here it  comes my NON mom event. I am  going  to Störtebeker's sons around noon. If all goes well I will be there a long before the site opens (I may be able to be off at 12 and the GPS tells me it is a 4 hours drive, BUT there are shitloads of constructions sites and it is a pre weekend day, so there is a definite possiblity of it taking considerably longer (I hope it doesn't) The site is about half an hour from the seasite. while the weather has been foretold to be heavy rains and thunderstorms, if none is actually going on when I arrive I may go the shore in any case. 

I have been sewing like mad for about a week now. I have been asked to serve as lady in waiting for my queen (somebody I very much admire, so I do feel honored) but the court is a burgundian one and so far I had been more of a manesse persona- So, me being me, a burgundian gown had to be fashioned, then I found out the new kirtle I had made entirely by hand had a neckline that didn't at all go with the swooping neckline of the burgundian, so I had to  make a new kirtle I did have some wool the color of which did fit the light blue and white of my gown (it was purple) but It wasn't enough for an entire kirtle, so I did the thing Lady Fiona had suggested and inserted some part of the skirt with a white linen part so that the bodice and sleeves are woolen, the upper part of the skirt being white linen and the  part that could be visible when I lift my skirts for dancing is purple again. I also made a *fake* Hennin from paper. It doesn't matter because it doesn't show when the veil is laid over it its construction doesn't show, I also made a Hennin band and glued some velvet to the base. I don't have really period shoes but my leather shoes are blue (what is actually not unperiod I have found out) and while they are maschine sewed and not in accordance with any particular patterns they should do. I am going to look for a bit of jewelry but mostly I think I am set. I have finished one of my short hosen, but I should be able to finish the second one tonight and maye somebody can help me with the garters.

The belt is currently just purple (a different fabric than the kirtle) I have a white silke line embroidered onto the upper and lower edge and the end that hangs down has an equally white silken fringe. In time I believe there will be more embroidery.

The gown itself is lightblue very short cotton velvet lined with white silk of a taffeta feel (think smooth dupion silk) the Kirtle a dark purple wool lined with white linen and I don't have a chemise yet. I have taken some fabric and may actually work on one when appropriate.

I have never been lady in waiting nor have I consciously observed what such a lady does. I imagine I will bee hovering around the edge of the royal presence being accessible but try to appear to not hover, offer some water every once in a while, maybe serve at feast. I don't know, but i am sure I will be told what is expected.

At least I will look decent ;)
I expect to have a lot of fun.
Talk to you guys again on Monday! (I hope then I can add some pictures)

 Renée came home at 1 a.m. today. They got stuck at Berlin Airport due to a weather turbulence. she had terribly red cheeks, so I let her sleep in, but now she would only still have phys ed so we decided to keep her today and tomorrow  it is back to school for another week.

The book apperently was well received and my lovely friend Johanna took pictures of the presentation:



this is the other book, the one I had to put together in like two hours before the husband left. It is a translation of the fighter's part of the Marshal's handbook into German, as we are having a number of German fighter's who seem uncomfortable with having to read through it in English.

I did my own letters in that one, but based it on what I got from lovely Lady aryanhwy  I would have flat out stolen her design, but alas I did not have ANY white color, so instead I made something up (which probably anybody will be able to tell, but it was pretty and acceptable to the husband) I#ll put them up a little later.

for those interested the few pictures he/ the person who happened to hold the camera took are at 
http://picasaweb.google.de/traumspindel/Coronation2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCJO7vtOWteH1_AE#

How come I did make another book. I will show you pictures after Coronation. This one was initially 12 pages (at least that is what my beloved told me. 12 Din4 (roughly but  not actually lettersize). translates into 156 (!) pages of Din A 5 (which would be about half letter sized) with an appropriate font size (12 pt) and the occasional empty line to structure the text and some embellishments (I took the inspiration for my own Letters from Aryanhwy they are gold on red and blue, but I didn't have the white color to keep her lovely lines. So instead I made the golden letters be embellished with green and red. It looks nice, but not terribly A, methinx. But it is overall, nice and tiny.  Now, it is indeed a Handbook. I am not happy with the outside of it, but my beloved is, so, since it is his present, everything should be alright.

I am going to pick up my little one now, so I don't have to go and pick her up by bus, when the others are away. AWAY! buhhuhuh! WIthout me.Buhuh. I am of course envious but at the same time I KNOW this is the right decision. The trip is too much for Manou and thus too much for all of us with her. She is already heartbroken that she can't come, if I left her alone with my MIL she would never forgive me (and I mean never, that kid can hold a grudge).

Too bad, that summer vacation doesn't start until the week after next. If that wasn't so, we could all go, take our time and stay in lovely Sweden afterwards for a little longer. Trust the Schulamt to ruin your day.

 Ok, first things first, I have typed everything that I had written by hand into the computer and I have written some more. But i am still nowhere near where I should be and the revision of the first fantasy is nowhere where it should be. meaning I have not yet sent it to the editor. Sigh.

I plunged a needle right through my index finger on tuesday and got a polio shot which made me severley suffering. But I am on the mend now. what I did to keep my mind busy was starting to plan my first feast.If everything goes according to plan I will have to cook it on the first weekend of december (Please styringheim people keep the second weekend, puleese?) 

So I am a fervent advocate of seasonal cooking especially on an event called *The dragon in Winter*

I know that back then a lot of meat would have been served to make up for the lack of additions, otoh I am starting to find other foods. Like Sloes and chestnuts which would both be in season (Though it would mostly be chestnut flour and that is horrifically expensive but end of november is still chestnut season and they do keep for a week). I will have to look into rutabaga, checking if that was a medieval accessable food. Today, I bought chicken for 2,77 euros a kilo and then i heard my favorite shop manager exclaim on the new price of some produce that gave me the perfect opening: well if you need something in this bulk, dear, we can always negotiate on the price!N.P.! some days I love people.

I am considering setting up another blog on the preparation of *The Dragon in Winter*, both as a way to track what I am doing for myself and to share and get input as wide a possible. It might even work as a *selling point* for tickets, as I would post *trial cookings* as well as rambling about what else is coming up if you are organizing your second event to be *something bigger*
What do you guys think? I would appreciate comments

Well, the party was somewhat undervisited, but other than that it was great. The kids were disappointed because in the end the eagerly expected children didn't show. I learnt a couple of things:
1) Listen to Judith: get confirmed specific yes we come results out of your conversation regarding teh invitation
2) Expect less people and just have one backup in case everybody does show
3) Don't be disapointed about who doesn't show: be happy about those who do (and they were great indeed)
4) Don't set up too many things in advance you'll only have to do it all over again.
5) Never forget to invite a bard to run the party. :)
6) If you want to talk to somebody intensely invite them seperately.
7) I had a couple of very successfull and cheap foods that would qualify as (undocumented) A foods (including a lemon cake.
8) *Pasteten* (covered pie like dishes, usually not sweet) schould be used more in feasts: They are a reatively cheap meat dish and very (documenetd) period. also they can be used for the *I am not what I look like* removes. and a little unusal meat (in my case it was deer) can go a long way. the meat pieces (deer and chicken) and some fried mushrooms were embedded in a liver cream that was tasting of liver (but not too strongly) Sherry, herbs and buttermilk and serves in the form of a fish. The great thing is it can be prepared in advance and serves well hot and cold.
9) everybody having their own feast gear is very cool and reduces the work of the host(ess) considerably. Not having that during a full day event with more than one meal increases teh work of the host(ess) at least threefold if not even more.
premade pies, frozen in the pizza pans I got fort a steal on ebay were a great Idea. for parties having more freezer space would be a definite increase in both life and party quality for host(esse)s. If pizza dough based or pie shell bases *spicy cakes* both kinds freeze well. and you take em out and just bake it when the need arises. one could even shop for the nevessary groceries during teh season and prep stuff for the rest of the year. YAY even unperiod muffins :)
10) getting a massage bench for B day and having it stand around is a very *relaxing* thing. I got three massages and my husband too and so did everybody else who wanted to :)

Tomorrow is my birthday. I am turning 37. another step towards turning 42 and still no senat seat for me...

Well, on the upside I had a creative burst today and treated myself to a new outfit. A linen red tunic and surcot, manessestyle. And it is surprisingly flattering. The coat I wanted to  make for the embroidery challenge ( did I mention it is such a cool design) is not only something only worn by men, no, it was worn only by men of the cloth :(, figures... so this is going to keep me warm until I find something else that inspires me enough.... Maybe I will turn this woolen surcot into the challenge project... RIght now I am trying to finish teh pertinent seams so I can wear it at the Party on  Saturday

and this is the backside. It isn't as neat as could be but it is after all my first piece done in this stitch.

I needed something to stop me from going mad, with people around me 24/7. After Renée now my husband is seriously ill, so not only am I constantly in the presence f somebody which makes it very hard to get into writing mode, but I am also the responsible adult around the house, designated driver etc. He tries to do some of the household stuff, which is nice, but I'd rather he was getting better instead. Sigh. So back on topic. I tried out the stiches documented in the Known world handbook and descovered the broad Chainstitch. I love it.

Lovely Johanna has committed herself and thus to a degree me to making Napkins for the queens giftbasket. Now, I had committed to that myself but I had a variety of subject matters in mind, while Johanna agreed to making 30 (!!!) (O.o) albions.

Albion is the intricate charge of the kingdom arms. but in broad chainstitch you get this:
and the best thing is: look at the backside: I am contemplating finishing up the backside with overcast stitch in the end but there is the tiny matter of 30 shire committments.

sigh, I am trying to come up with a sensible society name (Elisande still needs a last name I am told it wasn't standard procedure that the wife took the hubby name, there goes my easy out) but also I am trying got figure out a personal device. I was thinking something along the lines of this. the colors should also be red gold and black and I would favor the thread to be red. but that might not work. I would love the field to be black and the spindle to be gold, but hey, I am so having trouble figuring out the furs and colors thingy. Also there is a high probability for conflict. too sad. then again it isn't like I need to rush things.

I have started Christmas season. These my my little gifts (napkins) to some of the lovely people in the SCA , who made this year soo much better for me.

I think I will submit this sketch to the dragon's Tale, the drachenwald Kingdom newsletter. What do you think?
I mean apart from the fact That I would have to properly digitalize it :blush:

Finished Gambeson:


And my Love with his loaner gear over it


And my smashing Husband in his loaner gear on top of it

I have written a little piece sicne I came back from Nibelungen. I am really good at immersing myself in a project and I really suck a doing it for more than one thing at a time (OK bleeding and Migraines doesn't help) but I haven't gotten around to working on the shadows again, which is really bad of me. But I will have all saturday, sunday, monday and thursday (hopefully) to make up for it. Instead of writing I have been dabbling in devices again after accepting that the one I designed will most likely be used as some form of household device rather than a personal one, Hubby wants a derivative... I am also going to didn't use parts of it, since I really like having the same colorscheme. O jeah, did I tell you I am a lazy bastard who just can't get to work because she has to scribble versions of Fiona the bright, our beloved and truly beautiful queen (Where do they find these people anyway) so everything looks like versions of this

Oh And I did some quilting over the last couple of days, but, man, this is a huge piece of fabric

It was a GRRRReat Event and we had lovely weather


And even their majesties in full splendour.
Thanx everybody for such a lovely time you gave us.

I am not sure that this is any good, but I wrote it. Today. I got inspired by Lady Esmeralda's Event Name:

Summer's Last Stance


She was shivering.

Her full and richly decorated golden robe no longer held the warmth and comfort it had offered during the last months. Misty cool swirled around her bare feet and the moisture it carried made her feel like they were Icicles.

She looked at her folk. And saw that they, too, knew what was about to come. Marcet, the oldest, looked all frail and bent. She wondered if she would ever see him again. Lucas was gone, taken before her turn. But Ariel, his wife, held their little one closely. She was sick and the baby was tiny. They were afraid. Afraid that this time they would not  do without her. But she had done her best....

( Read more... )

 

This is the result of the last week:

 this is my first fitted kirtle and I did the *fitting on my own so I am relatively happy with it. I am still of two minds regarding the sleeves. I feel nice with them half open, but for a kirtle dress I think I need to close them all the way tightly... we will see. so on to the next project:
Given the weather situation I figured a hood was called for with the girls. Manou first: this is a skirt that found a new calling. the prob is, my girls complain about the *itchy* wool. SO this one is fitted with linen and where it touched skin some scrap silk from a old shirt of my dad's (yes he was alive in teh eighties too ;)) Now I only need to find some spare fabric to make one for Renée and possibly even one for me.I am sooo looking forward to next week.
the weather is bound to be different from horseradish, where we had sun and lovely weather all day.

So I haven't posted anything in a week. I guess that is my longest since joining. Sorry to those who care. I got sick after enjoying teh horseradish *notwar* too much I suppose. We had glorious weather, the site was midtown Berlin but it felt like somewhere out in the woods. They had bats which meant I didn't get to donate blood to the non existant moskito population. And we spend some time with my parents too. Lots on nice people there those I don't remember half of their names, a fact which I hope am forgiven for in the light of this being a  first meeting with most of them and the amount of people and all my inherent insecurities. I hope to see a good bunch of them in two weeks at Nibelungen peace tournament and am busily organising our equipment to secure a pleasant experience even in regular september weather. I am finally recovering from the sniffles and I got a lovely dark blue/lilac (depends on teh lighting it seems) fine wool which is destined to become my first fitted cotte-outside. It will be with short sleeves and if will not reach the ground (I might attach some broad silkish hem to change that but I don't know yet) and obviously I will need a fitted or at least fiteter/ or is it fitter ;)) underdress, I got a fine grey fabric that will be a perfect underdress, because the color is a melange. so, if you wear it with silver it will seem grey, if you weat it with black too, but blue makes it look blueish and there is also a green aspect to the color I got it on ebay for a steal. Now I only need the time and a second me for the fitting :sigh:.

thanks for listing to all my babbles. Really love you guys. Sometimes I wish the INet were a set of tubes and we could just crawl through.
I will post a few pic next time

Well like I told you my camera broke, so I tried the *backup* and I couldn't get one sharp picture of my current project (and yes paper tissue hider are hardly period, but still it just was the right kind of size. So this one is supposed to become the front.


my other project was garb for Manou for horseradish war 2008, I messed up taping the hem, but I hope I can fix it. you can see that she really didn't wanted to give me that picture.

Give her a purse and a hat and she would look like *the queen* with that facial expression methinx (no offense). Oh and btw bought some white and bloodres silk thread on ebay :D. need to stop doing stuff liek that until I get my money from the last case I had :S they should have paid months ago, these assh... OOps

Do you know the feeling? You bid on something you really want and something you think might possibly be useful, and in the end you get the latter but miss out on the stuff you really want? Not today. I am ebayhappy. I got a piece of antique (well I don't know if it is really old but that wasn't why I wanted it) LInen. It is enough to make 6 towels of but still in one piece. Why I wanted it? My MIL's birthday is coming up and she confided in me that the old inherited linen towels are finally coming apart, that she regrets that very much because she just loves the feel of that linen. Son now when I get the piece I will hem it and give it to her as a rustic table cloth. AND
for myself I got 1,50 X1,70 meters of wool. Fine Wool you would use for a suit, I paid 2,09 € plus 2,50 shipping and handling. Talk about a steal. This will become the outer layer  of my fine cotte. I plan on lining it with fine linen and I have another bid out there that may just pe utterly perfect for what I have in mind. I plan to use a very conserving clothe patters that I found on a New zealand shire site. I may have to keep the dress somewhat shorter and add a fancy hem, well see.