A Quick Update

I had a very nice, relaxing weekend. Spent most of Saturday goofing around with my fiance. We don't really celebrate Valentine's Day, but we slept in, had a meal and then walked around the lake for an hour or so at dusk. I spent the evening working on my gomlek while he worked on his armor. We were up until about 4 am watching Kingdom of Heaven and Hidalgo, neither of which have period garb, but it was more satisfying to watch that while working than, say, Shaun of the Dead (though it is my second favorite movie).

I spent most of Sunday oversleeping, then finishing the seams on my gomlek and putting off cutting the neck hole. I have a good template so I think now it's just laziness. Kyna drove up from Namron in the evening and we spent a lot of time talking about event season, how I need to stop dallying around and enter something in A&S competitions, and plans for next weekend.

I was invited to participate in Namron's "float" in our local Mardi Gras parade. The theme is something like a timeline of costume, so the new goal is to have everything done by Saturday. This is not so far out of my reach, I just need to budget my time wisely. I doubt I'll have the frogging on my kaftan by then, but I'm not too worried about it. In fact, I have my navy kaftan, so I could leave out working on that altogether, but it would be nice to have the new green one.


Garb Status:

(Almost) finished with gomlek. Just have to cut/finish the neck hole and trim/hem the sleeves and bottom edge. I'm estimating I will have it completely finished by Tuesday.

Progressing on kaftan. Putting on gores Monday unless I decide to put that project away until after the parade.

Washed chirka fabric, ready to cut Monday night. I can get away with not wearing this piece for the parade, but I would rather have it.

Washing entari fabric in Monday. Need to buy yellow lining fabric asap.

I can put off hemming the veil as long as I put some fray stop on the edges.

I need to take a look at my shoes and fix the buckle-thingies. Look for an article on accessories in the very near future!

Portable Fiber Arts Night (PFAN) and the Simple Ottoman Veil

Last night was the second edition of Portable Fiber Arts Night (PFAN) in the Barony of Namron. I live in Wiesenfeuer, but I work in Namron, so after my shift I swung by the cafe where it was being held and, let me tell you, I had a great time!! The circle started at 7, but I don't get off until 8, so I was about an hour late. Not that it mattered much because everyone had just brought their current projects and was sitting around chatting. I am currently between inkle weaving projects, so I just took my new kumihimo wheel and practiced my box braids for two hours.

It was especially nice because my best friend, Kyna, had the night off and came out, too. We got caught up over hot chocolate (by far the best I've ever had!!) and split a bagel.

In just the short time I was there I learned a little about tablet weaving (which I'm not ready to try just yet), how to make a maru dai out of ply wood and dowels, and the best way to finish the edges of the veil I'm working on.

Speaking of the veil, I'm ridiculously excited about this project because it will be my first attempt at handsewing garb. I have handsewn before, but it has been limited to small projects like pouches and pillows. And I know a veil doesn't sound like that much work, but it's a very looooong veil, so it should take me a while. Hopefully I can get it done before Medieval Fair!

Ode to a Fair

As the new year picks up steam, almost every corner of my head is crammed with ideas. And with the highlight of my SCA year just two months away, it's getting worse by the hour!!

The University of Oklahoma's 33rd Annual Medieval Fair takes place the first weekend in April and is the largest event of its kind in the state, not to mention one of the top 5 or so largest in the nation... and it's FREE!

Even if I wasn't in the SCA this would be a much anticipated weekend, but being in the SCA gives it almost Mecca status. And I'm not the only one who feels this way...

People who haven't come to an event in four years suddenly show up with shiny new armor and fine clothes. People who haven't missed an event in decades are as excited as newbies. Okay, okay, maybe that's a an exaggeration, but it does get people pretty worked up around here, and for good reason. Our local groups see this as an opportunity to widen our appeal, bring in new members, educate the public about what we do, and maybe even show off a little.

Mostly I see it as a test of my abilities. It seems that every year since I was sixteen Medieval Fair weekend has been the time to prepare for and learn new things. The year I was sixteen I tried my hand at sewing my first piece of garb: a far-too-long, off-the-shoulder English-style gown in some heinous fabric I can only describe as a mixture of fleece and felt. I was miserably hot and constantly tripping over that ugly train. I think the next two days of the fair my friend Adena loaned me some middle eastern garb because I was so disappointed. In fact, I don't think that dress lived past its first wearing. I'm pretty sure I threw it out that night.

Last year I was just getting to know my new persona so I spent several weeks before Med Fair making middle eastern garb. I made two new ghawazee coats, two new pairs of froofy harem pants, and a standard undertunic, all of which I thought was period for this new persona -- wrong! -- but I didn't know that at the time so I felt like a goddess all weekend and got plenty of compliments on my new, pretty garb.

This year I know better. Much better.

So, in preparation for this year's festivities, I started working on some mock-ups tonight. I've been experimenting with period garb for several months now after finally learning how to draft my own patterns. Thus far I have only been able to get the salwar down because the entari instructions I had were a little off. But I've been tweaking the pattern and the mock-up I cut tonight appears to be the right formula. I'll baste it together tomorrow and, if it works, I'll tear it apart and make paper patterns off of it (then I'll sew it back together, chop off a foot or so from the bottom and call it a chirka!).

In the meantime, I also need to get a kataginu finished for Ashi. I made him a gorgeous pair of red court hakama for Wiesenfeuer Yule Revel, but he didn't get to wear them because we had to leave the event early. And since he is going to Estrella War in a few weeks, a couple more kimono probably wouldn't hurt.

Anyway, I will have a proper "dress diary" in the next week or so. Until then, thanks for reading!

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.