I have been very bad about updating my livejournal. Partly because writing updates on facebook is much faster, partly because I've been working on "secret" projects so couldn't update continually without spoiling things. Partly because LJ has lost some of its readership to the aforementioned fb, me included.

Ah well, there is plenty to talk about now then. I've done scrolls, quite a few.
I did a backlog scroll for Elisabeth Gottfridsdotter. She received her AoA at Midsummer Coronation in 2009 from Franz and Willhelmina, and this spring I took over the backlog and finished it for her as number 39 (here before gilding).

40 (to the left), 41 and 42 were all given out at Nordmark Coronet (Stigot's VPV, SvartulvR and Elizabeth's viscounty) plus a prize scroll which I forgot to number it gets to be #47. It was the prize scroll for the A&S Competition, and went to Niamh.

#43 was a Court Barony with Grant of Arms for Felicitas Schwartzenbergin that she got upon stepping down as Gotvik Baroness at St Egon. I had no time to also make Clemen's CB scroll which irks me a little, but that's reality.

#44 was filling in the calligraphy on a blank scroll, Lali Ingermarsdotter received a Ljusorden (Nordmark A&S award) also given at St Egon.

The Queen (Siobhan) went off to an event down in Frankmark on her own and two gentles down there received Award of Arms, so Franck vom Berg and Carrisma vom Berg got scrolls 45 and 46. Thankfully I only had to do calligraphy for those as the Queen had a couple of blanks ready.

At Double Wars I was roped into some stunt scribing - doing calligraphy on two scrolls. One backlog for Eira and Torbjörn given to Hroald Pai (48) and a PCS for Vitus Flavius (#49). These two I have no pictures of at all unfortunately. I didn't have the wits about me to take pictures of them.

For Double Wars I also made a shirt for Sir William of Richwood's vigil, and a table-runner with his device, initials and a Knight's chain. I also half-finished a napkin with a Dragon Rose emblem. I chose to do a slightly too large rose to be able to finish it, so I am still working on it. Stigot won it in the raffle at the end of the war, so I know where it needs to end up :)

Backing up again, I finished a black (cotton) velvet 16th C gown for Nordmark Coronet Tourney which might be my new favourite item of clothing. It's wool-lined so nice and warm, it fits just right, and has sleeves. Plus it fills the slot of 'black velvet gown' that I've needed in my wardrobe. I wore it in the pretty dismal weather conditions at the Coronet and was not even a little cold where it covered me. And it looks pretty good too.

During the Easter holidays we booked a little household activity: painting silk standards. Isabetta did most of the preparations and brought the paints, gutta, brushes, paper for templates and she and William purchased lumber for frames. Me and Edricus and Helwig and Johann rounded out the numbers and we worked pretty much a full day on Friday, Sunday and Monday to paint eight silk standards. We each made a personal one and me and Helwig cooperated to make two household standards with the remaining two bits of silk. Mine still needs to be hemmed and attach a sleeve to put it on a pole. William, Isabetta and Edricus' standards all flew at Double Wars, and the two household flags were set up in William's vigil tent and looked awesome.

I also made a little patchwork pouch for Kerstin of Medeltidsmode. The pincushion I made for myself was stuffed with fabric samples from her, and the remaining pieces of wool samples I made up into a little bag, lined it with more of her summer-weight wool and then I braided a silk drawstring for it. She liked it when I handed it over to her at Double Wars :) The only picture of that one though, is from a distance and not very good. Again, I finished it on site and forgot to take my camera out!

Lately I've been working on a bit of leather tooling. I took a class during Double Wars, and it de-mystified the craft for me and gave me the courage to try it. I'm going to enter my first piece in the Kingdom A&S Competition at Coronation. Just because I was already going to write documentation to go with it, and a deadline is sometimes a good thing. It's supposed to also be a "secret" project, so until it reaches the recipient I won't post photos. Also, it's not 100% finished either :)

And now, I will post the above, and go see about uploading photos to update this post with shortly.

I am still a little foggy as I've been well struck-down with a cold after the Coronet Tourney my shire put on this weekend. But I have some things to report.

Firstly, the pincushion cube is completely finished and put to use already, and it's working out just as well as I had hoped. And the side with raised embroidery worked out even better, because I can store sewing needles through the raised bits, without them falling out, or disappearing into the cube. Double-score. Although my next pincushion will be a little bit shorter, and twice as wide as it is deep, and I will design the raised embroidery better to catch the tips of needles.

Secondly, I did three scrolls for this weekend, one Principality level fighting award for Lord Stigot, and the viscounty scrolls for the departing couple SvartulvR and Elizabeth. I did all three in a grant letter style, so basically all calligraphy. For Stigot's I did paint a white portal in the initial letter, though, using fake gold leaf which I just got and had to try out.

For the Viscounty scrolls I doodled in the initial letter, and added a few personal touches in the scrollwork. I also made them on real parchment. I'm pleased with the results for all three, and the recipients seemed to appreciate them :) They only lack seals, and I know SvartulvR has a kit to attach it to theirs. I might see if I can talk to someone local to add it to Stigot's.

I also finished a new dress for this weekend. I bought a black cotton velvet bedspread in Morjärv once upon a time... thinking I could turn it into a 16th Century gown, and I finally did. Most construction seams are done on the machine, and I patterned the bodice after my red kirtle which I adore. And since I wore the black gown all day Saturday with no discomfort or ill effect I now also adore this black one. I had a beige and black trim in my stash which I decorated the bodice with, also as a decoration around the hem, and down the seams in the sleeves. Ah, yes, it is long-sleeved, square necked, and has a slight dip in the front bodice where the skirt lies flat. The back panel of the skirt is gathered using knife pleats all pointing towards the centre back. For once I also remembered to have someone take nice photos of me in the new dress :)

I unfortunately do not have pictures of these items ready to post yet. But figured I should update this poorly neglected blog with some happy news.

At Nordmark Coronet Tourney and Aros Spring Sword and Buckler II our little household grew! Helwig took a fourth apprentice in Lady Isabetta del Verde. Which was awesome.

And I got to see Viscountess Filippa's gift-wrapping-paper dress of much bling and there was joy.

Also - no longer a lady-in-waiting! Yay! Although I loved serving SvartulvR and Elizabeth - they are good people.

Aah, Double Wars. My favourite event in the Whole Knowne World!

The trip there went smoother than expected after we discovered we'd be ten scadians on the same train to Hässleholm. We managed the 3D-tetris that is luggage racks after some head-scratching.

Going by train from Aros was me, Mistress Helwig, Anna Nilsson with daughters Tove and Arina, Lady Alvhilde with two sons, Lord Styrbrjörn Bärsärk and Lady Ragnhild Leifsdotter. We're not the people with the smallest amount of luggage.

Anyway, the train ride was nice and relaxing, and I managed to snooze while I shared headphones with Helwig: we were listening to an audio book.

At Hässleholm Anna and Alvhilde had arranged the rent of a people-carrier. It had seats for nine, we were eight, and there was plenty of space even for our epic pile of luggage.

Notable happenings at Double Wars: Filippa could finally accept a green belt from Mistress Helwig. Stigot got a red belt from Sir Brendan. Magnus got awarded the White Portal. Meisterinne Katheryn Hebenstreitz, OP, was elevated to the Order of the Laurel. Viscount Arngrim Biornsson changed his name to Armand d'Alsace and was knighted. Master Måns Knutsson Kotte was also knighted - from the King's privy chamber (tent) as the King was injured and could not get up to court.  Several lovely people got Panaches, Genevieve and Robert each got a permanent heraldic title, and so much more I can't remember it all.

Other things: I finished and delivered four napkins, and sundry for Mistress Katheryn's Laurel vigil and she was mighty pleased. See image below and following images in the album.

From Giftbasket

I finished and handed over the V&A reproduction coif-set to Viscountess Filippa. The one with silver thread embroidery. I also entered it in the A&S competition and won Queen and Princess' choice. I also assembled it fully. Although it needs to be half dis-assembled again for the lining to be put in. I left that step for Filippa to do herself. We tried it on her head briefly. See image below and following images in the album.

From Embroidery

I'm still working on editing the photos I took at the event. Soo many. I will keep you posted.

I'm about to start on my third smocking project.

My first one was my lovely quickie-apron.

My second one was, well, is, the shirt I'm making for Lady Åsa Fredriksdotter, in payment for a gorgeous oak trencher she gave me. It's missing a few finishing touches, ties and such.

The third one, which I am about to start, is Mistress Helwig Ulfsdotter's shirt, my first shirt produced as a result of our indenture contract (I know I've said that a few times now, but it keeps being awesome so I'll probably say it a few times more).

The brief for the project is to make the second Anna Meyer shirt, the one she's wearing in one of the sketches, not the painting, so I'm going to have to spend a little more time studying the look before I'll brave the dive. I am also -not- looking forward to marking the entire collar. It took me ages and lots of swearing to do with Åsa's shirt, and then I still managed to mess up. I'm hoping nobody will notice that particular mistake.

Yesterday was the first official sewing circle of the new year, and we were six people all together working on wearable projects, plus Sir Johann painting miniatures.

For my part I had brought only two items, first the length of fabric for possibly cutting out Helwig's new shirt, secondly the green short sleeved 15thc kirtle for finishing.

I didn't cut out the shirt, but discussed with Helwig what I could do with it, and decided on how to proceed. It is going to be my first attempt at smocking a collar. Here's hoping it works.

I did however, persevere on the finishing of the green kirtle. I marked out 40 eyelets along the front opening and I opened them all up and whipstitched around them all. The kirtle is now completely wearable, although where I am going to wear it and when is another question. It isn't my most laudable achievement in costuming I must say.

Other happenings were the experimentation with Alcega me and Bengt got up to. He had with him some waxed linen fabric which he wanted to turn into something waterproof. I suggested a cape with attached hood as Alcega has in his excellent pattern book. We pulled it out of Helwig's newly re-organized shelves and set to work making two toiles and figuring out how it worked on the head and where to tweak it. Assistance and suggestions was ably given by William and Clara as well. Bengt proclaimed himself happy in the end and intends to make a full circle cape with attached hood out of the fabric and using the pattern we devised.

It was awesome in many ways.

Other people worked on knitting, naalbinding, recutting the armscye of a houpellande, making a toile of a new houpellande and starting the layout on the actual fabric (which is a red and black part silk brocade which is YUMMY!), adding trim to capes and all sorts of little things.

There was also tea, chocolate mousse ca... I mean fruit salad, freshly baked bread and brie and lots of lovely chat with lovely people.