Teaching and Topics

[liadethornegge]

So, again I've been asked to hold some sort of class. I know I'm fairly competent at a lot of things, but I do not feel that I'm truly accomplished at anything in particular.

I know blackwork quite well, I've also held two classes in that. It really is the simplest technique, and what you can't learn in ten minutes about stitching blackwork, I can't work out. Of course practicing that technique takes more than ten minutes, but really, it's either straight running stitch, back stitch, and/or stem stitch for outlines. That's it. Patterns you can find in books, or published online. Perhaps I can put together a reference document for where to find patterns?

How to put up your hair to support late period headwear - I held that class last year at Double Wars.

I've had a couple of classes on 16th century shirts. Bored with that now, I think they're fairly simple and people can work it out all on their own - as shown by only three people attending that class.

Fitting - according to Helwig I'm better at fitting people than her, but I'm not sure how that translates into a class. It takes time and doing it along with someone quite a few times to get any good at it. It's taken Helwig several years of sewing circles to teach me. We are planning on doing fittings at Double Wars for gentlemen who wants doublet patterns, so that's how we're going to utilise that skill.

I can demonstrate some scribal techniques; how to learn a new ductus. I've held a class like that once, at Aros sidesword last year. It went quite well, I thought. I could do that.

Basic miniature painting, the steps to follow to build up a period looking result? It's surprisingly simple. And knowing that when you get to the stage of everything looking like a pastel nightmare, you're on the way to something fabulous and not to despair.

I did the amazing two metre kirtle layout. Laying out a 16th century kirtle using period methods on only two metres of fabric. For a smaller person like Helwig or Filippa that even leaves enough left over for sleeves, for a taller person like myself, it's a sleeveless variety. How does that translate to a class? A lecture on the value of fabric and how to not "over-spend" in an ill-concieved effort to make it look period? I don't know. I spread that gospel just by wearing the kirtle and asking people to guess how much fabric I used (everyone over-estimates).

How to put together a standard Elizabethan coif?

I don't know what else. Do you have any suggestions?

Comments

Suggestions

[(Anonymous)]

I think all of the suggestions sound interesting! Don't worry about something being too simple. Sometimes it's surprising how teaching the simplest of things turns out to be a class people want to see again and again. (I may have taught drafting a hose pattern like a gazillion times)

What came to mind is that if you think that the coif and blackwork alone are too simple, how about first teaching about coifs, making the pattern (Elizabethan coifs fascinate me, they're somehow so simple and so ingenious.) and then do a follow - up class on blackwork, aka how to decorate your coif, show examples of extant blackworked coifs (who wore them etc), how to transfer a pattern, where to find one, how to set it on the coif... Sounds awfully interesting to me!

- Elina
www.neulakko.net

Re: Suggestions

[liadethornegge.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your input.

If I put together a class on coifs it will contain some information about the decoration of them. Pretty much every extant coif is decorated to the n:th degree after all :)

[hobbitomm.livejournal.com]

Hrm....
'So, you're fighting in period clothing.....'?

A class on how the differences in period clothing (fitting of sleeves, points between hose and doublet etc) might affect movement, and hence fighting?

'Hats for men'?

[liadethornegge.livejournal.com]

Aah, I think the first one might be a bit tricky for me to pull off, seeing as I don't actually fight, and have no real concept of how the clothes affect your movements there. I'm thinking that's a class -you- could teach instead!

Hats, I might possibly pull something together on that. The one tall hat I have was quite successful, but is constructed in a completely a-period way. I'm not sure I want to be teaching that. But that's more of a philosophical question. I'll happily tell anyone how I made mine and show them how to do it, if I'm teaching a class on it I want to know that it's the right way of doing it as well :)

[hobbitomm.livejournal.com]

Well, I won't be there. But you know the period clothing side of things. Perhaps combine with a period combat person, for how that would affect things?

Now, _where_ could you find one of those? ;)

[ragnvaeig.livejournal.com]

For blackwork, how about how to draft patterns from extant pieces and paintings?

I'd take the the 2 m kirtle class. I love fabric-tris and how to use the least fabric for an awesome finished piece.

And I don't think one can learn fitting except by doing it.

[liadethornegge.livejournal.com]

I am a bit anal about always drawing up a cutting diagram on graph paper before even laying out my fabric on the floor for cutting. Even for the shirts I'm making now I drew out exactly how to cut them before I started. That's how I managed to get the most out of my two metres of red wool :)

I can teach a few tricks and tips on how to draft blackwork patterns, but I did include them in my previous classes there. After a short lecture about the history of the craft, I gave out already cleaned up patterns and graph paper to all students and instructed them to first draw what they wanted to embroider. I could do a repeat of that, and expand on it I guess.

Thanks for the input!

[armillary.livejournal.com]

Miniature painting sounds awesome to me, but I suppose scribes are easily amused. I won't make it to the Nordmark university anyhow.

[liadethornegge.livejournal.com]

I probably won't make it to the Nordmark University event either. I'm planning ahead for Double Wars and possibly Cudgel War as well.

[zarhooie.livejournal.com]

At Northshield's Clothier's Seminar, someone taught a class on how to draft and fit a pattern for a grand asiette (sp) cote that went really well. The actual drafting time was much aided by having someone there who knew how things were supposed to work.

I think it would also be really neat to have a Patterns of Blackwork class with lots of pictures of extant blackwork and blackwork examples in paintings.

[liadethornegge.livejournal.com]

Well, a sleeve is a much smaller thing to work on than a bodice, and might be more easily taught in a class setting, but I don't think I'm skilled enough to do sleeves flawlessly yet. I have trouble with them every time, and I've yet to achieve the perfect sleeve. I'm getting closer, but it always involves too much tweaking at sewing time.

Yeah, my blackwork classes both had pattern hand-outs and I had with me a bunch of books with good photos to drool over :)