Multipurpose Update

[cat_cetera]

Doublet with Trunk Hose

Was too busy sewing before Investiture to continue blogging about this, but it is now done except for a few improvements. Main things to remember: 10m of trim is barely adequate. 15 or 20m would have been better. Finish armholes before finishing bottom edge of doublet. Planned improvements - stiffen collar with a few extra layers of wool or denim; add extra points for lacing doublet to trunk hose at side and front; consider stuffing trunk hose. Pictures of finished product are on falashad's photostream here and here. On the front view, there is not some weird kind of codpiece or seal over the fly- that's just an unfortunately placed speck of dust on the lens. I may consider posting detail shots later.


Hey kaerran, stuff about music and alchemy behind the next cut...

Mystic Signs: The Circle, the Crescent and the Cross
The Calgary Renaissance Singers and Players with special guests Calgary Men's Chorus and EnChor

Went to this concert last night with my Mom. From the title, we expected it to be something featuring Christian and Islamic music from the renaissance, which would have been cool, but it turned out to be an alchemy/astrology themed program, which was also cool. It was held in the planetarium at Telus World of Science and divided into several sections by planet/alchemical element. Thematic pictures were projected on the planetarium screen while the songs were being performed, which made for a very effective multi-element presentation. The program featured not only renaissance music, but also several modern pieces as well. I was very impressed by the ease with which the three featured choirs performed pieces having a very high level of technical difficulty and definitely enjoyed the concert. Full program was:

Sun (Gold)
Pentatonic Alleluia - Ross Whitney
O Nata Lux - Morton Lauridsen
Adoramus Te - Palestrina

Mercury (Quicksilver)
Exsultate Deo - Palestrina
Salmo 150 - Ernani Aguiar
Lux Arumque - Eric Whitacre

Venus (Copper)
Amor de mi Alma - Z. Randall Stroope

Jupiter (Pewter)
Litany to Thunder - Veljo Tormis
Terra Tremuit - William Byrd

Intermission

Solfeggio - Arvo Part

Saturn (Lead)
Ave Verum Corpus - William Byrd
Circumdederunt me Gemitus Mortis - Cristobal de Morales
Death Hath Deprived Me - Thomas Weelkes

Mars (Iron)
God Protect Us from War - Veljo Tormis
La Guerre - Clement Janequin - this song featured all sorts of war sound effects, like cannon, horses, arrows, gunshots etc. Maybe Polyphonia will tackle it some day.

Moon (Silver)
Sing Me To Heaven - Daniel E. Gawthrop
Agnus Dei - Wojciech Kilar



Planned New A&S Projects

Went to the craft store today to pick up wooden button cores and several skeins of white and black embroidery thread. If successful, my first set of hand wrapped buttons will replace the outer fly/codflap on the navy blue sailor pants. Don't know what I will do after that, but black buttons are fairly versatile. Was unable to buy a copy of "50 Heirloom Buttons" (partially because I didn't have the correct name) in a store, but will add it to my list of books to buy online.

Owe a pair of pants to Nicholas for fixing my computer and will probably be able to get started soon.

Would like to make a new pair of sailor pants out of the remaining black wool and plan to have them ready for A&S display at either Beltaine or Dragonslayer. Would then like to concentrate on making a new smock and some new ruffs. Might also try making one of the tall hats.

Further out, would like to make a new suit for next Montengarde Twelfth Night that I could also send down to Kingdom A&S. This would be either the blue cotton velvet doublet and pluderhose, the cream wool and copper silk doublet and pluderhose, or the blue and yellow doublet and trunk hose.



New Additions to My Library

Didn't find any of the books I was actually looking for in the store, but did get some new interesting things:

"God's Crucible: Islam and the making of Europe, 570-1215", David Levering Lewis
"1421: The Year China Discovered the World", Gavin Menzies (not new, I have had it on my list for a while, but today seemed like a good day to buy it)
"Great Harry's Navy: How Henry VIII Gave England Sea Power", Geoffrey Moorhouse (a little before my persona's time period, but likely has useful details anyway)
"The Art of Calligraphy: A Practical Guide to the Skills and Techniques", David Harris - for falashad. Can't remember if she has it already. If she does, I'm sure I can find another good home for it.
Shakespeare's Hamlet and Julius Caesar, manga editions (I am not making this up). For my Mom. Don't know if she will like them or think they are a travesty, but they do have all of the original text of the plays in question. Somehow, Shakespeare tragedies seem to lend themselves well to the exaggeratedly dramatic nature of manga. And hey, if it gets kids reading Shakespeare, I'm all for it.