I taught a class (yeah yeah, I know I do that all the time)

I'm back. I've been focused on doing several things lately that have kept me from posting on the blog. Mainly, I've been adjusting to the new school site and teaching 3 classes I've never taught before. It's a bit terrifying to teach English when you've never taught it before and there's no real curriculum for you to go by. The drama class is going well. The ancient history class is what it is. 6th grade is the first time most students get any kind of history at all and I can teach my way out of a history curriculum wet paper bag in my sleep backwards (confident in that one). Must be doing something right though because I got my employment status changed from "temporary" to "permanent" last week. Oh yeah, I accepted that offer.

So back to the subject of the post. I've been continuing to do medievally things all these months. I even have a couple of posts partially written. Couldn't post them right when I began typing them up because they're for "sooper seekrit" projects that I was waiting to post to the general public until gifts were given to their recipients. Then I just stopped posting. But last weekend, I taught a class! Should be no big deal, right. It's what I do for a living. But this was at Collegium. It's an SCA event where we get together for a day and do lots and lots and lots of learning. I've been to a couple of them before (also the Arts & Sciences Tournament in the early summer which is a similar type of event) and I LOVE THIS EVENT. I love it because it's full of the people who I feel are serious about recreating the past. And since I'm an apprentice to a Laurel and part of that perrage's job is to teach and educate the populace about medieval stuff, I need to start thinking about these things - this teaching to other medievally people is real.

I was pretty much required to teach at this event. Now, first off, know that the SCA is a volunteer organization. No one was actually forcing me to teach at Collegium. But I'm a Princess's artisan to Her Highness of Cynagua and one of the things she asked us to do was to teach a class at an event and then discuss it with the other artisans afterward. Another reason was my Laurel basically gave me the imperative. I seem to remember the words falling from her mouth being "so collegium...we're not going to be at the event but you are teaching something." This was very matter-of-fact. The sky is blue, you are 37 years old, you are teaching at Collegium this year.

I taught the latchet shoe class. In fact, my handout was just a slightly less snarky version of the blog post. I wanted the class to be a make-and-take though so that people could leave with a pair of practical and fake footwear that give an illusion of the Renaissance. Too many times I see folks walking around in their running sneakers under their beautiful garb. While I was setting up, a couple of gentlemen came. I missed their names, but I gathered one was already an experienced leather-worker. They mentioned that they were interested in putting shoes on the feet of children. This is such a great idea! I even bought a couple of smallish sized shoes for the class (although not quite small enough - next year when we're at the height of summer season there will be more sizes available). Then as I was beginning, in walked a few of my friends from the Mists. I know that Cyn came because she had already expressed that she wasn't really into any of the classes happening that afternoon. I was grateful for the friendly face. Also, two more friendly faces, Elena and Cathyn tagged along. Now, Elena is already well-known for her gorgeous work in 16th century costuming. She already has gorgeous shoes. She doesn't need my fake latchet shoes made from canvas sneakers. And then Cilean came in too. So I had lots of people who are very 16th century enthusiasts enjoying the class and kibitzing with me. (I think one or two may have come as spies as well, but I'm glad for it - they're friendly spies so I hope they saw good things in my class). My points that I couldn't stress enough:

1. the practicality of the shoes in the types of terrain we often find ourselves at for events (come to think about it, I didn't even mention the new permanent site but I bet it's muddy, lumpy ground too) 
2.  the ease of how fast and inexpensive you can put someone into a period-esque shoe and ease the problem of bad footwear
3. that it's a modern shoe and therefore supports your body in a way you're more comfortable with and can handle things like orthopedic insoles for better comfort
4. more people need to wear 16th century garb

The best part. . . ! Elena, Cynthia, and Cathyn all made shoes!!! Cilean tried, but due to recent foot injury, my shoes didn't quite fit her comfortably on Saturday but she's excited to do so for this spring when we get back to tourney season again. (I will also point out that while I've seen gorgeous appropriate shoes on their feet before, both Cyn and Elena were wearing modern "period-looking" shoes because the weather was crappy and wet on Saturday and they didn't want to ruin their very expensive shoes - see PRACTICAL APPLICATION!). Then another gentleman came in while we were making shoes and he was wearing knee-breeches, hosen, and a nice pair of suede Vans shoes just like the ones we were converting. I convinced him to take scissors and seam ripper to his shoes and he left with a much more appropriate-looking shoe on his feet. See, a random guy came into my class and left looking more medievally than when he arrived. I've done a small favor for the kingdom I guess.

I still feel inadequacies when it comes to sharing my studies of costuming (and embroidery for that matter). I feel like there's nothing innovative or new that I can bring to the table. I'm learning, just like everyone else. There are so many more who know so much more than I. I'm not specialized. I'm not special. I've been reminded by many that everyone starts somewhere new; that I am probably "amazing and know so much" to someone who doesn't know at all. But why would those folks come to me when there are many more better sewists and costumers than I wandering about the kingdom. This is a hill I'm going to have to get over. Sooner rather than later I hope.

Coming up...the chat I had with two laurels about the path to the peerage.

quick mid-June update

And this is how I find myself a bad blogger who doesn't regularly update. I haven't been doing any projects and I feel like no one really wants to hear about other events so I haven't posted since the 6th.

The house purchasing problems continue to plague us. We're at 2 weeks until we have to be out of our current home and we still haven't closed escrow on the home we're buying. Argh. That being said, a lot of my sewing room has been packed away. No progress on the list. Progress on the house purchase is that yesterday I made an unscheduled drive to Santa Rose to get signatures on the initial loan disclosures from our cosigners (my brother-in-law and his wife). They hadn't consented to e-sign documents and so that meant all the docs have to be signed the old-fashioned way and we were looking at maybe only getting keys on the 27th of this month. But Haley, you said you had to be out in two weeks. Yes, I did. You see the dilemma. That literally gives us 2 days to move out and turn around on the house. So driving out and getting their signatures so I could drop the loan paperwork off to my loan officer in hand yesterday evening? Well that moves the timeline up to the 23rd for keys. That gives us a week (including a weekend so we might get some moving help from friends).

It was suggested that my $10 Latchet shoes might make a good class (thank you Hubster - you're smart and encouraging). I like the idea of teaching a class that is very hands on and that you can leave with something period-oid for SCA as soon as you leave the class. I will definitely consider it.

The fabric for Hubster's doublet arrived this morning in the mail. Part of me wants to dive dive dive into this project immediately. See aforementioned issue with having half of my sewing packed for move. Frankly it should all be packed at this point.2 WEEKS PEOPLE!!! We have to be gone in two weeks!!! But it's a 7.1 oz linen from Fabrics Store in cobalt which is a lovely dark, but not quite navy, blue. He loves blue. It will be very nice for the doublet. Yes I know there are no real examples of linen doublets. But I'm gambling with my husband even wanting to wear it. And it gets hot here in the Sacramento/Nor Cal events. He's one of those guys that thinks one must wash every article of clothing after a single use (which to be honest is kinda necessary because boys are cute - but smelly) and I just can't do that with wool. So this will be a very simple, very "easy-going" doublet. And I'll feel better about doing it in linen anyway as it's my first time and if I royally screw up, well I didn't spend $20+ per yard on it. Plus, he's getting the striped mock-up as the lining and that just rocks.

We made a snap decision to go to June Crown tournament in Tres Pinos. It was our first time at that site. I had a really great time. I wasn't committed to doing anything "responsible" except for one shift of trotting along behind the Lady of the Swan (our soon to be Princess of Cynagua) and attending to her needs. I didn't go to any meetings. I didn't take any classes. Vittorio wasn't fighting for me so I didn't need to consort for him. I actually spent a large part of my time in the Publick House gambling with borrowed monies and drinking. And it was relaxing and fun to be so low-key. Shhhh I didn't even go to Court in the evening. And I never skip court. By the way, the awesome news is that my new friend Sylvie (go check out her blog - she's one of the ones I follow along with) is the Lady of the Swan. Her husband, Fearghus, and she will be stepping up as Prince and Princess of our area in July and they've asked me to be on their court. I am very excited. I like to be on court a lot. I declined the offer during this most recent reign for two reasons; I was worn out after serving on the last 3 consecutive courts and the most recent one I had been on had felt very stressful and socially awkward. But that worked well because I instead got to know the current Princess, Katherine, socially and in a crafting way. I got to just hang out with her. That was nice.

Okay, now I'm totally digressing on the point about Sylvie and Fearghus...this weekend at Crown, Her Excellency asked if I would serve as a Princesses Artisan! What?! Holycow!!! And she totally did it in the best way too. She's already cleared it with my Laurel (and my grand-Laurel happened to be standing right there waiting to talk to her about artisans too) AND she told me to only consider it if I didn't have too much on my plate with the house-moving and the no job thing. I've asked to at least wait until I've signed my home loan paperwork to consider, but I'm totally totally honored. This is the first time anyone in Cynagua has considered me worthy of being an artisan. Dah schucks [scrapes toe in the dirt]. I still have to think long and hard about it though because there are a lot of steps/tasks that we are being asked to do as part of the position and I know me. . . I want to do them perfectly and completely. And I don't want to take on a job that I know I'm only gonna half-ass.

Anyway, tonight is business meeting for my Shire and since I'm the one in charge of that circus, I better have some notes to talk to my monkeys about. Right now, the Shire is a huge source of anxiety with me. More on that later (or not at all because I don't know how comfortable you are with hearing about my mental issues). The quick update ended up being a little longer than I expected. But that's a good thing I guess.

$10 latchet shoes

Yes, period-oid passable 16th century shoes for $10 (or less!).

So, in case you haven't noticed, in the SCA I tend to hang with the late-period folks. Some of them are particular sticklers for HA (historical accuracy)*. One of them is a stickler for shoes. I knew he was a shoe guy before I really got to know him, because that's what he was laureled for. (In the SCA a Laurel is a person who has done tremendous work in the arts and sciences of medieval studies. It's an equivalent learning/study/teaching level to being a Knight. In the modern world, have you ever heard the phrase "rest on one's laurels"? Yeah, some people have put in near PhD level work on their medieval studies so they're really good and knowledgeable on this stuff...bu I'm digressing from my point about the shoes).

I know that a particular peeve for many reenactors can be the wrong shoes. This doesn't just hold to SCA folks. It can be the CivWar folks, the living history museums, lots of folks really. But I'm not a leather worker and I don't have gobs of cash to spend on accurate footwear made by someone else. This also makes me sad because who wouldn't like to have gobs of cash to spend on fabulous shoes. Have you seen my shoes in real life? I'm not a purse gal, I'm a shoe gal. But I also have to be practical when it comes to buying shoes. I wear mine to work. I have to get MILEAGE out of them. (funfact - my first year of teaching I was voted "teacher with the best shoes")

The patent leather candy corn heels. Because...candy corn. 

Last May, I decided I needed to make something more appropriate. Here's some examples:

From a Holbein sketch.

Cows Mouth shoe and last from https://northamptonmuseums.wordpress.com/category/shoes/shoe-history/

a sketch by Lucas de Heere

 

The "Virginia" shoe available for purchase at American Duchess

Actually, American Duchess has a gorgeous raised heel shoe that is de rigeur in footwear for 16th century reenactors. I don't have the $200 to drop on a shoe I will only wear to a few occasions each year. I know the designer. I have seen the prototype in person. But alas, it just wasn't meant to be last May (or right now for that matter). So I got crafty.

See the photo journey after the jump...