I'm pretty sure that my generation will never pick up a book from the library again unless they go for Master's degrees or PhD's. I love the ease of the internet, the ability to cut and paste and bring multiple sources together in seconds. I feel like the people who went to college just ten years ago were left out of this information access. Internet research will dominate the academic world forever.
I'm so glad I can sit at home, watch the History Channel and research my Flemish gown from sources, paintings, and anecdotal recreations from all over the world.
What a great life for academics.
YiStTD,
Gillian
Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Monday, March 3, 2008
Persona Identity Crisis
So I know I'm not the only one who changes or wants to change or has changed their persona, but I'm in a real pickle here. I've got eighteen thousand projects in various stages of development currently and they all seem to be from different eras and places. It really puts me in a bind as to who Gillian wants to be within the Society and what Melissa wants to spend her mundane time doing.
I've always had the goal in the SCA to avoid MPD--Multiple-Persona Disorder--because I think it's tacky if done wrong. But I also like being able to blend in with my surroundings and having a multitude of options. I have this sort of obsession for the accurate and documentable. It's not enough for me to know how things were done, I have to achieve it too. I guess it will help to list and describe the projects that are pulling me in these many directions.
Let's go in order of importance:
1.) Rework "Beyond the Wench: Mid-16th Century Garb on a Budget" to fit a 30 minute class time by the end of April, including my own sample researched Flemish outfit from the skin-out, including headgear with a budget of $30. I only have the research, drafting, and chemise finished (and the chemise isn't truly finished--HEMS!).
2.) Finish gambeson, surcote, chausses, braises, and other non-garb elements for my fighting kit.
3.) Finish test samples for toddler garb for eBay. I need the cash and I need to free up the space that my less historic fabrics take up for my new nest of delightfully expensive new textiles.
4.) Use some of the new wool flannel to make a winter peplos so I can play as a Celt sometimes.
5.) Use the new silk to make a simple 13th C. Persian-inspired garb for ME-themed events.
6.) Use new linen for making another 13th century gown, surcote, and ruffled fillet/barbette for summer courts.
7.) Use new wool and linen to make Viking dress and apron (and coif), respectively.
8.) Use new wool for making another 13th c. gown for winter courts.
9.) Make fabric stamps for sample 14th c. drawstring fabric pouches. That would preclude me actually making the sample bags as well.
10.) Make some simple Byzantine garb with research and extant examples/paintings/other art because I feel like it isn't well-represented in this area (or in the Midrealm for that matter).
11.) Repair and finish all garb in my wardrobe. This include hems, cuffs, and neck scyes.
12.) Organize sewing materials and notions and give them their very own area in the apartment, with a distinct sewing table. Go through fabric collection. Put aside fabrics for the Canton newbie garb event next Fall. Consolidate scrap bags. Sort fabrics by type into separate tubs. Sell fabrics with value, but are of no use to me. Use older/yuckier fabrics in my collection to make Pennsic junk garb that I can destroy without feeling guilty.
13.) Die of overwork and take 10-day vacation at Pennsic with all my garb finished AT LEAST 3 weeks beforehand. (HA!, yeah right.)
I'll stop there because it's my lucky number, ironically. Legend has it that Friday the 13th is considered unlucky because the Knights Templar were attacked en masse and destroyed on Friday, October 13, 1307 by King Phillip the Fair of France. There is no documented date of the incident though, so don't listen to what History Channel tells you as it is often very, very wrong.
YiStTD,
Gillian
I've always had the goal in the SCA to avoid MPD--Multiple-Persona Disorder--because I think it's tacky if done wrong. But I also like being able to blend in with my surroundings and having a multitude of options. I have this sort of obsession for the accurate and documentable. It's not enough for me to know how things were done, I have to achieve it too. I guess it will help to list and describe the projects that are pulling me in these many directions.
Let's go in order of importance:
1.) Rework "Beyond the Wench: Mid-16th Century Garb on a Budget" to fit a 30 minute class time by the end of April, including my own sample researched Flemish outfit from the skin-out, including headgear with a budget of $30. I only have the research, drafting, and chemise finished (and the chemise isn't truly finished--HEMS!).
2.) Finish gambeson, surcote, chausses, braises, and other non-garb elements for my fighting kit.
3.) Finish test samples for toddler garb for eBay. I need the cash and I need to free up the space that my less historic fabrics take up for my new nest of delightfully expensive new textiles.
4.) Use some of the new wool flannel to make a winter peplos so I can play as a Celt sometimes.
5.) Use the new silk to make a simple 13th C. Persian-inspired garb for ME-themed events.
6.) Use new linen for making another 13th century gown, surcote, and ruffled fillet/barbette for summer courts.
7.) Use new wool and linen to make Viking dress and apron (and coif), respectively.
8.) Use new wool for making another 13th c. gown for winter courts.
9.) Make fabric stamps for sample 14th c. drawstring fabric pouches. That would preclude me actually making the sample bags as well.
10.) Make some simple Byzantine garb with research and extant examples/paintings/other art because I feel like it isn't well-represented in this area (or in the Midrealm for that matter).
11.) Repair and finish all garb in my wardrobe. This include hems, cuffs, and neck scyes.
12.) Organize sewing materials and notions and give them their very own area in the apartment, with a distinct sewing table. Go through fabric collection. Put aside fabrics for the Canton newbie garb event next Fall. Consolidate scrap bags. Sort fabrics by type into separate tubs. Sell fabrics with value, but are of no use to me. Use older/yuckier fabrics in my collection to make Pennsic junk garb that I can destroy without feeling guilty.
13.) Die of overwork and take 10-day vacation at Pennsic with all my garb finished AT LEAST 3 weeks beforehand. (HA!, yeah right.)
I'll stop there because it's my lucky number, ironically. Legend has it that Friday the 13th is considered unlucky because the Knights Templar were attacked en masse and destroyed on Friday, October 13, 1307 by King Phillip the Fair of France. There is no documented date of the incident though, so don't listen to what History Channel tells you as it is often very, very wrong.
YiStTD,
Gillian
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
News and More Promises for forthcoming pictures
First of all, the black and white Pennsic pictures are still being developed by my sister and scanned and I'm waiting for my next check to get the color photos printed. I PROMISE they'll be up before Christmas (preferably before Thanksgiving). Particularly, the tent photos and battle photos.
News:
Since our little Incipient Canton of Ealdnordwuda (no, don't try to spell it OR say it--we don't either, hehehe) has FINALLY gained full status as real Canton (Cue: Pinocchio voice "I'm a real Canton!"), we'll be elevated at 12th Night this year in the Barony of Cynnabar. This is *ideal* because we won't have to worry about running an event and Cynnabar is a friendly local Barony that will gladly share the limelight with us at their magnificent 12th Night celebration.
This means two things for me.
1.) I must prepare a small gift for Their Majesties in thanks for elevating us. And perhaps something for the Baron and Baroness of Cynnabar for hosting our elevation on their 12th Night.
AND (You knew this was coming.)
2.) I GET TO MAKE A NEW OUTFIT!
I'm still in the planning stages, but presumably, it will be:
--a white muslin slip-type chemise that commercially looks a bit like this one from Revival Clothing
Here is one art example from period. There are plenty more on this site from the Wenceslaus Bible. Excellent examples.
--A GFG (gothic-fitted gown ala Robin Netherton) easy-fit (translation: wide enough to get it over my gigantic boobs with fitted enough not to bunch up under the over-gown) kirtle in white muslin dyed with RIT (unfortunately I don't really have time to gather anything natural and process it properly) in dark chocolate brown. I find this looks better than brown quilting cotton solids. Much better drape and softer, but still rich in hue. Muslin seems to hold the color better than white quilting cotton solid too. I'll use lacing on the sleeves instead of buttons.
--A GFG front-laced, short-sleeve in medium-heavy natural colored linen dyed maroon with RIT with turn-back tippets lined in white lightweight linen (my one splurge--everything else I have in the closet of DOOM!). The skirt and bodice will be lined in white muslin to fool the eyes and the pocketbook into thinking I actually have money for full linen-lined garb. This woman has a great site with tons of pictures of her creations spanning the centuries. She does a great recreation of a short-sleeve GFG/kirtle (no fold-back tippets, but I can easily add them to the sleeve cut) here.
A good period contemporary art perspective on this look with the tippets (that I and others more scholarly predict were most likely fold-back as opposed to separate attachments) is from the Les Tres Riches Heures April illumination
You can see the woman kneeling to the middle right of the couples. She's is wearing a black/dark green/dark brown over-gown with white tippets and a white lining or a white hem at the bottom. Her kirtle is blue without visible sleeve buttons, but I'll be lacing them discreetly from the elbow.
The Tres artwork and the rather good accompanying article is hosted here. This is an excellent presentation with zoomable images for each month.
--A new oval veil and barbette in lightweight linen (from the tippet lining buy since I'm only using enough in the sleeves to do the fold back plus an inch and the tippet lengths). I'd like to use tissue weight linen, but this is just not possible.
--I'm investigating the possibility of making or having someone make for me (Emma?) two matched hair nets to approximate cauls for my temple braids with a crochet technique as explained here. There is thankfully extant examples of these types of nets as seen on the above site, however, I'm keeping it simple and doing a plain weave net.
I'd like to attach them to a dark bronze colored satin ribbon to tie around my head under my veil. I don't have the money for a metal circlet (or a right to wear one yet, not being an official Lady). Some people don't care, but for me it's important to have the AoA first. That's how I play the game. Makes it more special for me.
Here's an art perspective from the statue of Jeanne de Bourbon from Cynthia Virtue's excellent page on simple cauls
And here is an even closer art representation of what I'd like to recreate with these caul nets from the funeral brass of Sir Symon de Felbrigge and Margaret his wife, 1400. Felbrigge, Norfolk. Note the veils over and under her cauls. Mine will be less rigid, but this is closer than Jeanne de Bourbon because Margaret does not wear a crown. This is clip art from the Florida Center for Instructional Technology at the University of South Florida, but the funeral brass picture itself falls under public domain usage rules.
--Also planning on treating myself to a pair of period shoes for Christmas to complete the outfit.
So that's it for now. Updates soon and more frequently as construction of the outfit begins.
Yours in Service,
Gillian de Chelseye
News:
Since our little Incipient Canton of Ealdnordwuda (no, don't try to spell it OR say it--we don't either, hehehe) has FINALLY gained full status as real Canton (Cue: Pinocchio voice "I'm a real Canton!"), we'll be elevated at 12th Night this year in the Barony of Cynnabar. This is *ideal* because we won't have to worry about running an event and Cynnabar is a friendly local Barony that will gladly share the limelight with us at their magnificent 12th Night celebration.
This means two things for me.
1.) I must prepare a small gift for Their Majesties in thanks for elevating us. And perhaps something for the Baron and Baroness of Cynnabar for hosting our elevation on their 12th Night.
AND (You knew this was coming.)
2.) I GET TO MAKE A NEW OUTFIT!
I'm still in the planning stages, but presumably, it will be:
--a white muslin slip-type chemise that commercially looks a bit like this one from Revival Clothing
Here is one art example from period. There are plenty more on this site from the Wenceslaus Bible. Excellent examples.
--A GFG (gothic-fitted gown ala Robin Netherton) easy-fit (translation: wide enough to get it over my gigantic boobs with fitted enough not to bunch up under the over-gown) kirtle in white muslin dyed with RIT (unfortunately I don't really have time to gather anything natural and process it properly) in dark chocolate brown. I find this looks better than brown quilting cotton solids. Much better drape and softer, but still rich in hue. Muslin seems to hold the color better than white quilting cotton solid too. I'll use lacing on the sleeves instead of buttons.
--A GFG front-laced, short-sleeve in medium-heavy natural colored linen dyed maroon with RIT with turn-back tippets lined in white lightweight linen (my one splurge--everything else I have in the closet of DOOM!). The skirt and bodice will be lined in white muslin to fool the eyes and the pocketbook into thinking I actually have money for full linen-lined garb. This woman has a great site with tons of pictures of her creations spanning the centuries. She does a great recreation of a short-sleeve GFG/kirtle (no fold-back tippets, but I can easily add them to the sleeve cut) here.
A good period contemporary art perspective on this look with the tippets (that I and others more scholarly predict were most likely fold-back as opposed to separate attachments) is from the Les Tres Riches Heures April illumination
You can see the woman kneeling to the middle right of the couples. She's is wearing a black/dark green/dark brown over-gown with white tippets and a white lining or a white hem at the bottom. Her kirtle is blue without visible sleeve buttons, but I'll be lacing them discreetly from the elbow.
The Tres artwork and the rather good accompanying article is hosted here. This is an excellent presentation with zoomable images for each month.
--A new oval veil and barbette in lightweight linen (from the tippet lining buy since I'm only using enough in the sleeves to do the fold back plus an inch and the tippet lengths). I'd like to use tissue weight linen, but this is just not possible.
--I'm investigating the possibility of making or having someone make for me (Emma?) two matched hair nets to approximate cauls for my temple braids with a crochet technique as explained here. There is thankfully extant examples of these types of nets as seen on the above site, however, I'm keeping it simple and doing a plain weave net.
I'd like to attach them to a dark bronze colored satin ribbon to tie around my head under my veil. I don't have the money for a metal circlet (or a right to wear one yet, not being an official Lady). Some people don't care, but for me it's important to have the AoA first. That's how I play the game. Makes it more special for me.
Here's an art perspective from the statue of Jeanne de Bourbon from Cynthia Virtue's excellent page on simple cauls
And here is an even closer art representation of what I'd like to recreate with these caul nets from the funeral brass of Sir Symon de Felbrigge and Margaret his wife, 1400. Felbrigge, Norfolk. Note the veils over and under her cauls. Mine will be less rigid, but this is closer than Jeanne de Bourbon because Margaret does not wear a crown. This is clip art from the Florida Center for Instructional Technology at the University of South Florida, but the funeral brass picture itself falls under public domain usage rules.
--Also planning on treating myself to a pair of period shoes for Christmas to complete the outfit.
So that's it for now. Updates soon and more frequently as construction of the outfit begins.
Yours in Service,
Gillian de Chelseye
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Virgin post
Okie dokie I thought I'd tell you a bit about myself and about this project here. I'll try to keep this blog free of random whining about my normal life a focus solely on garb, garb history and research, and garb construction. Since everybody has one of these blogs if they are a costumer in the SCA, I'll join that illustrious group that I hope to join in apprenticeship if I can make some new friends soon. I'll be talking about that too, possibly, but only because I'd like to learn as much about garb and garb construction as possible.
About me, quickly, since I don't think you care too much:
My unregistered Society name (as of yet, I have to finish my documentation) is Gillian de (name soon to come).
I can be rather crude, and have a bit of a sailor's mouth so let me know if I am too free with my french. I like dirty jokes, innuendo (no, in-YOUR-endo!), and double entendres. That being said, I'm also well read and if I may toot my own horn, I have some rather insightful things to say.
Let's see...what else? Oh, I'm built like a Mack truck. Haha, no seriously, my ancestors were generous with the boob and hip genes--farm people, what can you expect? I come from a double line of Scandinavian/German/American Mutt people who married--oddly--French Canadians two generations ago. My stock is pretty old by American standards, with both sides of my family being settled in this country no less than 6 or 7 generations ago. That's a lot of time to lose my European heritage, but as an SCA member, I'm trying to gain that back with a lot of research and hard work.
Why is that important? I'm a big girl who's very short (5'4" on a good day), but I've also got considerable hourglass curves and a long-ish torso. This makes it hard for me clothe myself mundanely, let alone garb myself seemly and proper. So skinny girls may find techniques they can apply here, but not much sympathy for your costuming woes. No offense, but until you can hold one boob up with two hands and still have overflow, I don't have much in the way of understanding for you. On the other hand, I hope this page helps the bigger (and shorter) ladies among us garb themselves beautifully and simply.
Why this blog:
I'm interested in several time periods, but find that I have difficulty finding blogs about my particular persona period (middle to late 14th C English outside of London) even though it is highly popular. I find far too many late 15th and 16th C. garbers for my taste. Not only do those styles of garb make me look like a jolly fat Bavarian Frau (not my favorite thing to look like, since I'm already that way by ancestry--the lithe French genes seem to all have gone to my lithe, French-looking sister...damn her.) I prefer the simplicity of the chemise and kirtle and surcote look. I've been investigating the French influences on this and have concluded that if I lived in London, I'd have known about the latest fashions from France, including those soup-dipping tippets!
So either way, my garb consists of some really bad beginners garb right now (we're talking polyester and lame' here--really bad) and I'm starting a real kit beginning with my rather unwilling significant other. Making his garb first will give me the practice I need to make mine look better and allow me to perfect my fitting techniques, which at this point are stolen from the other blogs I've found, along with some previous mundane sewing experience.
Many of you out there are lucky enough to have a significant other who loves the Society and is a part of the goings on. I, however, do not. He's just not interested. He's a musician--I told him he could do that in the SCA, he said no way. He doesn't like to fight--I told him that he could learn to be a blacksmith or a costumer like me or a scribe or herald, he said no way. He likes computers and technology--I told him he could design and build huge war machines that actually work--he said no way. Apparently, he can like all the nerd things I do--D and D, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc, but he really has no interest in the SCA. I don't know why, but he puts up with me fitting him with cloth and poking him with pins so that I won't have to go to events alone when my SCA buddy isn't in town. He's wonderful and I love him, so I don't complain too much.
Speaking of my SCA buddy, he's the one that introduced me to the Society. My first event was Baron Wars a few years ago. I had a blast and and did my first all-night pre-event sewing extravaganza at that time. That was it. I was addicted. Iohann (mka Dan) and I have been friends since high school and have always been able to connect on this history level. I'm excited for him to come with us this summer for Pennsic, since we haven't been for two years. The first time we went, everyone though we were married *shudder* and we aren't even close to anything like that so we're bringing my boy Bryan this year. He's already bitching about no running water, but he'll live and he might even have fun since I'll keep him well-fed and drunk most of the time we're down there.
Well this is dragging on for an introductory post, but more to come, probably after I get some pictures up this afternoon.
Blessings (of a general kind, not a Christian or otherwise kind...I'm not really into that sort of thing) ok so scratch that...
Well wishes! (How's that? Better? Good? Nah, we'll try again...)
Hail and well met! (That's more like it...)
--Gillian de (some small town around London yet to be determined)
About me, quickly, since I don't think you care too much:
My unregistered Society name (as of yet, I have to finish my documentation) is Gillian de (name soon to come).
I can be rather crude, and have a bit of a sailor's mouth so let me know if I am too free with my french. I like dirty jokes, innuendo (no, in-YOUR-endo!), and double entendres. That being said, I'm also well read and if I may toot my own horn, I have some rather insightful things to say.
Let's see...what else? Oh, I'm built like a Mack truck. Haha, no seriously, my ancestors were generous with the boob and hip genes--farm people, what can you expect? I come from a double line of Scandinavian/German/American Mutt people who married--oddly--French Canadians two generations ago. My stock is pretty old by American standards, with both sides of my family being settled in this country no less than 6 or 7 generations ago. That's a lot of time to lose my European heritage, but as an SCA member, I'm trying to gain that back with a lot of research and hard work.
Why is that important? I'm a big girl who's very short (5'4" on a good day), but I've also got considerable hourglass curves and a long-ish torso. This makes it hard for me clothe myself mundanely, let alone garb myself seemly and proper. So skinny girls may find techniques they can apply here, but not much sympathy for your costuming woes. No offense, but until you can hold one boob up with two hands and still have overflow, I don't have much in the way of understanding for you. On the other hand, I hope this page helps the bigger (and shorter) ladies among us garb themselves beautifully and simply.
Why this blog:
I'm interested in several time periods, but find that I have difficulty finding blogs about my particular persona period (middle to late 14th C English outside of London) even though it is highly popular. I find far too many late 15th and 16th C. garbers for my taste. Not only do those styles of garb make me look like a jolly fat Bavarian Frau (not my favorite thing to look like, since I'm already that way by ancestry--the lithe French genes seem to all have gone to my lithe, French-looking sister...damn her.) I prefer the simplicity of the chemise and kirtle and surcote look. I've been investigating the French influences on this and have concluded that if I lived in London, I'd have known about the latest fashions from France, including those soup-dipping tippets!
So either way, my garb consists of some really bad beginners garb right now (we're talking polyester and lame' here--really bad) and I'm starting a real kit beginning with my rather unwilling significant other. Making his garb first will give me the practice I need to make mine look better and allow me to perfect my fitting techniques, which at this point are stolen from the other blogs I've found, along with some previous mundane sewing experience.
Many of you out there are lucky enough to have a significant other who loves the Society and is a part of the goings on. I, however, do not. He's just not interested. He's a musician--I told him he could do that in the SCA, he said no way. He doesn't like to fight--I told him that he could learn to be a blacksmith or a costumer like me or a scribe or herald, he said no way. He likes computers and technology--I told him he could design and build huge war machines that actually work--he said no way. Apparently, he can like all the nerd things I do--D and D, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc, but he really has no interest in the SCA. I don't know why, but he puts up with me fitting him with cloth and poking him with pins so that I won't have to go to events alone when my SCA buddy isn't in town. He's wonderful and I love him, so I don't complain too much.
Speaking of my SCA buddy, he's the one that introduced me to the Society. My first event was Baron Wars a few years ago. I had a blast and and did my first all-night pre-event sewing extravaganza at that time. That was it. I was addicted. Iohann (mka Dan) and I have been friends since high school and have always been able to connect on this history level. I'm excited for him to come with us this summer for Pennsic, since we haven't been for two years. The first time we went, everyone though we were married *shudder* and we aren't even close to anything like that so we're bringing my boy Bryan this year. He's already bitching about no running water, but he'll live and he might even have fun since I'll keep him well-fed and drunk most of the time we're down there.
Well this is dragging on for an introductory post, but more to come, probably after I get some pictures up this afternoon.
Blessings (of a general kind, not a Christian or otherwise kind...I'm not really into that sort of thing) ok so scratch that...
Well wishes! (How's that? Better? Good? Nah, we'll try again...)
Hail and well met! (That's more like it...)
--Gillian de (some small town around London yet to be determined)
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