Lia's Projects

Flooring and shirts.

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:48:06 GMT

My nose continues to run, and amazingly, so does my sewing machine.

How about that! When it decides to have a good day it makes a perfectly acceptable straight seam, and today was such a day apparently. I've just stitched together one half of the fabric floor that I'm making for my pavilion. I decided to take the remaining pea-green/yellowish some-part-wool fabric that I made my Laton jacket from and put it to some use. Floor in my pavilion sounds about right. The fabric isn't bulky, not very heavy, and neutral enough as a flooring that I won't expire from horror upon seeing it.

So I sketched out the floor plan on milimetre grid paper, measured my fabric and cut off two triangles from either end of the length which I stitched together and onto the side to make half of an octagonal flooring. The other half will have to be another colour. I don't mind. That will end up a very dark blue. Should spiffy up the place a bit - one hopes.

In other news, I've not yet done a proper update on the sewing progress. In short, my Sture shirt (mark 3) is finished aside from the eyelets needed for the cords that will close sleeves and collar. Six eyelets to go, three cords to make and that shirt is completely, utterly, finished. Hurrah! Oh, almost forgot about the shoulder re-inforcements. It needs those put in place too.

The red petticoat - I've cut out the bodice in the wool and have started by facing the front with a purple lining. I will be closing the wool layer with hooks and eyes over lacing through the interlining layers. It will be sweet.

I've got hooks and eyes now as well, so I will retro fit two pairs on my surcote lining kirtle as the skirt has a tendency to flop open and I have a tendency to scratch my hands up something awful on the pins I end up using.

PSA: Website update

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:54:36 GMT

My Events page is now updated with links, oh so many links!, to photo galleries from Double Wars this year, and a blurb about the event.

Go check it out.

Back in civilized parts

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:28:52 GMT

I am once again ensconced in my own home in Aros. I am enjoying a pot of tea (just filled the last mug, will have to make another) and nursing a horrid cold that's got my nose stuffed up, my eyes running and my bronchials trying to expel primeval goo. I blame this state of affairs on my mother's youngest sister, whom I visited last weekend. She did not deny it, rather confirmed that she too had been laid low with a fever at the end of the week.

Still, I'm wearing my comfy wool slippers, my lovely wool wrap-around top and I've got my mug of tea.

The sojourn in the frozen north was not as nice and summery as it was last summer. At least then I could wear my shorts and a short sleeved top to work. This year it was long sleeves, socks and sometimes even a fleece jacket. Of course the summer came on full force yesterday, as I was leaving.

I was not quite as productive as I could have been, but I will have updates on my sewing projects to post about. I've also organized and arranged a few things.

In closing I'd just like to say the following:
You know you are a fabric-o-holic when you return from the ends of the earth with four more metres of linen.

I've decided I do not care to cheat.

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:57:23 GMT

This was helped on when I poured boiling water on my hand this morning at work. It was a not-fun experience and the hand is still pretty sore. The effect of that is that I can't really use my left hand (and I'm left-handed) manipulating cloth and whatnot because it hurts whenever something touches the skin.

I did buy some linen fabric. I washed it last night, and the idea was to cut out a basic t-tunic and sew it up on the machine today. Well, I decided I do not care to cheat myself and my wardrobe to that extent, not when it means pain too.

So, I won't be attending the event as a participant. I will drop by as a tourist to get some fabric and say hello to friends and such, but since I don't have clothes I'll not stay after-hours as was my last-minute-plans on Saturday. I'm fine with that.

In other news, What the fuck happened to summer? I'm freezing.

Oh bugger

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:02:17 GMT

I put my name down for an event. Only problem is I've got absolutely nothing to wear. And I mean that, literally, I've got absolutely nothing period to wear at all with me up here. What I have is bits of hemp linen, and bits of wool cloth. So, between now and Wednesday I better put those bits together into a shirt and kirtle orelse, err.... I don't even know what else. I might pull a fast one and get cheap ass linen and zoom it together on the machine. Maybe.

A quick update.

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:36:59 GMT

Fine hemp measured, cut out, ironed and lightly starched, to help me when sewing it together.

I had way too much fun with my measuring stick, and I got to indulge my inner control freak by pulling threads to cut along.

I was going to make it more of a basic layer, but I don't know if I want to add gores in the sides. I think I'll just go ahead and do side slits, because right now as I've cut out body front and back, sleeves and under arm gussets I've only used half the yardage (started with 3 metres). I might make another chemise or whatever with it. Or, I can save it and use it for veils.

I was bad and stayed up way way too late last night finishing an audio book. That means I've nothing left to listen to while I sew, which kind of sucks.

I have news

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:27:19 GMT

All seams on the skirt to my red petticoat are sewn together and the seam allowances topstitched to either side. It is quite gratifying how gorgeous that looks. Now, of course, only the tricky bit remains - doing the bodice up properly. It is going to be a pain in the backside whichever way I do it.

I think I'll switch over to cutting out my new shirt instead.

I <3 proper tools.

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:24:43 GMT

I had my carpenter cut me out a couple of long rods to dimensions I specified. Then I proceeded to make measuring sticks out of them. They're finished, waxed and sealed, and I intend to put one to use making my sture shirt. Oh, yes, I will.

I have put out a contract for miniature versions of same. They will, doubtless, be gorgeous considering whom they're hired out to.

Then again, I'm going to have plenty of time to myself, with access to the shop, for the coming four weeks, I've got plans already. Muahahahaha!

PSA

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:49:30 GMT

Updated my latest dress diary - the red petticoat. Nothing much, nothing fancy.

I made two laces using fingerloop braiding. One yesterday, another today. I mean to use one for my corset, the other for the petticoat. Still undecided if I want to close the petticoat with hooks and eyes in front or no.

I brought with me the new fine hemp cloth. I intend to make a new shirt in the Sture style with it. It's certainly fine enough. Flash-warning though, don't go outside wearing only that shirt - you wouldn't need the water to win the wet t-shirt contest...

I made a couple of silly signs for my mother. Just finished them now.

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:05:31 GMT

She wanted signs to put on some bathrooms ... somewhere. I don't know where. But they were to say "Laddies" and "Lasses" so I did something vaguely medieval-esque, and silly. I don't prented that they are my best work ever, but it was fun doing the penwork in the lettering. Good practice.

A plunge

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:17:33 GMT

So I decided to join the A.S. 50 A&S 50 Challenge. The Society wide challenge to complete fifty arts and science projects by Anno Societatis 50. I read up, for the fifth time, on the official webpage http://artsandsciences50.org/ what the challenge is. Then I read up on a few links, the originator's LJ (albreda) and A&S blog, then I headed on over to the Yahoo group where you sign up officially.

There are three challenges to dive into.

Depth - 50 of one kind of item.
Breadth - 50 different items.
Persona - focused breadth, 50 items for a specific persona/period.

I am thinking my focus will disappear quickly enough that the Depth is a no-go. I am considering either doing two of the Persona challenges: one for my 1410 self, and another for my 1560s (ish) self, or combine the two and just call it the breadth challenge.

I mean, I have until May 1, 2015 to finish the fifty items. Should be doable, considering that when I went back through my archives and listed the things I've done since May last year I'm up to 26 already.

That list goes:

Gerhardt SR scroll
Pavilion
Ingrid's blackwork collar and cuffs
miniature game board
Eleanor's napkin
wool mittens
pair of machine sewn hose
Eleanor's blackworked cuffs
Black wool Petticoat skirt
SSK kirtle
Waistcoat
Cross-stitch apron
assisi table cloth
Shirt for Sir Johann
Green petticoat skirt
Tall hat
Judge an A&S Competition (12th night 2008)
Teach a class (DW 2008)
Linen carrying bag (scrip)
soft cover bound book
Green Florentine gown
1 table setting embroidered with blue
1 table setting with drawn thread embroidery line
1 table setting finished around with drawn-thread hem stitch
bookmark tokens
red wool petticoat

Although if I discount similar items (3 & 8; 9 & 15; 13, 22, 23 & 24) I am down to 21 or so.

Genvägar äro senvägar. (There are no shortcuts)

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:48:46 GMT

Argh. Unpicking hand sewn seams may well be my least favourite activity ever.

I came to the lower edge of one side seam when I discovered that I'd pinned the front panel on the wrong way out compared to the back/gore panel. Helvete! is what I said, a number of times, with feeling.

I was only doing the side seam of the skirt in the first place because I was avoiding doing eyelets on the bodice. *sigh*

I guess I'll go back to eyelets, finish that up - there are only twelve on either side this time - then I can try the bodice on and see how it fits. I'm just whipstitching around each eyelet, like eight stitches, so it doesn't really take much time. It's just boring. I'll finish them off nicely once I've got the shell mounted on there.

I can't believe I didn't spot my mistake when I laid the skirt out and pinned it. So annoying.

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 07:04:56 GMT

08.17 Kitchen cabinet carpenter arrives.

I am, right at this very moment, getting my new kitchen cupboard doors and work surfaces. Awesome.

It was even a little bit of a surprise what it looked like because I had apparently forgotten which kind I'd chosen. Sweet. It is going to look rather nice, I think (read hope). I am also hoping for the tile-guy to come in the afternoon today... or tomorrow at the latest.

10.15 Carpenter guy leaves me to do some vaccuuming, and clean up. My new doors and work surface looks good.

10.41 Tile-guy is here. Most excellent. He'll do most of the hard work today, continuing tomorrow with the goo that goes between the tiles and silicon seals.

13.18 Tile-guy has started putting up tiles on the wall - hurray! The horrible "Perstorpsplatta" that was disintegrating into tiny shavings is no more!

Scribal, sewing and kitchen work.

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:33:06 GMT

Scribal night at my place tomorrow. I spent today working away on my red petticoat. It's chugging along nicely. It'll have pockets because pockets are the absolute bomb on kirtles. I love my pocket on the green English Fitted Gown and only regret I didn't make up a pair of pockets rather than a singleton.

This red petticoat will have pockets! Sweet.

I've also sewn four boning channels in the front of my bodice - leaving one unboned for eyelets. I intend to make it front spiral laced through all layers. I foresee very sore fingers before I'm done with those eyelets. *wince*

In mundane news, tomorrow the guy who is going to put new cupboard doors and drawer fronts in my kitchen is coming to remove the ugly-ass laminate doors and drawer fronts and put in new ones as per my order.

There is also the distinct possibility that the tiler-guy will also come tomorrow wanting to tile the backsplash in the kitchen. He didn't give me a definite time, but said he might come in today (Monday) or Tuesday. That was when he popped around to have a look at my kitchen on Friday. He'd called me during work on Thursday to see if I was home about doing the work then (I think). I missed the call, but when I called him back 40 minutes later he sounded all surprised I couldn't answer earlier and had by then gone on to do somebody elses place (I guess), and could possible come in next week then, maybe Monday or Tuesday. But had to look at the kitchen for two seconds on Friday first.

*shrug* First come-first serve I guess. The drawer front and door guy said he'd be coming around at 8 am. I am guessing he will be the first to arrive tomorrow and gets priority on the work then. I hope they can finish it all before I head north on Thursday. That would be very good indeed.

Must. Not. Brag.

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:02:55 GMT

Augh, it's impossible not to! Just look at what my tame carpenter made me:

The awesomeness level is beyond awesome. I must make cushions! Wool intarsia! Oooooh! Pretty!

I has a head

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 19:43:16 GMT

A head plagued by a headache. It was horrible earlier today. Then I had plenty of water.

And then I had a liiiiittle bit more water mixed in with a measure of Ardbeg which was a moving in present from my brother.

It was a princely gift. Or princessly. Whichever. It was om-nom-nommy.

I also had a wee nap. Now I'm watching the baby lions at the Norwegian zoo, but I think it's time for me to tuck myself in for the night. Tomorrow I'll be working on my red kirtle. Hopefully get the bodice pattern sorted. I've picked the interlining fabric from my stash now.

In better news

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:42:50 GMT

I've updated my clothing page! The website, she has an update. Most amazing. I whipped up a quick page on my newest project, the red petticoat.

Bah! Ouch!

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:09:34 GMT

I had a mission today. Get a microwave oven. No deal.

Just now I went out to my balcony to look at the sky after the enormous thunderclap I heard. Upon turning back around again I stepped on a bumble bee which stung like a mo-fo, and then the skies opened up and poured buckets of water down on us.

Grr! Argh! Gnnngh!

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:36:04 GMT

I would like it known that I just made the most awesome potato and leek soup ever in the history of potato and leek soups.

Awesome.

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:04:11 GMT

Opeth - mightiest band on the planet - rocks on.

And now for something a bit more on topic: I washed my new yardage today. The cuts of linen and hemp are now drying off the last little bit on my little wire rack thingy. I am planning on pulling out my ironing board and finish the process off. I just thought I'd throw that out there.

I also think I will make the slightly greenish fine hemp into a camicia to wear underneath my Florentine gown. Ayup. We'll see how that goes. I won't be needing all of it anyway.

We'll see if anyone shows up tomorrow for scribal night. I forgot to send out a reminder earlier, probably too late now. *shrug* Ah, well.

Now, to the ironing board.

Pilgrimage done.

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:05:47 GMT

We are back home after the day's hardships :)

First we were beset by a flock of Italian tourists, so much so that some companions could not see us until I walked a little distance away to answer the phone. Then we walked. Oh the agony... or not. It was lovely, we had an ice cream on the way, we stopped at the required place (about half way there's a church that is traditionally a stop on the route) to refill water bottles and visit the bathroom.

When Edricus and I arrived Helwig and Elisabeth were waiting, and Mattias, a friend of E. came at about the same time. He was in mundanes. Then Brianag with son Ask joined us and we started walking. At the ice cream stop we were caught up from behind by Bengt, Hedvig and her friend Moa. Then we wandered on to the water pit-stop, and just around the corner as we set out from there we were met on the way by UlfR and Ylva who had walked from Old Uppsala, where they had left their car parked, to meet us.

We arrived right around noon, and Helwig called Johann who came and joined us with P:son in tow. So in the end there were twelve adults and two children who sat down in the grass to enjoy lunch in the shade.

Then we indulged in a bit of shopping. The Viking market was rather larger than last year, and I came back with seven metres of fabric (3 of the fine hemp and 4 metres of another lovely hemp mix). My salmon and leek pie worked beautifully and was rather tasty, I thought.

Now I am starting to recover my energy, the heat nearly drained me, but we are now starting to think about food.

Pilgrimage

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:54:29 GMT

Tomorrow is the third Annual Aros Pilgrimage. We hope to be quite a little crowd. From what I know there will be at least seven (maybe ten) adults and two children. More might come, but I'm not sure.

I've made a salmon/leek pie to bring for the picknick tomorrow once we arrive at Old Uppsala. Hopefully it will be edible. I wouldn't swear to it though, as I've never made anything like it before. Now the problem becomes how to transport it on the pilgrimage.

I've looked up the bus schedule into town tomorrow. We start, as per tradition, at the "new" Cathedral in central Uppsala, and walk out along S:t Erik's route to the "old" church in Old Uppsala. Once there we find a nice shaded spot and partake of a picknick lunch out in the open.

There's a viking museum and this year they're having a market there as well, featuring the lady from Medeltidsmode, so I am bringing my wallet, and also my restraint (I hope).

When we've had enough we head home in whatever means seems best. Bus for me and Edricus I think, unless we get offered a ride. The weather forecast is for sun, sun, and oh yes, more sun. Much like last year, in other words. I'm not sure which dress I'm wearing, but it is down to either my surcote lining kirtle (the light blue linen one) or one of my two blue short sleeved 14th Century gowns.

A rare treat, Lia does a meme.

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:22:54 GMT

I saw this on my flist, and I immediately knew my answers, although forming a coherent paragraph turned out to be more difficult than I thought. These are, however, questions I have been pondering on my own lately. So, here it is. A meme that means something to me. Or, well, not really a meme... Whatever, I answered some questions put to someone else, it could be the start of a meme, what do I know?

1. Would you want to be Queen?
-- No, I would not. I'm sure I could do it, but I would not want to put myself in that kind of spotlight. I can now glide around and immerse myself, being a crowned head is a much larger role than I'd be comfortable filling.

2. Have you ever played in any other Kingdom?
-- Yes, I started out playing two summers in An Tir, going to camping events. It was awesome. It was how I became hooked.

3. What is it about the SCA (other than friends that you enjoy)
-- The romance, the chivalry, the opportunity to have some purpose to all the various artistic things I love to do. I always used to get wild ideas of things I could make, but nowhere to put them to use. Now I have.

4. What is the Dream to you?
-- A moment of grace. Not religious grace, but aesthetic, poetic or sensory grace. It's difficult to describe. It happens every once in a while at events when everything fades away but one detail. One such moment that is very clear in my mind is, for example, seeing Maestra Eufemia raise her hand to adjust the hang of a banner at Double Wars XIX. Just that one little detail, but it was done mindfully (or at least it appeared so to me). Another one was when Sir Marcus acknowledged defeat and apologised to his inspiration at the Coronet Tourney last November. It is when what we do becomes real and present and in focus.

5. What do you think needs to happen to bring the SCA back to the way it use to be?
-- Used to be? Well, I joined only five years ago, it's been mostly the same, although I have always noticed that the level of obvious chivalry and romance is consistantly lower here in Drachenwald and Nordmark, than in An Tir. Much more emphasis is on the accoutrements and accessories. Sometimes I wished we would pay more mind to the atmosphere and ideals than on having the right goblet or using the correct stitch for a particular seam.

And now, to bed.

It must be mine!

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:47:19 GMT

On my wish list:

Juan de Alcega's Tailor book. How I don't have this one already is a disgrace.
Patterns of Fashion no. 4. The one about linen shirts, smocks, neck and headwear. The new one. Yes, that one.
QEWU. Eventually, it will be mine.

Not quite yet, though, but eventually I will own them all.

By the way, I'm getting my very own gothic bench. Nyah, nyah :)

Supply problem

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:41:22 GMT

I am still not sure where exactly my box of interlining materials is. If I did I would be working on the bodice for my new kirtle at this moment. Although, truthfully, I could be stitching up the skirt as well. I'm not, however, sure I have any thread.

I could go with either white linen, or I do it with silk thread. However, I'm of old not a fan of blatantly showing white linen thread in my stuff just for the sake of it looking hand made. But I have no red silk sewing thread either.

Finish my big green Florentine gown? Well, sure, in theory I could do that, but I really want a sewing machine to do the hem there. It does not deserve hand work at this stage.