SCA: 6-Strand "Hedeby Braid"

Several clothing fragments have been found at Hedeby (Haithabu, Germany; was Hedeby, Denmark in the Viking Age) - some in graves, some which had been torn up, coated with tar and used as caulking in a ship.  One of these torn remnants was fragment 14, as described by Inga Hagg in 1984, pictured here: 

Hagg, 1984

This piece measures around 30x23cm, is made of wool which has been dyed brown, and is cut straight on one side and torn off in a curve on the other side.  It is thought to be a fragment of a smokrr, or apron dress.  

There is a seam on one side of the dress where two pieces of fabric are stitched together, and on top of that seam is stitched a section of braided cord, highlighted here in blue: 

highlighting by me to show location of braid

As far as we know, based on the finds, the Norse peoples of the 10th century didn't do decorative embroidery on these female garments the way you sometimes see in the SCA; but they did embellish seams and edges with strips of contrasting fabric and braids/cords like this one.  Sometimes braids/cords were applied to seams, like in this example; sometimes they were applied to the top edge of a smokkr along with a section of contrasting fabric, as decoration and reinforcement of the edge.  

illustration by Hagg (1984), red highlighting by
Hilde Thunem to show direction of weave)

This particular braid is made up of 6 strands of thread, originally in red and yellow (3 of each). Each thread is 6-ply; the entire braid is only 1-2mm wide. 

Having several skeins of cotton yarns left over from recent crochet/weaving projects, I decided to use my leftovers to try my hand at weaving this 6-strand braid from Hedeby, to use to further ornament my apron dresses.  I found a very good tutorial video by Wyrd Kindred on YouTube, located here. 

Here is my first attempt, done in fingering weight cotton yarn, in brown and rust-brown.  It's not bad for a first try, but the colors don't go with anything in my wardrobe, which is all done in blues and greens.  So I made a second one - I didn't have any blues or greens, so I dyed some white cotton yarn blue and green for this: 

Rather than use my braid over a seam the way the Hedeby find does, I opted to use it at the top of one of my apron dresses.  Many Viking age finds of smokkr fragments show the top edge of the smokkr hemmed to the inside, and then decorated on the outside with various items, usually contrasting silk ribbon or wool fabric, sometimes along with braids and twisted cords at the top or bottom edge of the contrasting piece to both embellish the decoration and strengthen the construction of the top edge: 

illustration of various examples of ribbon/cord decoration the top edge of a smokkr, 
Hagg 1974; image borrowed from Hilde Thunem's Smokkr page

Since my Hedeby braid is done in blue and teal, I decided to affix it to my teal smokkr, which had only a 2" strip of teal silk ribbon across the top edge. I stitched it on with regular cotton sewing thread, because that's what I had on hand: 

I only braided enough to go around the front of the dress; I poked the ends through the fabric and knotted them in place on the inside in order to finish the ends.  (I hope they stay in place). 

I like the effect.  This feels more "finished" to me; and it's a step towards being more historically accurate than it was before.  I love little details like this; in my opinion it's the little things that combine together to make an outfit look HA - and look good.  

(That said, I know this teal color isn't, to my knowledge, historically accurate;  but I made this smokkr (and all my other ones) before I started my big push to bring everything closer to accurate a year ago - it's still in good condition, so I still wear it, and at least the construction and stitching, and now the top edge ornamentation, is as HA as I can make it at this time. Future projects will be begun and completed very differently, but that's for another blog post).  

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We're getting closer to the fall event season - only a few weeks away!  I'll have more soon  about clothing, accessories, furniture, and campsite stuff.  

SCA: "New" Viking Shoes FTW + Bonus Project

 So my Viking shoes, which I love*, had seen better days.  After two years of running around dusty events, the leather was dirty and stained and dry, and the laces were too thick, too short, and never stayed tied.  (I actually cut them off short because they kept coming undone, and then literally the day after I did that, I saw someone with the same shoes, with the laces tied up around her ankles, and I thought, why didn't I think of doing that before I chopped them off??  Argh).  

I kept thinking I'd eventually get to the leather store to get new laces for them, but then it dawned on me that I could just WEAVE some on my inkle loom!  Et voila: 

On the left is the old shoe.  On the right is the new teal inkle-woven lace.  I took the opportunity to clean and condition the leather as well, and I replaced the navy stitching with teal thread to match the laces.  

No socks, aaaa! 

It was a quick and easy fix, and now my shoes are both more functional and prettier.  I can't wait to wear them next month when events start happening again! 

Bonus Project: 

I also made a new belt for myself: 

I recently ordered some "Rainbow Lace" #10 cotton crochet thread from Hobbii - I used it for both the belt and the shoe laces and shoe stitching.  It's soft and smooth and lovely to work with, and it comes in a zillion awesome colors.  

These two projects were the 4th and 5th inkle weaving projects I've done; and this belt is the first time I've done a multi-colored weaving project.  It took for EVER to warp up the loom with all the stripes, but I really love the way it came out. It's long enough to wrap around me twice. 

~ fin ~

*If you're wondering, they're the Vlaardingen shoes from Bohemond, and they're available in brown and black, both with white stitching. 

Summer Lull and Plans of New Things

I haven't posted in several weeks, but believe me, I'm hard at work...doing...pretty much nothing, for the time being.  I've been hitting the yardwork and the housework pretty hard, but project-wise, I haven't been all that active. 

July is always just kind of a lull. It's too hot to play outside, so there are no SCA events going on, - that won't start happening around here until the end of August, so things are kind of at a standstill right now. 

However, I do have plans that I'd like to get into as soon as energy and finances will allow: 

• There are materials for a Regency ballgown that I've had sitting on my work table ready to cut out for weeks now that I'd like to get started on soon 
• I have [another] Big Viking Project I'd like to get into as soon as I can get the wool for it
• I have several plans for small improvements around camp - like a cooler refit and a change to my bedding situation
• I really want to get back to making glass beads, but it's 105º right now, and nearly that hot inside the garage - too hot to sit over a flame to make glass!  (Although, part of me says, if I can mow the grass when it's 90º at 9:00 in the morning, I can probably sit in the garage and make beads? I dunno, I may try it soon)

I have been crocheting like a fiend for the past few weeks, though.  This blog is not about that, but if you're interested, you can check out my crochet projects on Ravelry, here: https://www.ravelry.com/people/s1ren  I just recently finished a blanket for a friend of mine, and I'm working on a sweater now.  

Anyway, see you again soon!  Hopefully I'll have something to show in the next couple of weeks!  

Regency: Teal Velveteen Pelisse

Behold:  a finished velveteen pelisse for winter wear!  

Last fall I acquired a huge stack of velveteen Ikea curtain panels from my local neighborhood swap group.  I knew right away I wanted to make a pelisse out of it. The fabric is heavy and warm, but not TOO heavy - perfect for our relatively mild central Texas winter weather. 

It would be a nifty addition to my Regency wardrobe, I thought, but more than that, I was in dire need of a long winter coat that was affordable - so I knew I wanted to make one, but I could never find the right fabric and pattern for it.  Yes, I absolutely plan to wear this in "real life" as my regular winter coat! 

left: fashion plate from Ackerman's;
right: design inspiration from Laughing Moon

This fashion plate, and this gown, were my first inspirations.  I loved the ruffles around the neckline and the big tie in the front of both, so I decided to use my Laughing Moon Spencer pattern (#129) for the bodice and sleeves, since it already has the shaping and design on the bodice that I wanted. 

I used the skirts from my Reconstructing History round gown pattern as a guide for the width and length of the skirt panels. 

dyeing the velveteen

The first problem was the color of the velveteen curtain panels:  they were bright aqua, which - no. Too bright and cheerful for me.  

Fortunately, they're 100% cotton, so they dyed pretty easily with Rit dye.  I used a 2:2:1 mixture of dark green, teal, and charcoal gray,  and came up with this lovely deep muted spruce green color.  (Okay, it's TEAL. Rit dye's formula charts call this "Blue Spruce Green," but it's totally teal).  

 

inside ties and hand-finishing

The pelisse is lined in a sage green cotton fabric that started life as a duvet cover I had sitting around not being used. Here you can see the ties I placed inside the bodice to help hold the thing together - I didn't want to rely on the belt/sash to do the job on its own.  The ties will help keep everything aligned properly when I wear it. 

The problem with dyeing the fabric was that I originally did it in two separate batches.  I measured carefully, and used the exact same dye on both batches...and yet, they still came out slightly different colors - one batch was a bit greener, and one batch was a bit bluer. 

So, after I finished the pelisse, I overdyed it again to bring the colors back in together.  The lining dyed, as well, and now it matches the velveteen fabric. 

bodice back

Since I do plan to wear this coat mundanely (i.e. not as a costume, but as regular daily wear), I made a few modifications to the pattern to help it be more wearable - the inside ties are one. 

I also lowered the hem of the bustline by 3" to accommodate a "normal" modern bustline.  It still fits fine when I'm corseted, but since I mostly won't be wearing this with a corset, I wanted it to conform to my "regular" bust shape when I'm wearing it to the office, for example.    

I added hidden side-seam pockets to the skirts as well.  Bitches need pockets! I generally don't carry a purse - just my phone which is in a wallet case, and my keys, and I needed somewhere to stash them. 

I also added belt loops to the side seams of the waistline, to help keep the belt/sash in place. 

before hemming the bottom

Altogether, this pelisse took me about 12 1/2 hours (over the course of 7 days) to construct and finish.  Most of it is sewn on the machine, although I did do all the finishing - anything that's visible from the outside - by hand.  Because it's so long, and there's so much fabric, it's surprisingly heavier than I thought it would be, and it IS very warm.  It'll make an excellent top layer and windbreak in winter weather this year. 

Thankfully, our winters are generally pretty mild, usually averaging about 40-50º most of the time, and only getting down into the 20s-30s for a couple of weeks in January or February; so this pelisse didn't have to be very heavy - it's mostly just a windbreak and an extra layer. With a sweater underneath and a scarf at the neck, it'll be just fine for the weather here.  

Things I would change if I had to do this again: 

(1) the sleeves are a teensy bit too long. They're lovely, but I worry about them being in the way while driving.  

(2) the back of the bodice and the shoulders are very fitted, and I worry that they won't accommodate more than a very thin shirt underneath - I won't be able to wear sweaters with this thing.  (Good impetus to lose a bit of weight before this winter!) 

(3) The belt loops are laughably too big. I should have made them half the size I did; but it's okay, I doubt anyone will notice or care. 

SCA: Event Recap, and Looking Forward

I went to my first Steppes Warlord a couple of weeks ago!  I'd never gone because I always thought it was "just" a fighting event, but it turns out, it's SO much more.  All the fighting, all the A&S, tons of vendors, lots of competitions, lots of parties, and all kinds of stuff - there were even snow cones for sale, LOL.  I had a a lot of fun.  

Oops

Sadly, one of the strands of beads in my Viking "festoon" necklaces broke, so I only had one to wear pinned between my brooches.  Thankfully, all the beads fell out on my bed while I was getting dressed, so I was able to collect them all and save them to re-string them at a later date.  I'll probably do that this week. 

Also, my gray linen serk "sprung a leak" - a hole opened up in one of the arm seams.  Since the sleeves are tight enough that I can't just take it in to cover the break, I'll have to dig around in my stash to see if I have any more of that fabric so that I can make a patch for the hole.  

Nope!

I was traveling with a friend this event, so to save space I opted not to tote my clothes hamper with me, instead carrying my clothing and EVERYTHING else in my black chest to save space in the truck.  It did NOT work out very well at all - everything was so crammed in there that I had to unload the entire chest to find anything, my clothes got terribly wrinkled, and it was a huge pain in the ass.  I'm definitely not going to do that again - especially since I mostly travel alone, and can pack anything I want in my nice, big truck.  As much as I fantasize about one day building myself a new, period tent; I really like the way I have everything packed and arranged with all my baskets and wooden boxes.  

Yay! 

I spent the mornings at the event working in the kitchen at the Antsteorran Longship Association's omelette breakfasts.  The Longship allowed me to camp with them for the weekend, since my household wasn't going to be there; and so to give back I pitched in in the kitchen, and I had SO MUCH FUN.  It was hard work, but I really enjoyed it.  They set up a full kitchen with camp stoves right there in camp under a huge pavilion, and serve up omelettes made to order - the proceeds go to fund the group's efforts in - get this - building actual wooden Viking longship replicas.  That's so cool!  I look forward to working with them again.   

Next

I hear some kingdoms have indoor events in the cold of winter.  You'd think Ansteorra would do the same thing in the summer, but people down here have some weird tough-guy thing about being able to withstand the Texas sun - we have no indoor events during the hot summers at all.  There are a couple of events over the next two months, but they're outdoors, and they're at least five hours away by car, so I won't be going to anything until the fall brings cooler weather and local events again.  

Plenty of time to work on new projects, fix up my existing wardrobe as needed, and plan for A&S in the fall.  I'm looking forward to the break for a while (I have lots of new Regency stuff planned to keep me busy), but I also already can't wait for September! 

More soon.  

SCA: On Making Glass Beads and New Viking Jewelry

At the beginning of March I posted about making my own glass beads at home (here).  I'm still going strong, and I'm getting better with every batch I make.  It's SO much fun, and although it's pretty fast, it takes a lot of focus to get them right. 

My work table, all set up and ready to go

Right now I'm making about 7-10 beads per session, about 2 sessions per week.  Most of the beads I've made have been in shades of blue and green, although I recently picked up some white and yellow to throw into the mix and to use to make dots and stripes on my beads.  So far I've mostly been focusing on perfecting my round and oval-shaped beads, and learning to control the glass enough to make some larger ones; my next phase I think will be getting better at making dots and stripes and other patterns.  

A selection of beads I've made at home

All of this, of course, has been for the purpose of re-making my "festoon" for my 10th-century Viking kit.  Until now, the strands of beads I hang between my brooches have been made of store-bought beads - mostly glass and acrylic, in blue and amber tones.  I liked the color arrangement of my most recent iteration of the necklaces, but the beads were too perfect and modern looking; and to be honest, the more I look at the grave finds, the more this necklace just looks plastic and garish to me: 

My most recent set of necklaces, in modern store-bought beads

It's an SCA-ism, I suppose, that the more huge and ostentatious you can make your Viking jewelry, the better.  The reality is that (based on grave finds) most of these bead necklaces ranged from 18-20 beads per person, and that the beads themselves ranged from 10-16mm each.  We have no idea how exactly women wore these bead strands - whether they were worn as a single strand or multiple strands, how many beads per strand, etc., because only the loose beads have been found - whatever material the beads were strung on has disintegrated with time.  Found beads are usually glass, although some of amber, jet, quartz crystal, and carnelian have been found as well.  These were understated jewelry pieces by SCA standards - not 30 pounds of rocks and glass to impress your friends.

My first  "festoon" necklace set with about 95% homemade beads

Here's what my new set looks like for the time being.  Beads are small-medium sized, with a couple of larger ones in the center of each strand, in shades of blue and green and yellow.  (There are also 4 glass beads that I didn't make included here as well, because I loved them and wanted to re-use them).  It's simpler and plainer; and the beads themselves are more in line with what I've seen from grave finds in color and shape and size.  

A couple of smaller points, because people have asked:  

This necklace is strung on #10 cotton crochet thread.  I forgot to wax it this time for strength, so we'll see how it holds up. (The last set did just fine). 

I have three raven pendants that I hang from my beads. Two of them are historical representations based on actual finds; the third is a modern pendant I received for my birthday many years ago. The use of metal pendants may or may not be period (it's probably not); but I love my ravens.  

I no longer incorporate metal beads into my design, now that I have enough glass beads to make up the entire piece.  I read somewhere that metal beads have been found in graves/a grave, but I can't find the source anymore, and I've also read that metal beads were NOT a thing, so for the time being I'm not including them unless I can find something definitive one way or the other.   

 

Glass bead on an iron mandrel, Gotland (photo from 

Gotland Visby Museum; via text and trowel) 

So, what's next? More beads! This is my first set of necklaces; I fully intend to keep going, to get better and learn how to do more patterns and styles.  I would like to make a better set of necklaces for myself, and I'd also like to make enough beads that I can start giving them away as presents and largesse.  

I want to write for pages and pages on Viking-age bead finds, and maybe I will someday (maybe I'll turn all this into an A&S project and write a huge paper one day), but for now, here are some of my favorite online places to go to read about Viking-age beads: 

• Dr. Matthew Delvaux's FANTASTIC blog about Viking-age glass beads and trade routes, called "text and trowel": https://textandtrowel.wordpress.com/ 
• A Wandering Elf's Viking bead research blog posts: http://awanderingelf.weebly.com/blog-my-journey/category/viking-bead-research 
• Viking Age Beads, by Elin Hreitharsdottir https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273133694_Viking_age_beads_from_Iceland 
• Perler fra vikingtiden (Beads of the Viking Age) by Megan Hickey https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/8571/1/Megan%20Hickey%20MA%20Final%20Dissertation%202014.pdf

SCA: Camp Furniture Makeover

 So, this folding camp chair was pretty cool.  I bought  a regular old nylon camp chair at Walmart in 2019, removed the nylon covers, spray-painted the frame and the tray, and replaced the covers with pretty fabric, to make it look a little less modern and make it blend in with the wooden camp furniture a little better. Brown spray paint isn't going to fool anyone; but when you place the chair amongst all the wooden furniture, it at least looks a little less plastic-y.  

However, in March, the stitching on one corner of the back piece on this chair gave out and nearly dropped me on the ground at an event - I ended up shoring it up with safety pins in order to keep using it.  

Time for a new cover!  This time it's made from some dark green cotton damask upholstery fabric I had in my stash: 

(the back is the same as the seat and arms; the light is just making it look weird)

Hopefully this will hold me at least another four years.  Maybe by then I'll have built myself a wooden folding chair.  HA!  Yeah, right.  

SCA: 3 Things: Random Viking Kit Stuff

This is such a small thing, but it's a huge accomplishment for me!  I've been learning how to inkle weave...very...slowly...and without much forward progress.  I assumed my work was wonky because I was new, but that I would get the hang of it and it would stop being bumpy and fuzzy with practice.  I was using scrap yarn for this, which is...bumpy and fuzzy.  A weaving friend of mine told me it was likely the yarn's fault, and not mine - so I decided to try it with a new material. 

This time, I used #10 cotton crochet thread, and it came out MUCH more evenly and smoothly, thank goodness!  I made a pair of short (about 1y each), thin (3/8") garters to wrap around my winingas when I dress as a male Viking, to mimic some pictures I've seen online from some of the European reenactment groups.  I really liked the look, and since my raven clasps broke, I had nothing to secure my winingas with.  (Actually, the red garters are purely decorative, since I tuck my winingas in at the bottom).  (Also, I don’t know how period the whole winingas-and-garters thing is. I’ve seen this done as part of the Finnish Iron Age dress recreation (the “Eura dress,” 6-7th century), but I don’t know  if the style carried over into say, Sweden or Denmark, or for how long a time period that style was worn). 

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After the little raven clasps from my winingas broke (the hook snapped off of one), I made the broken one into a piece of jewelry - it's now a pendant for my Viking "festoon" necklaces: 

Now I have three raven pendants for my necklaces: this one, a brass Rus Borre style raven; a silver Rus-style pewter raven that I got as a site token from Candlemas; and a modern silver stylized raven pendant that my BFF got me for my birthday many years ago.  All the ravens! (I also have a pretty nifty knotwork raven tattoo, but sadly it doesn't show with all my garb on.  Oh, well).  Anyway, the clasp on this is totally modern, but I use them on all my raven pendants, and they don't really show because they're hidden between beads.  

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Also, I dyed my male Viking tunic with some leftover dark green RIT dye, because the colors were grossing me out. The greige and blue look was nice, but I just look awful in beiges and warm grays.  So now the tunic (and outfit) is green and dark blue, and I like it much better. 

More soon!