My vacation

The last couple of days were vacation days for me. The weather has been beautiful, and I have been so enjoying it. All I had scheduled was to sleep late and play with projects, none of which has a really pressing deadline. So I've been bouncing around from one to another. I have bits of some new tops for spring sitting on the sewing machine ready to be sewn up, as well as an outfit for the Renn Faire.

Our Spring event this year is a Viking Althing. I haven't done early period since I first joined the SCA 20 years ago (came into the SCA in a "late period group" so I did early, then moved to an "early period group" so I do late - go figure). I decided to go with it this time and did my research on the tunics, apron dress and of course the accessories. The beads are cool and I have a few pieces I intend to cast to complete a treasure necklace. I was very disappointed that the Vikings just didn't seem to care about pearls. I can't spend a day of dressing up without pearls, can I? No, not me, not a firm believer of "a lady can never have too many pearls". Therefore, my court outfit for the day, is Byzantium - they know what to do with pearls!

I am working on these two outfits, for the same event and trying to get as many of the details right as possible. I even took up nalbinding a few months ago to make my own socks. I have however determined that while nalbinding isn't bad, it's just too slow to keep me interested. I have a friend who doesn't seem to have the same issue with nalbinding. She showed me her socks recently completed and my first thought was crotchet. It wasn't until touching that I could disconcern they weren't crotchet, but nalbinding. That's when I felt relief that my thoughts that I could do my socks in crotchet way faster and who would know that I didn't tell? It's not like I'm planning to enter these in an A&S competition or such. And if I'm going to crotchet and not think about the felting possibilities, then this silk-bamboo yarn would do just fine for my socks, right? This yarn is some of the most delicious yarn I've ever touched. I have one sock done and the other has the toe cap done. Later today when my back protests the sewing, I'll finish the sock.

Another project nearly finished is my Byzantium necklace, and the earrings are finished! The earrings were a pair I'd picked up at the flea market a couple of months ago. They have the right shape and feel, and places for dangling bits. The ear wires were of some alloy that my ears burned when wearing. - I have a metal sensitivity that requires pure metal - 14 k gold or better, sterling silver or pure copper- or there will be itchy, painful swelling of the lobes. Some metal alloys like surgical steel or the hypoallergenic I can wear for a few hours before this happens, but this was an immediate reaction. So that part of the original earring had to go to be replaced with 14k gold wires. I had to do some testing to see if I should replace the whole top portion of the earring or just the ear wire. I ended up taking it all off, since a. that was easier and b. it shortened the earring by half an inch. With the dangles I added of pearls and garnets, they still touch my shoulder so this is a better length.

The necklace was another project. I'd purchased some pieces from Big lots of all places, so they were about a dollar a piece, sizable, solid metal of a silver tone. Sigh, see the silver tone in those earrings? Yeah, neither did I. My first step was to change these from silver to gold tone. I did not get a before picture, didn't think about it until after the first coat of this paint went on. It isn't a solid shiny gold, but it does alright. While doing the gold I realized there were these little cups all over the plaque. I thought about gluing in some garnets or pearls, but I didn't have anything small enough. So I went for the enamel effect and added dabs of enamel paint. I really thought it brought the feel up to something really "wow". Then I started adding the dangles and joining the plaques together. My fingers are still sore from yesterday's efforts and I have three more plaques to attach. I'm going to give my hand a chance to recuperate and sew today, then pick the necklace up in a few days.

So that's where I am today, ready to strap on the back brace, dose up for the coming back pain and go at it at the sewing maching, and there's a basket of handwork, crotchet and so on that I can do later when I can't otherwise move.

Sure do wish this vacation had been longer. Well, in a month I'll be eligible for more vacation days, so maybe I'll take another stay at home and do projects vacations.

Testing

Will be doing a bit of testing today, so if you see a weird message here later today, it's okay, I'm just trying to see if I can get around the censors.

Trying here again

It's been a year since I've posted and that's bad of me. I think being blocked from blogger at work except at lunch time means I have smaller windows to post. That means I have to remember to do it at night and I'm usually either tired and vegging, or deep into a project and not on the computer.

Then last fall I also developed a new passion for Halloween Haunt (see the new blog for the Weyward Sisters Emporium). I am currently attempting to stay to a strict to-do list that involves finishing off all the projects I've started or wanted to do for a while but have put off in order to do the latest A&S thing. I'll try to figure out how to post the to-do list, but I've got it in a table form right now and apparently I can't post those into a blog post.

Well, that's my world right now.

4000 pearls

here's the dress with four thousand pearls, and I have a few left over for that plain gollar...

An event past

The past weekend I enjoyed hosting the German pavilion that our local group hosts every other year in the spring. This event, academy of defense, has four schools, Germans, Italians, English and Spanish, with rapier fighters divided between the groups. It was a lot of fun, including the over the top German gown of black velvet with 4000 pearls. I did some period foods, a few small banners for color. I concluded that we need way more color, and since this was a popular event, I know we'll be doing again. I think what is needed is some large wall hangings with the Holy Roman Empire coat of arms, and something from the "current" empire Maximilian II. I've already the artwork I want to use. I have to decide the media I want to work. I have two years to produce these banners, so I'm thinking right at the moment I should do two oil or acrylic paint of canvas and one silk banner. This would be the one banner that can be mounted on a pole and be ran up and down the field. I need to consider some small flag that can be passed out to the fighters, like Debora does with her cheap flags from England that all their people stand around and wave. These could be done on paper, a small dowel and then be a token that our fighters can take home with them.

On other sides, I've decided to focus on my unfinished projects, like the or nue, and the gloves and the blackwork and the needlebooks and the paintings I want to do... And the artisan's pavilion. That will be my focus and not KA&S or any other special project. That's the plan right now. If I can only hold out from starting something new... I'm not sure I will concern myself with King's College either. I think that perhaps classes regarding something that I've already done would be okay, but I am unsure at the moment.
perhaps I can do one class on the needlebooks, with a sample kit if people want to get started with me. That and participation with the pavilion should take care of my needs to share.
Oh, and I want to work on my Demo display, have a set box or something for that kind of thing. As it is right now, I have a demo the first weekend in March, then the next in April, where I will be doing the candle dipping, something that's been requested. For the demo at the end of April, I'm not sure, it could be the same as the March demo, or something different. I think though I am going to work on the painting demo for that demo. I would like to get that one going, and it is on the list of projects to complete!!!

almost time

It's almost time to get started again. I've been taking time off after the rush and stress of the last display. I can't say that it was a stressfull event, but there's always a lot that goes into the display, even if everything was set before I went. I just seem to do well with a decompression week after such an event, and this time it was compounded by the dreaded sinus drainage! That's still hanppening, but wearing off. So after a couple of pieces for others, I'll be back to my stuff.

I did pick up glover's needles for the glove project. I don't know that they'll make that much difference but everyone swears by them, so I'll give them a try. I'm thinking tomorrow during the meeting I have to go to I can bring along the gloves and play with them there, while the others talk about the fall event.

Bobbins

I spent the morning of Saturday and Sunday too at the lathe. The heat has finally backed off enough that it isn't sweltering out there! So I figured out how to hook everything up, and even rough cut the first piece the first morning. The second morning, I turned a bobbin all by myself. It's a lot thicker than the original template, but I was going on the safer side. Then I went onto the second one, and was zooming along and three-quarters through the turning the thing snapped. It wasn't even at a particular thin spot. Frustrated, I turned to a pen blank and tried to turn a couple of spools/bobbins for the silks and such. Tried, it snapped too. I don't know if I was trying to go too fast, too slow or if there was a weak spot in the woods and it just happened two times in a row.

The rest of the weekend I have spent on the re-work of my green gown. It the demolition portion of the event, I found there were several areas that the gown just didn't line up from side to side. So there was a goodly amount of time spent trimming things up to match as well as the new lines. The slashing on the sleeves came out beautifully, even though it took forever to hand stitch the edges. The black and gold braid was perfect. when I'd realized that I was a little short on the braid I went back for more, and picked up some matching cordage. I was going to edge the lower sleeve slashes, but I'm holding on those for now. I will wear it and decide if I want to go further. I am thinking I might use the cordage for the hair piece... I started the belt/girdle with the beads I'd bought. It looks fantastic, except that I don't have enough beads. However, the most expensive bead is on sale this week, so I'm going to pick those up this week. Now I have to work on the partlet and veil. Did I mention that I'd decided to use an old ivory colored silk skirt for this, so other than the ribbon for the chest band is all out of stash. nice when I don't have to spend a lot for a new outfit!!