Idle Hands

I am being inundated by Russian spam comments on the posts in this LJ!
How can I stop it? I have it set to record IP. I have it set to filter things to the "suspicious filter". What else can I do? It is really bugging me.

So I am currently the A&S Officer for the Principality of Tir Righ.
I am looking for things to do to "foster and encourage" A&S in Tir Righ. It is part of my job. I manage the reporting for the Principality.

One of the things I want to do is have at least a display at every Tir Righ event. This gets awkward when three of our events are side by side in three months time. Plus reporting pops up for that. That means I need to think ahead. And I have no car, or pavillion, or tables to support displays so I need to depend on others for this. It is possible that the hosting branch can lend at least the tables.

So I need to come up with inclusive ideas for A&S displays. I also need to come up with inclusive ideas for competitions. Or something along that line. I wish I had more brain for this one.

I suppose I should update. 4 months ago was my last post....
I finished my German enough to wear to Investiture. It was lovely. I know the things I need to change now. I need to take it in more on the sides. I also need to do all the handsewing on the guards on the skirt and fix the front closure. Not sure why I am getting gappage but I have a bit there.

( Here are my various posts about it from my other journal. )

So the dress in this photo was the one that made me want blue wool so badly. (I now have to sell about $50 of my stash to cover it.) On my computer the dress in that image looked like a periwinkle. On my computer at work it was more of a cobalt blue. So I found a great wool, nice clear blue. It is perfect and will look good on me. I love this photo, I found it on http://www.landsknecht.org/. I love how this photo looks. I really would like an outfit like this. A lot. :) Also in the photo is the beginning of my steuchlein. The padded roll looks like a good size. Now how to keep it on my head so it is easy to put on and maintain.



The more images I look at though the more I feel like there are things in the photo that I can't find images to back up. I know I haven't seen all the images there are but I have been looking a lot. I have only seen one woodcut image of a female (kampfrau) with slashed guarding on the bodice so far. And the guards go straight across the back of the neckline instead of dipping down. I have only seen images with shirts that have high collars being worn closed, not loose and opened. Or if a low cut chemise shows it only shows at the front neckline of the gown and over the points of the shoulder. Also is there evidence of smocking on shirts? I haven't seen any images yet. I have seen small pleating in extant pieces in the Janet Arnold books. Would the skirt be cartridge pleated on? I like cartridge pleats.

Good resources so I don't have to keep looking all over for them. Will add to them as I go. Or I might just make a separate listing of good sources.

http://frazzledfrau.glittersweet.com/
http://www.gluckliche-eme.com/15thcentury.htm
http://myra.hem.nu/costume/Documentation/Documentation.htm
http://www.dhm.de/ausstellungen/kurzweil/season.htm
http://www.curiousfrau.com/

Finished another scroll (well 99% finished), this time it was a Hafoc for Sigurd.

Progress photos can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13_costumes/sets/72157624715694833/with/4940275171/

Ah, how nice is it to wear 16th century Flemish type outfits you ask? Well, they are just awesome! It really doesn't matter if I gain or lose 10 lbs, this lovely modular outfit covers all the eventualities. And fluctuating weather? Bah! Just take off bits and pieces until you aren't broiling, or add them when you catch a chill! I posted this on my other journal and totally forgot to post it here until I was reminded by my apprentice who was looking for the post... :)

( Lots of stuff under the cut… )
Excelent links:
http://donna.hrynkiw.net/sca/flemish/index.html
http://www.elizabethancostume.net/lowerclass/makeflem.html
http://www.elizabethancostume.net/lowerclass/flemish-dress.html
http://www.festiveattyre.com/gallery/flemish/flemish.html
http://www.festiveattyre.com/research/working.html

Need to still add some details but this is the most of it.

I finished this scroll just in time before I had to leave for the weekend. I hope he likes it. I could really have done a better job on the gold leaf. I enjoyed using my callig pen to do the outlines on the characters.

The calligraphy is very small for me. I think I am going to continue to do such a small hand as it looks better and more medieval though really it cramps up my hand a lot more.
I need to invest in a proper pen though, or really get used to using hand made quills.

Starting the yellow for the first cat motif...

( more photos under the cut )

Since I finished my brickstitch pouch and cleared out an unfinished project from my long list I am rewarding myself with a new piece to do at events. I expect it to take a while. It will be a nice pillow for my x-chair done in brickstitch. It will be wool threads on "linen". I think it is linen. It is the evenweave that my grandmother used for her large embroideries. Either way. It is partially my design as I want the shears from my heraldry on it. And it is partially this pattern charted out by Richard Wymarc from a 14th c German fragment held in the V&A. I am using the cat/lion/critter from it and charting out my shears for the other motif. It will be great. :)

( Photos of the start )

I hadn't ever done brickstitch. I enjoyed it, the way it looks and how well it goes together. I disliked the counting. About a third of the way through I really didn't have to count any more. It became automatic.
This was done in embroidery cotton, on aida cloth. lt was lined in linen. The cord was done with lucet cause it was quick and portable. I can't wait to try one with silk threads on linen. Choosing a pattern soon!
( Process shots... )

And finished! Closed and opened. It is about 4 inches by 3 inches, not large but still cute!


All photos can be found in my Flickr set,