Mapleside Demo

My local SCA group has been involved in a weekend demonstration held at the Mapleside Farms in Brunswick, OH for a number of years, in fact I believe this was our fourth. Imagine a weekend of arts, crafts, fencing, fighting, and other foolery.

My role changed slightly this year, but we took it upon ourselves to ensure the baronial tents arrived in a timely manner on Friday for setup. I was supposed to drive the truck, but M. was able to get off work to make it for the 5:00 delivery time. Upon arrival, we found the site to be in less than ideal conditions, namely a few tons of work trucks from a project up the hill parked in our general setup area... and our setup area a construction site.

A wide-angle view of the demonstration grounds and crowds.

We made the most of this by asking the farms to bring in some tree litter (leaves, branches, etc.) for the fighting area, and the remainder of tents set up in other less chaotic areas. Museum Von Aachen is a favorite destination for all medieval fest attendees. We had armored combat, archery, rapier combat, dancing, glass blowing, medieval oil painting, medieval life, weaving, spinning, calligraphy and illumination, wood working, and so much more!

The lovely Lady Seonaid inghean Ghriogar.

Our fledgling demonstration coordinator Eve took about 300 amazing photographs and documented them on Facebook. (Well worth a visit to the group to check them out.) One new feature this year was an information booth manned by the Northern Oaken regional chatelaine. She had a lovely "Finding your local group" map, color coded, with website and contact information for all of the local chatelaines. I can't believe someone didn't think of this earlier. After the weekend was done, she advised there were over a hundred names on her information request list, and some well out of Kingdom.

The Sisterhood banners representing!

Since I had no particular art I was looking to display, I volunteered to hand out wrist bands at the top of the hill on Saturday since our usual den mother was at a wedding. To make the most of the eight hours by myself, I brought a collection of basket weaving supplies, some banners, and table cloths to decorate the space. (With the trusty old decorated 10x10 pop-up I painted in my apartment back in the day.) What I didn't quite realize, although I was warned, is it became a perfect point to talk to steady stream of members as well as the general populace northeast Ohio.

Ginevra and I had talked about demonstrating basket weaving this year, but she had fallen ill with some projectile plague and was unable to make it, but I decided to bring my supplies anyway and display them, if not work on them. As it turned out, another SCA member (Thora) kept me company most of Saturday and, since our hands were generally idle and she was game, we acquired a gallon or two of water and put to good use the basket weaving supplies on hand.

Honoring Katharine
through sharing her
love of weaving.

Rather than try to teach with one of the more complex patterns included which required some forming, we each made a small berry basket without handles. This fascinated all of the people passing by, several of which stopped to chat or asked if they could be involved in this arts and crafts demonstration or if they could buy something. We politely answered all questions they had, then gestured towards the gentle hill down to the actual displays.

When we wrapped up on Saturday, the baskets were mostly constructed and tucked, but just needed the final edge treatment. I moved the display down to the general demonstration area and worked on that throughout the day. Not nearly as much traffic or interest with so many other amazing arts and crafts displays going on, but that is perhaps my own fault for setting up next to the glass bead maker.

Pennsic War 46 Classes I Took

The load of classes I was able to squeeze in between my baronial duties was unfortunately a bit limited. I did manage to cram in taking eight classes and teaching one. Without further ado...

1. Twelve Plants through the Ages - This class is a continuation of Pennsic 45's Twelve Plants focusing on (as you can guess) twelve different plants. I wasn't surprised to see so many previous students in the class, I still stand behind this being an amazing treasure trove of modern and historic lore, perfect for the curious or the studious! Teacher is still great.
2. Pennsic Homes - The class focused on the instructor's varied attempts at a Pennsic Small House, but cited many historic references to traveling caravans and homes. It was well attended and had more meat in the citations and the documentation was excellent. I wish I had a copy for my own perusal, but the teacher saved it for the next session.
3. Deeper Look at Textiles & Trim of Viking Age Dress - A gorgeous and in depth class discussing the creation of textiles. I'd try to summarize it, but my words would fail to cover the scope, so I'll just provide you with a class description. "By looking deeper at both the textiles and the details from extant items, this class aims to help individuals make informed choices for crafting their garments. Textile examples will clarify the weaves and weight of period fabrics and there will also be discussion of possible modern substitutions. Additionally, practical details for finishing or embellishing garments will also be explored and their history investigated. The goal of this class is to help the individual understand how daily life during the Viking Age could affect how textiles were crafted and worn." If you see it pop up 
4. Landed Baron/ess Roundtable - As stated, this round table allowed us to meet and greet with some of the other landed barons and baronesses of the Knowne World, outside of the Midrealm. I would recommend this for any interested in serving or for those already in service. I took quite a few notes and plan to apply some of the principles locally.
5. Soap in a Bottle - I arrived late for this class, so it was essentially an audit. The instructor gave several examples of how to make soap and encouraged all to give it a try. I can see this being a valuable technique to learn and subsequently to teach. I have a cousin who makes soaps for her small business so I may reach out to her for some tips and tricks.
6. Pennsic Without a Cooler - The class focused primarily on medieval foods that could last during the two week war with samples. Overall, well attended and educational, but I was looking for more of a modern take on doing Pennsic without a cooler to avoid the dreaded nutmeg. No fault of the instructor as her examples were useful.
7. The Bliaut Revisited - A generally good class covering the history of and the basics for construction of the bliaut. The instructor shared her experiences with planning, construction, and wearing them in all climates.
8. Espalier Trees - When I saw the class in the handbook, I was exceptionally excited and rearranged my baronial schedule to attend. (And still made my commitment a few hours later.) The instructor went through different tree and root stock, pruning techniques, historic shapes, and provided an exceptional pictorial guide on his own espalier tree farm. This is a multi-year project and takes a lot of time and care to come to fruition (pun intended) properly.

Pennsic 46 Classes

Since I wasn't sure of my baronial commitments, I opted to reprise one simple yet fun class for 2017.

• 8/4 @ 2:00 PM - Whose Partner Am I Anyway?

In the past, the class had been lightly attended but not this year! It just so happened that an exceptionally heavy rain storm hit right about 2:15, so after dropping the side walls of the dance pavilion, the dancers and I got back down to business and finished just shy of 3:00. I would say it was an overall success. :)

Card Weaving 101

The half-warped inke loom makes a
purrf-ect kitten playground! (2014)

In the early days of my SCA career, I acquired a lovely inkle loom crafted by Sir Farþegn (Farthegn) Rinksson. Being new to weaving on this type of loom, I decided to tackle an easy project using cards. After all a lot of my friends were doing it. In fact, I started warping the loom in 2012 when I moved into my home and then? ... Promptly set it aside and forgot about it. I would look at it longingly (after moving the stuff in front of it) year after year and couldn't quite bring myself to pick it up and start working on it again, primarily since I had misplaced the pattern I was using.

After a quick trip to my Amazon purchase history, I ordered my second copy of A Tablet Weaver's Pattern Book by Holtzer and White. Once received, I looked at the pattern and looked at the cards only to realize I wasn't quite sure what the heck I was thinking when I had originally started warping. The color scheme wasn't going to work out as I had hoped, so I went through and pulled individual threads out of individual cards to fix it. (I don't recommend doing it wrong the first time, by the by.) Learning curve aside, I took the project with me to the basket weaving retreat in Columbus to work on in the down time.

It may have taken a few hours to get finished, but it was definitely a fun experience. I need a bit more practice keeping my tension consistent so the width of the weaving doesn't fluctuate so drastically, but that will come with time I'm told.

I apparently was so geeked with the pattern book, I decided to draft my own pattern for the item that's currently on the loom. (Not pictured.) Perhaps one day I'll finish and gift that, too. Winter is coming, so there's hope.

Introduction to Basket Weaving

My first berry basket.

In March, (Mistress) Felice hosted a basket making retreat for the Philipian Sisterhood members in honor and to celebrate the life of our recently departed sister, (Mistress) Katherine Hatton VonRahm who not only practiced the art, but mastered it. On that blustery March day, we gathered to create our very own (and yet very unique) berry baskets. In attendance: Crespine, Felice, Zsof, Colette, Ginevra, and I.

It was an honor to keep the tradition alive. I know shortly after our return to the Cleftlands, both Ginevra and I acquired our own basket making supplies and plan to work on our art in the near future!

Order of the Willow - January 2017

The Order of the Willow is an award given by the crown to those who have shown proficiency in the arts. The recipients are known by the badge blazoned: Purpure, a willow tree eradicated Or. This award is equal to the awards: Order of the Silver Oak.

• Direct Link: Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts
• Title: 49 Love Sonnets, King’s 322
• Origin: Italy, N. (probably Milan)

The Order of the Willow was created on pergamenata with Windsor-Newton gouache and  Speedball calligraphy ink. The text reads as follows:

Piteous are those who fail to hear the words of Kateryn, Royal Patroness of the Arts & Edmund our King. It is our pleasure to recognize the skill & art of cookery displayed by our subject Gwenllian Tarianlas & wish for her to be known as a companion of our noble Order of the Willow. We grant her the right to bear the badge: Purpure, a willow tree eradicated Or, without let or hindrance from any person. Done this 28th day of January, Anno Societatis XLI (51) in our Barony of the Cleftlands.

In reality, the illuminated initial is an A, but I choose to see it as a pi (π) symbol... thus π-teous or pi-teous and the other pie nods throughout the scroll. #sowitty

Finished work.

Inspiration piece.

The Sisterhood Takes Ann Arbor

The Sisterhood: Felice, Philip, Katherine, Colette,
Crespine, Gianna, and Ginevra in Ann Arbor, MI.

In early November, Master Philip notified Ginevra and I that there would be gathering of the Philipian Sisterhood in Ann Arbor, MI for the elevation of our Sister Katherine Hatton VonRahm. The web of subterfuge involved was fairly epic, to keep Katharine in the dark, thinking she was going to see a movie, but in fact was going to be elevated by Her Majesty Kateryn. Ginevra contributed Katharine's laurel wreath coronet, which brought a tear to her eye. Congratulations, Mistress Katherine!

Adventures in Block Printing

I grew up in a fairly rural part of Arizona, but in spite of this we had a pretty amazing and witty art teacher. One of the areas of study covered in 7th or 8th grade was lithography, specifically linoleum carving and block printing. I remember enjoying the class and being ever so proud of my carved unicorn, a homage to my love of The Last Unicorn and (I'm sure) Legend.

Fast-forward a couple of years to the early months of 2016 when I decide that I need to remake the curtains for the canopy bed my Lord and I use at Pennsic. The most economical fabric I found was plain lawn for a ridiculously low price, so I purchased 30 yards and made plans to jazz it up with fabric printing. (I'm fairly sure the idea initially spawned after reading an article somewhere on the internet about painted fabrics or perusing the eternal productivity killer known as Pinterest.)

As usual, money talks, so my orders of linoleum blocks, Speedball inks, brayers, carving tools, and most importantly fabric arrived. What I didn't order, but arrived nevertheless, were massive amounts of work related projects and travel, the local event Northern Oaken War Maneuvers for which I am an event steward, and then Pennsic projects more important than decoration. Needless to say, I overbooked my time and couldn't get to any of this. (On the upside, I did get to take a trip to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to look at extant examples of printed fabrics, but that's another post entirely!)

If you're going to choose
heraldry,  be sure to select
complex lines of division...

Through the rest of spring and summer, I watched a barony member named Dulcia (Wylde) post pictures of her own explorations in block printing and lived vicariously through it. After War, she was kind enough to teach a class at our local baronial meeting, allowing people to make and take any number of ink and fabric combinations. (Block printing, block carving, stamping, or stencils.)

I decided to give it a go and thankfully found out it's just like riding a bike! There was a small piece of carving material available, so I grabbed that and quickly drew out a rough cut of my heraldry on a lozenge. (Because why do anything easy?)  After a few negative-positive space fumbles, I carved this lovely little stamp. Not perfect, but not bad for 25+ years out of practice.

If you are interested in learning more about block printing, there is a fabulous Facebook group shepherded by Countess Brigit of Mercia. She is a powerhouse researcher who taught several classes at Pennsic this year and quite the trend setter and inspiration.

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/PrintedTextiles/

Pennsic War 45 Class I Took

Looking back on last year, it was the first time that I focused on attending classes other than dance at Pennsic University. It was a bit of a blur and I could barely remember all the classes that I took, so I promised myself this year I would actually take some notes.

Here's the run down:

1. 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.
2. 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!
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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. 
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. Medieval Gardening - An excellent overview of medieval gardening practices including seed sharing resources. I would highly recommend attending it if you're into dabbling.
12. 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.
13. 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)
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. The Landsknechten - A historical overview of the history and people behind the Landsknechten and how this shaped their fashion choices.
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. 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! 
24. Medicine, Physick, and Surgery - The class was a deep dive into different medieval medical tools, techniques, and beliefs. 
25. 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. 
26. 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
27. 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!
28. 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!

Order of the Dragon's Heart

Midrealm Great Court, Pennsic War

On August 11, I was recognized as a member of the Order of the Dragon's Heart, a Middle Kingdom Award defined as:  given to those who have performed services on behalf of the Middle Kingdom above and beyond service normally expected of subjects of the Crown.

For all of you scheming to get me to attend the world's hottest and most humid court ever: I was going to go anyway. :|

For all those who wrote me in, thank you.

I am humbled.

Thank you to Baroness Soffya von Kulp for the lovely scroll. If you aren't familiar, her miniature work is amazing and I'm so happy to have this piece of art!

Proclaim to all that We, Cameron and Amalie are mindful of the time, labor, and love that Gianna Vettori hath freely given. Her tireless service fuels her barony and kingdom, she can continually be seen behind the scenes to ensure that the society is a better place for all. She truly has the heart of a dragon, and we are minded to create her a companion of our most noble Order of the Dragon's Heart.