Winter University 2022 Debrief

Uni Day 1 selfie featuring the headband, my Hiberno-Norse, and inevitable amounts of coffee.

I gotta say I really love the multiday online Universities. I will be very sad if these ever go away. There’s so much opportunity for exciting classes and this particular catalog had some really great ones.

First, for the classes I took.

Stamped Fabric in the 14th Century Europe: This was a really fun class for me. As I have hinted in my last post, I plan to do some fabric stamping in the not too distant future and learning more about both the period and practical of doing so was great. I can’t wait to directly apply some of the ideas and advice from this class to my future projects.

J is for Judging Justly: Judging classes can be both very useful and muddy the waters, sometimes at the same time. I like taking them from the perspective of an artisan as well as an officer, because often it can cover ideas I might not have considered in my own documentation and displays. This one had a very strong focus on the experience of judging from the artisan’s perspective, and that to me is the most important part of judging. It can make or break an artisan’s “career'“ in the SCA.

Beneath the Veil- Tips and Tricks for Making Headwear Stick: As I have said in previous posts, my hair can be challenging. This class covered a wide variety of styles of veils and head coverings, and was geared toward making them accessible to the SCA, not necessarily the most period. There were some excellent tips though, and I have a new hairstyle tactic to try to improve my cofias in the near future.

Healthy Boundaries and Self Care for Volunteers: This class I cannot recommend highly enough. Burnout is a very real threat in SCA volunteering, as well as the day to day lives of SCAdians. For me, it validated a lot of what I have been feeling at work, and served as a strong caution about the potential paths of my various officer roles. I struggle a lot with filling in voids because no one else will and I want the thing to happen, and that can spread a girl rather thin.

Female Legal Identity in Medieval Spain: Another class where I have to disclaim that I’m not saying it was exceptional because it is one of my Laurel’s, but this class was EXCEPTIONAL. One of the things I want in my own learning is to better understand how Mariana’s life would have been affected by the world around her. Understanding the legal realm in which Mariana might have needed to operate has huge ramifications on how she might have comported herself.

Clothing’s Impact on Dance Movements: This was a late addition to my schedule. It focused mainly on Italy, but still fascinating to see how in social settings, everything was considered as part of comportment and decorum. Outward perceptions could be changed by such small things, and as SCAdians, one way we can elevate our persona is to try to take that into consideration as well. Dance is high on my list of “when back in person I want to do” things too.

MOLing for Large Events and Wars: Another late addition but worthwhile. The different styles of MOL-ing the various instructors have is always worthwhile. There were some great points about how one can pre-plan an event for optimal success that I hope to incorporate in my own work in the future.

Morning is Wiser Than Evening: Russian Folklore and Fairytales: This was Sof’ia’s first Uni class that was NOT a how to TA class and she smashed it! It was very well attended, and the students were very engaged! She covered a great variety of content that helps someone interpret and see the critical cultural parts of Russian stories. She also finished on a wonderful performance of one such of these stories and I thoroughly enjoyed myself

I also taught my Spanish woman’s undergarments class at last! I was quite happy with it. The turn out was good, and I got through my material at just the pace I expected. I need to slow down and get a bit more confident at the beginning when discussing the historical context next time. There was some lively discussion about gores and fabric choices in the chat, but I am happy with how it went all in all.

I don’t think I’m destined to be a jeweler…

My “entertain your hands” projects were trying to use up some of the remaining shiny bits from the Green Saya headband. I managed to get three bracelets out of them, two matching. I still have two of the green stones mounted in their bezels to use, and four loose green stones that need a home, but I’ve been looking on Amazon for potential uses of them for the future.