100 Day Art Challenge 2017 - First 5 Days

Flirting with my Muse.

The Objective: 
Do 100 Days of Art in any preferred medium(s). This does NOT mean back-to-back days. Document your art "process" by taking/posting pics of each project and posting a little info about it (the process, any challenges, any pitfalls, etc.) in at least the West Kingdom A&S and your Principality A&S Facebook pages. This INCLUDES research/writing/documentation or what I call "falling down the rabbit hole". Talk about that part of the process too.

The Timeline:
Begin March Crown, end October Crown. This is a comfortable 6 month timeline. No pressure deadlines unless you set them for yourself. You are accountable to no-one but yourself on this. But posting helps keep you accountable to yourself.

Day 1:

I finished the block on the chessboard with the squares. I then did a whole block with the 8-point stars (that was a super fast piece). Began work on a Greek Key pattern.

I also decided this challenge would be the perfect time to focus on the 16th century doublet I started for Hubster last summer. I found it in the mess of sewing stuff since we moved. I tried it on him again to gauge some things. We decided that the back was, indeed, too short. Consult with my Laurel and my Laurel proxy (her fiance) via text message determined that it is located at the proper waist location for Hubster, but I will go ahead and increase the back length a little since he's not comfortable with it where it is. Then I took the whole thing apart. This required finding my seam ripper. Why do I never have a seam ripper when I need one?

Day 2: 
Went to A&S night and spent 90 minutes working only on the Greek Key pattern block. Sometimes the chessboard blocks take a little time. Sometimes they take a long time. This was one of those blocks. You'd think I'd get a block that was already started finished during this time. And yes I did socialize, but I didn't really budge from my spot on the couch next to the good light. I just kept stitching while others were bitching (kibitzing, gossiping, whatevs). I decided I needed to remind people about the scale of my work that I'm doing. So I included a dime.

The I decided the dime wasn't quite conveying the tiny tiny intricate work I'm doing on these chessboard sampler blocks. So I got out Hubster's sliding gauge. Would you look at that?! Each arch in the Greek Key pattern is 2 mm tall. 2 mother-f***ing millimeters!!! Please respect the work that goes into hand embroidery. Or I will hunt you down! And I will destroy you...2 mm at a time!

Day 3 - no pictures, just lots of research
Today was spent in researching a sewing technique that is essential to the fit of the doublet. Pad Stitch. I spent a couple of hours reading, rereading, watching videos, image looking. I can't quite wrap my brains around the pad stitch. Will most likely have to suck it up and just try on some scrap fabrics once I cut the doublet out of the canvas, wool, and linen. In the mean time, here are some of my research links:
Sempstress
Rory Duffy
This lady on YouTube
Mathew Gnagy (whose book The Modern Maker is what I'm following along with to make the doublet)

Day 4:
I went to JoAnn Fabrics to pick up the wool felt I needed for the padding in the doublet. Awesomeness was purchasing online for in-store pick up. There was a line, but when Micheila came up to help at the register, she let me cut the whole line since I wasn't buying anything more than the fabric I ordered and already paid for. The little old biddies who were complaining about the long wait were all chagrined when I got to cut the line. Nya nya.

Finished the Greek Key pattern block on the blackwork sampler. Did a block that looked rather like a stained glass window. Started a snail block. Love the snails. They're super cute. They will eventually be alternating direction.

 Also, laid out the pieces of Hubster's doublet and prepped for cutting out. But you turn your back for one second and "helpers" come and help. Not helping Poppy!!! Got all the pieces cut from the linen outer fabric and from the canvas interlining. Also cut the wool felt for the should padding on the front and back pieces.

Day 5:
I spent a little bit of time trying to work pad stitching. It's actually kind of amazing how the shape forms from the stitches. The nice thing about the pad stitched pieces I was working is that they are not on the outer fashion fabric so I didn't have to worry about how small the stitches were on the back. All parts of my stitching will be covered by the outer fabric and inner lining.
Hopefully this video links.

https://www.facebook.com/jontheartguy/videos/10155182649324138/

I also started some thread wrapped buttons (which I'll be teaching a class on soon for Shire A&S night) and did some more work on the snail block.

The napkins for the King & Queen

Finally getting around to posting on this. Previous mention of the napkins here. I had the napkins ready to go by the time of the Coronation at Purgatorio. However, I didn't get them into anyone's hands soon enough to get to the site in time (in my defense, school had just started about 2 weeks earlier). I was able to bring them to the October Crown tournament and deliver them in person.
So for my napkins for Alfar & Eilis, I took elements from their personal devices and embroidered them onto the blocks. I also learned a couple of new stitches for them. I mentioned this to Her Majesty when I presented them, but she seems to not really care very much about them. I got a brief "thank you" and I think I saw the napkins get put aside rather quickly. She gave me a rose for the effort though. That's nice.

His Majesty's device: for this a put one portcullis in the corner of the napkin. I worked it in Bayeux stitch with chain stitch for the chains. After finishing it, I fully realize that Bayeux stitch was the wrong one. The lines are just not big enough. I learned that Bayeux is better for covering larger areas. I also put the cross-gurgity in the other three corners, one in each color from his device. For these, I learned ladder stitch. This was nice because the ladders make a nice border edge that you don't need to do a stem or outline stitch for.

Unfortunately I can't find my pics of the crosses at this moment.

Her Majesty's device: for this I did the knot-work in the Hungarian braid stitch. It takes forever because it's fiddly, but I like the slightly raised line it makes. I put one of these in every corner of the napkin. Then I took her purple rose and worked that in Bayeux stitch. This looked a lot better than the portcullis on Alfar's napkin.

I entered the napkins in the Wreath of Athena competition at Crown. I have no idea how well I did. It's a populace vote competition and I find embroidery often doesn't "cut the mustard" since I think a lot of people think "oh I can do that." But the truth is, they don't and they won't put the time into it either. So meh. Sometimes people suck when it comes to crafting.

Here's a couple more pictures of me from the event. I spent the majority of the day hanging out in the salon with the needleworkers guild. it was nice to have an on the eric view of the tournament but stay in the shade. At one point the Youth Point kids came through. They were "pillaging" the different camps as part of their studies on the Vikings that weekend.

Heidi working on some gorgeous blacckwork.

Don't let that last pic fool you. I spent the day of Crown busily working on my own emboidery. I was working on blackwork sampler and some Hungarian braid stitch for the great game board project.

Napkins for Royals

The West Kingdom Needle Workers' Guild has members embroider a set of napkins to give each set of napkins (one for each) when they step up to reign as king & queen. The napkins can't have crowns on them but can have the kingdom populace badge or something reminiscent of the personae of the royals. I took up the responsibility back at October Crown tournament last year but I waited to start planning them until I learned who won in June (to step up at Purgatorio coronation later this month).

The victor was Count Sir Alfar Utherson for Duchess Eilis O'Boirne. I decided to try a bit from both of their personal devices to decorate the corners of the napkins.

Another little monogrammed handerchief

I was supposed to be getting started on the napkins for Kingdom of the West's Purgatory coronation event that's coming up later this month. I stepped up to design the work for the napkins and realized I wasn't very inspired at the moment to make napkins. I was, however, inspired to make a surprise handkerchief for a friend of a friend. Viscountess Syele, aka Songbird, of the West Kingdom is probably the bestest friend of my Laurel and (well, honestly I'm a little jealous of their friendship because damn I wish I had a bestest friend at all) she's had a rather difficult year. I was at the heralds' meeting when we approved her badge of a songbird standing on top of a cage (not inside it, which actually brought up a lot of discussion about "is it really a birdcage if the bird isn't IN the cage as they appeared in historic examples?). Her badge was approved not just by the kingdom heralds but also by the Laurel College and as such is an official badge of hers now.

I like to monogram hankies for people, especially for shits & giggles. I did the same thing the day Tullia asked me to be her apprentice (had it ready to go and gift to her, wasn't expecting to even be asked something so awesome by a person I idolize). Last summer I embroidered hankies on Vittorio (my fighter), Vyncent, and Violet (notice something. . . I was practicing the letter V). I made one as a thank you for autocratting this year's Crosston Ball for Jacques de Sion. Last year, when Miles & Ariela stepped up as King and Queen of the West, Ariela had requested handkerchiefs with the letter A on them to give to the weepers in court. I completed two of those. Man, I wish I knew who had gotten them.

For Syele's handkerchief, I drew up a pretty little S in one corner. It's about the size of a quarter coin. I did it in my favorite scarlet red and trimmed it in a little silver thread. Split stitch and stem stitch to outline.

For the opposite corner, I simply copied the badge as it was submitted to the college of heralds. A gold cage worked in harvest gold thread with the Hungarian braid stitch and the outlined in that silver thread done in stem stitch. Atop the cage is a little songbird in the same scarlet color with silver outline as the S on the opposite corner; split stitch and stem.

I was so excited to give it to her when I finished that dropped it off with Tullia to give to her. I was also so excited that in my rush to drop it off in the South Bay, I completely forgot to snap pics of my work for my portfolio work. Syele got it today and it made her super happy. She also took photos and posted one on Facebook and tagged me in it so all the SCA world got to see a bit of my work. Yay!

She graciously included her engagement ring for scale. 

Selfie of the lovely Songbird with her badge.

The Great Game Board Project

Plan: Create a set of fabric napkin game boards for my dear friend (and laurel's fiance) Master Vyncent who generally runs the West Kingdom Publick House as a birthday present. The game boards will be on heavy linen fabric, made up into napkins/table cloths and will be embroidered by me using period stitches. This should be simple enough because most of the game boards are just lines that one uses markers for.

Some planned games:
Nine Mans Morris - completed
Glukhaus (added) - completed
Checkerboard (in blackwork) - in progress
Game of Goose - still in planning stages

12/31/16 ETA: I finally gifted 2 of the game boards to Master Vyncent as a Christmas gift. I gave him the Nine Mans Morris board and Glukhaus.

4/1/2017 ETA: still woring on the damned chessboard. I'm almost done. Almost. This will be the death of me.

Mists Cynagua War Pouch - AS LI

It was the Cynagua Needle Workers Guild's turn to present the pouch for the war between the principalities of the Mists and Cynagua at our semi-annual war. When Michaela put out the call for a volunteer to make the pouch, I jumped on the chance. I've been getting a lot better with my embroidery and am eager to get my work out there to be seen on a greater scale than the occasional person who walks up to one of my costume pieces and admires the needlework. So I had a couple of projects to finish up first (Vittorio's shirt and belt favors for Jorgen and Vittorio) both of whih were due by March Crown and then it was on to the pouch.

I didn't want to go with a typical haversack, as I kind of feel like those have been done to death lately. And I knew that I wanted a very large embroidery piece. And I wanted something in a substantial fabric.

 I asked the Hubster's opinion and he suggested a bag based on the styles from the Hedeby finds. I did a quick Google and Pinterest search and decided it was the perfect idea. I also asked him to sketch me a battle scene between the two healdic animals on the arms of both principalities (especially because the Mists just finally passed their populace badge earlier this year). He set to work researching some jelling beasts (the norse knotwork animals) for inspiration. While he didn't come up with a knotted style so much, the black swan and the seawolf locked in battle with the kingdom populace badge won out as favorite from his drafts.

I found a large enough scrap of dark green melton wool that Michaela had given us last year and bought up a skein of the "team colors" acrylic yarn at Joann Fabric & Crafts (in the Green Bay Packers - I mean West Kingdom - colors) to weave a strap on the inkle loom I transferred the design onto a piece of heavy white linen and set to work. I also practiced a new stitch I recently learned, long and short (aka brick stitch).

The medallion is roughly 10" round. I worked it in DMC cotton embroidery floss and metallic braid threads. Mostly it's worked in REALLY TIGHT split stitch (the Princess of Cynagua kept commenting that she thought the swan looked like he actually velvet) and stem stitch for outlining. For the tail of the seawolf I did the long & short stitch to emulate scales. On the knotwork, I decided to try a new stitch, Hungarian braid, and to use the metallic to give the braid a bit of beefiness. Overall, I think I spent about 200 (+/- a few) hours on the embroidery alone. The inkle woven strap took about 2 hours total. The medallion was appliqued onto one piece of the green wool and the whole bag serged together in just about an hour. Lastly I attached the bag to the wooden handles that Hubster made out of 1/2" maple planks and added the strap which I'd fringed a bit)

I am BEYOND impressed with how my work turned out (my Facebook status used certain explatives about its prettiness). Her Highness, Princess Catherine (Cyn) was giddy and decided it needed to be displayed for the duration of the war rather than just be a surprise at the afternoon court. I also was super pleased with the recipient that their Highnesses Eibhear (Cyn) and Kean (Mists) chose to give the pouch to - Helga Skjaldmaer (I will correct spelling later, my herald-foo is failing me right now and it's the kids' bedtime). They chose her as an exemplar of chivalry and prowess on the field of battle that day. I am honored by their choice because she's a brilliantly talented artist in her own right and I know she'll really appreciate the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the war pouch (well, there was only a little bit of blood and I don't think I cried, definitely no sweat). The look on her face was priceless, filled with surprise and pride all at the same time. She even fell over (she'd been leaning on her elbow and it slipped out from under her) when their Highnesses called her up.