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)

Current projects

I have strung the beads for the brooches, and I have spent this weekend carving and casting the pewter bits that will be going on my Viking treasure necklace. I'll try to do that this week. But it's all coming together nicely. Other than actually sewing the Viking underdress and the apron dress together, that outfit is pretty much wrapped up. The Byzantine outfit is coming along. The garment it's self is ready to be sewned, though I though that getting the clavii and the segmenti (Those roundels on the shoulders) would be easier appliqued if I was working with a flat gown. I'm still working on the embroidery for those pieces as well as some faux enameled pieces for decoration. My excuse for no pictures today is I'm about to gather supplies and go to a friends house to cut out leather for ghillies. They are rather earlier in period than proper for the Viking era I am attempting to portray, but I so don't want to sew leather, buying made shoes at this point is out of the question and there's no one locally that would be available for barter. Now I get to get on that, so maybe I can come home and play with the needlecase I want for decoration. alex

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.