Drafted Stocking Pattern

Y’all, stockings are hard.
I drafted a pattern using this tutorial: https://medievaltailor.com/demonstrations/stockings/
I discovered that that person’s body is very different from mine, and the stocking — well, really just the leg, because I hadn’t sorted the upper and sole yet — wouldn’t go on and off my leg thanks to the narrow part near the top. I’m calling the paper-only pattern Iteration #0, so that I can call the first tried-it-in-fabric pattern Iteration #1. Or maybe that’s iterations #1 and #1.5, I don’t know.

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Quivers & Quarrels Interview with Lady Rekon of Saaremaa

Over the summer and autumn of 2015, I interviewed Lady Rekon of Saaremaa in multiple sessions for an article in Quivers & Quarrels, the magazine devoted to archery within the Society for Creative Anachronism. The article is published now, so I’m glad to be able to post the interviews, which contains some information that didn’t fit in the article (which in turn contains my own words, not found here). Even both together do not do justice to this amazing archer and human being, but they do shine a small light.

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Why I never get anywhere with my sewing

On the plus side, when I’ve got this smock made, it will work for any time and place I choose to portray, from the earliest use of sewn textiles right on up into the Tudor period. Heck, in some parts of the world, they’re still using patterns much like this even to this very day, not as a part of historical reenactment or historical authenticity or anything like that, but because That’s Just How You Do Clothes.

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Scribal Arts: Largesse (Gyldenloot!)

As I’m not certain I’ve mentioned before, my place within the Society for Creative Anachronism is in the Kingdom of Caid (pronounced kah-YEED), and within that, the Barony of Gyldenholt. I do many things in the SCA, but one of them is serving as guildmaster for my barony’s scribal guild.

[If you’re in Gyldenholt, or indeed in any part of Caid, please click to read the rest. You like free stuff, right? Not even kidding, there’s an offer in here.] Continue reading “Scribal Arts: Largesse (Gyldenloot!)”

Why I’ve Not Posted (Boring)

It’s been a while since I posted. Sorry about that. Things got weird for a while. They’re still weird, but I hope to be back on track soon. For instance, I’m already on the third-and-a-half re-fitting and re-making of that camisa (so depending on how you count half-finished re-fits, this is either version 4 or version 5) that I first had fitted in January. I mostly haven’t taken pictures, because they all start to look the same. Continue reading “Why I’ve Not Posted (Boring)”

Threading A Needle

Threading3I really didn’t think I needed to learn how to do this. It’s the one thing “everybody” knows about sewing, right? Most people who contemplate sewing start by understanding that thread has to go through the eye of the needle, and they’ve got a pretty good idea of how to get it there. Nevertheless, there are things that make threading the needle easier, and there are ways to thread that will make your sewing easier. Read on, Gentle Reader. Continue reading “Threading A Needle”