The 2009 Project List

I noticed the other day that my Project List was getting rather long and needed a more permanent home than a string of Post-It notes stuck to the computer desk. So I decided to take some of that pent up "Snow Day" energy and arrange it in a (slightly) more organized manner here.

Projects to Finish Before Company of Wolves
(February 27 - March 1)

Gomlek
I have a sheer burgundy gomlek waiting to be hemmed and a sheer white gomlek cut out and waiting to be pieced together. Shouldn't take me more than an hour for both, but I've been letting small weaving projects get in the way. And I'm debating whether or not to hand sew the white gomlek now that I have discovered an innate flair for hand stitching. Perhaps it would be more efficient for now to machine stitch the hidden seams and hand stitch the hems and neckline. I could always take it apart and hand sew the hidden seams later if it bothers me that much.

Kataginu
Though this should be the first item on my list and it looks like a simple enough project, the kataginu is one of the most annoying pieces I have encountered in making Japanese garb for my fiance. I know it sounds terribly whiny, but I absolutely hate doing the collar on these things and the shoulder pieces never look right to me, despite his insistence that they are perfect. I do owe him this piece, though, since I already finished a pair of matching red cotton hakama back in December.

Entari
This is probably the most important item on my project list. I have a gomlek that can pass for now, I have salwar that fit well enough, but if I had to go to an event tomorrow, I would have only ghawazee coats to wear over them. Just the thought makes me cringe and then break out into a cold sweat. Ever since I started pursuing a more accurate wardrobe, the very sight of a ghawazee coat disgusts me. Therefore, of all the projects I have ahead of me, this one is the most dire. (The only reason the gomlek is #1 is because the pieces are cut and waiting on me and that is a project I can throw together in an hour... unless I'm handsewing.)

But I do need to make a mock-up for this first as my last mock-up was a complete disaster.

Salwar
After tinkering with the pattern a bit, I need to make a new pair of salwar in a softer fabric with smaller leg gores. The last pair I made were in some kind of wool blend that was rather scratchy and there was a ludicrous amount of fabric between my legs. This leads me to believe that I either miscalculated my measurements (which I am almost sure I did not) or that the pattern is specifically designed to be fiddled with until you get a cut you like. For those of you who might steer me toward an answer to this musing, the pattern in question is that of Master Rashid.

Veil
As mentioned above, I am getting pretty interested in hand sewing and I blame it all on this silly veil. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about having a veil and having it completely hand sewn, but, I seem to be having trouble with the hand-rolled hem. I just can't get the hang of it. I have picked my way through online tutorials, but it still looks weird to me. Maybe I should wait until PFAN next week and ask Annabell to give me a lesson.

Chirka
Through sheer serendipity, I came into possession of a lovely pale peachy-pink woven-looking fabric in a large enough amount to make a chirka. Though the chirka follows almost the exact same construction as an entari, it is my assumption that a chirka should be even more fitted (since it is the support layer, much like a corset) and therefore deserves its own mock-up session.

Projects to Finish Before Gulf Wars
(March 15-22)

Kaftan
The construction is almost exactly the same as the entari, only a bit bigger, so this project shouldn't be a problem after I am finished with the former.

Frogging
Maybe it's the marching band geek in me, but I absolutely love the look of frogging down the front of a kaftan!! And now that I know how to fingerloop braid, I should be ready to try it soon (I want to practice my fingerlooping a bit more first).

Buttons
I found a tutorial online about how to make thread-covered beads to use as buttons. Not that I think this is a difficult project, I'm just not ready to sit down and make them until my frogging is done.

Japanese Garb
Ashikaga is going to need at least one more pair of kimono / hakama / kataginu before Gulf Wars. Now if I can just get him off his rear to pick out the fabric, I could get started.

More Ottoman Garb
I could always use more garb for myself -- even more so since Gulf Wars is a week-long event! I don't want to resort to wearing ghawazee coats just to get by!

Projects to Finish Before Medieval Fair
(April 3-5)

Something for HRM Gunthar

I would like to make something, whether it be food or largess, for his Majesty Gunthar since he was the first SCA royal I ever met and Medieval Fair will likely be the last time I see him before the end of his reign.

Ashikaga's Namu Sash
I started on this last year and ran out of time to finish it, thus it needs my attention once more.

Projects to Finish Before Ansteorra's 30th Year Celebration
(July 9-15)

My Kit
All Ottoman garb must be completed by 30th Year because I have been asked to help run a Middle Eastern snack bar at the hafla Saturday night and I want to look awesome!


I'm sure there are things I left out, but these are undoubtedly the most important. Hopefully some of these will find their way onto the blog in the form of pictures and tutorials. haha

Emine Redux

1. What is your SCA Name? Emine Hatun al-Tha'labii bint Abdullah. Emine means "confident" (something I aspire to), Hatun means "royal lady" (documentable even without my AoA), al-Tha'labii is a nickname meaning "the foxlike" (though probably not documentable), and bint Abdullah means student of Allah (meaning that my persona later converted to Islam).

2. What time and where do you portray? The time is 1540 and I live in Istanbul in the Topkapi Sarayi.

3. In plain English describe your device. I do not have one yet, but my (unregistered) device is a black field with a red faceless fox head. I'll worry about documentation when the time comes, but the fox head adornes my older camping gear.

4. How long have you been in the SCA? Since I was 16, almost 10 years ago.

5. Do you have any special titles you have earned? Not yet.

6. What kingdom and local group do you belong to? Kingdom of Ansteorra, Barony of Wiesenfeuer though I will always consider Namron my homebarony.

7. Do you have preferred colors for your SCA Persona? It seems Emine prefers reds and golds although she does have her eye on a green and gold jacket in the near future.

8. What is your war that you look forward to going to every year? I have only been to one war (two years in a row) and no matter how many wars I attend in the future, The War of the Lilies in Calontir will always hold the dearest place in my heart.

9. Do you hold any offices? I am currently the Webminister for the Barony of Wiesenfeuer. I am considering applying for Hospitaller, but I'm not sure the strain would be worth it at this time.

10. Favorite memory from an event? There are quite a few, but probably my favorite was at my first Lilies War. My best friend and personal SCA muse, Kyna Terricsdottir, and I had shared a tent all war until one blustery afternoon when a storm came up and completely flooded our little temporary home! My beloved Sven Sixstrong loaned us the use of his yurt as he was planning to spend the evening with a new ladyfriend. Kyna and I, both 16 years old, delighted in being able to say we spend the night in Sven's yurt, in his luxurious bed, no less! The icing on the cake was on the next day, whilst galivanting about the woods with Queen Larissa's daughter, Tressa, we stumbled upon the missing "Girls" sign from the bathhouse. With Tressa's help (okay, she did all the work) we retrieved the sign and afixed it to the front "door" of Sven's yurt, claiming it as our own!

11. Are you a fighter? What kind? If I were a fighter I would be the terrible kind. That's why I am content to sit on the sidelines and practice my stitchery while my beloved Lord Ashikaga fights to his heart's content.

12. Are you crafty (making things)? I like to think so, though I have never had the patience to finish anything to the standard I'd like for an A&S project. Someday... someday...

13. Do you teach classes at events? Ha, not in the least, although every once in a while someone asks me a question and in return they get a barrage of information they could've probably done without.

14. Do you play instruments at events? I drum occasionally. I'd like to do it more often, but my drums need attention. I have abandoned them in favor of needles and thread.

15. Do you dance at events? On the sidelines. I'm not terribly coordinated, but I can undulate a bit and I dance enough to make myself happy.

16. Do you feel that there is enough flirting and chivalrous behavior in the SCA? If that is one's goal, there is plenty to be found.

17. Are you a “Black Hat” or a “White Hat”? I'm not familiar with those terms... strange... Someone refresh my memory.

18. What is one of the reasons you’ve remained in the SCA? After 9 long years I am finally starting to find my place.

19. What peerage(s) do you aspire to? Someday I hope to have a Laurel in costuming or fiber arts as those are my truest passions. My lord aspires to join the Royal Peerage so I wish him that success and will follow him happily.

20. Who was Crown when you joined the SCA? Duke Gunthar Jonsson and Countess Sara Penrose

21. If you are a Peer, who was the Crown that elevated you? See question #19.

22. Have you lived in more than 1 kingdom and which ones? I have lived in Ansteorra my whole life and hope to die here a happy woman (although I hope there will be plenty of travel in the meanwhile).

23. Have you helped found a group? I am the Kanpaku (Legend Keeper) of Clan Namu.

24. Have you had any house affiliations? Other than Clan Namu I am a whelp of House Wolfstar, one of the last of the Screaming Spoons and the last of the Sisterhood of the Shorn Heads.