Challenges or how Maysun likes to goad us into doing stuffs..

Me, alllll me.

I'm a procrastinator..

No really I am.
As evidenced by this blog (which is woefully just not written in enough) I have a hard time following thru on stuff. Call it what you want, but I call it I'm lazy. 

I wish I could tell you its something else like babies, work, babies, boyfriend, babies, video games, babies or even just... the babies. But truthfully I spend oodles of time sitting here doing this.. surfing facebook, dicking around with my phone or just watching aimless hours of not really good TV.

I usually lament about this very thing in marathon FB chats with Hastings  and Andrea. Generally its the same thing with them (though I swear to Gawd Hastings has craft/fabric magic in spades).

The biggest problem is my motivation. So after another chat with Andrea, where we complained about lack of motivation and lack of branching out, VOILA!! Her Maysun's challenges were born. 

The rules were simple, on the first of every month she would issue a challenge. You participated or you didn't. Sometimes you had to have documentation.. some you didn't. I made a loose goal to attempt every month and so far, I've only missed 2.

This writing is going to be about my Maysun challenges.


May’12 – Head Frosting Challenge
Create a head covering from time time period and country of your choice. Please provide basic documentation (a picture or description from the time).

I give you the Lyvy hood o'doom. I even blogged about it, including process/progress pictures and some documentation. I was actually pretty happy with the hood, not that I'm viking, but she looked effin' stinking CUTE wearing it. Once we get it on her, she doesn't like taking it off.

Also, I entered the construction and embroidery into our Baronies Arts and Sciences competition and received ... outstanding? Whatever the highest rank is.. on both. I'm pretty happy with it and love the fact that my daughter loves it..

The fact that the runes say "Be careful, my daddy carries a big sword" just makes it even better for me!

My queen size rope bed, complete with
brother testing it.

June’12 – Enchantment in Your Encampment
Improve your encampment in any way you want. Chair coverings, cooler covers, a shade tent. Anything you can think of to make your encampment look more correct.


So I love my camp bed. It worked SO well. Just being off the ground was a HUGE success to my comfort level. Even when I stumbled back to bed all groggy and drunk and didn't get much sleep, what I did get was restful and complete. This one piece of camping equipment is SO worth it..
Now, truthfully I'm going to make a second one, a BETTER one, and I think that one is going to be a slat bed. :D 


Oh.. and I made two easy ups as well.. 
I learned a bunch from them as well.. Like the canvas drop cloths aren't bad, but I'll probably just fork over the money for sunforger at some point.. 

Add caption

July’12 – Paint it Good Now!
Create an awards scroll or scroll blank for the kingdom, your Barony, or a non-awards scroll to display in your home or encampment.

Matching A's. More contemporary
but the micography is fun.

Okay this one was super duper easy for me to achieve. Why you ask? Because I was the lucky (see "sucker") Scribe to serve their (then) Majesties, Sean and Nissa as their Royal Scribe. All jesting aside it was an honor and I learned SO much doing it. 

August: Underthere! Underwear!

I made strophium, or the Greek/Roman version of a bra/breast binding. I haven't taken pictures of my own yet, but I did show Maysun when I wore it to coronation.. Funny enough I made it because I needed something that was more period, that I could wear under my Roman, that would allow me to breast feed Khalid easier.

And its SOOOO damn comfortable!!

September: When a fiber comes along, you must weave it!

This was kind of a cheat challenge for me. All I did was finish lucet in kingdom colors for award cords. I got a pack of the pre-cut wrapped threads from Mistress Casamira months and months back and finished mine pretty quick. Aelia Sophia, however, HATED lucet and gave back my spare lucet and her unfinished bag. 
So, easy peasy.. another one in the bag.


October: Unweave My Heart.
 Your challenge is to create an item using cutwork, pullwork, or any other method you can think of that creates an effect by removing sections of fabric. 

This is one of 2 that I didn't participate in.. not sure why, since I've always wanted to do some drawnwork, and I used to be one of 5 people skilled in Hardanger in the state of Utah. 

November:Tasty Treats. 
You must make any food or drink you choose from a SCA period recipe. Please provide basic documentation, including the recipe, time period, and country.

I made a very simple soft camp cheese that was DELICIOUS! 

I used half vinegar and half lemon to make my cheese and would do it again, just probably not wring it out so much. I wanted it to be more on the creamy-ness of cream cheese.

I also made honey coated walnuts. Both were pretty simple and fun to make.



The last challange for December, is to make a kids period toy. I don't think I'll actually finish this one either, but ya never know, I still have a few days to try.

How am I going to continue this momentum in 2013? Hastings blogged about The Dreamstress Historical Sew Fortnightly.  26 themed challenges and you can pick and choose what you want to participate in.  There's a bonus challenge starting now.  #0 is to start simple with a due date of New Year's Eve.  Make something quick or something you've done before.

So on this bandwagon I'm jumping. Hopefully it'll help me stay motivated to get things done.. 
I might actually follow thru with my list of things to do..

I'll start that list tomorrow :D