Wow! A new post in less than three month! (Insert sarcasm here...)
Anyway...it has been a couple of months and I have tried to stay reasonably busy. So here's a little overview of what I have been up to...and in no particular order or structure :)

First, I have taught two classes in the last month and am gearing up to teach a third. All of these classes are on different styles of blackwork embroidery (which happens to be my favorite) and range from basic counted blackwork, Lagatera/Spanish blackwork, and the last class will be on uncounted blackwork. Fun stuff ;) Actually, the most fun is in creating the patterns themselves. I will admit that I am a pattern junkie and I love drafting out patterns for blackwork on graph-paper. I started doing it years ago, when I was asked to teach a class and felt uncomfortable teaching from a commercial pattern. Even though I don't charge anything for the classes, beyond materials on occasion, it didn't feel right if I couldn't get permission to use the pattern in that way. So, I took towards designing my own. I am sure that nothing I do is totally "original" as many motifs and designs have been used for centuries, but it is the combination and structure of the pattern that makes it original and mine.
Anyway... for the basic uncounted class I drafted a couple of patterns off of a sampler from 1565ce and used it for the class. It is cool to think, that in this small way, that woman who stitched the sampler gets to live on a bit in her motif. It makes me smile. The Lagatera class pattern was adapted from a sampler in the book I have. I have since added a border around the central motif and I expect to turn my little sample piece into a needle-book when I am done with it. I haven't totally finished with the uncounted pattern yet, but it will probably have gilly/carnation flowers or Tudor roses as they were two motifs used a lot.
Here's the counted and Lagatera motifs I taught.

While putting together the patterns for the first two classes, I was given a box of all sorts of random game pieces and boards. Inside the box was a beautiful Parchisi set, with lovely wooden pieces and dice, but a really crappy cardboard playing surface. Ugh. Parchisi is one of my favorite games, next to Backgammon, and it made me think of designing my own board. I have a computer Hoyle board game set that includes Parchisi with a really neat board that has the four seasons in the starting corners. So, using the pieces as a size reference, and 28 count even-weave linen, I patterned out the board using the four season theme as a starting point. The board is now about half finished in the main outlining and I have Fall and Spring designed, Summer almost done, and Winter mostly designed in my head. It should be pretty awesome when it is finished. I've have had to promise myself that I would actually USE the board regardless of how pretty it is...what is the use of making the board so neat if I'll never use it? :)
The board in progress... Patterns!

The next thing on my working list is little presents for a few of the folks who have helped me so much in the SCA, especially in my being Baroness these past 6 years. I will be stepping down from that post, next weekend, and it will be a big change for me. I am finding it a bit sad, but at the same time I am so looking forward to doing even more artsy stuff :) so I can't be all that upset. One of the gifts I made are little sewing kits. A friend shared a pattern with me that was a little felt roll up sewing kit that holds a bobbin of thread and has a space for pins and needles to be tucked in. It is pocket sized and perfect for keeping in a basket or bag for emergency sewing repairs. Too cool! So I made a couple as gifts. I am still working on a couple of beaded necklaces and I have been making a few more lampwork beads as gifts also.
Cute and small and easy to tuck in a pocket or basket :)

I also finally finished that canvaswork piece that I was working on in my last blog. The stitching is done, but I haven't yet mounted it on the box I found to go with it. I still have to stain the box and then get the canvas piece affixed to the top. But it is already so pretty!
Stitching is all done!

On the garb front...I have almost finished a gambeson for a local fighter friend. All that is left at this point is a final fitting, sewing the side seams and attaching ties for closing. It is in black quilted fabric and is edged in blue bias tape. As it is all hand stitched, the seams will be nice and flat and shouldn't bind or be uncomfortable under his armor. The sides are slit and the coat is knee length and follows the Moor-ish style he wears.
The next item or two is that dress of mine. I did get the kirtle re-sized down by a few inches (yeah me!) and it fits well. So I have my partlet, my kirtle, a silk partlet (that still needs to be re-sized), a petticoat, and a outer wool partlet for chilly days. I also have my finished circle mantle cloak that I adore. So that really leaves the overdress....finally deciding on the style was the hardest part of the whole operation!
I have been going through all my books, every painting I could find on the web and in the library, and even picking the brains of a few of my fellow clothing geeks. *Sigh* it has been a trial! However, I think I have finally figured out what I am doing. Most of my quandary has been that I really like how the fronts of the Tudor style gowns look, at least the early Tudors before the front point got so pointy and past the waistline (doesn't really work for those of us more fluffy gals), I prefer the straighter waist-line, the lower cut, square neckline, and the pretty jewels. The catch is, I really HATE those big, droopy, sleeves! I do needlework at events, I help set up, I help break down, I chase kids, I clean, and those obnoxious sleeves get in my way...argh...So, I have been looking at all the other areas around the same time period (1490-1525) that I prefer. Once I started looking through the Italian dresses of that period, I found the styles I want :)


Aren't they spiffy? I especially like the sleeves in the third picture with their strips of the fancy fabric and the puffs of the "chemise" underneath. I also really love the first picture as well, besides the fact that she is fluffy like me :)
So I have mostly settled on a style and structure for my overdress. I have the bodice cut out and the structure begun. I am working with a red cotton velvet I had in my stash...it might not be a "correct" fabric, but it is close enough for luxury within my budget, and that is a good thing. The dress will be lined in lightweight linen, and it will be front closing. I haven't been successful in fully confirming or denying that the Italians also had dresses with a placket or "stomacher" covering the front openings. At this time, I am planning on either using a stomacher, or using the period trick of using ribbon or trim to cover the front opening and then using hooks and eyes or hidden lacing rings to close the dress. I don't think it is too far fetched to be an English woman who is making a dress in the "Italian style" to use English tailoring as well. So much was similar and swapped back and forth that it isn't that much of a stretch. I will continue searching though.
While doing the research on my dress, I finally got into all the glass pearls and silver jewelry spacers that I have been accumulating for the past few years. I have wanted to make a jewelry set for a dress: choker, long chain, and girdle belt. I finally got it together :) One iffy note is how the belt is closed...the few pictures I can find (that doesn't have the person's hands in front of the center of the belt) just shows a complete centerpiece and nothing that looks like a closure. I did find a site that sells re-creation pieces that are used by a lot re-enactors in England and I liked the look of her closures. Using a toggle style clasp is not a stretch and actually makes sense, especially putting the closure towards the back. So that is what I did. I'll continue looking for more info on that as well, but for now, I am happy with the general appearance.

I put the girdle belt pomander up by the neck so you could see the neat piece I was given. It does open, and I want to put a small bag of lavender, or something else nice and pretty smelling, in it.

So, that is where I am right now. I am sure that I have forgotten a thing or two, and I do have more irons in the fire that are modern but crafty. I am still finishing the bee sewing set, and I am also working with two girl scouts to earn their Junior Girl Scout Bronze Award by doing craft decorations for the local senior center's Easter brunch. Busy, but fun!

Keep crafting! :)

I am a horrible blogger...I'll admit it :P

It has been nearly 7 months since I wrote last. I've been good about taking pictures and trying to keep a record of things I have done (although I missed a few) and I have been continuing to push myself out of my comfort zone. To that end, I have tried several new things since July.

In early September, I attended a glass bead making class. I have always been fascinated by glass beads made with a gas torch, but I will admit that I was a total coward about dealing with anything flaming and hot. Well, after a full three hours and six beads later, I realized that it was FUN! I have since picked up the basic materials for doing it at home. However, I am limited for a while until the snow melts and I can move back outside. I can make some beads indoors, but not many and not for long. Our house is just not set up for removing the fumes that are created while running the gas. I will probably see if I can go over to my Hubby's shop and make some beads there. I'd like to have enough to give away as gifts when I step down from my position as Baroness in our local SCA group. It would make me happy to be able to give away something made by me. :)
My Beads...Not amazingly round, but not bad for my first beads EVER....

In October, I went back to the same glass shop and attended a class on fused glass ornaments. I learned how to cut glass, choose colors for overlaying, how to attach and decorate the glass shapes with "stringers" of thin glass and how to attach hangers so I can hang my ornaments up. It was a blast! It isn't something I can repeat anytime soon as I don't have a kiln :( I can easily get the glass and cutters, but the kiln is way out of reach in cost right now. However, the skills I learned from this class show me that I should be able to handle the stained glass class. Hopefully, I can take that class sometime this spring.


I turned them into a mobile :) My Bee


In November, I took a basket making class. This was especially cool as I took it with six of my closest SCA friends, and we had a fabulous time! One of the best parts of the class was the fact that we were using materials that were actually pretty close to medieval materials, and the basket style we chose is one that existed before 1600ce. The class took the entire time from 9am till 5pm, but it was worth every minute. I now have a reed market basket that is as pretty as some I can buy....but I made it :D
Isn't it pretty? It is hanging here for the protective oil varnish to dry...

Outside of classes, I still stayed pretty busy with projects. I did a small embroidered book cover/girdle book for a friend who has become my protege' in all things service oriented in the SCA. I wanted it to be a token that was "me" without being hugely obvious and obnoxious. So, I used black linen and embroidered a bumblebee design with red and white wool. I think it turned out pretty. I also stitched two modern needlework pieces; one in cross-stitch and blackwork, and the other was in canvaswork. I haven't decided what to do with the blackwork piece yet, but I am thinking of using it as a box top. The canvaswork one will be a gift for my Mom-in-law and will probably be framed. I am in the middle of another canvaswork that is all in yellow. It is the perfect pick-me-up for a dreary February. After I finish it, I will go back to my bumble bee and hive needle accessory set that I am making in canvaswork and cross-stitch. I have only one more piece to actually stitch, then I can do the finishing on all the pieces. I have been working on this for over two years, bit by bit, with lots of breaks for other stitch work. It will be an absolute pleasure to have the set finished.
The token My pouch for the auction
Book cover canvaswork
my blackwork piece (from the pattern in Monica Ferris' Blackwork mystery)
In progress... this too....


I made quite a bit of jewelry for Christmas presents and SCA gifts and I didn't manage to take a single picture before I gave it all away. Oh well. I tend to do that a lot, especially if an item is a gift. I get so caught up in the pleasure of the giving, that I forget to take a second or two and get a picture. There are probably hundreds of items out there that I have no record of...and sometimes no recollection either! Silly, I know. The important thing is that all of the people I gave jewelry to seems to be very happy with what I made. That is more important to me than any record of their making :)
I also did a fair bit of bobbin lace making this fall. I created a total of six ornaments in lace and brass rings. I traded one off in a lace card exchange that I also did lace on the card for. I gave one as a gift to a SCA friend who was visiting Alaska for the first time. Three went into a ornament exchange at our needlework guild Christmas party, and the last one is going to a friend from that same guild. *Whew*.
Here is the card and one of the ornaments. The other ornaments are different colors and some have slightly different shapes (diamond and flower shapes), but they are all similar enough that one picture should suffice ;)

I have half a lace handkerchief edging done and I hope to have it finished and on a linen hanky before the fair in August. After teaching the class at the SCA event this summer, I was asked to come in to our local senior center and do a class there. I had four ladies who came and seemed to have a good time. One of the ladies had worked lace before and was just needing a basic refresher. It was fun, and I would love to teach more, but I am still such a newbie myself. I haven't done that much beyond Torchon, just a couple of free-lace pieces. I have designed a couple myself, but they were really basic. It is a start though, and one I intend to keep working on.

I also taught a needlework class for the North Star Needlework Guild in October. I usually do an ornament class that is usually in plastic canvas. However, last year I went with a blackwork ornament, and this year I decided to mix hardanger with a bit of Lagatera blackwork. I think it came out pretty and was challenging enough to keep the guild members on their toes :) Next year I'll probably go back to plastic canvas as I have an idea for a really cool 3-D one...and plastic canvas is great for 3-D designs.
The ornament...no hardanger cutting, but kloster blocks and eyelets instead. Lagatera blackwork mixes blocks of color in with the double running stitches.

Just in case you are wondering, yes, I did work on garb also. I ended up making another rapier armor coat, this time for my son, Galyn. He is still looking at a more Russian style, so his coat reflects that. We need to secure his short sleeves somehow, since they tend to catch the rapier blade tips. I would like to get his big wool coat off of the drawing board also, so hopefully I can have that done in the next month or so.
I finished another part of my hand-done garb as well as a couple of sets of sleeves to wear with my kirtle. As far as the hand done stuff, I have the kirtle done, the partlet, a coif, and now I have a wool Flemish overgown as well. I found a pretty blue wool that worked perfectly for the over gown. I lined it in linen and it wears like a dream. I am debating about hemming it a bit shorter as it puddled a bit too much. The hand done smock is taking the longest amount of time since it has a great many more seams and is more detailed to put together. I plan on making the collar and cuffs ruffled with blackwork on them as well. I am aiming for summer Coronet to have the whole thing done. It did dawn on me, however, that I am not going to be wearing a circlet at Coronet this summer. I step down as Baroness in April, so I will be handing the circlet over to someone else. This means that I can actually wear a proper head covering! Hmmm...I guess that means one more thing on the drawing board. I also have to take my kirtle in by 3" or so because of the weight loss as well as my silk partlet. I know, it is at least a good reason to complain with a smile :)
my hand done kirtle with linen sleeves and my partlet.
The kirtle is actually reversible black to blue, so it is the same one from above that is here:
See, too long...and the partlet shouldn't overlap. I didn't realize how much I had changed since this summer.... (btw, the odd white thing hanging from my laces is a token from Viscountess Esperanza...she had just given it to me as a thank you :D )

One last silly thought....the spell checking feature has a COW over names and specialty terms like Torchon, Blackwork, Lagatera, etc...it makes me laugh :D

Anyway, that is it for now. Thanks for reading, and happy stitching!

Okay, I feel a bit like a heel since I haven't updated this in MONTHS. However, I will confess that writing is definitely not my strong suit. I never kept a diary or journal as a kid, and I struggled with the "notebook" I had to keep in art class where I had to write about my projects. I am fully aware that I am a "do" person, not a "write" person. That being said, I realize that it has been a long while since I wrote last, but I have be at least a bit productive. I have been going back over what I have done since my last post, and it was a decent bit. I am not going to try and put it in "order" because I wouldn't get it correct anyway. I'll just work through what I remember doing, and that should get a least a good chunk of it...

One of the projects was to make new garb for a fellow SCA'er friend of mine. He is shifting his preference and persona from early Renn to late Viking. He thus needed new tunics, new trousers, and even a tunic he could wear over his armor. He picked up the fabric and chose the colors, so I got to make two light linen, white undershirts, three different medium weight, blue/black linen shirts and one set black trousers. He chose a heavyweight linen in black and yellow for his fighting tunic, but I'll get to that later. Since he was prince during this time, I wanted at least one of his shirts to be "spiffy" rather than have all of them be basic...good, but still basic ;) When I started work on the first tunic, word came to us that he was going to be knighted. This definitely changed my tack on getting his first tunic done. I had planned on doing the seams with the machine and a surger edged finish, with the color borders hand stitched where it showed. However, the knighting made me want to kick up my game a good bit. So, I still did the big seams with the machine, but then all the external edges and all the seams were hand finished. the same went for the under-tunic. I wanted him to be able to pass any and all "laurel handshakes" that he could be subjected to. For those not familiar with the term "laurel handshake" it is when you greet a person who has been given the highest level award for the Arts (including sewing) and they greet you back while inspecting your clothing. It can be rather daunting but also a complement, so I really wanted him to look good. It isn't often that you get to dress a prince, especially when he is getting knighted :)

Anyway...while getting the tunic started, I came upon the bright idea of getting the other stitchers involved by having the color border sections embroidered. I enlisted the aid of my friend Grete who does amazing Viking embroidery. She drew out the design on the yoke, the sleeves, and the hem, and then she, myself and a few others hunkered down and got the embroidery done in less than a week. I finished the assembly of the tunic before I left the house for the 6hr trip to Anchorage, but the seam finishing on the undershirt was finished on the road. I ended up doing the last little bit by flashlight. Whew! But he did look very spiff, and he was VERY surprised that we went to so much trouble. It was fun, and surprising a person like that is always a joy :)

Not bad, eh? :)

After the knighting, I got the rest of the tunics done and off to him. They are all variations of black and blue with different yokes around the neck. It gives him a bit of variety and still has him in the colors he likes. As for the fighting tunic...he was watching me while I was assembling one of his later tunics, and he asked me to teach him how to do it. I gave him the basic rundown and had him assist in putting the tunic together that I had been working on. We then cut out and made the borders for his fighting tunic. I then sent him home with the pieces and instructions with advice to call me if he got into trouble. A week later he came back with a finished tunic and a proud smile. He did really good for a first tunic. The borders didn't quite meet, but it was assembled well and should hold together for a good long time.

Right about the time I was teaching him to make his tunic, we had a few new people show interest in the SCA. all of these gals wanted to make their own outfits, and they were all beginner to intermediate sewers. A T'tunic is really the "jeans and T'shirt" of nearly 1000 years, so it is a great starting point for new garb makers. In several individual sessions, I got all the girls into new clothing of their making, and off to make even more garb using that "T" pattern as a basis. So far so good :)

Okay...guy clothes, newbie sewing classes...what else... Oh yeah, I also sized down a set of my daughter's outgrown garb into a set of garb for the little two year old that lives with us. She is growing like the proverbial weed, so is in constant need of new clothes. Rather than just cutting down the larger garb (which was made for a 10yr old), I was able to take growth tucks in the back, sides, shoulders, and hem. It should, with luck, last her for several years. Hopefully she'll wear it out before she grows out of it. She does have an underdress, but "onesies" are great quick substitutes for little ones.

Her Mom also came to my notice as she was getting frustrated with her garb also. She and I have been doing a good bit of "life-style" change (using sparkspeople.com), and we both have been losing weight. It means that her garb isn't fitting right anymore, and is really too loose shaped for her to feel pretty or even comfortable in anymore. I had two kirtles that I wasn't wearing anymore, and they suited her quite well. However, they needed a bit of adjustment as I am a great deal broader in the shoulder than she is. She is bigger in the chest, but she still needed the shoulders fitted to her. After a bit of tweaking, I got it all to fit. The funny part, to me anyway, is that even though she is 5'6" to my 5'3", I didn't need to let out the hem or add a guard. I knew I was short torso-ed and long legged, but sheesh. Oh well, she looked good and I got two dress out of my overloaded garb closet. I didn't get a picture of the blue one, but here is the black one on her. The chemise is her own.

After getting garb done for the little one and her Mum, it came to my attention that my two youngsters had also grown a good bit. So new garb for them too. My son, who has been focused on 16th century Japan, decided that he wanted to travel the spice road north-west and go for Steppe Russian clothing instead. No biggie. He found pictures of what he wanted, and I got it made. He was given 6 undershirts in white cotton with black and red trim, so we tried to match the trim on his black linen over-tunic. He also got new pants out of the same linen. I have more of the trim for the overcoat he wants. Now I have to bite the bullet and get the wool that is needed. He wants it in red coat wool. Mmmm, right up his Mom's favorite color alley ;) I'll work on getting him another set of pants when I do his coat.

My daughter was another case all together. While she does love her coathardies, she also competes in Rapier. She has been bugging me for more middle eastern style clothing that gives her the ability to wear pants. Since she is 12, even though she is shaped like a woman, she plays like a tomboy, so making her clothes like that is actually a smart idea. I found a couple of tunics for her at our local second-hand store, as well as a couple of pants. I really wanted her to have court style garb, and she suggested a sari. So, off to the fabric store we went in search of good sari fabric. She found a beautiful green and gold she liked, and we picked out matching fabric for her choli and pants under the sari. Now came the hard part. She is 12, and the process of tucking and folding the sari (over and over) would have had her coming to me every five minutes or so. I needed to find a way to have the sari be easy to put on and take off. Using a piece of elastic around her waist, I tucked, pinned and stitched to sari as I put it on her. Using hooks and eyes and additional elastic, I was able to create a easy-on waist band for her to put on her sari herself. The sash that went over her shoulder was held pleated with a large kilt type pin, and then pinned to her shoulder. It worked like a charm.

My son...My daughter. Not bad if I say so myself :)

I also did garb for myself. Silly actually, as I will most likely have to take it in a great deal if I keep on losing weight (I am already down nearly 30lbs since I started...sorry, but I needed the "Yea, Me!" moment), but I really wanted GOOD kirtles that would work with Italian, Tudor, and Flemish dresses. My favorite kirtle is a front lace that is in a blue that isn't exactly period. I know this and wear it anyway as it is the color blue that our Principality uses. I did spiff it up a bit more by adding short sleeves that are stitched to the kirtle at the top, and it has red wool pin-on sleeves, a white linen ruffled partlet with blackwork embroidery, and a black wool over-partlet, as well as a red linen apron. I didn't get a picture of the full front of it, but someone got a shot of my back during morning court. I think it looks pretty good, and in the wet, cold, persistent drizzle, my sleeves and over-partlet kept me quite warm.

The other kirtle was a much bigger deal. I did a good bit of research looking at tons of paintings, Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion Book 4, and lots of other SCA costumer's sites. I came to the realization that the basic kirtle (ie: supportive underdress) was pretty much similar if not totally the same in quite a few countries. Armed with Drea Leed's Flemish Working Woman's Dress book, my knowledge of the early Tudor kirtle, the Tudor Tailor book, and the festiveattyre.com site, I put together a kirtle that I felt I could use in the different areas I wanted to. I did take the extra step and tried the hemp/reed boning, and it was a success as far as I am concerned. I will not wear a corset because of the way my fibromyalgia reacts to that constriction, but a snug fitted kirtle actually feels good, and the hemp boning was actually amazingly comfortable. Since I was wanting to try an Italian (I actually like the sleeves better) the hemp/reed boned kirtle was a good choice. It had ties at the shoulders that allow me to mix and match with many different types of sleeves. For our Coronet tourney this month, I used a pair of sleeves I had made for an Italian (long ago), I hand stitched a sheer silk parlet in the Italian style, and I made a giornea (Italian surcoat/over-dress), and a Juliet cap to finish it off. I don't have a good picture of the cap, but even still, it looks pretty good. I ran out of time before the event to get the gionea done by hand, so I machined it. I will probably tear out the hem and do it by hand, and I do want to add a clasp and take the back of the neck a bit lower.

before the weight lost... 30#s down and still losing.... :) Btw, the spiffy lady next to me is in Germans. Isn't she pretty? No, I haven't felt the urge to make myself Germans, but I have agreed to help someone else ;)

What else besides garb have I done? Hmm..... Oh yeah. I have completed three needlebooks, one as a gift and two as prizes for Arts and Sciences competitions. I completed two more ring pouches, one for myself and one as a object for an Artisan auction being held this fall. I taught a basic beginning embroidery class at an A&S meeting, and I taught a begining Torchon bobbin lacemaking class at Coronet and I taught another person how to make the ring style pouch so that she could make one as a gift. I designed and made 19 girdle books for my room-mate to embroider for the princess to give as ribands/gifts, made two napkins/cup-covers for a gift, and I quilted a checker board for a game set. In amongst all of that, I also did a bit of doll making, painted a doll house and made furniture, and I made up a little gnome math counting game set. Nah, not busy at all ;) I won't post pictures of all of that here on the blog, but if you feel curious enough, then you can check out my page at http://west-arts.nig.com/profile/MargeryGarret where I will put all the pictures up.

I make no promises that I will update this in a more timely manner...that just sets me up for trouble :P But I do promise to keep working on things and learning and doing more and more, and I challenge you to do the same. Till next time :)

Another Stitch Forward...

Surprise, surprise! I didn't let a whole month go past before writing again, Yea Me! January wasn't the best start of a New Year, but ignoring the icky stuff I don't want to talk about, the good moments was worth looking back on.
In the SCA world of things, I didn't do all that much this past month. The one main focus I had before the Coronet event on Jan 16th was my entry for the Arts and Sciences Lacemaking competition. The requirements for this contest was that it needed to be made from metal threads. I will admit that I am very fond of working in linen and cotton fibers and not real enamored of the metal fibers. So, I decided that if I was going to do this, it needed to be a fully thought out piece. I know documentation is my weakest area. I love doing the research online and in the books I can get my hands on, but I have a great deal of difficulty in getting my thoughts on paper. If you can't tell by my blogging here, writing is not my strong skill. For this entry, I once again fell back on that wonderful book by Janet Arnold. In the Patterns of Fashion 4, there is a picture of a ruff that has a thin plaited piece of bobbin lace around the inner edge of the metal frame holding the main lace ruff. Rather than restating all that I put in my documentation, I will put it here, and you can all pick at it :)


Metallic Thread Bobbin Lace
Margery Garret

Bobbin lace making is a technique where multiple bobbins are wound with thread and then “woven” into patterns that can range from the very simple to the more ornate. It is worked on a “pillow” following a pattern of pinholes called a pricking. It is not well known when and where bobbin lace got started, but it is generally agreed upon that it emerged in the early 16th century. Both Flanders and Venice claim to have invented it, but no one truly knows. It is not surprising that metal thread bobbin lace could have originated in Venice. Venice was an important center for the manufacture of metal thread. Milan, Lyon, Paris, and even Aurillac in the Auvergne were also centers for manufacture of metal thread. All these places also became known for metal thread lace. It was quite common for metal thread lace to be made in cities where a metal thread industry had risen from the bullion trade. Silver, gold, and even less valuable metals were used. In the diary of an Elizabethan theatrical entrepreneur, Philip Henslow, he makes many comments regarding his company purchasing copper lace.
In the early days of bobbin lace making, the lace was typically used as insertions and applied to household linens and even some clothing. It was made from threads ranging from bleached linen, colored silks and even silver and gold metallic threads. As the technique spread, it began to imitate the designs that were being made in needle lace. By the time of Elizabeth I, bobbin lace had become much more popular and had begun to move towards the fantastic designs we can see at the height of the eighteenth century.
For my sample piece, I used a picture from Janet Arnold’s book, Patterns of Fashion 4, to create my pricking. The picture shows a close-up view of a bobbin lace ruff attached to its wire frame. Attached over the inner edge of the fan is a thin metal thread bobbin lace trim. Study of the picture shows that the pattern is made up of a single middle braid that is intersected by a second braid that weaves back and forth in a “S” pattern.

Not having a good idea of the size of the original piece, I used graph paper and simply created a pricking in a size that I could use for future projects. I used DMC Fil metallise gold as my thread as it seemed to be similar in appearance to the thread in the picture. It was also a thread suggested by Brenda Paternoster in her Threads for Lace book. It is similar to Japanese gold thread, but is far less expensive (an important consideration in my book). I worked a 6” sample for this competition as well as to keep for my personal reference.
The trim worked up nicely, but I did make a few changes between my piece and the extant example in the picture. My tension is a great deal tighter, and I worked more stitches than in the first piece. I wanted a more sturdy trim, especially if I was to use this for cuffs or collars. The lace is very firm with this particular metal thread. I would hope to try this pattern again with several other metal threads to see how the feel of the lace changes.

My lace:

Anyway, that was what I turned in. Unfortunately I was the only entry :( but Viscountess Eliza chose me as a winner anyway, so it felt nice :) I just would have loved to see another person's take on the exercise. My next lace challenge is to put together a beginner Tennerife class and a beginner bobbin lace class for spring and summer, respectively. I agreed to teach the bobbin lace class at Coronet this summer and I am hoping that it wasn't too big of a bite to take, considering that I am the co-autocrat for that event. I should be able to pull an inexpensive class off with some creative tweaking....blue foam as basic pillows, and lollipop stick bobbins, and cotton tatting thread. I do have one or two earlier lace patterns from the early 1500's (ish) that are simple plaits and use anywhere from 2 to 6 pairs. They are good ones to start with.
Outside of Lacemaking, I am trying to get the model piece started for our Arts and Sciences March class on Elizabethan sweete bags. It is mostly a form of crewel work, but I want to include some of the easier bits of stumpwork also. That is the main project for right now SCA wise. I am also working on a canvaswork stitching accessories set that includes a scissor case, needlebook, and pin keep, as well as a box to keep it all in. It is a modern pattern from Wendy KC Designs and it allows me to just indulge in modern threads and stitches. It is also more challenging because of the sheer variety of threads and stitches. I am totally enjoying it. I do hope to get the set finished before the fair in August. We'll see.
I've decided to take a break on doing anything at all towards the Tudor dress I started this blog about. A week or so ago, I got on the scale and did NOT like what I saw there. I have since started making some pretty concrete changes, and I would like to see where those changes take me before I start trying to build a fitted dress.
That is it for now...I have probably forgotten things and misspelled and typo'ed galore, but at least I got something written :)

Life goes on...

It has been a LONG time since I sat down and updated this thing. I haven't been as busy doing needlework as I would have liked though. After my last posting, I successfully pulled off an event I was in charge of. Michaelmas is our one SCA event a year where we focus on a particular time and place and then arrange a period feast around it. This year's theme was the middle east of the Crusade time period. We traveled from Persia on up into Andalusia and covered about 100 years of time. It was a lot of work, a lot of cooking, but BOY was it yummy! However, within a few days of that event, I got hit by the dreaded flu. I am not sure whether it was the H1N1 or not (my doctor didn't bother to test it as he felt that the flu was the flu) but it hit me and my 16yr old son, Hard!
I recovered in just enough time to fly down to Salt Lake City to see my eldest son. We had a good couple of days visiting with each other and with our friends who had just been moved to Hill AFB. I did get to enjoy the novelty of attending one of the local SCA group's Arts and Sciences nights. They were teaching shuttle tatting, and after many mistakes and having to completely restart, I did manage to complete one small pattern. I haven't really looked into just how likely tatting existed pre 1600's, but even still I may just stick to needle tatting as the shuttle ties my fingers in thread!
When I got back from my trip, I promptly had a full relapse of the flu. I was out of it for another full week, and then it seemed to take at least another week or two to get back to full speed. Looking back on it now, I realize that I essentially lost a month! It is rather frustrating when you get to spend so much time trying to catch up from an illness like that.
Mind you, I did get a few things done.
I put together a class for our modern needlework guild. I usually teach a plastic canvas ornament class each October, but this year I wanted to do something different. This year I decided to do a little blackwork ornament. Sticking to the Christmas theme, I designed a little holly and ivy piece.

While getting that class ready, I also set up a basic Hardanger class for our local SCA Arachne's Web Lacemaking Guild. While Hardanger is considered "post-period" for the SCA Needleworker's Guild, it is an accepted form of lacemaking for the Arachne's Web. I think it is also a wonderful way to introduce needleworkers to the world of lacemaking. It isn't as daunting as bobbin lace or Punto in Aria needle lace, and it uses basic stitches that most needleworkers know quite well. I will also admit that getting this class ready allowed me to "kill two birds with one stone". I had volunteered to provide a needlebook to the West Kingdom Needleworker's Guild for their 2010 project. Even though it is a "lace" not a "needlework", I made the book to match the bookmark I designed for the class and then sent both items in. Fortunately for me, they we wonderful and took pictures since I forgot to do so...yet again.

About the time I had mostly finished these items, I received the fabric for two sets of collars and cuffs that I had agreed to blackwork. The fabric got to me by the 5th of December, and my goal was to get it into the return mail by the 2nd of January. That seemed to give me lots of time...silly me! I forgot to figure in all the time for dealing with the holidays and all their myriad of activities, as well as getting two kids through the end bits of their semesters with school and scouting. Somehow, I made it! I am still not too sure how I pulled it off. The designs ended up being far simpler than I had originally planned, but that actually worked out for the best. When I got to see pictures of the finished outfits, more ornate embroidery could have thrown the whole look off. Once again, I didn't get any pictures before I sent them off. I have one picture that Duchess Megan took of Eilis in her finished outfit with the blackwork showing, however, there aren't any of Titus. Hopefully I can get some sent to me. Anyway, here she is :)

So, now I am set to take a deep breath and then try and get some more projects squared away. We will see where the next month takes me :)

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'....

For whatever reason, the theme from Rawhide has been going through my head. I wish herding my personal "cats" were as easy as herding cattle *sigh*. Toddlers, teenagers, hubands, bureaucrats, and just insanity in general. It doesn't leave a ton of time to just sit and stitch...boy, I sure miss that! So, I haven't gotten as much done as I had wished, but I haven't been totally stationary. I did get a couple of small things done, and I did the finishing for a couple of pieces a friend made.
First things first, I got pictures from the snowflake pouch I made. The recipient was an angel and made some wonderful photos for me.

Not bad. I was pretty pleased with how the silver leather worked for the outline. Just a few beads added a bit of sparkle without making it too much for the person who I made it for. She seems happy, so I did my job right :)

I haven't gotten much else done over the past month, but a few things were finished. I did get some needlebooks finished. I made one as a prize for a contest,and two to be given as gifts. I also did the finishing on a couple of pieces that a friend made. She does beautiful work, but then never knows what to do with them, so she gives some of them to me to finish and then give as gifts. That's one of the best parts of the SCA to me...I always have an excuse to make things, and a place to give them away. It works for me.
This was made for an Arts and Sciences contest winner. She got to pick the colors, and I aimed the design towards her liking of Scandinavian and Moorish medieval cultures. The button is made of linen fabric and the loop was created with a tatting style button-hole stitch. It was worked in cross-stitch in silk thread on 28ct even weave and then finished with linen fabric and wool felt pages.

These were the needlebooks for gifts. Simple blackwork designs worked on 28ct even-weave in silk thread and then finished with linen linings and wool felt pages. I used ties for these books as a button would have thrown off the design. I am working on another contest prize, and I will post pictures when it gets finished.
Other than the needlebooks, I have been doing more research on the Tudor dress I want to do. Yeah, I know...this is the reason I started this blog in the first place. However, Margo Anderson has come out with a Tudor women's pattern, and I have been breathlessly waiting for it to appear. I recieved it two days ago, and have been avidly going over it. What makes me really happy is that it is actually confirming some of the ideas I already had formed while looking at extant examples and paintings. I am feeling far more confident at making at least a working woman's Tudor dress, for starters. Now I just have to find the time....*sigh*. the really silly part is that I need to make the kirtle first, and then the smock...but it is the smock that I want to get to so I can blackwork it :) Oh well, patience is a virtue.
Anyway, that is it for now. I am glad that I at least got one post in for September, even if it was cutting it close to the end of the month. I know that there really isn't anyone reading this, but it does me good to set a goal of at least a once a month post to help keep me on some kind of track. It helps...

Deep Breaths

Purgatorio/Oerthan Coronet and the local fair are Over! This means that all the projects I had major time limits on are now done, and I am now slipping back into the relatively quiet school year. Things can now get back to a more concrete routine, and I might actually get more done. Besides, snow will be falling soon enough, and I will be back to my warm and fully indoor arts.

So, what did I get done? Well, the rose pouch I posted pictures of a while ago. I also got the snowflake pouch done. It was in the same style as the rose pouch, but it was done in blue velvet with white wool and silver leather instead of the gold. I also added a few beads as accent and put the intended recipient's initial in the center of the snowflake. I think it came out lovely, and she did seem happy with the finished pouch. Silly me though, I didn't get pictures of that either. I seem to be really bad about taking pictures of my work before it gets given away. I am trying to get pictures of the pouch, I hope to have some soon.

I did get one new basic smock made. It is mostly machine stitched, but I hand finished the seams on the sleeves and did the hem and cuffs as well as the neckline. I used a pearl for the cuff button, and used a needlelace stitch to create the buttonhole. I got the sleeves assembled by hand for the other new smock and I have a general idea for the blackwork on the sleeves themselves. I have the cuffs blackworked, but not assembled yet. I am using the Janet Arnold Patterns of Fashion Volume 4 as the heavy part of my research. It is one thing to look at paintings of pieces, and another to see an actual piece, even if it is just a photograph of one. Her book has been a blessing to me. I am really hoping to have the new Tudor kirtle and overdress done by the Oerthan Winter Coronet and the best part would be the smock. It will all depend on health and other distractions as to what I actually get done.

Other things I got done...I made a new bodice for my old Flemish/Tudor kirtle. It is one I made several years ago. It is blue linen with an inner heavy canvas layer and lined in blue linen for the bodice and a cream linen for the skirt. It is one of my favorite kirtles, and the bodice was well loved and worn. Some of the eyelets were tearing and it did need some resizing. Much to my happiness, I found remaining fabric from when I made it, tucked into the back corner of my fabric stash. I was very happy to have an exact match for making the new bodice. The assembly went well, and it looks good...my only disappointment is that the new bodice ended up a bit big. It is a hazard of resizing something and not being able to pin oneself. I will tweak it sometime this fall.

Other than finishing the journey bags I discussed in my last note and the stuff I noted above, my last major project was three "toy boxes". I purchased three 7"x9.5" unfinished boxes and painted one in Kingdom colors, one in Principality colors, and one in my Barony's colors. I then decoupaged the Arms of each on top of correct box. I then purchased doll clothespins, the doll stand bases for the pins, 2" round wood balls, 1.5" flat coin shapes in wood, .75" wood square blocks, and thin wooden dowels. Using the information I found, and a bit of imagination, I was able to create four game sets for each box. The dowels were cut to 8" lengths and then painted colors, sealed and turned into pick up sticks. The little wood blocks I painted and then marked as die. Even though they weren't made for such a use, they actually roll pretty randomly, so they are reasonably suited for dice. The flat coin shapes were painted one color on one side, and another on the other side, and then I made a basic "tic tac toe" board out of muslin. There was the third game. The last game required me painting the clothespins and gluing them into the doll bases so that they could be free standing. I then painted the balls and those two things were then a tabletop set of nine-pin. I put together a set of the period rules for all the various games, and included an additional page of period and peri-oid games that could be used to entertain kids as events. That includes the much older "kids" as well. I had a great deal of fun playing a version of Yacht with the dice. I used pre-cut wood pieces and acrylic paints and sealers. I wanted to show that it only took basic skills and little cost to put together a simple toy kit. I also wanted to keep the items as safe as possible for any kids that might play with them. There are no sharp edges, non-toxic paints were used and there were no points on the sticks. I gave away the other two boxes to the places they needed to go, so all I have to get pictures of is the one I did for the Barony.

Once again, me not taking pictures.

Anyway, that is it for now. I have a stumpwork rose I am finishing as well as a couple of needlebooks. I then need to kick back into gear on the Tudor. Till next time...