Cross One Off!

#9 is now done on my AS 50 list. Master Etienne and I performed three dances at a charity event for the Twin Cities German Immersion School in St. Paul. We did two rehearsed dances: Spagnoletto Regolatto (my favorite) and Contrapasso in Due. The third was a Galliarde, but was done to a waltz. It was a little weird, but it worked. People were really interested in watching, so I think I'd do this again, especially if we can get the audience into it.

AS 50 List

AS 50 List
AS 50 List Update. The most current progress is at the end of each project line in bold.
1. The Corset project. See earlier posts. Working on it, and will be for some time.
2. Make a trestle table. It's functional. Not pretty but functional and I will have it at WW. Needs more sanding and a finish. 3. Get better shoes. Either trade, barter, make or buy. I bought a pair of red shoes by Born from Schuler Shoes. They're mary janes and fit wonderfully. 4. Work on the Spanish circle (rapier). Haven't really practiced much.
5. Help someone new make clothing (I believe that one way to improve ourselves is to help others). Done.
6. Eat only period appropriate foods all day at one event and prepare them in a period manner, as in not using modern things like a silicone spatula. Lillies would be perfect for this. I'll have to do this next year. I didn't go this year. Haven't done this yet.
7. Make a period hairpiece because I don't have enough hair as it is. Not started.
8. Make a hat to go with one set of clothes. Not started.
9. Perform a dance before an audience, not just dance during a ball or practice. Preferrably with Master Etienne and I'd like the dance to be Spagnoletto Rigolatto. I'm going to perform the dance solo on Friday night. Done.
10. Make a 6 board box. My brother is actually making two for me, and he is really an excellent wood worker. He has the wood but hasn't done anything with it yet. They are actually made, one from oak, one from pine. I'm going to do stain and polyurethane the oak box and probably paint the pine box.
11. Finish the 15th century table knife. I'm to the point of sanding it, but the grinding is very cold in winter and standing in front of a belt sander that blows cold air back at you isn't my idea of a good time. I'm thinking about starting a new one. I have made progress on the one I've started so I probably won't be making a completely new one. I had no weld failures, but did almost ruin it but was able to fix it. Haven't gone to Danr's for about three months.
12. Make late period hair curling tongs. I'm just going to make these, not actually use them on my hair. Not started. Gotta do some more research yet. Again, haven't gone to Danr's for about three months.
13. Reline Flemish dress and make a pattern from it. Working on it. I've made progress, but I don't need this until it is warm again. Made some progress here.
14. Teach 50 embroidery classes on any type of embroidery, by individual or group. I've taught seven. Make that 11. I am at 13 now.
15. Finish the Tudor undergarments, not including the corset embroidery project, by Lillies. Didn't happen. Enough said there. I'll try to get this done by Lillies next year. Very little progress here.
16. Make a girdle book. Not started. No Change. Still not started.
17. Learn how to do smocking, and how it is combined with blackwork. Haven't learned this.
18. Make an outfit for an infant that can be let out as the child grows. I have the bodice part just about done. It's all lined and ready to be put together. Margaretta gave me some green wool for a coat.
19. Make a set of Roman style clothing. I bought the most wonderful mustard-y yellow cotton gauze today which is a good color for me. I'll probably pair it with a bright green gauze. I didn't buy any white because it came in two pieces and there wasn't enough. I have to get more fabric to do this. Still the same. I might just take this off the list, depending on fabric I find.
20. Make a beaded collar for the black silk Italian dress. I don't have the beads yet. TJ wasn't happy with them so he sent them back. No beads yet. Same here, no change.
21. Make a new chemise to go with the black silk Italian dress. Not started.
22. Find a use for all the fabric I own and don't buy any more unless absolutely necessary. This will actually take seven years. I'm nowhere on this one. Same here,no change.
23. New Champion Baldrics for the Barony of Nordskogen. I almost have all the threads pulled for these to have 12 even strips out of the blue. They will be lined with white linen. There will be a seam at the shoulder so they sit better on the individual wearing them. By the end of September I want to start the embroidery. Got the bardic badge embroidery almost done except for the strings, finished the embroidery on the archery badge, and started on the heavy champion badge.
24. Build a small shade fly with side walls to use for cooking. Not started. Same deal, not started.
25. Complete one set of wax tablets by 12th Night. Didn't get them done because I couldn't find the other half of the set. I just found it.
26. New Rapier Clothing. I bought wool and found some heavy linen that with one layer of each passed the drop test.
27. Make stands for Baronness Eithni and myself for our new ceramic cooking pots. Again, haven't gone to Danr's for a few months.
And the newest item:
28. Make a new apron.

12th Night

If there ever was a good day to be a champion in Nordskogen, 12th Night had to be it. How else can you get a standing back row spot to the following:
Margaretta named Bard of Nordskogen
Niccolo getting a Baelfire
Simon Morcar getting elevated to Laurel for Rapier (and sneaking really great photos the whole time)
Moraig getting elevated to Pelican
and last but not least...
Margalit put on vigil for Pelican

The look on Margalist's face was just incredible. Not only that, but I got a Heliotrope from Their Excellencies so everyone had to move out of my way so I could get around to the front. I've always wanted to do that because I think it's funny.
It's like saying: Hi, I'm already up here so no one has to look around to find me because here I am!

I got lots of neat and geeky embroidery stuff along with various sweets. I really didn't need the sugar but it's 12th Night. Erica Poitevins gave me a chatelaine, retractable awl, embroidery scissors and holder, and a really fancy seam ripper. Giovanna gave me two books from the embroidery exhibit she saw in New York. One was a small catalog, the other an instruction book. It was hard not to practice stitches, but I didn't have the right materials I'd want to start working on them with. Tamsyn gave me a rubber duckie with snowflakes on it. I have a small but growing collection of various duckies at work. I'm only adding to the collection when someone gives me one just to see how big it might get.

Moraig liked the short bread I made for her vigil. I didn't know about Simon's so I didn't make anything. He had a lot of food anyway. It feel apart when I bit into it which is exactly what is supposed to happen. I've never made any before so there was no failure.

Then when I went up to SR Harris to deliver something to Eithni that I picked up for her today, I found some really nice wool on sale for $6 a yard that I hope passes the drop test. I could use some new rapier clothes. I haven't had any for so long. All the others at Harris agreed it was a good fabric for me. It's greenish but with lots of flecks of other colors in it, and it is a thinner 100% wool. I will need to line it, but my current stuff is lined too. If it doesn't work for that, I will probably make a coat from it. There's about 6 1/3 yards there.

Here are two new A&S 50 list items:
New Rapier Clothing
Make stands for Baronness Eithni and myself for our new ceramic cooking pots.

AS 50 List Update

1. The Corset project. See earlier posts. Working on it.

2. Make a trestle table. It's functional. Not pretty but functional and I will have it at WW.

3. Get better shoes. Either trade, barter, make or buy. I've been measured for shoes. Now I just have to order them.

4. Work on the Spanish circle (rapier). Haven't been fencing lately because of a hand injury.

5. Help someone new make clothing (I believe that one way to improve ourselves is to help others). Done.

6. Eat only period appropriate foods all day at one event and prepare them in a period manner, as in not using modern things like a silicone spatula. Lillies would be perfect for this. I'll have to do this next year. I didn't go this year.

7. Make a period hairpiece because I don't have enough hair as it is. Not started.

8. Make a hat to go with one set of clothes. Not started.

9. Perform a dance before an audience, not just dance during a ball or practice. Preferrably with Master Etienne and I'd like the dance to be Spagnoletto Rigolatto. Not done yet.

10. Make a 6 board box. My brother is actually making two for me, and he is really an excellent wood worker.

11. Finish the 15th century table knife. I'm to the point of sanding it, but the grinding is very cold in winter and standing in front of a belt sander that blows cold air back at you isn't my idea of a good time. I'm thinking about starting a new one.

12. Make late period hair curling tongs. I'm just going to make these, not actually use them on my hair. Not started.

13. Reline Flemish dress and make a pattern from it. Working on it.

14. Teach 50 embroidery classes on any type of embroidery, by individual or group. I've taught seven.

15. Finish the Tudor undergarments, not including the corset embroidery project, by Lillies. Didn't happen.

16. Make a girdle book. Not started.

17. Learn how to do smocking, and how it is combined with blackwork. Make an outfit for an infant that can be let out as the child grows (I just found out a non-SCA friend is pregnant and she requested an outfit for the baby). Not started.

18. Make a set of Roman style clothing. I bought the most wonderful mustard-y yellow cotton gauze today which is a good color for me. I'll probably pair it with a bright green gauze. I didn't buy any white because it came in two pieces and there wasn't enough. I have to get more fabric to do this.

19. Make a beaded collar for the black silk Italian dress. I don't have the beads yet. TJ wasn't happy with them so he sent them back.

20. Make a new chemise to go with the black silk Italian dress. Working on it. I started that a while ago.

21. Find a use for all the fabric I own and don't buy any more unless absolutely necessary. This will actually take seven years.

There is more on here that is not done or even started than is done. Fun. And I have 29 more things to add.
All the largesse is done to pay the mercs at Pennsic. Finally. Now I can do something else.
I still need to make 2 pairs of pants and a cooler cover out of sunforger.

Second Hand Stores

It's amazing what you can find. I had a donation to make to a second hand store, and decided to go inside after I did that. I went to Arc's Value Village on Penn Avenue South in Minneapolis. They have a craft section which I usually visit. In a small plastic bag marked at the value price of $0.99, I found two unused skeins of Splendor silk in beige, an ideal color for stalks of wheat, which I have in my corset embroidery project. I also picked up a pair of leather tan Land's End Mary Janes in my size that make passable period shoes which were nearly brand new. I can dye them black if I don't like tan. So now I can cross that off my list. I thought of a couple things to add:
18. Make a girdle book
19. Learn how to do smocking, and how it is combined with blackwork
20. Make an outfit for an infant that can be let out as the child grows (I just found out a non-SCA friend is pregnant and she requested an outfit for the baby).

Destruction!

I did something today I've been meaning to do for a long time, and now I only have a week and half or so to do it in. I took apart my Flemish underdress. It was the first dress I handstitched, and I didn'tdo the best of jobs on it, at least in my opinion. I'm relining it making a pattern from it. This is what it looks like now

I'm have yet to cut apart the large piece in the first picture.

I did this ofr a couple reasons. It needed to be relined, so each piece is going to be lined individually instead of the entire upper piece being done as one. I have done on two other dresses so far and really like how those two turned out. Maestra Giovanna suggested that to me. One thing I need to do before lining it is cover up where I put the lacing holes. I made this long before I started using lacing rings. I'm hoping to start putting this back together tomorrow. If you look on the folded up piece, you can still see all the pleats in the skirt. This will make it a little smaller, but it has gotten a little to big for me. It will also be shorter, but it was a little long too.

Because I've been meaning to do this for a long time, I'm adding it to the list.

I left off the list at number 12, so I'm picking up on number 13.

13. Reline Flemish dress and make a pattern from it.

14. Teach 50 embroidery classes on any type of embroidery, by individual or group.

15. Finish the Tudor undergarments, not including the corset embroidery project, by Lillies.

I'm still taking suggestions on this list, if anyone has any. I have 35 more things to add yet.