Update

I've been a baaaad girl. Last post was in July. Let me update you.

First: A&S challenge went off, and I got a $25 gift card for Hancocks. That was nice.
I made mittens, and I still have to put fur or other trim around the cuffs.

Second: I did not make anything besides the salwar for Midnight at the Oasis, so I didn't go. *shrug* I'm sure I'll get to it eventually or use the fabric for something else.

Third: Angus has been drawn into the fold. We made him a pair of salwar out of the hunter/burgundy plaid fabric. He likes them. He's not sure if he's going Scottish (Angus) or Viking or Russian or what. We'll see.

Fourth: We hosted and I autocratted University, where I learned to Knit and Nalbind. Now to get a nalbinding needle!! I finished my first knitting project: a cream colored hotpad. I'll snap a pic and post it.

Fifth: The butterflies band on the sampler was completed last night. I'll post another pic tonight.

Sixth: going to work on finishing some crochet projects (steve's blue/black block blanket, bryan's spider red/black blanket) and finish the beast before I start anything else. I need to set up another band design for the beast. I'll prolly work on that today.

Seventh: I'm holding a "learn how to crochet" class tomorrow night at my home. It's not SCA period, but it get's people interested in yarn/fibre arts. Interest is one step toward learning new and more.

Hot A&S challenge

So!

Lady Masina has posed a summer A&S challenge: to make an accessory for winter wear. (Whenever I hear "winter wear, I think "Ymir", but I'm going to try to attend War of the Wings in October, and that COULD get pretty dang-gone cold.) I've narrowed it down to either an embroidered coif or mittens. I think I'm leaning towards mittens. I have some upholstery fabric that I can make for the outside, then line them with fleece to keep my hands toasty warm. (I can only use fabric from my current (meager) stash, plus a max of $10 for trim, etc. The severely limits my options, since I don't have that much fabric "stashed".) This makes mittens not only do-able, but practical. The challenge for me is to get them done before Mid-August.

I've also thought about cutting the pointy ends of my parkas off and making THAT the outer layer of my mittens, and lining them with fleece, so they will be as waterproof as my parka, (and match!) but I'm not so sure I want to be mucking around with that, especially considering how much it would cost to remake them. (OY!) AND I have to take the hood off and sew it on the right way anyways (I sewed the hood on with the circle part out, rather than the flat part out. I switched Steve's hood over and it works SO MUCH BETTER.)

Anyway, I've also been asked to make two wrist bands (about 10" each) of blackwork embroidery on linen bands, for use by a dear friend who is going to become a preacher on August 9. She said she doesn't have to have the bands by August 9, but it's another project I will be working on once the A&S thing is completed, before I continue on with the beast.

Beast update

So both butterfly outlines are complete and the first butterfly is 3.5/5 complete on the fillwork. I have also designed my next band that goes underneath them. Will post pictures when I can.

Beast update

Even though I'm working on crochet squares for the expansion of my daughter's afghan, I did get a chance to finish the outline of first butterfly and get the upper wing portion and head done on the second. I think once the whole crochet thing is out of the way I'll be able to get it finished pretty quickly. Then I do the fillwork on both butterflies, and start the interlacing borders around each.

The Beast

The first butterfly has been centered and I have most of the outline stitched. Just need to finish one wing, then do another butterfly on the right side.

They will both have an interlaced border. Go me! Pics when I can, moving this week.

Middle Eastern

So the next event I plan on attending is Midnight at the Oasis. It's a 2 hour drive, and sounds fun. Since it will still be hot as heck here, I really didn't want to go in heavy Tudor/Ren garb. So I talked to Layla and Saffiya and they are helping me out with ME garb.

I've already created the pants, called Salwar, from the black linen I was planning on using for my overkirtle. (Ask me about why the plan changed for that sometime.) Anyway, they turned out VERY comfortable.

Now all I have to do is make a Choli, which is like a long, tight sleeved bra (open back), a light, gauzy shirt to go underneath it (with sleeves that dip to my knees), an over vest for extra cleave support, and a circle skirt over the whole thing.

Since I have plenty of time, and the Salwar are already made, I'm confident that this will all be completed well in time.

HA!!

So I bought a floor stand from E-bay for $15 and things are progressing nicely on the "beast". I will work on it most of the day today, and should finish it.

I'm coming into a busy few weeks where I won't have time to work on it, but after things calm down, I plan to place two butterflies, in boxes framed by interlaced borders, on the next row. The butterflies will be an experiment in fillwork of all different types, and this is when I'm going to start working on the Holbein stitch, which up to now I haven't been using.

I want to center them on the piece, which means I'm going to have to count the width of my workable area on the fabric, then count the width of the butterfly + border, multiply by 2, then add a center clear space. Then divide by two, then count that number of stitches into the middle, mark the border lines, then stitch from the middle to the right, then from the middle backwards to the left.

Did you get that?

Yeah. And I suck at math. Pray for me.

oooh lookie!

And it's RED!

And now for something entirely different...

My dream camp at Pennsic will include:

My "tent", which is completely screened in, and has walls that convert to awnings in daytime. Optionally covered in sheet-weight fabric, to make it look more period, of course.

Inside the tent you have the painters tarp on the ground, followed by wall to wall rugs. Then you have a wooden pallet with fabric over the top of it, which serves as a box spring for the queen size air mattress. That has a large sheet over it, and then many blankets and things so I'm toasty warm at night.



Deluxe Camp Kitchen

with additional:





And a campfire grill thing.

And of course, I'll need a truck to haul all this crap in....

Hey...I said DREAM!

More Italian Ren Dresses I Like

NEROCCIO DE' LANDI, Portrait of a Lady, 1480s
National Gallery of Art, Washington








Dress cropped from:
GHIRLANDAIO, Domenico, Resurrection of the Boy (detail), 1482-85
Santa Trinità, Florence

I love the pattern on the dress (damask? jaquard?) and the layering effect, plus the low neckline and the poofy dress which hides fat. The lower sleeves are tight (they look laced on to the upper sleeve over a thin chemise).








Different Dress, same Fresco.
GHIRLANDAIO, Domenico, Resurrection of the Boy (detail), 1482-85
Santa Trinità, Florence

This looks simpler, but essentially the same style. The sleeves are obviously laced over a chemise here.