Illuminated

This has been an... odd week.

Over the weekend we had a house guest: Lady Danielle was in town for a work function, but they were not providing her with lodging, so I offered for her to stay with us. I just started getting to know Lady Dani at the Medieval Fair. She and Lady Nicolaa were doing a lot of illumination under the Living History pavilion and, while I was busy doing other things, in the back of my head I was wondering if illumination was something I could do.

My grandmother was a painter and every summer when I went to stay with her, she insisted I paint something while I was there. Usually that was the nap alternative, so I was happy to comply. Now that I'm older, I can't help but think my grandmother was looking for some painting talent in her favorite granddaughter, and while I don't think I'm just gifted or anything, at least I can stay in the lines!

So when we went to a demo for the Campfire USA kids last Saturday, I asked Lady Dani if she could get me started with illumination. We had made papier mache masks Friday night for an upcoming masquerade ball, so I had purchased brushes (a pack of 30 various sizes and qualities for $5). When we got to the demo, there was an illumination table so we set up there and she and Lady Shanna got me started with paints and AoA charter scrolls.

The particular scroll I was working on was laser printed on nice paper and had very little decoration -- just a bar with vines and flowers on one side, a simpler version to the right at the end of a sentence and a decorative capital "p." I started painting the flowers red and was having a grand time of it when the skys opened up and started pelting our covered pavilion with rain and pea-sized hail! We were doing okay for a little bit because there was a generous overhang on the roof, but before long the wind picked up and we started scrambling about trying to save the scrolls. I threw mine in Lady Shanna's portfolio and that was that for the rest of the day.

I thought I would get to paint again at Scribal Night the following Tuesday, but it was cancelled due to a conflicting meeting. So now I'm practically foaming at the mouth to paint again! I thought I'd enjoy it, but I didn't think I would be dreaming about it every night! They told me where to get the paints, but I wouldn't know what colors to get or what to even look for so I'll just wait and keep my fingers crossed that they won't cancel Scribal again next week! :)

What exactly does this have to do with the ongoing subject matter? Lady Dani has Persian scrolls I can learn to make! Woot! And since the Ottomans wrote most (if not all) of their poetry in Persian, I can't wait!

Islamic Arts Website

This website was posted on one of my mailing lists and I thought it was so fascinating! Now if only I had several thousand dollars to spend on antiques and a museum to put them in...

I especially love the copper ring (the first one on the page). If I ever learn to work with copper, I would love to make a replica of it.

And the rest of the website is worth a look, as well. They have some beautiful, if very out-of-period, textiles and Turkoman jewelry that might be of interest to Tribal bellydancers.

SCA Idols: The Garb Goddesses

I think everyone who spends more than a little time in the SCA finds someone they consider their "SCA idol" -- someone who has inspired them, someone to emulate or someone they have always wanted to meet. Maybe that person wears beautiful garb or they are well looked upon or they fight like a demon on the field.

If you are like me and spend most of your spare time researching period costume, crafts and cooking, it's likely there is someone out there you have been stalking -- er -- following for some time. In the case of period costuming, I call these my Garb Goddesses.

In no particular order...

My first Garb Goddess is a lovely woman I stumbled across on Flickr named Lady Agnes Cresewyke. She is a Laurel from An Tir who does weaving, dying, and embroidery, as well as many other things that I could never hope to learn. As I understand, she normally plays with a European persona, but ventured into Ottoman costume, drafting her own patterns and making some of the most beautiful garb I have seen yet. I check her photostream religiously every week to see if she has posted any new garb photos. Lady Agnes has unknowingly answered so many of my questions about what period Ottoman garb should look like on the body, whereas most other websites have only provided me with miniatures and patterns. She also taught me not to be turned off by the shape of Ottoman pants (after wearing "harem pants" for nearly 10 years, having something tight around my ankles feels so alien!) because the length of the entari can hide this. And perhaps most important of all, she has taught me that I don't need expensive, elaborate fabrics to pull off a really smokin' Ottoman look. :)

Somehow I stumbled upon her LiveJournal where she goes into a bit more detail about her costuming methods, which was exactly what I needed (and that lets me add her to my Blogger feed)! From that LiveJournal account, I was able to find her personal LiveJournal, which led me to her personal page which has a lot of examples of her other A&S pursuits. (See? I'm not stalking her, I'm being resourceful!)

My second Garb Goddess is Viscountess Safiye Konstantiniyye from the Principality of Tir Righ. I first found Safiye's AMAZING A&S photo album on the SCA_Turkish_Personas_Moderated YahooGroup. I don't remember specifically what I was looking for at the time, but I was blown away by the lengths this woman will go to for authenticity's sake! She handmade a pece from real horse hair!! I have to tell you, I am in awe of this woman. Not only is Safiye a Laurel who makes incredible garb that looks almost identical to period miniatures, she has this tent that leaves me speechless! And she is a former Princess of Tir Righ!

Another of my Garb Goddess is Urtatim (urr-tah-TEEM), webmistress of Dar Anahita, your one-stop-shop for all things Near Eastern. That's right, I said Near Eastern. If you have done any googling on "Ottoman clothing" or "Turkish clothing," etc, chances are you have already found Dar Anahita, which I would call the ultimate resource for anyone interested creating an Ottoman persona. Urtatim has put a tremendous amount of work into dispelling myths and rumors about Near Eastern culture, clothing, and dance. On top of all that, she has recipes (which I will be utilizing in the near future as I have been asked to help with a hafla snack bar at Ansteorra's 30th Year Celebration -- more about that later).

Anyway, I owe this woman so much! It is because of Urtatim that I feel confident and beautiful in period garb and actually prefer the period cuts to the more revealing non-period stuff. She basically taught me how to feel sexy even when I'm all covered up. ...Now if we could just find a way to prove that tassel belts are period, I would be the happiest Turk in the world! (If you were wondering, tassel belts are NOT period.)

Of course, what kind of garbmaking fangirl would I be if I didn't mention my Garb God, Master Rashid of the East Kingdom. I have been fascinated by Master Rashid's patterns since I was a 16-year-old lurker on the SCA-Garb list. It wasn't until about a month ago that I finally figured out how to turn those lovely diagrams into tangible pieces of clothing. Now, my first pair of salwar didn't turn out exactly like they were supposed to (at least I don't think they did -- no one else in my area wears period salwar for me to examine), but at least now I'm able to think in terms of measurements and shapes and tweaking the instructions instead of relying on commercial patterns for everything.

Years ago I spent a lot of time studying the patterns of Duchess Roxane Farabi, but, unfortunately, I didn't save any of them before she took her site down. Also unfortunate is the fact that everyone uses Duchess Roxane as a resource, so everyone's links are broken.

My last Garb Goddess is Kass McGann, owner of ReconstructingHistory.com. Though my early period Celtic persona and I are no longer associated, this woman still made me drool over a thousand-piece reconstructed Irish bog dress for almost eight years. Okay, it didn't have a thousand pieces in it, but it sure had a lot and there was no way a newbie seamstress was ever going to figure it out on her own. I emailed Kass about the possibility of a pattern and one was being drafted, but then my interests shifted and I started pursuing Near Eastern culture instead. She does have some nice Near Eastern stuff, but I would much rather draft my own now that I understand how to do so.

So that is my first installment on the topic of SCA Idols. I have a lot of thoughts on this subject, so expect to see more articles about it in the future. 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.

Merhaba!

Welcome to my blog! My mundane name is Kasandra, but I am known in the Society for Creative Anachronism as Emine Hatun al-Tha'labii bint Abdullah.

I have been playing in the society for nearly a decade, but only "met" Emine last year (before that I was hanging out with this Irish girl whom I never really understood). Since then Emine and I have begun the long and arduous (but unbelievably fun and rewarding!) journey to "periodness." Thus, I have started this blog to serve as a chronicle of that journey as well as a place to record my musings along the way.

But this blog isn't only about the pursuit of accuracy. I have a little thing nicknamed "SCA ADD" where I get easily distracted by new and interesting activites and often drop everything else I'm currently doing to immerse myself head to toe in whatever shiny thing has wandered across my line of vision. These activities are usually related to period cooking or candymaking, needlework and other fiber arts (especially weaving!), or toymaking.

One of my favorite things to do is research a topic down to the smallest detail and then try to link it to Emine's world in some way. Or I will come up with a question and need to justify it for her.

Other times I will muse upon the SCA itself, its traditions and oddities. My fiance, Lord Ashikaga Hideyoshi, and I often ponder these things over dinners at our favorite Mexican restaurant (I blame it on the tortilla chips).

And every now and then this blog will serve as a place to outline garbmaking projects. I'm not the best seamstress, but I am improving in leaps and bounds and I don't think it's a half bad idea to have some sort of diary of the process.

So feel free to follow along, make a comment if you like, and we'll see what happens.