Next!

Storage room is empty, except for a final swept, most of that stuff is back home in the garage where it belongs, and I can admit that, sigh, I've been obsessing over something new. Like THAT is a surprise to anyone (rolls eyes). Anyway, it's Steampunk!

I've been intrigued for a while, but not seeing anything/anyone local I hadn't really pursued it. Now, I find out that there is a con being held in town and I am so there! It's the first weekend in May, and I'm dragging a friend, or two, along as well as finding out there are others that I know that are going too. I'm trying desperately to put together a couple of outfits for the weekend, without spending money for it.

That is not as hard for me as one might think. I have a red wool gown that was started and I've never finished, something in the fit or flow of it just wasn't right, and there's enough of the fabric left for a bodice, so that's my day dress.

I have some claret colored dyed silk with embroidered flowers (that stayed white after the dying) that I had targeted for a gown after Eleanora de Toledo, and well, two years on still not made up, means that I really didn't want to do that particular outfit, since it's still a pile of fabric that I haven't touched. I can always make the time for a new gown, so this is definitely one I'm okay diverting to a Victorian inspired ball gown.

My plan for the event is to go as a wandering lady artist, with a camera and sketching materials. I know I don't want to go with my standard digital camera, so I'm going to be making a shell for it, with lots of "steampunk" elements on the outside. The overall look will be similar to the Kodak "brownie" camera, that made its debut in Feb. 1900, pretty dare close to my target timeperiod, 1880-90. I have found at least one other camera from 1895 or thereabouts that is very similar as well.

I will also be making a Bandolier with art supplies, that I hope to gussy up a bit.

There's a hat waiting at home to be transformed to something outrageous.

There's an off chance I'll have a selling table, with some wrist ruffs, cuffs with lace that is, but it looks like they are full up on vendors, so we will see on that one.

AND as soon as I pull this one together, I will be going back to that SCA to-do list in the hopes that I can actually finish something before July.

so, yeah, life is fairly normal here

alex

The decluttering continues

I spent the weekend in my storage room, sorting through fabric, miscellaneous sewing supplies, SCA costumes and so on. The room had been a jumble with boxes all over the place, and I only had a minimum clue where anything was. I went through all the boxes, pulling out the scraps of cotton and linen to send to a friend who is making paper over the summer, and then sorting all the fabric into boxes of like fabric, so all my wool is together, as is the linen, cotton prints/modern choices and fantasy fabrics.

It made me realize I had lots more useful fabrics than I thought I had, and it was really good to put my hands on these fabrics to see and know them again. I was also very good at culling the bits of fabric that I don't think I'll ever use. I then went through the last of SCA garb that I had still there, to verify that I wanted to keep it and if not, trash it. I'd already done two passes of SCA friends through the boxes until what was left really wasn't useful for anyone.

For all of that, I have five boxes full of fabric, two boxes with sewing supplies and miscellaneous stuff, one box of ground and cover clothes, one and a half boxes of SCA garb left in there, as well as one and a half box worth of "quality" fabric clothing that I will never be able to wear. I think I'll try to go back tomorrow and go through that box again and see if i can reduce it to one box. I suspect that I'll do something like removing synthetic linings from some jackets and pants. I still think I can take those wool pants, slash and layer them for a great Landsknetch look. well, we will see.

for now, I'm going to kick back with a book and relax, knowing that I did a lot of work, and made great progress. I'm hoping that I will soon be able to bring my sewing things home, and let the storage room go, I so don't need this bill...

alex

Artist Cards

I have a number of thank yous that I decided I'd like to do something special for, and a large number of those on my list I think would appreciate some Celtic knotwork and I thought of the artist cards that seem to be coming quite popular. Those would be perfect in size. So last night I picked up several packs of the cards. Two packs are paper, two are canvas, both with different finishes, so I thought this would be the perfect way to check out the different papers and finishes. I was selling old garb last night so I didn't get to actually make art, but I do have funds now to buy more supplies - you don't know how hard it was to walk past the drawing kits with pencils and ... I managed, but it was close. I keep telling myself I have to use the ones I've got first, and I'm going to!
So now I need to work up some ideas of how to decorate these cards, and decide which one gets which media and so much FUN!

If anyone is looking for me, that's where I'll be, looking at various design books for inspiration and playing with various medias.
alex

The sketch a day project

At the beginning of the year I was already heading toward the changes I've referred to recently. One of those things was to do a sketch a day. It doesn't have to be big or fancy, just something to get going.... I think I did three or four sketches (hangs head in shame). Some days I'm busy, some tired and others, just not focused and with no clue what to draw. (although I should be able to include a few of those shields into the sketch category, shouldn't I? There was some 56 of those things).

Then Sunday night I found a book called "Drawing Labs" by Carla Sonheim. There are lots of simple and complex ideas to help you get started drawing. I knew it was exactly what I needed, because even before I'd even read through it, I was plotting how I can use it, adjust some of her ideas to my world and just getting excited. Tomorrow I hope to have something to post as I kick off my homework for this book and get back on track with the sketch a day.
alex

Event banners

This is the first of the two banners that I painted for our Spring event. I was hostess for the German pavilion, and along with some snacks I also provided some decorations.

This banner has the arms of the cities/regions under the Holy Roman Empire as of 1604, from a hand-painted woodcut.

This second banner was also from a late 16th century hand painted woodcut (I could be wrong, it might be simply a painted image, no wood cuts involved). I didn't get all the tassels finished for it, there should be another dozen or so across the top, but I just ran out of time, since I was also doing the food and other assorted decorations, like paper flags and pendants.

I had a lot of fun with both of these banners, with the first taking a lot of time, from the planning, to prepping to the actual painting, and the only really bad part of the whole process that I hated was that I was working in my garage, and it got cold. Our main furnace died this year and we haven't replaced it yet. Living in South Texas we experience a few days of extreme cold, but not a lot. This year has been milder than most even, and since the new furnace is expensive, I haven't been rushing to get it replaced. Therefore, my space heater for the garage workshop was in the house and I was outside on my own. I'm also thinking next time I have such a project to complete when we go through a cold spell, I'm going tent off a section of the garage rather than trying to heat the whole place so I can have heat where I am, and not all the shelves and stuff!

I've been kind of thinking what else I can paint, I have that urge, though I am also trying to remind myself I have to finish the to-list first.

Changes are coming

There have been a couple of things that are pressing in on me, encouraging change. I think one of the first things to happen is there will be less SCA in my life. I was headed that way anyway I think, but I
am beginning to see my new focus. Of course, for the next year it may not seem that way. My major goal for this year is just to finish everything on the to-do lists. I have some big plans for my life and they can't start until I finish the old. So that list of projects I've previously
posted, it's still on, I just am trying to get more focused on it so I can
finish it. I've finished my gloves and made significant progress on the knife handles.
After this weekend I may be doing more cleaning, organizing the supplies, costumes and so on, so I don't have as much stuff to store, that I'm not using, and I can move in the small space that I do have. It really seems silly to have a storage room, just to store supplies I'm not using. I also need to rediscover what I do have. The last time I went looking for something I have several quality pieces of fabric that I didn't remember having. I'm sure between the purchase of said fabric and now I've made at least one gown of the same fabric, that I purchased new fabric for.
That was a purchase I didn't need to make.
This weekend is our spring event, and I have a few projects that will display for the first time. After the event I'll post pictures of those projects.
One is complete, the other still needs a few more bits added to it. All in all, I've been pleased with what I've gotten done for this event, not nearly as stressed, even though it's Thursday and I still have things to do, but most of those things really couldn't be done until now anyway.
Alex

New to-do list for the year

Here’s the list of things that I intend to work on (when I’m not working on Haunt stuff). These are all projects that I’ve started, planned and even have the supplies on hand. It’s more of the finishing things rather than starting something new. It’s hard, but I know I need to do it. Okay, there are two new projects, the papers on the gargoyles and the Memento Mori, but those ties into the Haunt so I’m allowing them. There are a couple of items which are intended for our spring event. I figure I should be using those for the Steppes Artisan display in August as well.

1. Or Nue Embroidery

2. Maiolica plate #1 and salt, touch upped

3. Maiolica plate #2

4. Maiolica cup with 2 handles

5. Gisela, wood carved doll

6. Anna, pewter cast doll

7. Lion needlebook

8. Second needlebook, with additional needlework/with metal threads

9. Byzantium outfit

10. Enameling formed metal plates, bracelet for Byzantium outfit

11. Silk painting, German heraldic

12. Smocked hemd /Elizabethan shirt with ruffs (lace?)

13. Knife handles

14. Viking needlecase and needles

15. German ensemble extras (German gown as well?)

16. Pitcher bread

17. Other German food?

18. Gargoyle - sample with paper (Was a gargoyle only carved from stone? Could they have been cast, carved, or made from other materials? What was their purpose?)

19. Memento mori -paper (what was this, and how was it displayed in period)