The Raven and the Writing Desk

I am not sure how it happens, but no matter how reasonable and achievable I think I am making my goals, it always seems that I have to scale back. Recently I have had a couple of conversations with an engineer friend of mine about how projects can be done fast, right or cheap, and if you choose two you might get one. My preference right now for arts and sciences is to do my projects right, especially for the one I want to take to KA&S next year. So here are my re-revised and reprioritized A&S plans and goals:

Finished

Pattens
Finished, with lots of help from landsknecht_po, and worn at Winter War.

Short Term

Hose Pattern and Mock-Up
Finally had the chance to do a fitting with Papa Don on the weekend, and afterwards had a discussion with Mistress Issabbella about some of the questions I had on how to make it fit better. Need to make a new mockup this weekend and hopefully complete the next fitting at Crown the weekend after.

Apron
I started making an apron, even though it wasn't on my project list, and then I started embroidering it. Consequently it turned from a one-afternoon project into a several-weekend project. I still have to finish sewing the waist straps together, but the embroidery is at least done.

Should Do Sooner Rather Than Later

Documentation
Mistress Issabbella suggested that I should label my process pictures better on my Flickr page (as well as blogging them on LJ). I said I would, but I didn't get to it. Then while I was away a situation came up where it would have been very helpful if I had already labeled them. Oops. I still also want to put together a portfolio of my projects to take to events. Since I won't be camping much this year the portfolio can probably wait, and in the meantime I can take my documentation for my brown linen gamurra and my pattens.

For KA&S

Revised Entry
After thinking about the fabric I had left in the stash, and doing a bit more research about the kind of fabric I really should use for a Florentine overgown, and pining after the picture of a striped dress I found, I decided to focus on the striped dress for my KA&S entry instead of doing an overgown, because I already have suitable fabric for it. I need to do a bit more research on the image of the striped dress before I can get started patterning, and I think the stripes are going to present several interesting but not insurmountable pattern-blocking challenges. Assuming I get the dress done in time, I might then also put together chopines or a cofea tranzado for entry, but I'm not holding my breath and neither should you.

On The Back Burner

A Spiffy New Hat
I would still like to make the white linen cofea tranzado I posted in this spot before. I think it would be a good camping hat, but since I won't be doing very much camping this year, I've moved this one back.

Class
There is still a lot of History of Science to be summarized. Maybe I can get ahead on this one while I'm away this summer.

Chopines
Still want to make 'em.

Long Term

Astrology
Stage 1: figure out which treatises on astrology and which tables of astronomical observations would have been available to my persona (late 15th century Florence) - already in process
Stage 2: track down said treatises. In order of language preference, English, French, Italian, Latin.
Stage 3: determine what types of calculations are necessary and how they would have been done in period. Learn how to use abacus if necessary
Stage 4: make necessary calculations, draw chart, make suitably vague predictions according to instructions in treatises.

More Research
Two areas that I need to do more research in for my garb are what types of chemises they might have worn and what types of trim/embroidery their gowns might have had. I'll work on it as I go along. I will likely find that some of this comes in as I'm working on the KA&S entries.

Garb
Have several garb projects in mind:
1. Olive green brocade dress (it is fitted like a gamurra but worn as an outer dress, which I think makes it a giornea, or maybe a cioppa)
2. Colour-blocked dress
3. Black/copper brocade sleeveless overdress, open at the sides, and blue velvet overdress, closed at the sides.

Exceeded Expectations

- Plaza de Espana



- live flamenco performance. All of the artists were phenomenal. With the women's dancing, you could really see the influence of the Indian classical dancing and the belly dancing, and with the men's dancing, unlike many other forms of dance they still managed to look masculine doing the dancing.

Good

- Plaza de Toros. Our guide gave a good overview of the history and art of bullfighting and told a few off-colour jokes. I was especially interested in the links she pointed out between the bullfighting and Roman and Greek era traditions like the cult of Mithras.



- agritourism - tours of the sherry bodega and the olive ranch, complete with the history of how the products were made, how they're made today, and a lesson on how to properly taste test them. It's very interesting to see how these products were made. The olive ranch was so beautiful I was ready to sign on as a hired hand.

- the Alameda of Hercules, which was where we spent most of our free time. It had a great local feel with lots of kids and dogs running around and playing, and the weather was so great that you could sit out halfway into the night nursing your gelato.



- although the archaeological museum was small and a bit run of the mill, there were a couple of things I had never seen before, like the votive offerings of footprints to Isis and the bronze tablets of the Roman civil law, and things that I have seen reproduced in the SCA but never seen the originals of, like the Roman military diplomas (which I learned about from ya_inga's process pictures of her scroll for Arminius' knighting

- got to see the tomb of Manuel de Falla in Cadiz - a favourite composer of mine

Amusing

- our local guide had a good, slightly ribald sense of humour, but she had a couple of speech idiosyncracies, so at the bullring we learned that the matador has to "introduce" his sword to a particular spot on the bull's spine to kill it quickly, that sometimes the bull is triumphant if it manages to "introduce" one of its horns into the matador's chest instead, and that the matador has a special member of his team whose job it is to help "introduce" the matador into his tight pants.

- among the theories put forth by our guides about the origin of the word "flamenco", one was that there was a link with the Flemish nobles and artisans that came to the country after the Reconquista. Diverting as that theory is, I'm not convinced that flamenco is a Flemish style.

- at the sherry bodega, it was apparently a tradition to leave out a glass of sherry and some tapas for the mice, complete with little ladders for the mice to reach their treats



Bad

- the hotel was plagued with all sorts of minor inconveniences that are the epitome of what quixote317 has called "First World Problems" - there was no wi-fi in the rooms, you couldn't have the bathroom door and the closet door open at the same time, the water from the shower splashed out on the floor, and my room was on the third floor of the back 40 with no elevator. It was simply atrocious, dahling.

Ugly

- in Cadiz there was a cruise ship with a jumbotron so large it could be seen from street level, so that presumably you could lounge around in the pool and watch trashy talk shows instead of getting out and touring around an historic town in the beautiful sunlight.

Exceeded Expectations
- the Alhambra and Generalife gardens



- el Albaicin and Sacromonte



- the food - lamb couscous under the shadow of the Alhambra; artisanal cheeses and interesting mixed salads; ham and egg soup; YUM
- have new hair goo that gives my hair the texture and body I have always wished it had, without my having to blow dry a thing.

Good
- minimal migrainey-ness and jet lag, except today, after having ordered a soup I did not know came in garlic broth :(
- free unlimited wi-fi in my hotel room
- at Alhambra bookshop, got a book on Islamic Calligraphy (in English) and a book with pictures on the Alhambra textile collection (sadly, only in Spanish)

Bad
- with the amount of walking and the type of terrain, mostly cobblestones, should have opted for substance (Merrell walking shoes with vibram soles) over style (Chucks) in footwear
- got car sick on bus through white hill towns of Alpujarras region; followed up by rain and cold weather and soup with garlic broth
- hotel room has zero noise (yes I know, this is only a bad thing for someone whose bedroom overlooks Centre Street) and it didn't occur to me until the last night here that I could listen to internet radio streaming over iTunes for some background noise.

Ugly
- travel schedule from Calgary consisted of the following: 1. Arrive YYC 1800 Calgary time after almost forgetting passport at my house. 2. Depart YYC for LHR at 2100 Calgary time; fly for 9 hours. 3. Arrive LHR after noon London time. 4. Depart LHR for LGW by overheated bus; drive almost 1 hour. 5. Arrive LGW; wait for 3 hours to board plane. 6. Depart LGW for AGP; fly for 3 hours. 7. Arrive AGP 2300 Malaga time. 8. Depart Malaga for Granada by bus; drive for 2.5 hours. 9. Arrive Granada 0200 Granada time.

Coolest Thing I Didn't See
- One of the most famous sights of the Alhambra is a round fountain ringed by 12 lions, each one a little different. Our tour guide said a number of things about it, including that it was given to the Sultan by the Jews and the lions represent the 12 tribes of Israel (?). What I read in a history of science book was that it was a water clock constructed by one of the Sultan's scientists (the Moors, like the Greeks, had very sophisticated hydraulic automata), later taken apart by conquering Christians who could not get it to work again. Right now it is in restoration, so although we got to see the lions, we didn't get to see them in situ.

On Thursday got asked if I had any pieces of largesse I could take with me to KA&S. I did not, but I did some brainstorming with falashad about what I could make on short notice. After looking through the stash and my usual selection of references, decided I could probably throw together some coifs.

The women's coifs will be Elizabethan, based on the various extant pieces described in Janet Arnold 4. The men's coifs will be based on two boldly patterned silk taffeta coifs belonging to King Enrique of Castile (c. 1203-17) and his brother Infante Fernando (1189-1211), as described in Dahl, Camilla Luise and Sturtewagen, Isis (2008). "The Cap of St. Birgitta", in Medieval Clothing and Textiles 4: 99-142.

I started from the patterns in The Tudor Tailor and The Medieval Tailor's Assistant (men's) and Janet Arnold 4 (women's) and scaled them up onto my trusty yellow plaid practice fabric.

( It's an obscure project; you probably haven't heard of it. )
( I liked this project better before it got so mainstream. )

What I'm Listening To
- Boccherini's Quintetto In Do Maggiore la Musica Notturna Delle Strade Di Madrid Op. 30, No. 6 (G. 324): Il Rosario - Largo Assai - Allegro - Largo Come Prima - this recording is a Jordi Savall project, but I first heard this piece on the soundtrack to Master and Commander and so for me it's very evocative not only of that movie but also of my time in Victoria.
- KT Tunstall, Black Horse and the Cherry Tree
- my iPod on random, producing Tainted Love followed immediately by Rihanna's S.O.S.

What I'm Playing
- Francois Couperin, Les Folies Francaises, ou les Dominos, a set of theme and variations with each variation named after an aspect of love, such as "La Virginite" and "Les Coucous Benevoles". Am considering attaching the name of a Doctor Who character to each one: "La Coqueterie" - Jack Harkness; "La Jalousie Taciturne" - Ninth Doctor.
- Polyphonia - this week my favorite herd of cats managed a pretty good rendition of the Agincourt Carol, and didn't quite butcher Amor Potest - Ad Amorem, despite its use of hocket.
- Rock Band. Rage Against The Sewing Machine takes the stage again!!!

What I'm Reading/Watching
- Wading my way through the Metropolitan Museum of Art's online catalogue, which has led me to some new portraits from the late fifteenth century, a few "no image available", and many irrelevant yet very interesting other things.
- Oh Stargate SG1, how I love you.
- Far too many facebook updates letting me know every milestone other people reach in Farmville and clones. If anyone knows how to blanket turn off updates from new games that people start playing, PLEASE let me know.

What I'm Making
- New shift is done. Handsewn from start to finish, mostly using linen thread. Liked using the linen thread, but discovered it is not very well suited to backstitch. Attempted to do some basic blackwork around the neck edge based on the pattern seen in this portrait, but since the neckline was not cut on the straight grain I was not able to get a satisfactorily even and symmetrical pattern.
- Some time ago, the House was gifted a large quantity of brocade in an indescribable colour. To gaze on it directly is to invite madness, but if you squint just right, it looks like a sort of blasphemous imitation of the brocade worn by two different women in Ghirlandaio's Tornabuoni chapel. Lacking a sufficient colour name with which to refer to this fabric, we decided to call it "Dead Spaniard", which I knew to be a renaissance name for some colour. Apparently "Dead Spaniard" is actually a pale greyish tan. That is not this colour.
Cut out pieces for "Dead Spaniard" giornea, then sewed together long seams by machine in the interests of time. Currently staystitching edges by hand using running stitch. Had an interesting discussion with rectangularcat about whether colour could/would have been produced in period using natural dyes, and whether colour should have been produced at all in modern times (answer to all: probably not). Well, if it's too offensively bright, I'll just save it for some morning when everyone's hung over but me.

I have previously noted the "Emobethan" subculture - now it seems my favourite website agrees with me!

I have been working on a pair of trunk hose (sometimes aka "pumpkin pants") in the same fabric as the navy doublet I previously finished. The bottoms of the pant legs where they attach to the canions have darts, which hold the bottom of the pants out in the baggy shape. For an even baggier shape, you could stuff them with padding, but since they are heavy enough already I don't do so. The length of trunk hose can vary - some are very short, but I make mine to just above the knee, so the canion goes around my knee.

( Pictures and Descriptions )

(cross posted in dressdiaries)

The new Janet Arnold has a few details of embroidered night caps from the late 16th century, including a quote from a contemporary observer that the gentlemen of the court have taken to wearing them during the day on the pretext of some imaginary infirmity. I had picked up this pre-embroidered fabric quite a while ago because it looks pseudo-blackworked and I thought it might be useful for something. This seemed like a good project to try with it.

Process and pictures ( under the cut )

(cross posted in dressdiaries and cat_cetera)

Basted lacing strip to bottom of doublet, then sewed lining down by hand using slip stitch. Usually I do almost all of my sewing by hand - I have been doing the navy and green suits mostly by machine because I was more interested in getting them done quickly, but I figured that this last step would go just as quickly by hand.

Worked on cloth buttons. Previous experimentation had shown that the size of square and the size of circle needed depend entirely on the fabric. I found that a square of about 2" and a circle the size of a 250m spool of thread gave me approximately the size I wanted with the navy wool. Ended up using 13 buttons total for the front of the doublet.

Made buttonholes by machine (this is one thing I've never had the patience to do by hand). Usually I like to put my trim between the edge of the fabric and the buttonholes because it leaves a wider strip of uncut fabric and leads to stronger buttonholes (buttonholes should go horizontally, not vertically as they do in most modern sewing), but because of the trim pattern I ended up using, I have almost nothing in between the edge of the fabric and the edges of the buttonholes. This is not a problem when the buttons are done up, since the doublet fits a bit loose, but the buttons require a bit of squishing in order to fit through the buttonholes, so I will have to be a bit careful. Ended up having to cut buttonholes open using scissors since seam ripper is at minyata's house.

On sailor pants, revised never-quite-satisfactory codflap to form overlap piece for button fly, but despite looking at Janet Arnold while working on fly, still managed to get piece on wrong side. On the Sir Richard Cotton suit, the overlap piece is on the left side and contains the buttonholes. I ended up sewing it to the right side, so decided to sew the buttons to it and have it underlap.

Both pieces are now done - pictures behind the cut.
( Pictures below: )

Saturday
Had v. good time at Winter War. Enjoyed playing some music with snooness and other Borealis musicians - next time must remember to bring my own recorders. Also enjoyed hanging out with minyata, jopickles and others later in the evening, though was a bit disappointed there was no dancing.

Sunday
May have had too good of a time at Winter War :(

This Week
Have received new book: Textiles and Clothing 1150-1450, Elisabeth Crowfoot, Frances Pritchard and Kay Staniland, eds., Boydell Press, Suffolk, UK, 2001.

The Museum of London puts out lots of cool publications (and is also very cool to visit, if you get the chance). I have a couple of cookbooks that I picked up there, one for 16th century English cookery and another for 17th century English cookery. This book was on a bibliography for an Ithra course taught a few years ago by Maitresse Cecille de Beumund of Seagirt on period stitching techniques, and since I am trying to put together a similar course I decided to order this book.

It describes various textile fragments found in excavations throughout London and includes descriptions of spinning, weaving, dyeing, sewing techniques and tailoring. There is a lot of detailed description, some of it too technical for me, but I still think it is a cool enough book that I have now ordered two others in the same series, one on shoes and pattens and another on dress accessories. I think this book would be even more useful for someone whose areas of specialty are spinning, weaving, and/or mid-period costuming.

Top three new things I learned were:
1. Lacing holes were worked around twice in order to ensure adequate coverage (rather than trying to get stitches very tight together for only one pass around the hole)
2. Instead of being sewn onto the fabric on one side and then passed through buttonholes on the other side to fasten a garment, buttons could have their shanks passed through the buttonholes on the right side and be fastened to a lacing on the wrong side. Although I am not too sure how this worked to fasten the garment - were there lacing holes on the other side?
3. Garments could be edged with tablet woven braid that was worked directly onto the edge of the garment. This is seriously cool and I would love to see someone finish the edges of a garment this way!

Upcoming Goals
I would really like to finish my navy blue doublet this weekend so I have something new to wear for Beltaine. I am also going to try to do an embroidered hat of the type shown in the new Janet Arnold so I don't have to wear the hairnet that Francis has threatened us all with for the kitchen at Beltaine. Assuming I get the doublet done, I will then try to finish the trunk hose so I actually have one of my pieces of camping garb done for May Crown.

Edited to Add:
The linen previously ordered online has also arrived. Right now it is a bit stiff, so I am washing it for the second time. I should have enough for three new smocks plus some trimmings. After a desultory amount of research online I have come to the conclusion that I can wear a falling band instead of a ruff and still be before 1600. Whether I can have sailed so far around the world that I got shipwrecked somewhere in east Asia before 1600 is another question. Sshh.