Gold Swiss/German Linen Kirtle

Bryn Gwlad's Candlemas event is a sight to behold.  It's just about my favorite event of the year.  It's primarily an indoor event, chock full of classes, A&S, music, and dancing.  The hall always looks amazing, the feast is lit by candlelight only, and heralds announce each course as a coordinated fleet of servers delivers food to the people who aren't up participating in the ball taking place at the front of the hall before the high tables...to live music.  *happy sigh*

It's also usually a themed event.  This year the theme is Landsknecht, on the road to war (Gulf Wars, in March).  Landsknecht dress, or at least German-styled clothing in general, is encouraged (but not mandatory).  Though I've sworn for five years that I'll never "go German," here is my first one, to wear during the day at the event.

It's based on the following two works by Diebold Schilling the Elder (Swiss, 1445-1485), and a couple of recreations I've seen online that I really love:

unknown, Schilling

Barbara Erlach and daughters,
Schilling

In Nova Corpora

Sew Mill

Notes

The pattern is based on my usual cotehardie pattern.  It's rectangular construction with inset gores, and only the neckline and sleeves have been altered. (The sleeves are short because I'll be wearing a pair of over-sleeves with the dress for part of the day and working with my hands for most of the rest of it; they're cut as modern sleeves with the seam under the arm instead of behind it, which I did for speed as much as for the slightly baggier look they give to the shoulders).   I would really have liked a fuller, longer skirt; but I only had so much fabric to work with. 

The bodice of the dress is flat-lined in white linen; though it is also turned at the neckline/front opening.  The sleeves and skirt are unlined.  I wanted as few layers as possible for this outfit, since a hall full of people dancing, gaming, and milling about gets pretty hot;  I'll be working most of the day, attending dance classes, and wearing braies and a smock underneath this dress as well.  I'd rather not die of heat stroke before lunch.

A close-up of the front lacing after completion, during a test fit.

The lace is a silk twill tape from a stash of vintage notions I received from a friend several months ago.

There are no hooks or loops or holes for the lacing; rather, a thin, double-fold cotton bias tape is attached inside the edge of the front opening. The bias tape was attached with  line of decorative chevron stitches (machined) that run down the entire front opening edge, with gaps in the stitching to form loops in the bias tape through which the twill tape is threaded.

I was originally going to close the vertical slit with buttons or a hook; but I didn't have anything in my stash that wouldn't interfere with the belt I was going to wear with the dress.

(Sorry, the stitching looks horrible from the inside.  On the outside it's nice and even, and practically invisible on the gold linen).

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With my newest Caerleon sleeves...which I made like a year ago and never posted to the blog. But I kinda love them.  :)








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Project Goals: A Check-In

Last September, I posted this about some changes I felt I needed to make in my project-ing habits (mostly for SCA, but also applicable to my mundane projects).

To wit:

1. Limit the number of projects I take on at a time, so that I don't overload myself. 
2. Establish expected delivery date before committing to a project.  Ditto project parameters. 
3. Procrastination issues: 
1. Work on each project for at least two hours per week - no putting things off til the last week. 
2. Stop putting off things for myself, or mundane projects, until I "get my work done." It just stresses me out. 
4. Clean up and put away my toys when I'm done with a project. 

How have I done? 

You know, I was paging back through my blog, and I came across that post, and I laughed out loud.  Sort of a barking sound, really.  But then I read it through, and really thought about it, and I think I've done pretty darned well in the past four months! 

All of 2014, really, has been an exercise in learning not to take on too much work at a time.  I've had a hard time learning to say "no" and "not right now," but I've done it.  I've learned to do that.  And it's done me a world of good. 

I think going into a project with clear expectations on my part and the part of my clients is doing us all a LOT of good.  My first question is, "When do you need it?", and then we get right down to drawing up some designs, setting expectations, and going over what's feasible and what's not - and THEN I accept, or I can I say that a project is more than I can take on right now; and there are always options at that point (check with me in a month, or, I'll let you know when I'm finished with X, or "Maybe you could ask Lady Whosit, she does this kind of thing far better than I").   I think this process is making me easier to work with. :) 

I'm no longer separating "fun" from "work" - it's all fun, that's why I do it! And I've found that having more than one project gives me relief when I need it.  Something's frustrating me to no end and I'm banging my head against the sewing machine aimlessly?  Switch projects to clear my head and lift my mood! It's great! 

And I AM cleaning up my toys at the end of a project.  My sewing room is usually pretty clean nowadays - no more walking in, throwing up my hands in disgust, and walking out again simply because I just cannot work in there the way it is.  Ditto my workshop in the garage.  It's come in extremely handy in the last couple of months as I've prepared my house in various ways for the addition of a roommate, too, and even in the moving and unpacking process.  

So, what's next? 

For right now, I'm 100% focused on getting ready for Candlemas in February.  After that, it's all about Gulf Wars in March (technically, I should have started that like three months ago, but that's another blog post for another day).  

Now that the Room of Requirement (i.e. having converted my gigantic master bedroom into a craft room for my roommate and I to share) is complete and functioning REALLY WELL, I find I'm actually working more quickly than I was before, and I have a lot more workspace in which to organize the various stages of project completion. Yay! 

A New Frontier

*deeeep breath before I up and say this out loud*

So I'm branching out into actual A&S competition.  For my whole, whopping five years in the SCA I've been perfectly content to work in the background, not calling attention to myself.  I had my reasons, and some of them still stand, to be honest.  Earlier this year a good friend convinced me to display at an A&S table - not compete, but display, which took the fear-of-judgment out of the equation.  A little, anyway.  And I discovered that it was TOTALLY FUN.  I discovered I actually want to start entering competitions, which, to be honest, freaks me out a little, LOL.  I've been lurking around A&S tables at events ever since, examining the process and expectations as well as the staggering and gorgeous array of talent this kingdom has to offer, and I find, I want to join in.  

So here goes nothin'. 

On Project Delivery

One thing I've noticed - I've always noticed, really, but it's been on my mind ever since BAM in November - is that I am absolute pants at delivering any sort of project closure on this blog, and it's driving me NUTS.  I'm only posting "after" or finished pictures of projects on this blog, seriously, like maybe thirty percent of the time, and that's not okay.  This blog is supposed to be a record, a reference for myself on future projects, and a way to show people what I do; and yet it's mostly a slapdash assortment of plans that look unfulfilled.  I HATE THAT SO MUCH.  I do so much more than what you see here! 

So my "New Year's resolution", if it's that, is to get serious about posting finished pictures and project wrap-up posts here, on  every project.

• One problem is that I really don't have a good space in my home in which to photograph myself in my finished outfits.    
• Another issue is that I'm in the habit of thinking, "Oh, it's okay - I'll get pictures at the event coming up" - and then I don't, because I'm too busy or I'm having too much fun to remember.  I ran around BAM with a camera in my hand and never once did it occur to me to hand it to someone and ask them to photograph me!  DERP. 

A friend of mine and I have ben discussing this issue, because we both do it, and have decided to get together at some point in the next few weeks for a joint fashion show and photo shoot, hehe.  That'll catch me up on projects for myself that I've already finished.  From there on out, though, I'll have to really stick to the concept of photography and blogging as the final stage of a project - not an afterthought. 

Oh, and one more thing. 

The other major point in that September post was a commitment to really doing a job on every project - no more working my butt off for other people and then half-assing the work I do for myself.  I'm proud to say that not only have I stuck to that, the ripple effects from that commitment have been a pleasant surprise. 

When you've been sewing for twenty-eight years, things get a little old hat.  And you start cutting corners just to get things DONE.  At least, I did. For a long time. And I was mad at myself for doing it - but I was so overloaded that, well, you know.  

So now I'm not doing that any more.  I'm paying way more attention to detail.  I'm feeling really proud of everything I do.  I'm really feeling that every project IS better than the last.  I'm suddenly excited about refining my current skills and making them even better, and turning out higher-quality work.  

I'm getting really interested in expanding my skill set as well.  I've been reading up on all sorts of new styles of historical dress, new embroidery methods, various types of weaving (I'll be inkle looming by the end of this week, in fact).  I'm also learning a bit about tailoring techniques from a that same A&S friend, and from some online reading I've been doing, and it's really exciting!  (I've always been a seamstress and a dressmaker; but until now I've never even understood that *tailoring* is a completely different discipline, and it's fascinating).  

The moral of the story:  

Never do anything half-assed. ALWAYS USE YOUR WHOLE ASS. 

And, of course: 

And Now For Something Completely Different

Something I've been meaning to try for a long time:

20ga gold-colored copper wire.  The first one took two hours; the second forty minutes, hehe (because "the first one" involved two failed attempts before I figured out what I was doing).  And now that they're done...I'm NEVER EVER making a pair of these again.  WHAT a pain in the arse.

They're kind of...beginner-looking.  I'm not very practiced at working with long lengths of wire just yet.  But they'll do for a first effort, I think.

Yes, I just saw Battle of the Five Armies today, why do you ask?  Hee.

Now all I have to do is keep from losing these or messing them up between now and the ren faire in the Spring, LOL.

:)

MOAR BLING

I made a circlet!  It's the first one I've ever made, and my first major wire project, aside from small things like links and bead dangles.  Whee!  I saw something similar online and decided the pattern would make a nifty circlet.  Couldn't find a tutorial anywhere.  So I made my own as I went along. Enjoy.

First, the finished circlet: 

Here's how I did it: 

1. I used 22ga copper wire for this.  The first thing I did was fold over the end so that it's not poke-y, because ow.  Also because it strengthens the loose end. 
2. Then I curled the end into a round loop. 
3. With a marker.  High tech, I know.  I hope you can keep up. (Dear Santa...)
4. The second loop, next to the first. 
5. I bent back the loose end of the wire, similar to how I started, then wrapped the wire around the marker again to loop into the next loop. 
6. Seriously. Bailing pliers. This was my trial run for this design.  I'm getting myself some bailing pliers tomorrow so I can do the next one in, hopefully, half the time, and fewer broken fingernails. 
7. Keep going. Forever. 
8. Each loop is 1/2" in diameter.  The finished circlet, roughly 16" in diameter, took nearly thirty feet of wire, and about 2.5 hours to get to this point. 
9. Finally, I pushed the marker back through each loop to round them all out and make them uniform in size and shape again.  Wire is bendy. 
   
10. Then I made a ton of these little loopy guys. 
11. Clip the loopy guys around two loops, and wrap them tight around, to hold the loops together.  After the wire is wrapped around the loops, press it flat with your pliers. (The pliers you DO actually own, not pictured). 
12. The finished wrap.  This keeps the loops from shifting out of place, stretching (because up until this point, this thing was a giant spring), and getting bent out of shape. It also adds stiffness and stability to the entire piece. 
13. I curled the folded ends back over on themselves, to form little spirals. 
14. And just because, I glued some teeny (2mm?) glass rhinestones to each wrap joint.  
15. The closure is simply that curled loose end from the beginning clipped through the closed round end at the other end of the circlet. 

Is it perfect?  Nope.  But it's sparkly.  And not bad for a first try, I think.  It's also too small for my head, LOL.  Circlet 2.0 will be better. :) 

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All About That Bling

A friend of a friend wrote a *brilliant* filk of "All About That Bass" not too long ago - I LMAO'd.  Only bit I can remember was that it was all about dat bling, and something about stick jocks not being able to tell a t-tunic from Tudor hose.  Died. Laughing.  Also, I can't get that filk out of my head while making SCA jewelry this week, hehe.

Butanyway. 

I Came, I Saw, I Made My Own: 

Theirs:  Roman, chalcedony and glass,
2nd century
Christie's

Mine:  Angelite faceted donuts and glass seed beads

Theirs:  Viking Raven pendant, from
CraftyCelt.com

Mine: An amazeballs modern Raven pendant birthday
gift from my BFF, on a twisted wire hanger, attached
to a chain with silver spacers bent in half.  One is open, 

and forms the clasp that keeps the necklace closed. 

And then...

I'm working on a plaque belt.  Clockwise from top left: 

• I found these mounts at Joann Fabrics. Half off, even! 
• And I thought, hey, I have all this big chain...
• I got as far as wiring the chain onto the first of the mounts, and I thought...nah. 
• I think I'll bead in between instead.  That's a lot of beading. Oy. 

More soon. 

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Shelter From the Storm

I think everyone who's ever been to Gulf Wars in Gleann Abhann knows about the little white canvas parasols.  It seems every lady has one - they're affordable, pretty, not too modern-looking, and paintable.  I bought one a few years ago myself, and I painted it...and did a terrible job.  I knew I'd either need to replace it, or just re-cover it, but in the interim, I decided to see what it would look like if I spray-painted it to cover up the silliness that I had made:

WOW NO. 

Just...no. 

Since BAM was going to be rainy (scratch that: it's always rainy at BAm), I went ahead and stripped the cover off the frame, cut out one of the sections, and copied it.  I made two adjustments to the pattern:  I straightened out the curve in the panel edge (see the yellow arrows in the first picture?), and I lengthened each panel so that my new parasol would have a bit of an apron to hang down, like the one in this painting: 

Marchesa Elena Grimaldi Cataneo,
Sir Anthony van Dyck, 1623

And this is my finished parasol:  

Just the little bit of change in the shape of the panels makes the thing feel HUGE.  There are tension issues with two of the struts (center picture, arrow), which are easily fixed by undoing the little keeper at the end of the strut and loosening the fabric.  

I spray painted the finial gold, and tacked down a green velvet ribbon to cover the raw edges of the fabric at the top.  The fabric itself is from an Ikea RITVA curtain panel - cotton, with a linen-esque weave.  I bought a big pile of them from my old dance studio in town when it shut down last month, and have been using the fabric for many things, from tablecloths to bags to flags (which we'll talk about later this week, tee-hee). 

And did it keep the rain off me?  You bet your ass it did. I used an entire can of Camp-Dry on this thing before I left for the event:  seams, then panels, then the whole thing again once it was dry, inside and out.  100% waterproof.  Yay!  It'll wear off over time, and when it does, I might try painting my device on it.  Or stars.  We'll see. 

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As Promised (For Once)

The first of three of my Florentine outfits from BAM weekend.  This one's my new Caerleon livery, a refit of what was originally going to be black and silver:

photo by Simona della Luna

Long hair wrap inspired by this.  After a bunch of ridiculous trial and error with the sewing machine and various scrap fabric, I finally realized I could just do this with my plain, long, silk gauze veil that I use for everything. HA. I just laid it over my head, tied it around my hair in back (which was in a ponytail with a plain elastic band), and then looped the ribbon ties around it until I reached the end.  It never once fell out, but was really easy to just pull off without having to untie anything at the end of the day.  Win.

Big bag sleeves, with company motto embroidered (machine) around the edges of the sleeve openings.

photo by Simona della Luna

A better shot of the back, with satin ribbon couched along the edges of the dress; sash made from wide upholstery scraps; corset and dress straps that won't stay up (a result of the cut of the back of both garments, I now know); the hair; and my new raven tattoo, lol.

photo by Simona della Luna

Another shot of the ribbon couching, sleeve embroidery, and sleeve attachment.

Man, that is some unfortunate Pause Face.  Blech.

photo by Simona della Luna

Evidently I forgot to remove  my bobby pins on this day, hehe.  I used them to keep my veil in place while I was wrapping it up, and while I was tying on this skinny velvet ribbon;  but once the pins were removed the whole shebang stayed in place like a champ.


















Things to work on for future Florentine outfits: 

• a higher back on the corset, to keep the straps in place.  
• a shorter corset, because this one kept trying to sit above my hips, which pushed the whole thing upwards into my armpits, and made the straps fall off
• wider-set straps in the back of the dress pattern, to help the back fit better and to keep the straps from trying to fall off. Sigh.  The off-shoulder look was popular during this time period, but it was achieved by cutting the outfits to BE that way, not because they just wouldn't stay up.  I love this dress, but I look like a pile of laundry.  :/ 

That said, my absolute favorite thing about this outfit was the sleeves.  They came out perfectly, and looked fantastic.  They were also, in combination with the boofy silk chemise sleeves underneath, very warm in the chilly, rainy air, without being too hot, or too bulky.  Yay! 

More tomorrow!   :)



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Unf$cking My Ribbons Box

NOT OKAY:

Every. Single. Time. I opened this box I vowed to "one day" take the time to sit down and iron out this mess and wrap it up somehow so that this wouldn't happen again.  This is just stupid.

My friend says to me, "You laid all that out in a house full of cats?!"   The steam-hiss of the iron scares them away, hehe.

Muuuuch better.  It's a slapdash system, but it gave me the opportunity to try some diferent methods of organizing ribbons - usually I wrap them around my fingers and make little bows out of them, which I did for the looooong pieces.  My scrapbooking and art-journaling friends gave me the idea of wrapping smallish bits around the handle of an old spoon (they do it with washi tape).  My favorite, though, was wrapping the velvet ribbon around empty thread spools.  I'd really like all of my ribbon and trim to be done that way.  

All of this, by the way, was because I couldn't find the ribbon I wanted for a necklace.  And no, I never found it.  Maybe it's in one of the four boxes of ribbon, tape, and trim that I haven't gone through yet.  :-/ 

"supervisor"

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A Wild Unemployment Appears! It Is Very Effective!*

Mmmmyeah, remember the hiatus?  Not so much!  It would seem that I have won the "free time" lottery - and boy am I already rocking out the backed up projects! (I still have a lot of house stuff to do, but now I don't have to prioritize so severely, and I'm working on the run-up to Bordermarch Autumn Melees/War of the Rams, which is in four days!)

Friday afternoon I went straight from the [ex]-office to my friend Star's house to work on stuff and help her do the same.  I spent the entire weekend just steamrolling through the pile, and, well, I haven't stopped since.  (And yeah, since I was halfway into moving my craft room, it's been a huge pain in the butt working across three rooms!)

While thinking about the weather this coming weekend for the event, and what clothing I already had that would keep me warm and reasonably dry, I decided to go full Italian for the entire event.  You never go full Italian!  Yes.  Yes, you do.  I find it exciting - this is the first time I've ever stayed in one "mode" for an entire event. Usually I'm all over the place (last event I had a Viking day, a 14th century day, a bliaut day, and then pretty much just wore all my clothes at once for an unexpected cold snap, lol).

And so, although I won't have many pics for you until after the event itself, here's a list of what I've gotten done since Friday so far: 

• Removed the silver ribbon trim from my black gamurra and replaced it with couched gold satin ribbon, and 
• Created a pair of simple early 1500s-era bag sleeves in gold linen with black ribbon ties, and a machine-embroidered motto along the edges (these two things because (a) I didn't have an Italian Caerleon livery, and because my 14th century CL livery is all too small for me!  D:  ) 
• created another pair of bag sleeves in a lovely deep blue swirly damask, to be worn with my brown gamurra
• finished one and created a second long, fabric sash to be worn over my belt
• cut and finished two new, very simple pouches to carry my things in, one of a lovely embroidered silk that I can't wait to show you
• made an exrta-long flannel chemise with extra-long sleeves, to be worn as a nightgown n the frigid eastern Ansteorra winter nights...which was a godawful beige color, so I also bleached it...and instead of simply whitening, it turned bright bubble-gum pink!!!  Dafuq??  Whatever . It's warm, that's all I care about. It's not like anyone is going to see it. 
• Assembled eight simple, canvas "pilgrim bags"/flat satchels, and that'll get its own blog entry next week after I've given them to their intended recipients 
• Figured out how to achieve a hair covering like this one out of veils and ribbons that I already possess

And finally, because I just cannot wait to show these off: 

!!!

Inspired by this photo, I drafted my own version, did a loooot of cutting out pieces ( I got to use a friend's rotary cutter, and I'd never used one before, and that is DEFINITELY going on my christmas list!), a loooot of edge-serging, and at one point in the assembly process made a really pretty squid.  And I finally got to use my gold (plastic) knot buttons that I bought at Gulf Wars three years ago!

I really wanted to get a photo of these over my silk chemise sleeves...but I can't find my silk chemise!  NOOOOOO!   I must locate it before the weekend. While this picture is just over a t-shirt, I did try it on over a cotton chemise, and the sleeve boofs (technical term??) blouse up nicely like they're supposed to over the proper undergarments.












So what's next this week?  A great-coat-thing like this one, of heavy embroidered cotton and fuzzy blanket lining, for warmth.  A whole bunch of small flags, already cut out, that need to be painted and them assembled.  A woodworking project (a simple and quick one, thankfully), for the event.

Once I'm finished there'll be a LOT of sorting and packing and loading of SUVs.

And in between is my BFF's birthday, and a celebratory movie and dinner.  Yay! :D







* For the record, I was laid off from my job, which is not doing so well in the present economy.  This is a GREAT thing for me, though - I've been stagnating there and have often thought of moving on.  Now I get to!


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Short Hiatus

In just over thirty days, my BFF will become my roomate.  Having finished the major crush of SCA projects for the fall event season, I now turn my focus to getting my house ready to accomodate two occupants once again.

Part of that is swapping out my master bedroom and my craft/sewing room.  My bestie is also a huge crafter and maker, and between the two of us, a gigantic workspace was definitely needed.  While my sewing room is a measly 9x11', my master bedroom is 16x18' - it only makes sense that one space was essentially wasted on sleep, while the other was too small for just me, and wouldn't remotely outfit a pair of crafters.

Yesterday, I begun the process, by swapping out the two closets. If you're interested in following the process, you can see the posts about this at my home/DIY blog, here.

In the meantime, any sewing that needs to occur right now will likely take place in the living room, as soon as I start moving furniture, and I'll be posting about those things  (Bordermarch Autumn Melees is in two weeks, and I have a couple of small things I'd like to get done, but which aren't a huge priority, so no loss if I don't get to them).

I will, of course, post final results once the giant craft room - hereafter referred to as The Room of Requirement - on this blog once I'm finished.  :)

A Bliaut In Three Parts

1. Russet-red silk twill from the fabric district in Dallas, TX
2. Black linen
3. Calontir trim

Technically, I guess the fourth part would be drafting the pattern. The fifth might be that this lovely lady is lending me her serger machine for my work, and it is EPIC.  

The dress is side-laced, with the lacing going up into the underside of the upper arm for ease of getting on/off, and for movement.  The idea came from the lacing I saw on this Flickr page, via Pinterest. 

The black guarding along the bottom of the dress, below the trim, is...seriously...because I f'd up cutting out one of the panels and it was WAY shorter than the others. I had to cut them all off to match, and then used the black linen to lengthen the dress again, LOL.  :)

You saw the preview yesterday, which is a better shot of the trim, which can be found online here at Calontir Trim. 

An aside: 

The first pic is from the Village of Castleton, Bryn Gwlad, Ansteorra, for our annual baronial event (last weekend).  Castleton is AMAZING.  It's a medieval village built by several of our members many years ago, whose buildings include a number of small dwellings, a castle, a wooden ship, and a smaller replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, called The Curtain Theatre.  I've attended many a court in that theatre, and performed there, and it's heavenly.  I adore this site. 

The Curtain Theatre

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Make All the Things!!! (v. billionty-one)

Pics from the weekend's event are forthcoming; for now I have just a couple of recent things to share, and in no particular order:

First, a serious one.  This is a bliaut that I made for a friend, of russet-red silk with black linen lining, and trim by Calontir Trim.

I'll have pics of her in it soon, as well as some other things I've made for her.

I've finally started the process of creating some false hairpieces for the SCA out of my own hair that was removed in March of this year.  Braided tightly and unevently, they don't look like much here, but the total hair is nearly two feet long!

I've combined this pair of braids into a single hank of hair, and washed and conditioned it.  Next I'll be separating it back into a pair of even braids, and working them into a shape that I can use with my cauls, or as templar braids to be worn with my circlet.  Soon. I hope.

At the Bjornsborg Tournament of the Smitten Heart three weeks ago, I made this little guy. Since it was a pre-Halloween event, they held a "skull bedazzling contest." - and I have to say, I wasn't going to join in, but when I saw the plain plastic skulls on the table, I HAD to grab one and make a little calavera.

Lo and behold, it was one of two "judges' favorites" winners!  Squee!  My prize was a lovely stoneware goblet and a string of emerald chips...and a trip up in front of court to be recognized, so, you know: fear.  Hee.

Firstly, I love funny, mistranslated labels like this. "Preventing finger"??  LOL.

FYI, my new cot, which I purchased because I was sick to death of waking up on a flat air mattress,  also prevents the following:

• sleep
• comfort
• blankets staying on the bed
• unbruised ankles

AND this past weekend at the baronial event, I'm fairly certain that this bastard was at least half responsible for the TWO partially dislocated shoulders that I am now rocking.  OWWW.  

So yeah: fuck cots. 

More soon! 

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A Wee Viking Trinket For A Friend

I'm working on outfit pics from the event over the past weekend (which was AWESOME), but until then, I give you this little bit of fun...

I saw this on Pinterest:

(via)

Which isn't remotely period, but it sure is cute - and I knew when I saw it that I had to make one for a dear friend.  So I glued together a pair of wooden door hanger signs from the hobby store, shaped, sanded and painted them, and ended up with this:

front

back, inspired in part by one of those little
ancient Viking chess pieces

tiny deer! 

Hee.  A cute little trinket for someone I hold dear.  And he was tickled by it, which was all I was after.  :) 

Back to work now. 

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Purple Purple Purple

Remember this dress?

No?  That's okay, it's a few years old. It's also a few pounds too small.  At least, the top was.  I've done something nifty with it this week, an SCA Refashion, if you will.  Or if you won't, whatever.  It's already done, so :P

In a handful of hours I'm headed down to the Barony of Bjornsborg for the second annual Tournament of the Smitten Heart.  The first one, last year, was a BLAST, and I'm really looking forward to it.  Those BB'ers really know how to throw an event!

I'll be wearing this purple dress...sort of.  I'll bring pictures back from the event with me. In the meantime, here's a sneak peek:

One thing I can show, you, though - I'll also be wearing this:

SQUEE!!!  My new raven tattoo, an early birthday present to myself from myself.  I'm getting it colored in next week.  (If anyone cares, it's my fourth one. I also have a goddess on my sternum, a snake on my left forearm, and a moon and Scorpio symbol on my opposite shoulder).


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