Dice Bag

Gen Con this week. I am super excited. So much I thought I would celebrate by making myself a new dice bag. Squee!



This idea came from a knitted project someone posted on Ravelry. I opted to sew something similar but I love her idea.

On patterns and things and other stuff

I had this brilliant idea that I was going to sew my Halloween costume this year. I have long been obsessed with the awesomeness of costuming but my dislike and frustrations over sewing have turned me off to actually becoming a costumer. However, my desire to have truly awesome costumes has brought me to the realization that I am going to learn how to sew one way or the other.

I have done some sewing in the past. I actually made the vest my husband wore for our wedding. Mostly though it has been a "close your eyes and go" situation.

So, I took myself down to our local fabric megamart to look at patterns. And I quickly decided that I was in over my head (and my budget this month). I am proud of myself in that I finally decided to start small and bought a pattern to make an apron instead. It was a significantly better idea then spending money on a project I couldn't really afford that had a high likelihood of failure. I guess I will try the one step at a time approach.

This does mean that I am now clueless as to what I am going to do for Halloween this year. I think I will try to hit some thrift stores this week.

I have also been thinking long and hard about learning to make hats. I love hats and I am starting to realize a passion for crazy wild hats. They are expensive though and part of me has been wondering if it would be more affordable to make them myself. My one fear is that I am not really much of a designer so I don't know where I would come up with ideas but I thought I wouldn't worry about that so much just yet. For now I am going to work on assembling the skills. YouTube user "Threadbanger" has some interesting how-to videos and some of them involve hat making.

In my quest for acquiring costuming skills, I have been paging through pattern books. Particularly costuming because that is really the kind of sewing I want to be doing. Here is the thing I don't understand about the costume world. I have seen in Halloween stores the costumes with the slutty-I mean "vamped" up versions of a theme. The sexy nurse, the sexy cartoon princess, etc where the hemline falls just below the butt cheek and the neckline falls in the middle of the cleavage. But you can also get patterns to make these.

For me costuming is about the escape and the better the costume the better the escape. I suppose I can see the appeal of sexy costume role-play but really good costumers can make some truly sexy pieces without having to cheapen it. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't judge. To each their own. Off for a walk and probably some playing with string later.

Viking Apron Dress

In an effort to extend my garb/tunics until I can manage to make more time period appropriate SCA garb for myself I decided to make myself a Viking Apron Dress.

I actually finished this about 2 weeks ago but I was waiting for my broaches to arrive from Raymond's Quiet Press before showing it off. My measurements were off in a few places but overall the dress worked out pretty well. The style was more flattering than I expected. I even got bold and embroidered with some wool twill thread. I apparently need a weave to follow to do anything more complex so it is just a simple chain stitch. Interestingly with all the embroidery I have done, I have never embroidered a garment I made. It actually got me excited about embroidery again and I have pulled out a bunch of old projects to finish.

I am hoping to make a head covering to go with the dress prior to WW but I don't think I will make an embroidered one until after the event. Currently, however I have been waylaid by a modern fun little project instead.

Pigment Translation

This project was originally completed sometime in 2003.

Colors: The Story of Dyes and Pigments By Francois Dleamare and Bernard Guineau.
As the title suggests, the book takes a look at the history of dyes and pigments, how new colors were created and how changes within the textile and dying industries were effected by these changes. One of the things that I enjoyed about this book was the amount of information about Roman and Medieval dying methods and the evolution of processes during the time period. I’ve always been sincerely disappointed by the small paragraph of information many authors use to mention any history on an artform that existed during the Middle Ages, so it was definitely refreshing to have an entire chapter with beautiful color photographs devoted to the era. It’s a nice read with some interesting information. In the back there is an appendix of sorts that contains exerts from documents as well as a good listing of books for further reading. One thing I would have liked would be a glossary of commonly used terms for easy reference as I read the book. It’s a nice place to get started if you’re interested in or ever think you could be interested in pigment history.

Pigment Translation:
While perusing this book there was an image taken from an example of a 16th-century recipe recipe for making fine-grained scarlet lake. The recipe was in French and as I could easily see every letter in the image, I decided to attempt a translation. While there are a few words that I am still unable to find any modern equivalent/translation of, the following is what I was able to come up with. Thanks to Eliane for assistance with the translation

Pour Faire Lacca de graine fine.
Pren une livre de tondure d’ecarlate fine, et la mets en une poelle neuve pleine de laissue, qui ne soit point troup forte: puis la fay bouillir tat que la laissiue en prenne la couleur. Ce fait, pren un sachet, large par en haut, et agu par bas, au-quel verseras la-dite tondure d’ecarlate, et la laissiue, mettant un vaisseau dessous: puis presse bien le sachet, tellement que toute la sustance, et toute la couleur en puisse decouleur, apres lave la tondure, et la sac, au-dit vaisseau, ou est la couleur. Et sil te semble que la tondure ait encore d’avantage of couleur, tu la feras bouillier avec autre laissiue, faisant comme par-avant. Ce fait, mettras chaufer au feu la-dite laissiue coulouree, mais ne la laisse point bouillir: et faut tenir toute preste, sus le feu, quelque poelle nette, avec de l’eau nette, la-quelle, estant chaude, y mettras cinq onces d’alun de roche pulverise: Et incontinent que tu le verras dissoudre, pren un sachet, comme le premier: et quand la couleur sera chaude, ote-la du feu, et y boute le-dit alun: puis jette ainsi tout ensemble au sac, mettant dessous quelque vasseau plomme: et regarde si par en bas la couleur en vient rouge, lors prendras de l’eau chaude, et la verseras au sac, y versant aussi tout ce qui estoit coule, au-dit vaisseau, sous le sac: et verse tant de fois ce qui coulera par en bas, que tu verras que la liqueur qui en sorte, ne soit plus rouge, mais claire comme laissiue: ayant ainsi ecoule toute l’eau, la couleur demourera au sac, la quelle tu deferas d’une spatule de bois, la mettant au fond du sac, et la reduis toute en une masse, ou en tablettes, ou comme bon te semblera: puis la mets saicher, sus un carreau neuf et net, a l’ombre, ou a l’air, et non pas au soleil. Et par-ainsi tu auras une chose excellente.

For making a lake of fine seed.
Take a pound of tondure of fine scarlet, and put it in a new pan full of laissiue, that isn’t too strong: then make it boil as long as the laissiue takes in the color. That done, take a small cone-shaped [big on the top and skinny on the bottom] bag, into which, pour the above mentioned tondure scarlet, and la laissiue, put a tiny vessel underneath: then press the bag well, so much so that all the substance and all the color draws forth. After, wash the tondure and the bag as well as the vessel where the color is. And if it seems that the tondure has more color, you should boil it with another laissiue, done as before.

That done, heat in fire the previously mentioned laissiue color, but don’t leave to boil: And you must keep ready on the fire, a clean pan with clean water, which is warm, and add 5 ounces of powdered alum: And once you see that it is dissolved, take the bag, like the first: and when the color is warm, take it away from the fire, throw in it a bit of alum: then throw thus all together in a bag, place underneath some lead vessel: Look to see if the bottom color is turning red, at that time take the warm water and pour it in the the bag, in it also pour all that had sunken into the vessel beneath the bag: and pour so many times that which runs in the bottom is a sort of liqueur that isn’t red, but clear as laissiue: having poured off all the water, the color will stay in the bag, that which you defer to with a wooden spatula, and put it in the bottom of the bag, and reduce it all in a lump or in bars or as it seems good to you: then let it dry, in a clean and new box, in the shade or in the air but not in the sun. And by thus you have an excellent thing.

Roman Necklace

This project originally completed prior to fall of 2004. Exact date unknown



The instructions for the necklace came from Fire Mountain. They based it on a Roman necklace dated from the 2nd C. CE. Their source was the book "Ancient Gold Jewelry at the Dallas Museum of Art" by Barbara Deppert-Lippitz, photography by Tom Jenkins, (ISBN 0-936227-19-2). I haven't compared the model with the original so I'm not sure how closely it mirrors the one in the original source; however, the original model used gold and emerald while my remake is garnet and gold-filled wire. Each link is made with a simple "S" shape.

A Bodice and Skirt

A good friend of mine agreed to help me make some new garb for the SCA event this last weekend, The Kingdom of Northshield's Coronation for Stephen and Ailleanne. I have gained quite a significant amount of weight since I first joined the SCA so most of my garb either doesn't fit me or has been worn out after 9 years in the Society. I have several tunics which are good for working in the kitchen but are really less than flattering on me.

So we decided to make a cotton bodice and skirt. Nothing terribly fancy as much of my time in the SCA is spent in the kitchen. My garb needs to be comfortable, keep me mobile, and be washable. She drafted a pattern for the bodice using instructions found on the Elizabethan Costuming Page. I was skeptical about it given that bodice's always look smaller then clothing I would normally wear but it worked out perfectly. I found some sturdy cotton fabric and we managed to make it reversible. My friend did most of the work but I think I could make another (except maybe for the cable channels) now that we have suitable pattern.



The skirt was nice and full and just made from my friends own costuming experience. The pleating technique she showed me was amazingly easy and turned out beautifully even with my uneven spacing. I think I was a little too cautious with my hem because I do trip over that but that is fixable and she was correct in her advice to hook the skirt tighter then I would normally wear it because the bodice will pull me in quite a bit. I will need to fix that as well.

The pictures are somewhat wrinkly because I never managed to get photos while I was wearing it. It fulfilled all it's functions and I felt good wearing it. It makes me want to play more actively again. I still haven't changed my mind that costuming is far more fussy then I enjoy but I think I could make this outfit again.

My other task this last week was trying to make a suitable head covering. After years of trying I finally managed to figure out how to make a veil work only I don't really wear the appropriate costume for veils anymore. The only other head covering I have managed is the turban style head wrap that always looks better on everyone else. It will at least stay on my head. I used to use fake hair and do hair wraps/braids similar to what I found in photos. Over the years my hair has become progressively thinner and can no longer support length or the fake braids and that is no longer an option. However, appropriate head dress/style really makes an outfit I think and is something I have been striving to improve.



I wanted to find a head covering more appropriate to my new garb so I tried the coif pattern found at the Elizabethan Costuming site. It definitely did not work out the way I expected. I tried (to the best of my limited costuming ability) to adapt the pattern to fit my head but it was still too small. I used the idea from the Extreme Costuming website of anchoring the coif to a forehead scarf but I don't think I managed to execute it properly. I ran out of time to perfect it so I did some creative pinning to make it look somewhat presentable. However, it kept slipping off my head which is really not a functional option when my garb needs to be something I can work in. I think if I can figure out a way to perfect it I may eventually make an embroidered one. And the Attack Laurel's site definitely gave me a better perspective on how I can improve it. I just need some practice.

A Thing-A-Week Part 36: Soap!

I made soap! I have always really wanted to make soap...ever since I joined the SCA really. All the reading I did said "Oh my god! Soap is so dangerous. We don't even know why we make it!" And not having any chemistry background I sort of gave up hope.

Recently someone in the local group has been experimenting with soap and was gracious enough to allow me to play too! So we made a hot process soap using vegetable ingredients. The bonus of the hot process method is the lye is no longer caustic by the end of the night so it could be used the next day. It is also a more period method (though these ingredients were not). It is kinda ugly as it is hard to mold with the consistency it is at. Cold process soap requires about 6 weeks before it is non-caustic but it takes a mold much better.

This is what I got from the process. I am certainly not the expert and there are far better resources online. Essentially, it was Crisco, canola oil, water and lye. The fasts are softened so that they can interact with the lye. The lye is added to water and then allowed to cool while the fats are warmed until they reach a temperature within about 10 degrees of each other and then they are added together and mixed until they reach trace - a sort of thick pudding like stage. With cold process it is then poured into molds and left to sit for a while. With hot process, it is heated some more and goes through a couple of stages of something I am not quite sure how to describe.

When the lye is all reacted out, it is mixed with scents and then poured in molds and allowed to set. The two lighter colored bars were frozen to get them out of the mold. They were also in smaller molds so they are set up a little more.

I am going to try them tomorrow. I am not sure I added enough scent so hopefully I don't smell like crisco tomorrow.

A Thing-A-Week Part 32: A New Hat

One of my assignments is to make a hat. This is my first attempt. I couldn't really find any instructions on how to make it so I guessed. It turned out vaguely hat shape so I count that as a win. I am not really into big extravagant hats but I always liked this style and hoped it would help me keep the veil and wimple actually on my head. Despite my best efforts circlets pop off my head and veils fly away. I am not so devoted that I want to staple it down so I am hoping some extra weight will help. I have an oddly shaped head, fine hair, and apparently eyebrow muscles with a purpose so most hats find comical ways to be anywhere but on my head. This has lasted a half hour so we shall see this coming weekend how well it works.

I didn't do that great of a job (this is a prototype for a better hat hopefully someday) as my sewing skills are really not all that functional. Yes, I know I embroider but embroidery and sewing are not the same thing in my universe. If I mess up embroidery I just end up with an ugly thing and some lost time. If I mess up sewing I could potentially end up naked. But I continue to try because better garb makes me feel more comfortable at events. And, I really don't like showing modern hair so starting with a hat seems like a safer step.

I know this sounds like a kind of grumbly post but I really am sort of excited about my little hat... imperfections and all.

A Thing-A-Week Part 31: Cloth bag

I finally finished the bag I wanted to make for carrying things to events. Baskets can be so awkward.