Here's the run down:
- Beginning Netting - This was the first class that I attended this year. (Yay!) I arrived at the class fairly on time and that clearly wasn't early enough. I was able to audit part of the course, but I was sitting outside the classroom and the teacher was demonstrating primarily to the people in the front of the class, but even they were having difficulty because she had her back turned to everyone. Maybe one or two people could have seen it and they were on the absolute sides of the classroom. I ended up leaving the class to grab some coffee because I would have a better chance of learning to net by watching a video. My constructive criticism here would to be enforce the class size and demonstrate with your back away from the audience, not to the audience. It was nearly impossible to see or hear anything going on.
- Theories on Garments Found at Pskov - The class was co-taught by Mistress Blitha of Wolfhou and Lady Alfdis Thorsdottir. I really enjoyed the class and discussions, but was most impressed by the recreated examples of the extant finds used as visual aids. The documentation was well presented. Should they teach again, I recommend it!
- Wet Felting: Viking Style - I have wanted to get my hands dirty, er clean..., with wet felting for a couple of years, but I had been unable to get in early enough to take it. I happened to catch Lítil-Grevinne Ísgerðr Gulkárr (of The Practical Viking fame) early in the morning and she was kind enough to take advance payment for an afternoon class. She was exceptionally accommodating to the over 30 students that wanted to take her class (original limit 15) and I walked away with a cute little felted pouch. I can see wanting to do this on my own in the future, despite how time consuming it is.
- Graph Paper is Your Friend - A friendly mother-daughter team teaching their first class at Pennsic. I would recommend this class for someone starting out or a more experienced tailor interested in learning fabric conservation techniques.
- Homeless Monks - The Mendicant Revolution - The class wasn't on my original schedule, but it turned out to be quite an enjoyable discussion with some historical favorites, such as Saint Francis of Assisi and and his friend Saint Dominic de Guzman. I enjoyed the brush with medieval history and religion for a time period I'm not overly familiar with.
- How to Build a Yurt on a Budget - A very practical and detailed approach on how to build yurts, as the title says. I was relieved to work this in to my schedule fairly early at War because I figured it would be busy, and it was! The teacher was experienced and the hand out was great.
- 16th Century Western Erotica - A class for adults, this was a frank and insightful class on the history of pornography in medieval times, focusing on I Modi or The Sixteen Pleasures by Raimondi and Aretino in the 1520's. I would recommend this class to anyone, but especially anyone whose persona focuses after that time so you have something to gossip about.
- The History of Prostitution - Taught by the same teacher as 16th Century Western Erotica, the class delved into history of prostitution through the ages and the legal and often financial ramifications of trying to moderate it. I was especially interested in how it was viewed in Roman culture and the interactions between the profession and the church. I highly recommend taking this class if you have a Roman or Italian since it would be common to know about them and how to either dress or NOT dress like a professional.
- Whose Partner and I Anyway? - I technically attended this class... because I taught it. A collection of easy English Country Dances including Rufty Tufty, Hearts Ease, and Cuckolds all in a Row.
- History of Block Printing & Printed Textiles - An excellent introduction to the history of block printing on textiles. It gives a great and plausible reasons for painted fabrics throughout time. The teacher was exceptionally passionate about the subject which was really contagious.
- Medieval Gardening - An excellent overview of medieval gardening practices including seed sharing resources. I would highly recommend attending it if you're into dabbling.
- A Hat for Every Head - The class covered head coverings throughout many time periods and reasons why they were worn, from cleanliness to holiness. Having the correct head coverings can really make or break your garb.
- Live Like a Viking to Dress Like a Viking - A passionate teacher interested in the how and why clothing was worn, what was practical to wear, and how not to dress like you're going to your own funeral for every day task. (See also: Wet Felting)
- Viking Penannular Brooches - This was a hands-on class that walked the students through making brooches. I wish I had better pictures of the forms we used for shaping the malleable metals, but M. loves the brooch I made.
- Look Like You Stepped Out of a Manuscript - This class outlined how the teacher was building her wardrobe and persona based on a particular manuscript. Tips and tricks for finding similar themes and colors throughout the book (so the person is likely the same one), focusing on the layers of clothing and items to come up with a cohesive look.
- Matthew Paris and the Volcano - This class wasn't on my original schedule, but the squirrel effect (Hey, that looks interesting!) I went and it ended up being one of the most interesting and insightful classes I took and couldn't stop talking about. I'd wax poetic, but I recommend reading the East Kingom Gazette article and seeing for yourself.
- The Landsknechten - A historical overview of the history and people behind the Landsknechten and how this shaped their fashion choices.
- An 11th-Century Byzantine Noblewoman's Closet - If you haven't taken a class from Anna Dokeianina Syrakousina (Anna's Rome), you're missing out. She's an subject matter on all things Byzantine. In this class, she was discussing her master's thesis works on the house records and will of a Byzantine woman named Kale. The class was fast paced, but mesmerizing. If you haven't downloaded a copy of her works (on Etsy, I believe), I would recommend it as an excellent means of research and just plain reading.
- Drawn Work Handkerchief Make-and-Take - A lovely make and take class by Mistress Genoveva von Lubeck. It provided the ground work for future projects, should I ever have the time (and glasses) for such delicate work.
- Diet and Nutrition in Early British Populations - I'm not precisely sure what I thought when I first sat down in the class, but I was quickly mesmerized for an hour with this teacher's in depth analysis based in hard, scientific facts, about what a particular population ate in a given region. I spent a good portion of the rest of War talking about different scientific ways to identify diseases by their ravages on your bones.
- Period Patterns: 16th-Century Tailoring Books - A historic look at different tailoring manuals from the past. Primarily focused on manuals from Spain, but delved into German tailoring as well as other regional manuals. Tips and techniques how to understand units of measure and how they translate to modern patterning. e.g. What's a barra and how long is it? 33 modern inches, etc. I would recommend this class for anyone looking to use historic patterns for construction and for those wishing to expand their understanding of fabric utilization and thrift.
- Periodness of the Pennsic Homes - The class had good bones, but was more focused on a few set examples of period homes and less on good attempts for mobile domiciles at Pennsic.
- Twelve Plants through the Ages - A highly educated and researched view on the historic uses and references to twelve plants focused on for the course of this lecture and cross referenced with known modern uses. The teacher was a professional with a background in botany. I would recommend this class for anyone interested in the history of medicinal plants or medieval medicine. The instructor advised that the twelve plants would differ each year. Bonus!
- Medicine, Physick, and Surgery - The class was a deep dive into different medieval medical tools, techniques, and beliefs.
- Viking Age Textile Tools - My notes on this class are incomplete, but it was a general survey of different textile tools used to create garments from about 800-1100 AD based on findings from the Osaberg ship.
- 16th-C Working Class Women's Garb Across Europe - The class could have easily been triple the single hour that was elected for and was a good primer for how, across the 16th century, construction for working class women was very uniform with regional changes. Construction methods very similar
- Braies and Chausses for the Practical Reenactor - A lovely practical look into period braies and chausses - how they were worn, examples from manuscripts indicating the braies were far less constructed and far more practical than modern aesthetics and construction would lead us to believe. I enjoyed the perspective of having the teacher being a man wearing the garments so we could see the practicality of it. Also a historic look into references where soldiers being requisitioned with squares of material to act as socks. Fascinating!
- Constructing a Florentine Sottana for Beginners - With permissions of Margo Anderson, the pattern maker a recently released Italian pattern booklet, the teacher of this class went over the construction of the dress with tips and tricks. Overall, a very good class with a lot of attention to detail.
It's a surprise to see just how many classes I took laid out in an ordered list! Also in knowing that the number would have been much higher if I hadn't wilted in the insufferable heat and humidity is impressive. Pennsic University is amazing, people. If you haven't taken advantage of it before, make sure you in the future!
