My crossroads

Since I finished Alyvia's hood, and a lot of the enchantment in the encampment items already, I'm at a crossroads for what to do next.
I need some embroidery or handwork to have something to do during down times. Part of me knows I should finish the stupid stinking red blackworked drawers but every time I think about it I just get discouraged :(

The Lyvy hood!

Lyvy and the Sjkald hood

Once I convinced her to leave it on,
she didn't want to take it off!

Back heart stitched in yellow twisted silk, with
Viking runes that say
"Be warned, my daddy carries a big stick"

I mentioned earlier in my blog about Maysun challenge numero uno being "atop your head" any type of head covering you could have worn in period.. I had originally planned to make Lyvy an early period hood or gugel but decided to go with a Sjkold hood instead.
The deadline for the challenge was May 31st, and I finished the very next day late in the evening but still hadn't gotten around to posting any pictures so I present..
The Lyvy Sjkold hood!!

Front side with 3 knotted heart pattern

I started with 2 yards of scarlet 100% wool flannel, which ended up being more of a raspberry color after several washings. Its embroidered with silk twisted floss, with 4 knotted hearts on the front section, and a large knotted heart on the back section with viking runes that say "Be warned, my daddy carries a big sword" inscribed in the heart. It has been Whipstitched at all of the seams to mimic the extent piece and has a blanket stitch around both the head opening and all along the bottom.

The only changes I made were the following:

• I did not include a drawstring at the face level. I cut the center section pretty specific so there isn't much room for the hood to flop around anyways so I didn't see a need.
• I graded the neck opening about 1/2 to make it easier to get on and off, without destroying the fabric at her chin level.
• I cut the cox comb section on a slope and whipstitched it together rather than just whipstitch from the inside and leave the excess fabric in the hood. Made it easier to get the excess fabric out. 
• I added a tassel at the top of the hood, and might add a bell, just because I felt like it and its for my toddler. 

Close up of the front embroidery

Close up of the back embroidery

Im craft challenged.

Yeah that's correct. Sometimes I have to do use odd methods to understand what my end result is going to be or look like, especially when I haven't seen the product in person.
So I decide to start out with a Skoldehamn Hood for alyvia for the hat challenge. THL Sofi the crabby (who really isn't crabby) taught a make and take at FP last week. But since I was at work I missed out.
I've been pouring over the Notes and all the stuff I can find online (mostly here Sjkold hood -- which has the example pattern)  but still just couldn't wrap my head around how it would actually all go together.
So I made a paper mock up.
Okay I'll admit that sometimes my methods are a bit odd to even me, but once I cut the pieces out (not to scale mind you) and started taping them together suddenly it seemed to make sense. "Wow those pieces really are intended to go together" and suddenly I went from the paper diagram on the left to the wee bitty paper hood on the right.
I've decided a few things as well:

• I will make some viking whipcord and use it as a drawstring in the hood area. This of course will also be useful depending on how thick my wool fells out after washing.  But this will be pretty helpful with keeping it on the munchkin.
• I'm going to make two front gores and layer them on top of each other so I can attach buttons to it. I think having it completely open in the front, being able to button once its on, will be easier to get a squirming toddler in and out of rather than an over the head opening. Guess we'll see huh?
• I kept debating all day what I wanted the embroidered viking runes to say. Finally figured that out last night when I was at work. "Be warned. My daddy carries a big sword" Which has of course gained approval from the boyfriend. 
• This will be out of the red wool I bought on a whim (I got it as a remnant from Renaissance Fabric which has pretty good deals for scraps -- Think I paid like maybe 5 bucks for a yard?) and I'm trying to decide what color the embroidery will be.. Crystal aka Jaqueline offered up some of her private stash wool for a  guegal with dagging for the Lyvy. I might take her up on it after a time but this is much easier and simple so I figured I'd give it a shot this way.
• I'm still trying to figure out what OTHER embroidery I should add to it. Suggestions have been Pinky the poodle, and sharkum bear..

Atop your head...

So its been discussed several times in our kingdom to start a "project of the month" challenge ala Realm of Venus Mini challenges, but it never quite took off.
With the possible demise of the Occulas Candide yahoo group looming, several of us chimed in about how we really did want to start getting back to the group projects. Enter in Miss Maysun who has a thing with head coverings and so the first ever Mini Challenge has been started.

We have from today until the end of May to complete a head covering of our choice, with minimal documentation. I've been kicking this plan around for a bit so I already knew what I would make.
Lyvy needs something for her head for colder weather and when she isn't wearing Perkish. Since Auntie Cha-cha has already made her a fabulous Persian hat I figured she should have a warm hood to wear with her other garb.

Enter in the Lyvy hood!!

how to be a hoodlum has given me lots of advice and I was just looking in my The Medieval Tailor’s Assistant: Making Common Garments (if you don't have this book but want some basic/early period directions and pattern starts, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU) last night for more direction --told you this has been planned and plotted for a bit.

Since this is for Alyvia however, it will be a bit more simple and probably out of something fun color/pattern. I like the idea of wool, but need to make sure shes not allergic to it. I also was going to make her some layered Norman-esque dresses to wear so this will be a perfect appropriate top to it.. I might be able to even hide a "toddler helper" leash in the tail ;)

My Idle hands submission...

 

An Italian Flag fan for Alyvia - or How to distract your infant during court!

Item:
A silk embroidered linen flag fan on wooden handle with tassels
Embroidery pattern based on a embroidered stomacher from "La Vera Perfezione del Disegno per Punti e Ricami" found by the lovely Hastings S! It has a flamey heart!
Stem, van dyke, chain, blanket and satin stitches used.

I started my Idle hands project late in the game (October 16th!) but I had been planning loosely what I wanted to do as soon the challenge was announced on Facebook. I did some initial planning and my pal Praks found the PERFECT pattern for me! Excited, I started my embroidery.

Enter in miss Alyvia who was 10 months when I started and into EVERYTHING!! Which of course made it difficult to actually get some quality embroidery in. Then suddenly Lyvy started stealing my project! She kept running her little baby hands  over the stitching. it was cute and endearing, and the sweetest moment was when I found her rubbing the raised embroidery on her cheek. Lyvy claimed the embroidery for her own, but this was my project! I was finally going to add another item to my garb closet. However, what Miss Lyvy wants, she gets (within reason of course).

It suddenly occurred to me. As a mom, we constantly hand our kids anything to occupy them during quiet moments. Lyvy has played with my normal sandalwood fan, the end of my girdle belt, assorted jewelry and anything else I can find in my basket. I highly doubt that children during my time period in Italy were the utterly well behaved little minions we'd all like. I'm sure mothers thru the ages have handed their children something from their person to entertain them during restless moments. A plan was formed! I would make Lyvy her very own mini flag fan, complete with tassels, bells, ribbons and anything else that might distract when necessary.

Traveling for work took me away from home on the 31st, but I was able to finish my embroidery, get the wood stained before I left and put it all together. I haven't stiffened it yet because I'm going to be using a fun "kid friendly" fabric for the other side, and I didn't bring it with me.

The handle is made from some pre-cut dowels and end caps, stained with a store bought stain in a stick (which worked better than I thought it would) for a different project. The finished fan (as much as it has been finished) has been hand sewn to the dowel.
The lilac and dark purple twisted lines are a combination of a van dyke (a different version of the viking chain stitch) and outlined with a stem stitch. The rest of the embroidery is satin stitched with stem and chain stitching. Blanket stitching was used on the edge for detail.
The heart and flames in the center have been heavily layered in messy sort of style to give it depth and detail. I'm going to put a piece of cellophane into the fan to give it a fun kid sound!
The gold tassels are store bought and the mini bells are from an SCA merchant.

What I learned:
I <3 this type of unstructured silk embroidery. Blackwork drives me insane but this is actually fun for me. I read an article about kids in the SCA and someone suggested that to keep your kids entertained with their toys at events, make sure they are different than their everyday at home toys. This fan will be for Alyvia at events just for fun :)

Not quite cleaned all the way up, but you get the point :D

Lyvy loves her new flag fan, and was unhappy when I put it back in my basket for events..

Do you start with what you know or start with what you want?

And thats the question.

Right now I have several options ahead of me. I'm still laboring on the red linen drawers from the IRCC, but at least I'm now onto the second leg!! The blackwork is finished on the first one and WAHOOOOO! The funny part is, as soon as I put the new leg on the loom to start the pattern I was excited! Isn't that amusing?

So I was at an impasse. As I read my book I knew there were two things I was super interested in making. Both a simple farthingale and a high necked partlet.
I need both.

Which one do I start with though?

Note the color of the
guard over the bastoni -
Rather than being the tucked
fabric, its a different color/fabric

Its actually a lot
lighter than this

I've decided to do my farthingale out of the lilac linen/cotton I purchased to do my IRCC underskirt because frankly that's what I have on hand, and will do the Tape/Ribbon/Bias strips method rather than the measure and tuck. After reading extensively in my MaF, and a few website (Drea Leed mostly), I also pulled out my Alcega patterns and I have to agree with DL vs Janet Arnold -- the Alcega dress/skirt patterns are unusually long especially for the descriptions of the wearer. Although Janet Arnold hypothosized it was because, at least in this case, the skirt was measured up roughly 6 inches and then a 1 inch tuck/casing was created in which the bent would be threaded in. Then measure up about 6 inches and repeat. I think I might, in the future try this method rather than the other, as seen to the left.
Originally I toyed with the idea of adding some embroidery on the bands, to mimic that which would frame my Veste, but truth be told thats alot of embroidery for something that most likely will not be seen, unless its not on my body and on a table being judged :)

Notice the pattern
isn't present on the bands?

I'm also going to be using some hemp rope in my stash for the bents. I just don't  happen to have any reed bands, or whalebone on hand (Sal's kind of a crappy hunter that way :D) so I'll be using some hemp cording. After reading several several SEVERAL sites though, I'm going to wash the devil out of the hemp to get it to shrink as much as possible before hand to help with shrinkage.
Also I'm going to utilize a trick Bianca and I used when we originally made underskirts in 2007. Going to do the bottom band with a braided section of rope, just to see how it goes :)

You can find a pretty good in depth look at the farthingale here, and of course you can look at Drea Leed's take on things Here.

Now that we have that settled, I am ITCHING to make my stinking partlet! Its killing me. Thing is, it will need a super duper amount of work, and more importantly it has to be embroidered and sewn entirely by hand (its too delicate for me to trust with the machine). So the partlet on my entry portrait is just your average run of the mill filmy ruffled partlet, see above.

Problem is, whats so spectacular about that?!?!
Maitresse Jaqueline (probably spelt horribley wrong!) is also doing a super spiffy embroidered nifty partlet and has her documentation on her partlet blog entry.

We have tons of examples for partlets though the most famous one is below. EVERYONE seems to use this partlet as a jumping point and there are tons of examples of being done on blogs around the web. Since thats not my dress (and not really my style) I'm going to be using it as a guide though and have settled down between two different pattern ideas for the embroidery. Oh yes, it will have those pearls too!

First.. gotta get the drawers done!