SCA: Gulf Wars 2025

So, Gulf Wars was awesome, but I came home and got sick for a week, so this post is a bit delayed…

I just spent nearly a week in the woods in Mississippi. We bugged out a day early to avoid some rather serious storms that were headed that way, and arrived home yesterday afternoon. I’m overwhelmed and tired, but I had an amazing time. 

First, the spoils of war: 

I purchased a new pair of shoes for myself, to replace (a) the old pair of Viking turnshoes that I’ve been kicking around in for like seven years and which are falling apart; and (b) the new shoes I ordered last year which are too tight even after a year and hurt my feet. These new black ones are perfect! 

I also bought three spools of silk weaving thread. I was going to order them anyway when I got home from war, but the merchant was right there on site where I could see the thread in person and chat with her about it. Yay! 

The last thing wasn’t a purchase, but a gift: a beautiful Viking knife with a red leather sheath, given to me by my friends at the Moonlight Madness event in merchants’ row. It’s soooo pretty, I love it so much. 

Activities-wise, I did ALL THE THINGS.  I took classes, saw shows, went to parties, and FINALLY visited the Early Period Life encampment which I’d always meant to do.  I even fed a horse cookie to a horse and petted her fur - which, if you know how long I’ve been afraid of horses, you know that’s a HUGE deal for me. 

All in all, I think the best part of Gulf War was that I stretched myself out and had a great time doing it. I pushed my own boundaries, left my comfort zone to try new things, and it felt good to do. I’m proud of myself. 

I even learned how to naalbind, finally. I’ve been trying to get the hang of it for years and I never could do it, but now I can at least start myself off and make chains. I’m hoping with some YouTube videos I can now teach myself to start off in the round, so that I can make some hats and mittens. 

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So what’s next? Oh boy, just all the things. I have two events to prepare for, another dress to make by hand, a whole bunch of weaving to get done, a broken loom to repair/rebuild (again!), and I’m helping a friend with a woodworking project he’s doing for A&S. Updates soon! 

Getting Back To the SCA For A Moment...

 In May of last year, when I made that new Viking coat, I fell head over heels in love with the fabric I used for the outside of the coat.  It's "Agave" linen from Fabric-Store.com. I just couldn't get enough of it.  But it went out of stock, for 7 months I couldn't find it again.  Finally they got it back in stock, about a month ago, and I ordered 4 yards to make a new Viking apron dress.    

I got that dress on there all kinds of sideways,
didn't I?  Slow down, me.  

It's the same as all my other apron dresses recently:  three panels, long looped straps, long hem.  FS' linen is so nice to work with, and I love wearing it.  I adore this color - that makes sewing it even nicer.  The new machine helps, hehe.  

This time, to trim out the top of the dress, I did something new.  I didn't have any more sari bits to use, and I couldn't find a woven trim I liked that would set off the color of this linen.  So I ordered some 1-1/4" silk ribbon from Burnley & Trowbridge., in apple and teal.  I was worried about the colors being right - it's SO hard to gauge colors over the internet - but I'm really pleased with them, and with the way they look on the dress.  Plus, this stuff is SO soft, I keep dropping it because I can barely feel it in my hands!  I'd admired this ribbon look (and/or strips of silk cloth) for years when I saw it on other people, but I'd never tried it myself until now.  

It looks all frumply because of the way everything 
hangs on the dummy.  I really need to fix it! 

So that's my new apron dress.  I can't wait to wear it - and all the other Viking stuff I've made over the past year out of COVID-induced boredom.  (Click the "Viking" tag below to see it all).  I've basically re-made my entire wardrob while we've been sequestered at home this past year.  From what I understand, we *might* begin to have in-person events as early as this summer - I imagine that depends on how this whole vaccine thing goes.  I'm so excited!  I miss the SCA and my friends so much!  

In that vein, I did something else:  I ordered an adjustable garment rack from Amazon to hang all my clothes on in my tent.  No more getting dressed out of plastic boxes and bending over the whole time I'm getting dressed, hurting my back!  I only hope it fits in my tent with my mattress and all my stuff.  I may set up the tent in the backyard over the weekend and give it a try.  

Nice rack!

See you soon.  

New Pretties

While I was incredibly responsible with most of my gumbint stimulus check, I did buy myself a present or two.  They came in this week:

First, my new shoes:  the Valaardingen Viking shoe from Bohemond, in brown leather.  They're based off 9th-10th century examples from Holland and Poland, worn by both men and women.  They're SUPER comfy, and the leather is so soft.

I'm wearing them around the house for the next few days to break them in and get used to wearing them - I put gel insoles in them so I wouldn't be walking flat on the ground, which hurts no matter what shoe I wear.  They look GREAT with my quarantine uniform of boxers and a ripped up tshirt. My roommate laughed at me.

While I love my new shoes, I'm absolutely head over heels about these new brooches.  They're from Raymond's Quiet Press - the "Vendel circle" brooches, based on a very early Viking piece. They're 3"x2", and aren't nearly as heavy as they look, thank goodness.

There was nothing wrong with my round brooches, and I still love them.  I'll probably use them to close my coat and/or cloak from now on.  It's just that I've had my eye on this pair of brooches for a couple of years now, and I was finally ready to bite the bullet and order a pair.  I adore these things.  I can't wait to wear them.

It's Here It's Here It's Here!

My belt buckle and strap end set from Armour & Castings!  It's here!

Isn't that GORGEOUS?  I heart it like burning.  Hand-cast brass copies of an extant early 15th century English design.  I'm not exactly sure what this design is called, but it looked pomegranate-y enough for my purposes that I'm calling it my pomegranate belt set.  (My device has pomegranates in it. I'll post the design when it passes final registration).

There's another version on the website with red glass "jewels" in the empty spaces:

It was ten dollars extra for the glass, and red was the only option available - which is * beautiful*, don't get me wrong - but I wanted other colors.   I'm going to get some mirror-backed glass jewels from the hobby store (where they sell a package of like a million for four dollars), and customize this with red, blue, and green gems in the empty spaces, and a clear one right in the center of the strap end.

Later this week, that is.  For right now, I have to go work on some armor. More on that later this week, too. :)


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Fall Ball* Projects

At the event over the weekend I took a *fabulous* calligraphy class taught by a really nice man, and I used an inkwell pen for the very first time.  Where has this BEEN all my life??  It's so much easier, and nicer to write with than those stupid felt-tip calligraphy markers I've been "practicing" with.  I'm never using those again!  Really cool class.

The shire had a fabric and book sale fundraiser going on for a while outside the hall, and I picked up:

10y ltwt white cotton blend for $9!   Book for $2!  :D

pretty little textural details; the fabric is
semi-sheer and soooo soft

And there was a free scrap with purchase, too!  I grabbed a pretty pomegranate-red bit of cotton, and, since I happened onto the sale table just as I was out of things to do for the next couple of hours, I sat right now and made a little bag for my new camera, entirely by hand.  (This is actually the first project in the SCA I've ever done entirely by hand).

first period buttonhole ever - MAN these things are easy! 

* Yes, in January. Long story.

Mischief Managed

"like I don't have enough crap to  do right now" blue

Seriously, if you haven't signed up for fabric-store.com's mailing list, you need to.

I can has sale prices.














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Meanwhile, somewhere in the land of lost packages...

So, I ordered some awesome fabric...a while ago.  It hasn't come in yet.  It's not cause for serious alarm or off-pissedness or anything just yet, but I am a bit concerned.  I emailed the company last week to ask for the FedEx tracking number so I could check with FedUp about it, but I haven't gotten an email response.  And granted, last week was Thanksgiving week, and it IS entirely possible that the company was shut down for the whole week.  So we'll see how it turns out.

FedEx is currently standing between me and a fabulous dress.  We wants it, Precioussss.

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