January's Book of the Month

January's Book of the Month

Maidens Midrealm Site Information

As part of my new years resolutions (and I will be posting them here shortly)- I realized I did not like not being well informed. I hated being in a new kingdom, and not knowing the ins or outs, as well as the details concerning the events. That's when I decided to take things into my own hands :-)

I emailed the next event I had on my calendar (Maidens), and asked both the châtelaine and the autocrat basic questions that I figured new people and veterans alike would appreciate.

There are tons of guides out there for newbies- but not very many for people old to the SCA, but new to a kingdom. That is why I tailored my questions for those not necessarily new to the SCA, but might be new to an event.

You can see the final handout here.

I will do 1 of these for every event I attend this year. (Yep- That is one of my New Years Resolutions)

After I go to each event- I am going to write a little review. Synopsis if you will, of my opinions, observations, ext. Pulling in the years of experience I had as an entertainment reviewer in college, I want to write something up that can be a reminder to ourselves, noting if we felt the event was entertaining or not.

Don't get me wrong, I am not going to post things like "Bad Event" " Don't Go" or "Best Event of the Year". Everyone's opinions on what are good, bad, fun, boring, ext vary greatly. What I will be doing is posting things like "Small Hall, leave the benches at home", "Lack of water faucets, bring bottle watered", or "Lot's of down time, bring projects to share." I don't mean to be derogatory to any group or event- I simply want to record my feelings about the site, event, activities, etc. just so I can get a better understanding of what makes the kingdom tick. In the process hopefully it will become of use to others like me; someone who hasn't been to that particular event, and might miss the information the "regulars" consider common knowledge.....

Enjoy!

Schedule Set Up For Blogs

I am instituting a new schedule for posting on a regular basis. I am hoping that this new schedule will keep me a little more on tract- and can help those looking for information. I am also adding a few new additions to this blog- and my webspace in general.

I will be updating 3 times a week:

Mondays: Recap from the weekend
Wednesday: German Recipes
Friday: Sewing Tool of the month

I will add in my normal snippages, ideas, pictures, ext. when I have them. By adding 3 consistent "columns", I hope to create a more reliable sore of information for my regular readers. I guess this goes in general towards me becoming more consistent and reliable this year. Some I will write in advance, so even if I am away, busy, ex. They can still be published on a semi reliable shedule.

I am also adding a few additional regulars to my website. I am trying to redo the entire website- and it should be up around Friday.

The new pages I am adding are:
Book of the month club- Focusing on German Culture, Recipes, Costuming, Ext.

And

Event Guide- A guide, focused to newbies and individuals recently moved to the midrealm.

Why you do Flat Felled Seams.

Flat Fell Seams are a type of seam best used for items that are not lined. You basically sew your normal seam- then take the edges of those seams and roll them under themselves. When you flat fell a seam, it protects the edges, keeps the edges from fraying, and creates a stronger seam.

Yes, it takes longer ( and a bit more patience) to flat fell your seams....but it is way worth it in the long haul.

I however, did not take the time for some reason to flat fell (or even serge) Luka's linen fighting waffenfrock. This was stupid because:
1. I thought I would go back and do it later...I never did.
2. When I did go back to do it, the seams had already started to fray
3. ALWAYS, always finish ALL your seams on anything that will be washed and/or used for fighting in.
4. If something( such as linen) is going to be smashed (or hit with a sword) pinned, (between a sword, shield, and armor) or will be rubbing against steal (like when you move in armor) ALWAYS finish your seams so they are not exposed.

Here is an image from Lukas's frock of the waffenfrock. Notice the yucky seams....

I spent ALL weekend, pinning, ironing, and sewing these down. I found by using fray check and letting it dry, that it made it mucho easier to pin and sew.

In the second picture, you can clearly see where the seams have been folded under and pinned. On the right is the one where I fray checked it first, and the one is the left I pinned without fray check. HUGE difference. Now, you just can fray check, you still need to encase your seams, as fray check will wash out.

For more information about Flat Felled Seams & Tutorials visit: http://renaissancetailor.com/demos_machineseams.htm
http://www.sewing.org/enthusiast/html/el_sewamflatfell.html

Some places I have found refrence to period Flat Felled Seams:
http://www.havenonline.com/moas/northstar/vol1no3/CLOTHING%20(Tarrach)web.htm
http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/mensgarb.html

Maidens

I have 16 days till Maidens-
That leaves 1 weekend and 2 sewing days (weds.) to get the following done:
Lukas Black & Red Doublet and Plunderhosen
Lukas Yellow Linen Fighting Waffenfrock
Me Brown German Camp Frau
Me Brown Hosen

I also need to package to deliver:
Michelle Dragonfly Corset
Michelle Hat
Michelle Hat

I will post pictures of where things are-what I did to them (the process)-and what they are like when finished. Stay tuned :-)

My SCA New Years Resolutions :-)

First off- Happy New Years to Everyone!

I am going to spending a lot of time this year reevaluating what I am doing in the SCA as well as where I am. Both Lukas and I will be reevaluating how much time we spend prepping and going to events.

I have decided to create a list- a top ten or so- of things I like about the SCA AND the things I don't like about the SCA. Somethings are specific-such as I like making soap. Other things are more vague and feeling oriented such as I don't like disappointing people.

Lukas also challenged me to create a list of things I would be doing if I wasnt doing the SCA. Some of these things I might try to incorporate into the SCA- others I won't worry about. To balance this, I think I will do a list of WHY I do the SCA

I challenge everyone to create your own lists :-) There are no rules, take some time, and think about it :-)
Share if you want, or keep them to yourself.

If you have an SCA list you think would be beneficial for the new years- challenge me to complete your question :-)

To recap make 1 list for each of the questions:
List all the things you like doing in the SCA
List all the things you don't like doing in the SCA
List all the things you would be doing if you werent doing the SCA
List all the reasons WHY you do the SCA.

Prosit Neujahr
Aldyet

Things to do for Maidens

The first set of items I need to finish are for Maiden which is Saturday, January 19th. Therefore sewing for this event will need to be done by Friday, January 18th.

My goal for this event is to get Lukas's Linen Fighting outfit fixed as well as finish his red German plunderhosen outfit.

I also want to get Anton's 14th century fighting pants & hosen done. Finally, I would like to finish my brown camp frau outfit, so I have something to wear :-)

I will post pictures, designs, ext of each item as I work on them.