March 2022 Recap: A Beautiful Month of Beautiful Things and A Lot of Wind
My March goals were:
1 set of Green Saya point stripes (probably the front, and I can have them pinned in place for KASF).
Start another set of calzas to go with the Fancy Camisa
Make a square-fronted cofia to go with the wrap-style tranzado for the Green Saya outfit.
Continue working on my calligraphy for Coronation.
Begin research for a black hood, to present as part of my Persona Development Challenge at Crown (though probably virtual because it’s Tessa’s bridal shower weekend).
The Green Saya is really starting to come alive!
For my goals, the first thing I started in on when we got back from KASF was the Green Saya points. I am really glad I pinned them on for the event, because man does it really pull the dress together. One lovely gentle who I got to speak to really helped me articulate how I feel about this dress- simple embellishments done well can be incredibly striking and elegant. That sentiment embodies this garment so perfectly. It’s all solid colors and straight lines, but when considered together, it’s a truly wonderful piece. The challenge, however, when sewing these together is the pins. I had all 3 pinned on at once and that made things difficult. I had to do each ribbon in small sprints from the bottom up, removing all the pins as I went, then doubling back on the small ribbons to finish the second edge. I don’t think this will be as much of an issue with the remaining 3 sets, as I’ll do those one ribbon at a time, but the method does work. This is just another reminder that I really should have worked this flat without a waist seam. However, once it was done the dress truly came to life. The points go a long way to make it eye catching.
Onto things I had NOT planned on accomplishing. I finished my wrap style tranzado on the way to KASF. As I said in my KASF reflections, I am absolutely thrilled with how well this combo sat and stayed on my head. I want to try it with a simple tube as well, just to confirm the theory. Next month, I’ll continue my body garments with another set of headwear and this will absolutely feature in.
The hood’s first try on and its turnback. The cornflower blue pops exactly as I’d hoped.
Most of the rest of my month was spent on completing hood and the documentation for the Persona challenge. My handwriting project is moving along smoothly and I’m getting a lot of practice in. That documentation is well in hand too. I adjusted my goals mid month so as to complete the hood in time to display virtually at Coronation the first weekend of April. I debated doing the handwriting for the first display, but concluded that it would be difficult to display virtually. Since I am now able to go to Crown Tourney, I decided to fast track the hood instead. That took most of my “making stuff” bandwidth. This did mean that I did not get to the cofia or calzas I wanted to make. Which is a shame, but I can work on that next month. I don’t have any specific large projects for that so I will bump those there. My documentation for the hood can be found here.
I had quite a day at Defending the Gate at the end of the month. The weather spirits were highly displeased and it ran the gamut from sunny and lovely to literally snowing. From gusty winds and flying popups, I finally got through my first event as an MIT for archery! It was a good day and I learned a lot about marshalling. Sof’ia designed an incredible shoot and several friends got awards! The weather really challenged my existing Saint Birgitta cap, however, and I am determined to try my next one with free ends, instead of a loop. The wrapped braid stayed put precisely where I wanted it.
And as a true Spaniard at heart, Mariana might need a crossbow. Photo credit Thomas Beebe.
The other great discovery on the range was that the little cuts on the back of the Domingo Ram Saya really did hold up to my theory of increased flexibility and range of motion. I was very impressed throughout the day. They did bring up some great future experiment ideas as well, but they’re a feature I look forward to incorporating into other dresses. Because in all honesty, between the bright colorful lining and those, I absolutely love that dress.
A perfect shot of the cuts in action, through the process of bending to draw the crossbow (and Naran’s kabak bow), and holding my shoulders back to shoot, I felt completely supported by my dress with complete range of motion and stretch. It’s remarkable, given that the wool this dress is made of is largely stiff. Photo credit again to Thomas Beebe.
April goals:
Do another set of points on the Green Saya.
Continue my body garments project with the calzas I did not make in March.
Make a square fronted cofia and separate, simple tubular tranzado to contain my actual hair. I might be able to knock these out at a practice one nigh.
Continue my Persona Challenge work and get the handwriting project ready to display at Crown Tourney.
Practice fabric stamping with my new stamp, in preparation for my blue linen brial that I want to stamp and sew in May. I might make some napkins or hand towels or placemats out of spare fabric.
Summer University class proposal. It’s already time for that and I have no clue what I might teach but I would like to continue my trend of at least one class each University.
