Grapes Ahoy

A few months back, the Barony of Cleftlands had a yard sale in which I scored roughly a yard and a half of a lovely deep purple lightweight wool from a dear friend who said she thought I would love it and it would make a beautiful hood. Challenge accepted!

I washed the wool to felt it more then quickly transformed it into a 14th century hood. After a quick throw over my shoulders, it was confirmed that I would need to line it, but with what color? I parsed through several linen candidates and settled upon a moody dark teal color that really popped when paired together. 

The color combination inspired my aubergine needle felted hat.

Resources:

• Opus Elenae Londinium Hood Video
• Opus Elenae Londinium Hood Pattern

The finished hood.

The hood and hat.

Pushing for Pennsic

Rather than curse myself with a monthly project update post, I humbly offer a list of garment-related items I have been working on for the two of us or for kingdom projects. My stretch goals for the winter were a bit stretchy. It isn't that I lack the skills, I lacked the spoons to do an awful lot during the winter. (Without getting too technical, I spent from August to April working on an exceptionally large project at work and it was very time, labor, and spoon intensive.)

Regardless...

Crispin Wardrobe Refresh

• repairs
• general's tabard - repaired sleeves
• black pants - repaired armor tears on legs
• grey geometric tunic - repaired neckline
• blue geometric tunic - repaired neckline
• yellow tunic - shortened sleeves
• green tunic - shortened sleeves
• completed projects
• black linen hood
• white three piece coif

Gianna's Wardrobe Refresh

• repairs
• white underdress - added long sleeves
• white underdress - added long sleeves
• white underdress - replaced long sleeves
• white underdress - repaired long sleeves
• blue work dress - shortened sleeves
• tan/brown overdress - extended hem length, added trim
• completed projects
• blue linen hood
• blue linen short sleeved cotehardie
• blue/white diamond weave short sleeved cotehardie

Other Projects

• Personal Encampment
• tri-fold privacy screen
• Midrealm Royal
• barricade (shield wall) documentation
• award heraldry shields (9 painted)

Distraction

I have spent the last several months thinking of ways to best utilize the space within our new wall tent purchased this year. (There's a story behind that, but best discussed elsewhere.) I've had a tent with a similar foot print before, but in speaking with any number of wall tent inhabitants, one of the frequent points brought up was lack of privacy when the doors are for ventilation.

I hatched an idea about a privacy screen... but not just any privacy screen. The one that took the most time! In June, Ginevra and I traveled to the far off lands and visited Drachenwald embassy in Middle Marches (IKEA) to barter for supplies, namely three IVAR side units and later I sourced the hardware at the local Menards. A few years ago, I picked up this lovely printed cotton that had aged to perfection in someone else's stash and backed it with fustian, bound the edges with a cotton twill tape to complete the project.

Overall, the screen took about ten hours, not including dry time for the enamel paint on the wood pieces, casually intermixed with other household tasks.

Reference: IKEA IVAR Folding Screen

The completed screen.

A lady hawking.

The lord lurking.

The Traveling Hat

A couple of friends asked for a needle felting demonstration at my local baronial meeting, so I gathered my supplies and headed off. Instead of a scrap of wool felt, I grabbed one of the felt hats I picked up at the thrift store intended for steam block restructuring. I spent the requisite 3 minutes explaining and demonstrating how to needle felt, then they were off! Another friend joined us and tried in vain to resist the lure of crafting. A few laughs later, the traveling (itself) hat was born!

This lovely hat will serve as a demonstration piece and will travel to events for everyone to add their two cents (of wool) to while they learn how to needle felt. I'm so excited to see how this will be decorated!

The Traveling Needle Felting Demo Hat is born!

Aubergine Dreams

The second needle felted hat was created using a wool felt body/cone from Agnoulita Hats (Greece) in the purple colorway. The hat blank was a demonstration model during a private hat making session with a friend and has an exceptionally proud beak (point) to it and was sized to fit over a cap and veil.

I expanded the color selection of wool after a quick trip to Joann's where I picked up four different colorways offered in a commercial brand that were slightly heavier weight in some standard heraldic colors. (Gold, red, green, and a turquoise blue in lieu of a standard royal blue. See also: a project about half done for later!) The pattern is a simplified version of a sleeve found online, so I take no credit.

The interesting thing learned in this hat creation - the small fill areas are deceptive! It takes far less wool to create the accent turquoise centers to the petals than I expected, perhaps a half inch of material, tightly packed to integrate the loose ends of yarn.

I am overall satisfied with the hat and can't wait to see what's next!