First ever scroll

I have been going to Scribes on a Monday night at Baroness Branwen's place and having a lot of fun. I finished my first AoA scroll a few weeks ago - you can find it here

My next one is a GA and should be finished next week. I have learned lots of stuff and after this scroll will move onto Calligraphy (as I wont be able to get there on a Monday as often once uni is back and Calligraphy is something I can easily do at home). I am planning a page for my Quest that will have something about why my name is changing to Helen.

Other projects I am working on currently include a new cotehardie: pattern finalised and seams sewn ready for flat felling; English gown: all finished minus handsewing on the trim, attaching the sleeves and sewing the fastening and the badger badger badger badger bunting :D So I have plenty of brainless stuff to do this week while drugged up thanks to wisdom teeth removal (yaay codeine!)

Will also get some pictures up of the emerging products of the "Taking garb to the next level" workshops I've been doing with collegey people as I'm very proud of them all :D

Crow Dress

Crow dress! Black linen dress with puffed and paned sleeves with a striped chemise and lightly roped petticoat underneath.

Here its sitting a little funny because its not quite done up all the way. I didn't notice before but it looks like one sleeve is a little bit smaller than the other one...Also the petticoat is a little bit narrow but as it was only a test run of the use of rope it doesn't matter so much.

Sweet sweet freedom!

So now all I have to do uni-wise for the next 2.5 weeks is turn up to class, I have lots more time to sew! Hooray!

I haven't actually done anything since my last post (which was really just for procrastinatory purposes) but I have decided on the design of my dress so hooray. At Catherine's last night I pored over Hispanic Costume for a while and found a few examples of similar bodices and decided on the sleeves. Notes are below.

As for everything else....zero progress! Lots to do!

OK UPDATE I've officially done something! I called up the canvas place and got the price (Ouch!) and checked that they have some in stock. I will pick it up on Friday

Plan-er-ating

With only 20 days left til Crown (AAAH) its time to get cracking.

Project Man-Sew Update

So far I have patterned Gilbert for his doublet and hose. Just waiting for him to get the fabric to me so I can get started.

Keg's undershirt is finished. I need measurements before I can get started on the tunic, cote and hood. The hose are getting there - will need help putting the feet in though :P

Tent update

Still nothing D: I have decided where I'm getting the canvas from though, so I just have to get down there at some point and get it. Pantera has offered to help with the woodwork - need to organize a time with him before it gets too late as I don't want to inconvenience him.

Ball Dress Update

I have decided that the dress consists of a chemise, a black underdress (side or back lacing) and the silk overdress (front lacing with opening). Still haven't found any other pics that I could base the bottom half and sleeves off.

So my layers will consist of:

1. A linen chemise with stem-stitched embroidery. It will have a square neckline with rounded corners. Haven't decided on the sleeves yet - depends on what the over-sleeves will be like.

2. Black linen petticoat. Probably just interlined with heavy-weight linen or canvas. Box pleated skirt. Side lacing or back lacing? Can't really decide. Probably side.

3. Silk overdress. I have some nice grey silk I will use. I will interline with heavy-weight linen or canvas, and line it with linen. The skirt will probably be fully lined as the silk is really fine. The embroidery will be done by couching some gold cord I bought ages ago. I may only get to the stage of the two straight lines around the edge of the bodice - I think with the time I have I am happy for this to be an ongoing project (I'm learning to remember my limits). I plan to do most of this on the train. I am probably going to buy these for the lacing rings.

Here's what I'm thinking about the bodice and sleeves so far. The back of the bodice with be square. I'm imagining the bodice is straight along the bottom, with the opening the same width all the way down not altogether unlike this Italian one. I don't want a train. From what I can see of the sleeves they don't look overly fitted. However, that could just be the way she is holding her right hand up - they could then be fitted. AAh this is so hard! Other Spanish images from the same period show both fitted and loose detachable sleeves. It's possible that this is part of an arrangement similar to these ones and this is an underdress with fitted sleeves to go over an overdress with baggy sleeves. I do like the sleeves on the woman in the bottom right of the picture with her back to us. However, it seems rather ornamental for an underdress, and people didn't normally have their portraits painted in underdresses, right? Another possibility is this one with some kind of baggy sleeves.

Stanzi got to me!

The Victory Ball at November Crown is an Italian theme, right? So I decided that maybe I might make an Italian dress (because I can't help conforming to a theme :P)

I remembered some silk I bought earlier this year and pulled it out to see what colours I had. A silver I have reminded me of a portrait I saved aaaages ago because it really appealed to me. From memory it was Florentine with guards etc.

When I dredged it up from somewhere in my old computer's hard drive it was rather different, and unlike anything I had seen before. Upon asking around the interwebz, turns out its Spanish!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_of_Castile

I should have known! :P

I still can't find any pictures of dresses similar to this so I can look closer at the bottom of the bodice, skirt and sleeves D: I guess I shall consult Hispanic Costume ASAP :D

Championship

Here I was thinking that Baronial Championship was going to be easy because all it requires is getting all the Champions in one place to do their thing and cooking some food - no Stewardly customisation required.

How wrong I was!

All my wayward ideas about various things to do with the event that seemed out of place suddenly just conglomerated into one WONDERFUL, MASSIVE, THEME and it has all clicked so nicely.

Only thing is the event is four days away *facetable*

I think there is still time to salvage the expectations I have been hearing from people about the "tavern on Saturday night" (which I have NOT advertised), feelings that Championship is only exciting/meaningful if you are entering, and the general feeling that it is going to be just another same-old Championship.

Not at MY event :D

For me at the moment its all about making events more than just events. Sure, on one level they are an SCA event where we all dress up funny and (sometimes) talk funny and do funny things for our own personal enjoyment. But on a different level they are also events for our personas, and I think in general our personas have been having a pretty poor time lately :P

How did I get here? - so I have been against having the traditional "Saturday night tavern" at my Championship - mainly because due to November Crown the Golden Rose Bardic Competition (to decide the next Bard of Aneala) has been shifted to Championship. Normally the Golden Rose is held at Bal d'Aneala - a very classy affair. Its my belief that the Golden Rose is important and should be treated as such - therefore boat racing and cleavage sniffing between performances is no-go. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against drinking and silliness happening at my event - just not during the Bardic competition.

But coming up with some other way of describing this Saturday dinner proved challenging. So challenging that I decided to just refer to it as the "Saturday dinner". I toyed with the idea of making it like the B&B had invited us into their home and we were sharing a simple meal with them, but it slipped my mind and other things got in the way. It was this past weekend when I heard several people referencing the Saturday night as "tavern night" when I realised I had to do something or people would be disappointed.

I started thinking about the event as a whole. We are going to see the new Champions decided...but as Medieval personas...where are we going? Why are we camping out? Where is the food coming from? Its no longer enough for me to just say "Come along to Championship, there will be food, tournaments and good times!" I want more!

So here is the idea: We have all been invited to join their Excellencies at their seaside estate, a land of open skies, grassy fields, the sound of the ocean roaring at night when all else is silent, upon which is situated a tourney field and manor house. There they will hold tournaments to decide their new champions, and honour their new champions with a Victory Feast on the Sunday night where they will spare no expense in procuring the best foods and entertainments. The Saturday night we will all be invited in to join their Excellencies to partake of a simple meal with them in their Hall, while the Bard is decided from those who would entertain. Visitors are encouraged to visit the local tavern following dinner, as it is well reputed and draws a lively attendance each night.

Those willing are invited to pitch tents in the grounds surrounding the manor and those who wish may occupy rooms in the Manor House. Their Excellencies would see the colours of their populace adorning their grounds as it brings much joy to them. Loyal staff of their Excellencies will cook a hot breakfast for the populace each morning (with their Excellencies honouring us by entering the kitchen themselves on the Sunday morning) Their Excellencies will hold courts outside in the grounds and encourage all those not entering the tournaments to support the entrants but also to keep themselves entertained with games, or assistance in preparing for November Crown.

How can I achieve this in four days? Well for starters I will need to contact the B&B and check with them that they like this idea - as it does kind of heavily involve them :P Perhaps for the weekend I could be the Steward not of the event, but of their fictional seaside estate.

I need to post something like the above italicized stuff to the mailing lists so people have an idea of what to expect. I may also make some welcome cards with information like when breakfast will be served, etc that makes people feel like they have actually come somewhere different than just Ern Halliday again. Other little (silly) touches could be printing a "Manor House" sign to stick on the dorm door (lol). Could also have fun with the cable gate they have installed which needs a code to enter - gatekeeper? :P

The biggest way of achieving this will be theatre - thats what turns events from just events to something more. I will see what the B&B think but I will probably need them to say a few words at choice moments to keep us in the mood.

I think as long as I do these things I have the makings of a memorable event that is more than just a bunch of tourneys whacked together with a feast in the middle.

What do you think? Does anyone else have any ideas?

P.S. I love blogs! Its just like having someone to talk to when you're the only one still up at midnight and you have a REALLY COOL IDEA! Plus they don't judge or interrupt (well, maybe if the net crashes).

!!!!!

Today was a Very Important Day in my SCA history...

I submitted my name and heraldry!!!!!!!!

Big thankyou to Domhnall - would not even be anywhere near this point without his help

Thanks to Nathan for making my deer fit into the space I gave them and still look awesome

Also Renonys for helping me colour them all in

The details

Name: Helen Hartshorne

Device: Azure, a pile....

The following happens in real-time

AAAAGH!

I think the forms have a mistake!! Thats a pale, not a pile and the form has a TYPO!

AAAGH NO does this mean I need to colour them all in again?

*facetable*

Banner!

Last week I designed my guidon and today I painted it. Yay! I ended up going with Essylt's suggestion of "mens animosa, mollis animus" for the motto because I really like the symmetry in it and it fit really nicely into the space I had for it. Plus it does a pretty good job of conveying the message, and it doesn't have to be glaringly obvious - I know the joke is there :D

My previous attempts at silk painting (now stuffed away in a box somewhere) left me somewhat terrified of the whole procedure but it went swimmingly, mostly due to Duenna Catalina's guidance. She has it down to an art - gutta in the morning, go out for lunch (mmm Ikea meatballs), then come back and do the painting. Also we have better paints and silk than the last time I tried. My gutta is a bit thin in places and I had some bleeding over the lines but its no worse than most other people's. Yay - I silk painted and it didn't kerplode!

Progress shot and finished shot following. The banner on the other half of the silk belongs to William Montrose (and is rather awesome, I must say).

I still need to put the hoist on it and hem it maybe - we tried putting thick fabric paint around the edges plus fray stop but looking at the frayed ends of the banners of people who have used this method before it might be worthwhile hemming it as well, I don't know.

Also Catalina helped out with my petticoat/hoops. Looking at the inspiration pic (which I should probably scan in) it has a really wide bottom guard. So seeing as the problem was it being way too short in the front I'm just going to cut it short all the way around and make a contrasting guard. It doesn't look like much yet, but here's a progress shot:

Update

Well, for all my big plans things have been pretty quiet lately, mainly due to endless assignments of endless and being very tired all of the time.

SCA things I have accomplished lately:
Made a 3.something metre long lucet cord for the Baroness' Fighter Auction prize table
Made 1m red lucet cord and 1m red and blue spiralled kumihimo cord to add to the Fibre Guild's presentation of award cords to the King and Queen
Did some work on Lachlahn's speccy court garb - the doublet had the unfortunate habit of bunching up and spilling over the top of the u-front so I added some lacing holes to the bottom of it so it could lace to his hose - vast improvement - looked much better and was much much more comfortable for him so win there. Not going to leave out that detail again.
Attended the Baroness' Fighter Auction and Royal Visit Feast where I helped Catherine in the kitchen and had a great time. Most of the food was precooked and just had to be reheated but on the night we made frumenty and delicately arranged salad and angel food which was fun. Nobody died and Nathan only burned one small child and himself while cooking the venison steaks so all in all a successful kitchen. During court a number of College kids got AoAs (yay!) and I was given my Apprentice belt from Stanzi, a "stern" reminder to not neglect other aspects of life and was made a member of the Order of the Golden Tear, which was nice. The new College Seneschal won the rapier tournament which was awesome :D And, true to my reflection on the things on my list - I wasn't devastated that I didn't get around to doing a number of things I wanted to as I realised there was just too much on.
Have also been doing some work on bids for Midwinter and Championship. Am saddended that the cheaper site I found for Championship is booked out that weekend, but am going to keep the information on file for the future. Otherwise everything is in preliminary stages, will have more done before council I presume

Mundane things I have accomplished lately:
Lots of assigments and a few tests. I have written up a big chart of everything that is due before winter break (now up to 18 with other things I have remembered) and am very happy to have, as of last night crossed off 4 of them. I have a week and a half now before the rush of due dates begins so am planning to be getting ahead rather than slacking off.
I am learning to garden (and being paid for it) due to my aunty's broken arm and am finding it quite enjoyable.
Am also tired of how lazy I've been lately and how the tiredness from doing nothing physical has been perpetuating itself so last night went to the pool and swam some laps. Hoping to make exercise a more regular occurrence.

Post Festival List of Crazy

Festival was awesome! Had the super best time ever :D Now I have lots of plans though. I have attempted to divide them into some semblence of order.

The ASAP/Ongoing List
1. St Basil A&S Officer Report

2. Get Name and Device registered - following that make PILES of heraldic stuff - banners, guidons, wall hangings, chair covers, bottle covers, shield, tabard, the list goes on and on and on :D

3. I want to put in a bid for the Anealan Midwinter feast as its been a while since I ran a feast and I'd like to do a speccy documented one as opposed to the "Introduction to the SCA" ones I have run before. Don't really know where to start with finding information though.

4. Elenor is really good at hair and when she braids my hair up for events it stays that way all day (and all night if I choose to be lazy and don't take it out) so I want to learn how to do it by myself. I have a feeling its going to take lots and lots of practise but its a goal, perhaps for Festival next year.

5. Be more efficient at upcoming College sewing nights - need to be really organised and have everything needed like equipment, patterning stuff etc so we get heaps and heaps of garb made for newbs :D. Need to get the overlocker working as its a really handy thing to have and wasting hours on it when other things should be happening is really frustrating.

The Royal Visit List
6. Prizes for the fighter auction table - super long lucet cords, and kumihimo cords. Also want to make some blackworked collars and cuffs

7. Make a period dish for the potluck

8. My linen partlet doesn't quite sit right so I'm going to maybe add some ties under the arms to make it a bit easier to wear, once I iron out the kinks in the design I am going to make one for Elenor too.

9. College choir stuff - normally we make gifts when the King and Queen come over but the general consensus at the moment is everyone is money-poor and time-poor so instead we are going to attempt to put together a few songs to perform for their enjoyment instead.

The Pencampwr List
10. I have offered to teach a kumihimo braid class at Pencampwr so I will make up some class notes and a bunch of foam looms for people to use. It should be fun

11. I want to upgrade my bogging garb (aka early morning look what the cat dragged in/last night of event) to be a bit nicer and more functional. Will probably make some generic TSCA baggy pants and tunics and stuff. To class them up I might make some braid for trim or something.

12. Some garb for Lachlahn - he's planning a comeback to fighting so I was going to make him a new Waffenfrock but it doesnt look like his heraldry will be registered by then so I might hold off on that and instead finish a jerkin I started for him about a year ago, and make him a nightshirt (because nobody wants to see him in his underwear in the middle of the night).

13. The final element (for now) in my Handy Dandy Mix and Match Colour Coordinated Fully Integrated Tudor Wardrobe is a plain black overdress with puff sleeves, may get that started for Pencampwr, we'll see. It's not essential

The Mid-Year Break List
14. MAN SEW! I have promised a number of guys I will help them with their garb - Keg with basic tunic-y things and maybe landschneckt (one day I will learn how to spell it), Gilbert with cotehardies, Alexander with awesome sexy Tudor, and Lachlahn with his early stuff as well as some more Tudor and 'Bethan. Should be a number of learning curves involved, and lots of fun :D

The November Crown List
15. I was inspired by Stanzi rocking a hoopskirt for the whole of Festival so I'd like to try and be that person at November Crown. First I'll need to make a new farthingale as my retic one is looking a bit sad and squashed out of shape. I would like to try making one out of cane. I would like to finish the red Spanish dress (it still needs a stack more black embroidery and the trazando needs a re-work) and perhaps revamp the brown court Tudor (again...remaking it is getting a bit old, but it gets better every time I do). I'd like at least one more speccy dress, perhaps the OMG CRAZY BLUE AND ORANGE SPANISH that looks fantastic in my head but might be slightly vomit inducing in person, we'll see.

16. The other idea is to make a "court kirtle" like in the Tudor Tailor out of some nice fabric I have just over a metre of (so using it for the bits that show and using something else for the hidden bits) and wearing the black overgown that I hypothetically have already finished by now as the overdress. The advantage of this is that by the time I get around to making new court Tudor (which will be inevitable) I will be halfway there already.

The "Festival Next Year" List
17. Have all of my Tudor smocks blackworked (currently I'm sitting on 1/2 out of 5)

18. Woolen overcoat-jacket thing

19. Linen hose and period shoes (for the not-wet-times)

The "Sometime Down the Track" List
20. Headwear to go with cotehardies as I occasionally wear them

21. That new flat cap I cut out a while ago...not sure where the pieces ended up though

22. Period tent, rope bed, furniture etc

23. Finish the beading on Lachlahn's black coat (may take a few years)

And just some thoughts on the end...

I feel as if I'm in a bit of a loop with the sewing thing. Although, proud to say only about half of my list is sewing. Its like I'm a broken record of making new garb, then making more new garb, then making more, but there's so many other things I could do as well, like training, or learning new things like C&I or woodworking or weaving or whatever else. I guess sewing is easy in that I can do it whenever, whereas training and other things that involve other people are more constrained as to when they can happen. The problem is that I will start a sewing project when its the only thing I can be doing at the time but by the time opportunities for other things come up I have committed myself to a project with a deadline and getting it finished always seems more appealing. I don't think its a massive problem at the moment because I'm still having fun and I do really enjoy making and wearing new garb, but if this obsessiveness with making new garb to deadlines keeps up and I start wanting to do other stuff as well, I may have to have a rethink. Just saying :D

College Thursday Shenanigans Part 4

This Thursday we had our AGM. We *elected* a new Seneschal, Reeve, Marshal, A&S Officer (Me!), re-elected the existing Herald, 2 new Fresher Reps, and created the positions of Web Minister and Chronicler and elected people to those. We also talked about upcoming events and finalising things like getting the armour finished and some new rapier helms etc.

During training there was rapier and heavy training, and Ellen and Erin did some dramaz with me and went through my lines for the play at Festival. So far I have learned the first 10 lines of my monologue and now understand all the flowery language (thanks to Ellen and Erin who do this kind of thing a lot) and know how to emotify it all :D

During the evening A&S session:
Morgaine made a particoloured T-tunic (aside from hems) - YAY another successful tunic I have been involved in the making of :P
Edmund started a coif
Elizabeth and Cara worked on corsets
Lee, Arryn and Ariel looked at books and researched
Renonys started making a new doublet
Keg and Alana worked on padding the College armour
James, Ariel, John and Rowan began work on their swords (thanks Gabriel!)

And for once, I wasn't the last person to leave! Yay! Times are changing, I get to be home before 11 like the nanna I am :P Not many photos this week as I was busy helping and stuff

I'm a bit sad about missing Autumn Gathering because all these new people are so excited and its always a great event - wish the original plan had gone ahead and Gathering had been over ANZAC so that I could go to both but oh well, I just have to realise that Festival is going to be so much better, and I'll get to hang out with the new peeps (and maybe even more new peeps) at Pencampwr :P

I havent made much progress on my Festival garb this week, mostly due to being super tired and wanting to nap all day every day. The new khaki kirtle is at the stage of having its skirt put on. I will have some time to sew tomorrow at WAMA faire and on Sunday so hopefully I'll get back on top of things. Aah less than 2 weeks!

College A&S Night Number 3

Summary:

Beginning with training: up to about 15 people doing basic swordwork
Nancy taught about 3 or 4 dances - Amoroso, Petit Vriens, Official Bransle...maybe some more?

Afterwards
Renonys sewed her chemise for the Newcomer's Feast
Cara started embroidering a wolf on her cushion
Alanna made a silly drinking hat
James continued taping his sword
Morgaine and Baroness Branwen made a cotehardie for Morgaine
Rowan began a cool grey tunic
John came very close to finishing an awesome red tunic
Elinor sewed her skirt to the bodice of her petticoat and made ties for her coif
I think Arryn and Ariel were doing music things? I can't remember. Maybe they were looking at books
Elizabeth did some work on her corset
James taught Morgaine how to iron
Keg, Lachlahn and Gilbert were very supportive and threw lollies at people.

Picturesplosion!

Festival garb update

So far for festival I have made:

A new chemise (needs me to decide whats happening with the sleeve embroidery and finish it though), its square necked with straight sleeves out of quilter's muslin and has a simple blackwork design around the neckline:

An OMG YELLOW linen petticoat. All handsewn apart from boning channels and skirt seam :D No pictures of this yet, but it's super comfy :D

An OMG apple green linen kirtle. Same again with the handsewing, on this one though I machined the skirt seams and the hem binding.

OMG pink silk sleeves and sash (sleeves reversible to silver).

A linen hat from the Tudor Tailor (all of these are being worn in this teeny pic from Saturday night, though you can't see them all. Really need to remember to get pictures taken)
Also I have made a plain linen coif and a black woolen hood which isn't quite finished (needs the lining sewed down and a bit of jiggling to get the wire sitting in the right spots, maybe will adorn with some beads like the one on the right in this painting.

Next up is a brown kirtle and a woolen waistcoat. I was going to dye one of the funky 70s woolen maternity dresses I bought but I've decided its all too hard at the moment and will instead buy the expensive wool from Spotlight with the voucher I've been saving since Christmas. Also this week I'd like to make another pair of reversible sleeves (OMG ORANGE!) and another sash, and a woolen flat cap. *sigh* Biting off more than I can chew is a talent of mine, it seems.

The end of an Era

Last night at the St Basil the Great Newcomer's feast we decided to do a symbolic office handover for the St Basil the Great Seneschal. Normally we don't do these things at events for Colleges because the Guild requires we elect by vote but it had already been decided that Alanna Galliwood would take over from me and I wanted to give her a really meaningful beginning to her term as Seneschal, so I spoke to the B&B and we did it in court (and only slightly tearily).

There is no regalia (yet) but as a token I passed on a tower belt mount to Alanna, that had been given to me by Jonathon Makeblise (a long time friend of the College) only a few weeks after I joined St Basil the Great.

It has been a very good 2 years. From having the "Seneschal's basket" unceremoniously dumped in front of me with the exclamation "It's not my problem anymore!" from the previous Seneschal, to racking my brains as to why we couldn't enthuse the 2008 bunch as they all dropped off one by one, to the absolute joy that was Pencampwr last year with so many excited new faces, running out of College tabards to give people at our fundraising lunch, patterning endless dresses and working through all the various problems, to completely failing at ever putting in a budget (except perhaps once), having actual College heavies in armour for the College Challenge, actually seeing College people over the summer holidays for the first time ever, all of the guys who were brave enough to wear the College loaner leather pants, and just so many other things that really make me proud of the people I know.

I am still intending to play a big role in the Thursday night A&S sessions with the College, but it will be very different. I wont have to feel responsible for the shape of the room afterwards, or being back from dinner in time to welcome guests who didnt join us for dinner, and will be able to pack up and leave whenever I need to (only just watch how often that happens :P) I'm also intending to be Alanna's biggest source of support as she learns all of the ins and outs of being a College Seneschal, all the frustrations and worries and joys and fun.

For now I guess I'm happy with where I am, as I am focusing on study this year and don't want to overcommit myself. But who knows, I will probably end up in a Baronial or Canton position quicker than I expect thanks to helium hand.

There are some photos of the Newcomer's Feast on Alianore of Essewell's facebook here

More blog posts soon on festival sewing and College A&S night (I found my camera!) once we are no longer in danger of having our internet shaped :P

Second College A&S Night

Summary of happenings last night

Morgaine patterned a cotehardie with Baroness Branwen and made a coif
Baron Kilic worked on his armour
Elizabeth had her corset patterned by me and she started cutting it out
Cara worked on her cushion cover, appliqueing a contrasting square onto the front
James (newcomer) began taping his sword
Alanna made a tafl game board
Keg made a polearm
Renonys started embroidering a St Basil the Great tower onto her bodice
Gilbert planned outfits
Three newcomer boys went to Spotlight and were never heard from again :P (they planned to go home afterwards so hopefully they're not still lost in there)
I did a bit of work on my coif

It was an ok night, but we still haven't got very far with garbing the Newcomers. Ah well, there will be enough loaner garb for them for the Newcomers Feast next week, then we can really get started.

Unfortunately no photos of this "enthusiasmpocalypse" (as Keg refers to it) as I've lost my camera! *sobs*

First (on campus) College A&S Night of the year

This Thursday night we had our first on campus A&S night for the Semester. There is a large room in the (top floor urgh) Guild Building that we can use for free so that is very good as its quite central, and good for residential students.

Summary of things that went on:
3 new guys decided to make tunics and we figured out how much fabric they needed so they could buy it during the week
One of them started making a coif
Alanna did some planning for the Newcomer's Feast on the 13th of March
Renonys worked on her outfit for the Newcomer's Feast (Black and White themed)
Cara started making a Tudor bonnet
Morgaine made a (very cute) circular drawstring coin purse as a favour for her Lord
Elizabeth traced a pattern for an Elizabethan corset then did some braiding
Keg, Edmund and Gilbert "researched" on the computer :D
I worked on my petticoat
People threw things at the fans and generally died of the ridiculous heat
Icecream was procured from the 24 hour Caltex
Icecream was enjoyed

Unfortunately I couldn't find my camera so I was unable to document the madness productiveness :D

Fabric Splurge

So, I knew I needed silk for various things that I am making soon (sleeves, linings of stuff, doublets etc). So when a friend posted on Facebook that Fabulous Fabrics had an epic silk dupion sale table ($4 a metre) I kind of braved the 42 degree heat and furnace!car to get out there. The damage:

4m silver
4m rust
4m dark salmony pink
4m brown shot with purple
2m blue shot with reddy pink
1.5m indescribable purply pink colour

Hopefully that should keep me going for a while!

St Basil the Great Orientation Day

About a fortnight ago the College had a planning meeting for Oday, we set a number of goals, arranged for the prep for those goals to be done during the two weeks and that we'd have a big day of getting stuff finished at Alexander's house (St Lazarus Seneschal who happens to live within walking distance of UWA and has two St Basilites living there) the Thursday before, and all sleep over so that we could all set up together at stupid-o'clock and what not.

Our goals were:
Make our black and white pop-up cover
Update flyers from last year and make new ones
Get a blackboard to put demo times on
Make campus card stickers for members
Make a best club *random medieval year* sign to upstage the wanky drinking clubs who win Best Club awards
Make a photo board
Update last year's membership forms and print more.
Update the website
And it makes me super impressed and happy to say that WE DID IT ALL! Sure the pav cover took until 3am the morning of Oday to get finished, but it was still done!
Busy bee photos:

Top to bottom: Renonys floor-sewing admirably, Alanna and Cara working on the "Best Club 1096" Banner (Alanna is good for knowing trivia like the year Oxford was established) and Elizabeth teaching Gilbert how to fingerloop braid.

We all dragged ourselves out of bed/couches/floor the next morning and headed over with about 4 carloads of stuff. We always get a special spot thats on a corner so we have an extra patch to put the list field on but with our 4m pav it still isn't big enough. Next year we shall have to make them give us a double bay because we really don't get enough frontage for both the pav and the listfield.

We had the pav with two tables, one with flyers, bookmarks and membership forms, and the other with show and tell stuff - armour, garb, shoes, hats, books, other creations etc. We also had the photo board and a dress dummy with my court Tudor on it, as well as a list field with banners, the blackboard which we used to advertise when the demos would be and Baron Nathan put up his tent behind the list field to hide our mundane stuff and add atmosphere.

During the day we had fighting demos (both heavy and rapier), Elizabeth sat outside weaving and Baroness Branwen embroidering, we did some dancing, had people wandering around in front of our display showing stuff off and giving spiels, did a little singing (but only close range because ODay is very loud).

Sexy pav cover!People watching a fighting demo

Dancing demo, including James (yellow shirt) who wagged the orientation speech to come hang out with us earlier, hung out with us all day and is an ex-ballroom dancer and picked up about 4 or 5 dances on the spot!

We signed up about 80 new members, making it the biggest Oday I've ever been involved in, with almost 20 people involved in spruiking the club. Seeing as last year we only signed up 40 and had the biggest year in a long time, I'm both excited and terrified about the coming weeks! I have sent a HELP email out to the WASCAL list, hope people can lend us some time or spare gear to help get the Newcomers started.

More photos can be found in my Facebook album here
Also check out the new St Basil the Great Website, first created in 2006 and untouched since then. Newly revamped by Dylan Kerr with the help of Aoife and Alanna

The next task is to sign all the new members up to the mailing list and get prepared for training on Tuesday and Thursday, and the first on-campus A&S night of the year on Thursday.

College of St Lazarus Oday

So today began the Oday season with the College of St Lazarus (Murdoch). They only formed last year so today was really important for them, so naturally St Basil the Great was there in force to help out.

The space available wasn't as good as UWA - at UWA we get a big stall area on the oval, here we just got room for a table under a verandah so we couldn't set up a pavilion, banners or a list field. Instead we just loaded the table with books, bits of armour, A&S creations, flyers etc. Nancy brought her inkle loom and sat weaving which was awesome, and we did a few parades around the square and managed to recruit half the Kendo club :P

All in all we handed out over 100 flyers, signed about 30 people up to the email list (including some very bouncily enthusiastic ones) so this year looks like a good one for St Laz.

Brick Stitched Panel

I started making this as a cushion cover with a deadline but quickly realised that there was no way it was going to be finished in time. A whole year later (almost to the day) I finally finished it. I have decided that it will instead of a cushion be the brustfleck for a Cranach gown I am working on.

The design came from here: http://www.wymarc.com/asoot/asoot.php?show=germanPatterns and it is Pattern 4, except I changed the colours. It is stitched in cotton thread on 32 count linen fabric. The type of stitching is called German Brick Stitch and consists of long stitches of varying length - spanning either 2, 4 or 6 threads. Other extant examples of this kind of stitch are on cushion covers and bags.

One thing I like about this pattern is that the extant example wasn't made into anything, simply a rectangular panel. My imagination likes to think it might have been used the same way as I'm planning to use it - as decoration on a German gown. I may add a pearl or some other bead to the centres of the crosses to bling it up a bit.