September 2024: Back on a Big Project
September Goals:
Garb:
Continue work on Juana’s camisa facing.
Order fabric and work on the design of Juana’s camisa
Classes and Research:
Finalize and record the commonplace books class and get that posted to YouTube.
Continue work on the survey for this outfit.
September started with a focus on the camisa facing. My paint supplies arrived and I decided to try to knock out a first full iteration of the embroidery design. Originally, I anticipated some trial and error for this, especially with the stamping. The stamping design went pretty well, but there was definitely some paint issues. First, the black from the fabric paint bled through, which was a concern because during my test it didn’t fully wash out. Secondly, the white tempera paint was too thin to hold a clear line of the embroidery. However, that first issue actually proved to be the solution to the second, leaving a very faint gray behind. All in all, the stamping actually went pretty well, and the design fit well within the specifications of the neckline size I wanted it to be so I decided to go ahead with it anyway and see how the paint washed out afterwards on this trial.
Camisa facing post-embroidery but pre-wash.
The embroidery turned out super cute, which is a great plus. I am very pleased with the sizing and spacing on this iteration. For the cleaning, I wanted to be very gentle with it so mostly it’s cleaning involved soaking and light scrubbing on any problem areas. The embroidery took me about 22 hours to do. I did a lot of it at Battle on the Bay, which was a great way to have a project at an event. Embroidery like this travels well and doesn’t require a ton of equipment, which is really nice. Almost all the paint came out so I decided I’m moving ahead with this particular version of the facing, which is great!
I did end up purchasing fabric for the camisa this month! I splurged on some nice, light handkerchief weight linen from Burnley and Trowbridge. This is a very lightweight linen and I think it’ll do a fabulous job as part of my Certified Fancy Bitch (TM) outfit. I will be making this camisa with a flat front like the camisas I made for Pennsic but with a little bit more ease built in and hopefully some ridiculous sleeves. It’s such gorgeous linen that I’m going to have to be very delicate working it, but I think it works beautifully for Juana’s outfit. I did buy 5 yards, and if I don’t end up using all of it, I may be making a pair of calzas to go with this outfit, which would be really nice.
Since I had the fabric, I started slowly in on camisa construction. The first part of this was to test out a new seam technique, that’s just a slightly different way of approaching finishing seams. It feels very similar to flat felling and I was quite pleased with the durability of my testers. I didn’t really push myself too hard on spending sewing time this month, since that’s a goal for next month, but I did everything cut and made some slow and steady comfortable progress. It was a very good University project.
Speaking of University, mid-month was virtual Fall University where I gave my new commonplace books class. I’m trying to broaden my class offerings to have some evergreen/repeatable class content outside of just the Nola class and this class is a first step in that direction. It had a really great turn out and I’m very pleased with how the slides and handout turned out. For a first run through of the class, I was really pleased with the pacing. We used most of the class period and then had about 10 minutes for a really nice discussion. This is a pretty content heavy class but I hope that my attendees took something good away from it. That is now up on my recorded classes.
My version of "A stuffed buried Jewish dish" from Hélène Jawhara-Piñer’s redaction from the Kitabh al-tabih (13th C Spain).
On to non-goal related things.
In the same order from Burnley and Trowbridge, I also picked up some very cute blue ribbon to re-do the ties on my Mary Rose shoes and I think it’s just adorable. My Armstreet shoes have been very loyal in my SCA closet, carrying the team as my only period appropriate pair of shoes for literally years, and they got sent for some TLC and new soles this month. The ribbon is a really nice grosgrain texture and I’m thinking about getting some more in a different color to add to my wood pattens.
Early in the month as well I was able to re-record my Persona Pentathlon class! It’s nice to have that finalized. I don’t anticipate it being a class I give regularly but the competition experience is one I am happy to share around. That is now also up and available in my recorded classes section.
I also took the time to finally try out one of Hélène Jawhara-Piñer’s recipes from Sephardi, which is the cookbook accompanying Jews, Food, and Spain. The one I tried is one of her Kitabh al-tabih recipes called “A Stuffed and Buried Jewish Dish,” which is a really aromatic meat pie with egg omelets. It was really tasty and filling and would be a fun Passover dish. I’m looking forward to trying some other dishes from this book but between this and some conversations I’ve had over the month, I’ve set my sights on a new series of classes. A book I really love is called A History of Food in 100 Recipes and has inspired a (possibly series of) class(es) called Foods That Shaped the Iberian Peninsula. Jawhara-Piñer’s work is really fascinating in that it traces the ingredients and the cooking methodologies of what makes Jewish food what it is, and I think a very similar construction could be made for each of the three major Abrahamic religions on the peninsula so that might be where I go next with my classes. I love my Nola class, but it has expanded beyond its original intended scope pretty dramatically over the years. This series might just be its next evolution.
Finished heraldic banner, pre-hanging set up.
Many of us SCAdians have what I like to affectionately call the Telltale WIP (work in progress) and for me, that has been a heraldic banner. I started this banner in 2020 during the pandemic, and never got around to finishing it because I kept getting distracted by other projects. Well, four years later and it’s finally done! This month I finished the embroidery, added hanging loops, and a protective back, as well as building a rod and rope hanging set so that I can actually hang it places. It is made out of wool felt and some black wool scrap fabric from previous projects, with a little bit of goldwork on the hanging loops for a little extra shine to it. The hanging set up is made of wood dowels and finials with a curtain tieback for the pretty hanger. I do still need to build it a stand so it can travel places, but as is, I can hang it on the back of my chair or on anything with a hook and I am thrilled!
Another small project this month was to finally find a box that my spice project can travel in. Not only does it make for a great interactive display element, but I’ve found that it’s a great teaching aid for my Iberian cuisine class. I’ve been carrying it around in a flimsy plastic basket that was too big, so the glass bottles rattle around a lot. I managed to find a box at Joann’s that fits the bottles really nicely, and has a nice snug lid. However, it was boring to look at, and goodness knows I can’t have that. My plan in future months is to find some wood onlays that I can use to make it more visually interesting, stain it, and then paint some accents on those onlays.
My new combo GoA regalia.
As many of my friends know, I am not partial to the hubcap style of Order regalia that is common in the SCA. I had to repair my Golden Dolphin medallion this month and had some extra Golden Dolphins, so I made some more of what I affectionately call “stealth regalia.” This one is a combination of the Golden Dolphin and a Pearl for both of my Grant of Arms (GoA) orders. I’m really pleased with how it turned out and now I can wear it as a necklace as an alternative to my necklace and pin combination that I previously had.
Going into October, I realized that the upcoming Tempore Atlantia competition at Fall Crown Tourney covers 1500-1600. I haven’t participated in a Tempore since my first ever Spanish outfit, but I’ll be doing to Crown Tourney and Juana’s camisa might be ready in time to enter. I think I’m going to aim to have that out and ready to go for November 2nd. It’ll help me get into the swing of writing documentation for the item too. Between the embroidery test, the stamps, the seam tests, the painting, etc., I should have a well flesh out display able to happen. I am not quite ready to have it judged formally yet, but it’ll be nice to have a concrete deadline to work towards.
October Goals:
Garb:
Finish the camisa for Juana’s outfit, including attaching the facing.
Write preliminary documentation on the camisa and the Juana project.
Work on the sleeves for the Ocean Saya
Classes and Research:
Continue work on the survey for the Juana outfit.
