that is not period" (or, as others prefer "that is not historically accurate"). That is not an insult to the idea or the questioner, it is just a statement of fact. It does not mean that they cannot still use the fabric or create the costume, because really, it is all good as long as someone is making that "attempt at pre-17th century garb" and getting out to events and enjoying the day. We can absolutely have discussions about digging deeper and learning more and producing better garments that are closer to what might have historically been worn, and one group of people having does discussions in no way belittles those who really do not care for those things. The Known World is a very large place with room for us all.
But back to my upgrading my kit... I am finally ready to let go of some of my early pieces of garb. Some of them I still adore, and some should have been removed from inventory years ago, but they got displaced when I moved. I know that more than once I have mentioned upgrading my gear and people roll their eyes at me. My garb is already nice. I have spend a great deal of time on it, but there are definite areas for improvement and I can recognize those (and take joy in making changes). I would love to make more items that fit in better with my current research and that avoid reenactorism pitfalls, because doing so makes me happy (even if I do not actually like doing the sewing that comes with this, lol).
I mentioned this online, and someone offered to take my old things and sell them. I said that these things were from so much earlier that the construction flaws would not allow me to try to make a profit from them (I have a very skewed set of ethics when it comes to selling handmade goods, if my name is on it, it needs to be of a certain quality). I will, however, happily give those things away to newcomers or those who just need to beef up a wardrobe for Pennsic. Someone commented that that was the problem with learning new things, that it makes you hate your old wardrobe. This was my reply:
"Hate? Nah, however, I do have moments when I wish that I knew what I know know back then. I wish I had known how many things I put time into that are nothing more than wishful thinking reenactorisms.
However, I can also say that most of my garb, even some of the really early things with loads of mistakes, have memories attached that makes me not really dislike even my worst choices. When I wore something to my first Pennsic, or to an event where I made new friends, or wore something for a performance, well, I cannot hate those things. Sometimes I even have memories of making things in the company of friends or planning them in conjunction with others. I think this is one reason that I am very much ok with the SCA concept of "reasonable attempt" when it comes to garb. Even a newcomer in a cobbled together outfit can have the time of their life at event and carry those memories with them going forward, and that is really what this is all about.
Each piece also represents how far I have come as an artisan and researcher (and each piece I will make will show me that I still have even farther to go). So I look forward to making all sorts of new things, even if the differences in my old things are only subtle and at the same time I will pare down the closet and let some others have garb to hopefully start making happy memories as well."
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