Clean Up on Aisle 5

Artwork created by: Gianna Vettori (2026) on pergamenata with Windsor-Newton gouache. Processed through AI with the query: clean up the noise on this picture. If you look closely, you can see the deep cut customization that His Majesty's eyes are hazel and Her Majesty's eyes are brown. 

Original Artwork

 

Clean Up

Opening Ceremonies

Pennsic Accessibility Services has invited the Midrealm Assistive Listening System (ALS) team to demonstrate the assistive listening technology during Opening Ceremonies at Pennsic this year. Using your smartphone, the system streams the voices of the Crowns directly to Bluetooth earbuds, compatible hearing aids, or other Bluetooth listening devices, making it easier to hear the ceremony clearly. While designed as an accessibility tool for those with hearing loss, it can also improve the experience for anyone affected by distance, crowd noise, or poor acoustics.

To help attendees prepare, the Midrealm ALS team will be available at the Midrealm Royal Crafters Green (W-01) from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM on July 28, 29, and 30 to assist with installing the app and configuring devices. Volunteers will also be stationed near the Battlefield Fort for a few hours before Opening Ceremonies to help attendees connect to the Pennsic ALS network. During installation, please allow all requested permissions, including audio and location. Final connection to the Pennsic ALS network must be completed on-site the day of the event, and participants are asked to use headphones or hearing aids rather than their phone's speaker.

For more information, seek out Sir Crispin dela Rochefoucauld or Mistress Gianna Vettori at Midrealm Royal (W01) or Dame Elisabeta Fischer with Pennsic Accessibility Services. 

Business cards with QR codes will be available at Midrealm Gate during Peace Week.

Please note: If you have already configured Midrealm ALS, there's no need to switch networks.

• Website: Middle Kingdom Assistive Listening
• Website: Pennsic Assistive Listening
• PDF: Pennsic ALS Step By Step Instructions

Piña Kolad Namadi

"A general term for hats in Persian, often used in combinations like Kolah namadi (felt hat.)"

Admittedly, the title leans more towards my predilection for the drink than the subject matter at hand, but that is neither here nor there. A dear longtime friend was to be recognized by the Order of the Pelican and I was tasked with making their cap of maintenance.

The recipient's primary persona is 16th century Turkish and their heraldic charges are a white and black swan, so how better to represent that than with with a swan in her piety?

A Hat for Valentine's Day

A request came in for a St. Valentine’s Day Massacre hat to match a Midrealm-inspired dress. I chose to build the hat from a Jędrzejko Christmas Red (583) base and paired it with remnants of green fabric featuring white roses and pearl trim. I have a few pictures of the hat in progress, as well as some finished project glamour shots.

In progress.

Her Majesty's Hat.

An Acorn Cap

One of the coordinators for the Queen’s Prize Tournament reached out with a special request: a hat to be offered as a prize in the upcoming tournament set to take place at the Festival of Maidens in the Midlands. After some setbacks with the original design, I pivoted and created an oaken-inspired piece from a Jędrzejko Blue Sea (584) wool hat body. 

The oak-and-acorn inspired hat.

Little Red Fighting Hood

After enjoying 100 Minutes War in the East Kingdom last year, Crispin and I planned to return better prepared for the cold. Crispin requested a sturdy hood to help keep out the cold, so I pulled some red fleece from the fabric stash and put together a quick hood with oak leaf dags.

The finished hood.

A Cap of Maintenance

To recap my Facebook post in The Fellowship of the Traveling Hat group:

Mounted War Games holds a special place in the history of the Traveling Hat Club as it was our inaugural meeting of the Fellowship! (Or at least where the moniker was dubbed.) 

Although we had originally planned a meeting, it wasn't in the cards due to (exceptionally embarassing) reasons, but Her Grace AnneMarie de Garmeaulx was kind enough to teach a class on needle felting, a technique we often use to embellish the hats.

While the rest of class was learning new techniques, I was distracted by my shenanigans and speed needle felting some ermine spots (or strange nazar-like ermine spots, just work with me here) onto an existing hat created on a lark before Pennsic Great Court for the Midrealm. (The shenanigan being I snuck our matching hats into the car for the trip, then snuck 'em in to the event to work on his, then wore his hat before court to "show him what I did (for me!) in class!", then accidentally pulled it off my head when Their Majesties asked if there was any regalia for the new Pelican in his elevation ceremony. Tee hee.)

Anyway, here we go!

A cap of maintenance for Sir Crispin de la Rochefoucauld.

A Happy Little Accident

With the tagline of "Everyone deserves to be part of the story," how can you not want to be involved?

Sir Crispin dela Rochefoucauld spent the better part of the year working diligently to bring an Assistive Listening System to the Middle Kingdom. From the overview on his blog: "Assistive Listening System (ALS): A portable and event-ready system that provides real-time audio during courts, classes, and announcements that is delivered directly to an attendees’ personal devices, including Bluetooth earbuds or compatible hearing technology."

Without getting too lost in the weeds, I helped facilitate onboarding for those interested in the system and collaborated on documentation. At Pennsic, Crispin scheduled three technical support sessions at the Midrealm Crafters Green, and on a lark I sketched a logo on our camp whiteboard - blending the classic three-arch Wi-Fi symbol with a nod to the triple rainbow badge created by the system’s originators.

After Pennsic, I ran the photograph through ChatGPT with the command "Stylized/clip art style, exclude the silvery frame and focus on the words Midrealm Assistive Listening System and the wi-fi symbol on the left with five circles replacing the third part of the wi-fi symbol." and was pleasantly surprised with the first draft. Add several hours of Photoshop and viola the final logo was complete!

Inspiration.

First draft.

Final-ish logo.

Pennsic War 52 Classes I Took

My scheduled commitments, paired with catching a variant of the Pennsic Plague, prevented my attendance to many classes that caught my eye this year. (And the heat, let's not forget about the oppressive humidity and heat...) Nevertheless, here we go!

1. Bycocket Workshop.  Learn about the history, construction and finishing of a wool felt bycocket. This is a hands-on workshop that **REQUIRES** that the participants bring their own wool felt blank in order to make a hat. Individuals without a blank are welcome to sit in and receive a handout. [Instructor: Lady Margarette la Gantiere]
2. Coats, Cloaks, and Other Outerwear. Weather happens. Sometimes it's cold or wet. What is the appropriate coat, cloak, or other protection from the elements for your persona? Survey of European outerwear 1000-1600 CE. [Instructor: Lady Sisuile Butler]

Pushing for Pennsic - 2025

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. (Sounds familiar, eh?)

Crispin's Wardrobe Refresh

• completed projects
• green linen cotehardie
• shot linen lightweight cotehardie
• army green linen work tunic
• natural linen work tunic
• dark blue lightweight linen work tunic
• shot linen lightweight work tunic

Gianna's Wardrobe Refresh

• completed projects
• green wool cotehardie with silk sleeves
• green linen short sleeve cotehardie
• aluminum (grey) linen short sleeve cotehardie
• shot linen lightweight cotehardie
• purple archaic chiton with purple and grey trim
  
• green archaic chiton green and white trim
• natural archaic chiton with red and brown trim
• red archaic chiton
• shot linen archaic chiton
• Traveling Hat Club
• North Oaken - Middle Kingdom Coronation
• South Oaken - Royal University of the Midrealm
• Pentamere - Val Day
• Midlands - Ragnarök Rampage
• Constellation - Better War Through Archery

Other Projects

• Midrealm Royal
• award shield heraldry (1)
• award shield heraldry documentation

A Boast at Crown Tournament

From the Crown Tournament of Their Majesties Wigthegn and Neassa, the consorts were honored with original prose. Crispin and I were honored again to be represented by Lady Canay, an artisan and archer of of great renown residing in the Ayreton. 

Putting her hat in the ring for glory --
Servant, leader, lover of her people,
Praise be to Gianna Vettori!

Ethereal in beauty and presence,
she weaves noble webs to help the whole realm,
and serves with such care and effervescence.

Emboldened by her love, Sir Crispin fights,
slaying their enemies, earning honor
and envy too, from all the other knights.

Chapeau of Subtleties

I received a commission for a bycocket to be presented at the Midrealm coronation held locally in North Oaken. The person is a pivotal member of the Greenwood Company, which afforded the opportunity to play with several suggestions I had for Greenwood-themed hats! Pulling from the Traveling Hat Club archives, I selected the inspiration and proceeded with the plan.

The shape and brim came easily, but the adornments took a bit of creative adjustment to achieve the look I was going for with the beads I found. The pearls are floral cut beads attached below the needle felted wavy line of wool representing the red pale, while above are six seed beads sewn above, also representing the pearls of the court barony. The feathers are white ostrich and red-dyed pheasant as another nod to the pale of the Middle Kingdom.

Inspiration.

Tacked down.

Basted.

Finished!

A sneak peek.

Sur la tete!

Traveling Hats at Better War Through Archery

The Fellowship of the Traveling Hat recently held session at Better War Through Archery hosted by the Barony of Sternfeld in the Constellation region in Indiana.

The class was a traditional in the sense that I presented the materials, then dove directly into hat making. Over the course of the time allotted, as well as the buffer between classes, about 25 new hats were released into the wild, and several on first-time event attendees! As usual, special thanks to everyone who showcased their hats throughout the day.

If you've attended a single teacher session, you know that it can get crazy when the creation of hats begins as you are vaulted to not only subject matter expert, but coach, style consultant, and cashier. Of those moments, which are often very blurred, was a woman who was quietly working on a pink hat. We consulted for the fit of the hat at some point and when I next looked over, she was cutting scallops into the hat -- a bold move right from the start! It was later at the B&B that her story was shared with me -- she was so excited and proud of the hat she created earlier in the day and how she had recreated the scallops off of the teacher's hat. 

It's moments like that which make driving in a car that look like this worth it.

The promotion shot taken on my way to BWTA.

Noblesse Largesse Gift Exchange

It's been a few year since I participated in the Noblesse Largesse holiday gift exchange, but I thought I'd give it a go. The recipient's time period was a little earlier than the source material for the hood, but I figured it should still work for a few centuries earlier as hoods are pretty universal in make and model. The construction of the hood was based upon a fourteenth century hood found in Baynard's Castle, London UK. [See original source material at Opus Elenae's website.] 

The recipient's heraldic colors are blue, green, and gold. I chose celery green and periwinkle blue woven silk, lined with khaki colored linen. It is, as they say very demure and very mindful. I tacked down gold wool yarn at 4 and 7 centimeters from the edge, then added faux pearls in trefoils every 9 to 10 centimeters.

Hopefully, they will like it!

• Inspiration
• Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
• Bodleian Library MS. Bodl. 264, pt. I
• Flanders, Tournai
• French, Old (842-ca. 1400)
• Materials
• woven silk, linen, wool, cotton thread, and commercial faux seed pearls.

Inspiration.

Finished project.

Award of the Purple Fret - January 2025

The Award of the Purple Fret is an award given by the Crown to individuals who have been recognized for service to a group, office, or Kingdom.

• Source: The Walters Ex Libris
• Title: French Book of Hours
• Origin: France, Central (Rouen)
• Date: 1420-80

The scroll was created on pergamenata with Windsor-Newton gouache, Bombay Black India Ink and 24 carat gold leaf. The text reads as follows:

Pay heed to the words of Kilian and Jalida, beloved sovereigns of the Middle Kingdom. They wish to publicly recognize their faithful subject Chrysanthème des Prés for doing great acts of service, especially when providing nourishment to the masses and wish to bestow upon her the Award of the Purple Fret. Done this fourth day of January, Anno Societatis LIX (59) at the Twelth Night Celebrations in the Barony of Middle Marches.

Finished work.

In Process.

Inspiration piece.

Crafting Websites for SCA Events

Royal University of the Midrealm held their fall event in Barony of the Fenix on November 9. After some hemming and hawing for a few weeks I submitted to lecture on a subject that has been floating around in my mind for years titled Crafting Websites for SCA Events.

The topic of the class was less a tutorial on how to use a particular platform to create a website and more a focus on what information was required, essential, or nice to have on an event site, plus a few recommendations. This could honestly be used as a primer on how to steward an event if you were interested in an outside opinion from a person who had done it a time or two.

As always, your mileage may vary or you are free to have other opinions. I welcome feedback if you have any through the usual means of contact (i.e. email or Facebook Messenger.) I would like to again thank all who attended the class in person or online and to any who may look at the slide deck going forward.

Additional thanks to Claricia for all the things and to Roana for the use of her laptop due an unfortunate string of events directly related to a bad charging cable for my laptop. And of course, the staff and leadership of RUM for making it so accessible!

An exploration of how to build event websites tailored for the SCA that resonate with our modern medieval community while enhancing attendance and minimizing confusion. This class will guide participants through the essentials of creating an effective website, covering key topics such as planning, platform selection, functionality, technical requirements, and promotion.

Traveling Hats at Grand Day

The Fellowship of the Traveling Hat recently held session at A Grand Day of Tournaments hosted by the Barony of Cynnabar in Pentamere (MI).

Rather than a traditional class session, Grand Day was advertised as an all day hat salon strategically located in space between armored and rapier lists. Over the course of the day, Her Grace AnneMarie and I were able to guide participants through the construction of thirty-five hats in all colors, shapes, and sizes. We saw many familiar faces over the course of the day which yielded very few pictures! 

Special thanks to everyone who showcased their hats throughout the day.

Photograph by: Duchess AnneMarie de Garmeaulx

A Hat for Crown Tournament

On Thursday night, I was preparing for Crown Tournament and decided to throw together a more interesting black hat without the usual pink accents. I stretched the hat once on my head using the steam method to elongate it, then proceeded to shape the rest to the desired fit. I marked a 2.5 inch brim line from ear to ear, then tapered down to the front point, however I added a partial scallop to it after cutting an index card to a desired size and shape, then carried the pattern around the brim. 

While at the hotel, I tacked down the center peacock feather, but wasn't pleased with the slight turn of the feather, so I pulled two off of my charcoal grey hat and tucked them under the brass finding Sir Amadon Raudbjorn of Northshield gifted to me at Pennsic.

Overall, for a few hours of work it turned out nicely!

Fanciful Flowers

Per fess indented
flory at the points
sable and argent 

My husband and I have been entering Middle Kingdom Crown Tournaments for about the last five years. I've traditionally dressed in his heraldic colors (black and gold) which can lead one to feel like a marshal, however this year I decided I wanted to spice things up and dress in my own!

For the average bear a change from black and gold to black and white isn't much, however the color scheme in the Midrealm is all but synonymous with a household I am not a member of! And the line of division on my heraldry is striking, but exceptionally daunting to recreate - the dance, or dancetty was fitting at the time of heraldic inception as I was heavily involved in the dance community and my name in the Society is from Florence, Italy whose heraldic identifier was an exceptionally fancy fleur-de-lys! 

I chose to attempt the line of division using wool and used the familiar Londinium Hood pattern. I changed it up a little; instead of the inverted gore installation (Opus Elenae) I chose to try the method as described by Morgan Donner in the hood video linked below around minute marker 14:15. The gist being you lay the right side of the gore under the basted edge of the hood. It's hard to explain, see video for details! Ultimately, I found the Donner method of construction to be quick and easy to do, especially with with hand sewing.

After the hood was constructed, I went back and measured the average width of the dags from the expansion pack and created my own dance dag for the zig zag, which was about 4 inches in width. Prior to cutting, I added a the natural Pendleton wool of a similar drape underneath, then tacked it all down with an inverted hem stitch. Then I proceeded to add the laser cut fleur-de-lis tips in position with a similar stitch to keep them in place.

Resources:

• Morgan Donner Hood Video (14:45)
• Opus Elenae Londinium Hood Video
• Opus Elenae Londinium Hood Pattern
• Opus Elenae Londinium Dagging Expansion

Inspiration doodle.

A heraldic dance.

Fleur-de-lis tips.

Flory at the points!

Finished project!

Traveling Hats at Coronation

Shaping a hat.

The Fellowship of the Traveling Hat recently held session at the Midrealm Coronation of Kilian and Jalida in Constellation (IN).

Duchess AnneMarie and I, with the assistance of Lady Claricia and Baroness Antonia, were able to lead a class of (at least) thirty people in making (at least) thirty-five hats.  The class session held several repeat attendees, much to our delight, plus many new people eager to try their hand at new accessories. It was great success with many learning opportunities on both sides.

Thanks to Sir Bran for the pictures!

During the lecture.

Shaping and ironing.