King's College 6-10-17

Good morning!

Here are the Google Sheet presentations for my classes today at King's College.

Sewing or Finishing your Garb by Hand
Tablet Weaving for Beginners

Because this link is to the actual Google Sheet, you will always be able to view the most current version. Have a wonderful day, and please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions.

Steppes Artisan Competition 2015

Photo courtesy of Jamie Snow

Today's Steppes Artisan event was epic! It was wonderful to see all the amazing things that our populace is learning and creating. It's scary to put your craft out there, not knowing if it will be praised, or criticized, or both. This was my second year entering in this competition, and each time it has been an incredible, rich experience. A fantastic opportunity to tap in to the deep well of knowledge and wisdom that our members represent.

For those who were unable to make it, here's a quick tour of my display, with links to the relevant projects included for those of you who would like more information.

So here's my table up close! From the left you have a complete outfit (again on Mom's duct-tape double) which includes pieces from the following posts:

Serk, A Viking Age Underdress

The Teal Linen Apron Dress, Part I

The Teal Linen Apron Dress, Part II

Viking Coat/Kaftan Project

You can also see the leather and wood journal I created to hold my documentation, as well as a selection of tablet woven pieces that demonstrates my growth in this medium over time. There are simple chevrons and diamonds in silk and linen - even some woven with linen and silk sewing thread. Once I became comfortable with the chevrons, I moved on to patterns which have survived in the archeological record. In this image, you can see a narrow linen band woven in a pattern from the Oseberg Ship Burial (around 834 A.D.) and a companion piece that used the same pattern but with a tiny color rotation on a single card.

While the goal of the competition was to show "a diversity of endeavor" in a body of work competition, I wanted to make sure that the pieces I chose to display followed a certain theme. In this case, it was to come as close as possible to a complete Viking kit. Not just the outfit, but the accessories which transform it from a costume to an actual representation. The "diversity of endeavor" then came naturally. To make these pieces I had to learn to hand sew, to dye fabric, to weave via rigid heddle and tablet weaving, to do some leather work, and even some wood carving.

In the middle of the table, we move on to the piece I am the most excited about: My Hedeby Harbor wooden-handled bag. I wanted to reach a whole new level with this piece, and I really hope you'll check out the blog post for this project, because I am so proud of it. In this image you can see some beeswax candles, which represent some baby steps into a new craft.

On the loom is another tablet-weaving project, and probably the most difficult one to date. I've started another band style from a period piece: the Snartemo II, from about 500 A.D. in the southern part of Norway. The original is wool, but my allergies force me to do my tablet-weaving in linen or silk, so I started my band in black and white silk. The version of the reconstructed pattern that I found used only two holes of my four-holed weaving cards, which means that with every turn I have to fight my cards to keep them in formation. I did hear a rather fascinating alternative format today, from one of our fabulous artisans, and I will be doing more experimenting with this style in the future.

Also on the table are a couple very small thread reels I carved out of walnut, and a Viking cap. I started doing the research for that project back in 2003 when I was spending a semester in London. I took a weekend train to York and saw the original silk cap on display. I'm fighting with the actual silk version of the cap right now, but I was able to include a linen version which was much more fun to make. More information - including an email I received from a gentleman at the Museum of York - is in the cap's blog post, which you can access with the link below.

Hedeby Harbor Wooden-Handled Bag

Viking-Era Silk Cap Reconstruction

And, finally, the right side of my display is is devoted to my recent experiments with period dye, specifically madder root. I kept wool samples as I went, although I did throw in some scrap linen to see what it would do.

I had two sources for my madder, which allowed me to do some compare and contrast. In the green ceramic cup you can see the last of the 4oz of fresher, fairly uniformly chopped roots I ordered from AcrossGenerations on Etsy. The round glass jar contains part of the 4-year-old 1lb package from Aurora Silk that my friend Emma gave me. It contained a greater variety of root sizes, from the almost hair-thin to chunks that were bigger than my thumb.

It was fascinating to see the difference in color that they yielded. The younger, more uniform pieces gave me my brighter oranges, while the older batch with the wider variety gave me some lovely, rich browner colors. I can't wait to get my hands on a madder plant and try using shaved roots of the really fresh stuff for vivid reds. You can see more information about the project - and more pictures! - by visiting the blog post:

Hedeby Harbor Wooden-Handled Bag

But the absolute best part was to be called into court, surrounded by some of the best artists and craftspeople I know, and be chosen as Artisan. Thank you all, so very much, for this incredible honor!

Photo courtesy of Martha Schreffler

Sewing or Finishing Your Garments by Hand

Do you want to learn how to sew like I do? I've volunteered to teach a one-hour class in period hand-sewing during the Incipient Canton of Kyngscreke's King's College event on Saturday, June 13th!

Creating example pieces, displays, and other wonderful things!

Class Description:

Focusing on Viking and Early Medieval stitching types, we will explore different period stitches, their application, and problem-solve some troublesome areas like inserting gores and keyhole necklines in both linen and wool. 10-15 only, please, so I can ensure materials for everyone.

Links and Handouts: 

Inserting gores in linen (Teal Apron Dress Project)

Inserting gores in wool (Gray Apron Dress Project)

Handout - Class Size, 4 PowerPoint Slides per Page
Handout - Full Size, 1 PowerPoint Slide per Page
My Pinterest Board for Viking/Medieval Sewing

Interested? 

Visit the event website for more information. 

The day's Facebook event is a great place to go for updates and questions.

Hope to see you there!

-Mel

Steppes Artisan Competition 2014

Today I attended my first Steppes Artisan competition, and I was completely overwhelmed by the awesomeness. From metalwork and stonework, embroidery and calligraphy to weaving and more edible arts, it was a fascinating and inspiring collection of arts and crafts from ages past. I was delighted to be a part of it.

For those of you who couldn't make it, here's a quick view of my table, as well as links to the relevant blog posts and documentation.

The right side of the table dealt mostly with my rigid heddle weaving. I've posted pictures of a couple bands at a time, but there's something special about seeing so many of them together.... especially since I only started weaving last January! I did pull out the family inkle loom, but only so I could demonstrate both a rigid heddle project and a tablet-weaving project at the same time.

The left of the table was my duct-tape model of Mom wearing my last two sewing projects: Her tunic and my new apron dress. Both were sewn entirely by hand using period stitching techniques. Here are links to more in-depth articles about each: Apron Dress: Part I, Apron Dress: Part II, and Mom's Under Tunic.

The middle of the table focused on my tablet weaving. I've mentioned before that my first two projects were completed within 24 hours of getting my cards! There are two relevant blog posts for these projects: Weaving with Period Fibres/Beginning Tablet Weaving and Tablet Weaving with Silk.

All I expected going into this event was some constructive criticism and maybe an "atta girl" or two. Instead, I had the honor of being recognized by Mistress Rhiannon, who gave me an awesome basket of goodies to play with. Other members of the populace were incredibly generous too, and I have a lot more beads and period toys to play with!

But what incredibly floored me was  receiving my first award in over a decade: The Sable Thistle in Weaving. While I received other honors during my time in the Kingdom of the West, this is my very first scroll! It's totally getting framed and hung in a place of honor!

One last note: If you enjoyed the mini chicken pies we brought for the potluck, the recipe was Capon Pie from MedievalCookery.com and is supposed to date to the 16th century Netherlands.

Costumes on Parade: Flickr

I finally got around to compiling pictures of as many of my projects as I can. I created a Flickr account and have been combing my old files and boxes for costumes and quilts as yet unrepresented. So far, it's working fairly well. There's still a lot out there that I don't have pictures of, but it's a great start.

If you happen to have something I've sewn for you and don't see it represented, please send me a picture!

Thank you so much!