Purple Viking Is Purple

Remember how I told you about my lavender Viking tunic? It still has the problems I mentioned before, because I’m lazy and don’t want to fix them right now. But those problems aren’t going to matter much, once it goes under some other garment.

I made that tunic, and told you that story, so I could tell you this story. This is a much better story, because it’s a love story: Continue reading “Purple Viking Is Purple”

Hakim’s Cloak

I’m kind of ashamed of how long it’s taken me to complete this cloak. I bought the fabric last January, cut it out in February, and then it languished on the To Do pile for months. Every so often, I would take it out and look at it again. It was a gorgeous blue wool, which I’d felted immediately when I got it home — boiled it in the wash load, dried it on the highest heat setting in the dryer — and it was (and is) pure luxury to touch, if your idea of luxury is a sturdy coat wool that doesn’t care about your wee wittle feewings or sensitive skin, and only wants to keep you warm and perhaps serve as a layer of light armor. Since Hakim is frequently chilled at night, I knew right away that it was for him. Continue reading “Hakim’s Cloak”

A Supportive Camisa Pattern

Thi past Sunday, I was privileged to attend a sewing party called the 12th Night Panic Meeting, hosted by Lady Cecelia Lightfoot (outside the SCA she is Leslie Lightfoot, which is also a fantastic name!) and led by Dame Arianna (Ann Hartl is her name outside the SCA, but the rest of her SCA name I don’t know), who is as kind as she is talented, and as good a teacher as any I’ve had the privilege to learn by. The objective of the party was to get a lot of people fitted for garb, or get them forwarder in the making of garb. Arianna (also a Baroness, a Lady, and a lady, as I am and my mother would be impressed enough to comment) put myself and my friend Barbara Hu McGahey first on her fitting list.

Continue reading “A Supportive Camisa Pattern”

Gyldenholt Fourragere

My barony in the SCA, Gyldenholt, has awards. The awards usually come with bling, rather than scrolls: a pendant here, a medal there, a pin here, and this, called a Fourragere. (We’re looking up more period names for this, since fourragere is a term that is quite modern — 18th or 19th century, I’m pretty sure, rather than pre-17th century, which is the SCA’s area of study.) Continue reading “Gyldenholt Fourragere”