Someday tent project

I want to build the tent with the pine branches and the wooden door on it in this picture from the Romance of Alexander (Bodley 264), c. 1338-44.

*sigh* So many projects, so little time.

I've been working really sporadically, but still furiously on my Flemish kit. More updates on my Flemish blog.

Yours in Service to The Dream,
Gillian
(Gille? Gill? Giles? <--That's my name when I'm in armour.)

Middle-class 1530's Tudor Garb Kit for the Pennsic Class.

Ok, so I'm off and running (finally!) on theiTudor kit and I'm finally feeling like I may be able to finish everything if I stay up really late all the time and do my hand-sewing and on-paper designs when the girls are sleeping. I can't use the sewing machine, so that sort of sucks.

I got a promise to borrow a camera from Iohann, and now I have my nice 35mm SLR for Pennsic, so expect many more pics in the next two weeks, if not right after I return from Pennsic. I may wait to update (prolly not...I egt bored) until after I don't have as much work to do.

I'll finish my on-paper Tudor chemise design today and be able to cut and sew tonight. I have to help my grandma water the garden right after work, but other than that, I'm home free. I cleaned the house except for the dishes last night and got my unfinished chemise finished finally. That thing's been waiting for gores since January.

So now I have three chemises. Two in High Middle Ages period design, and another longer one cut like a sleeveless princess seam dress for ease of use as a faux 14th century kirtle. Cheating...yes I know, but comfortable.

Ok so as for that Tudor kit...
I'm sweating this one. I want it to look good but I'm worried I'll mess it up! I've got so much work to do, but with the help of The Tudor Tailor, I should be fine. I need to make: *the chemise *the kirtle *the gown *the overgown (if I have time) and *the headdress

The period tent is what I'm most worried about. If I don't finish it, I'm out of a big place to sleep and I'm stuck in a tiny, fragile dome tent for 10 days...eww. The wood for the support is what I'm most worried about. The wood I have is not going to work. I may just have to cut fresh poles out of the woodlot and lash them together and tie the tent to the lashed poles. Unfortunately, in a wind, I can't trust these, but Iohann will have to share if my tent collapses. We just don't have the room to take three tents, including my huge one. I'm trying to check to see if almost all my regular camp stuff minus chairs and other large things will fit into all my rubbermaid containers. The packing will be easier and we can just stack and lash everything in a cube and throw the poles and Iohann's spear along the side of them. The shield and his armor bag can lash to the top with duct tape. I'm scared it won't all fit, but we deserve a medal if we get it all there in one piece. Guess I'm borrowing Dad's tie-downs!

Oh well...we'll get through this and have a fun Pennsic!

Quick update to get the rage post from the front page.

This weekend is the Siege of Talonvale and I'm dragging the boy to camp! That's right, Bryan is to meet the Canton Crew this weekend.

Tonight, I'm hemming and finishing everything I own and planning on spending most of the night and most of tomorrow measuring and piecing and sewing. Once Iohann gets here, I have to start woodworking and finishing the tent, so the garb must be mostly finished ahead of time, so I'm not exhausting myself right before the drive down.

I need at least:
--one more pair of nice hose
--a bliaut with girdle for the Barony's Anglo-Saxon High Tea (not to mention a dish to pass there!)
--another Gothic-fitted gown for court
--two more chemises, one long, one shorter
--ALL of the commoner Tudor kit for my class, as well as the pictures, boards, print-outs, etc
--braises, two pair
--bed curtain
--chausses, full, one pair
--garters galore
--veils, veils, veils
--finish the sewing on the tent and attach all the ties and stake loops...ugh.
--hemming everything in sight.
--figure out a way to finish the failed red surcote. I cut a blue layer and had hoped to use the red as a liner, and so far have no thought as to how to finish it. I'll start with bias tape. Meh *shrugs* It's for camp work and bumming, so no biggie.

It's starting to get on my nerves how much work I still have yet to do and I'm still procrastinating. It's because I like sewing during the day. I can't with the girls sleeping and I'm tired at night. Well, I'm going to have all my hand sewing ready for work this weekend while I watch the fighting and during the evening before the drinking starts.

Come hell, or high water, I'll have this stuff done for Pennsic!! (and maybe some interesting pictures of me wearing my own garb for once!)

YiS,
Gillian

Ridgepoles, and Uprights and Felled Seams, OH MY!

So the canvas is bought. $153 at Joann Fabrics for the 60" cotton duck. I had a 40% off coupon that I used to great effect and only paid $80 for the fabric. I got the needles, so now I'm ready to rumble. I'm now searching in vain for ways to make the uprights hold the ridgepole without generous amounts of time and swearing to make them work.

I'm also soliciting help with the sewing part. Specifically, I need a sewing machine that won't kill me with shattered needles or broken gears. I still have to test my mom's machine, so I'm just cutting fabric today. No luck on the camera for now, but I'm gonna use Bryan's camera phone so the picture quality is better.

If I could find a new belt for my mom's monster antique machine, I could sew with no worries and a sore foot from pushing the pedal. But it'd be cool to sew something with that crazy thing. I may try to make my own from a piece of rubber. I'd also need to find a needle to use in it and be able to get the old needle out. Other than that, the thing is perfect.

If I play my cards right, get the sewing done, and find a way to do the uprights, I may be able to use this monster for Border Wars this coming weekend. I still need stakes, but I bet I can either make those from scrap, or use my mundane stakes for right now and get good ones for Pennsic.

So if you're reading and you're a tent expert, leave me a note. I need your expertise. My experience with woodworking extends to a semester in middle school (many years ago) in shop class. I have access to a circular saw, a miter saw, a drill, carriage bolts, and some chisels. I also have access to a dad and 2 grandpas with woodworking experience, but no tent building experience.

Bad at this updating thing...

I'm sorry! Ok, so wasting no time, let's get down to business.

I'm investigating about 8 million things right now and have involved myself in rapier training. I missed fighter practice due to a debilitating sinus headache-cum-migraine on Wednesday. I'll be back at it on Wednesday barring another headache like that one. Not pretty. On that grain, I have some really great linen that I will hopefully be using for a rapier doublet so I can have my arms free. I like the protection a fencing shirt offers, but dislike the 4 layers of stifling cotton duck on my arms and torso. The linen should breathe easier and look better, and it'll be MINE.

Most important projects: the tent, the shower, and the class, all have to be done for Pennsic.

I've drawn up my plans for the tent. It's an a-shape (boy scout tent) tent with 8' tall poles , and a 10' x 10' footprint. I'm using fabric ties inside the tent to attach it to the ridgepole and stakes (store-bought that look like blacksmith made) to stake the walls down. I'm using contrasting blue material for the ties so I can find the ties in the dark against the light colored tent fabric. I'll be using 8 oz. cotton duck for the major construction, with additional strips of canvas on the underside of the sod cloth to protect against moisture. I'm waterproofing the whole thing after I shrink it on the frame and let it set for a few days. This means sewing will start next weekend hopefully. I'm still debating whether to use wind guys or not. I think I'll include them in the plans, but probably they'll be leftover cotton clothesline from the shower stall project. I doubt I'll need them, but better safe than sorry. I'm waterproofing the ridgepole and uprights so they don't warp. I'm still waffling as to what kind of wood to use. I may use bamboo for strength and lightweight-ness. I'm also looking at pine or hardwood, but I'd really like to cut my own poles from the woodlot, but they won't cure in time. The 14th c. structure this project is based on is thatched. next year, I'll upgrade and purchase some artificial hunting blind grass sold under the brand name: Killer Weed. It's a nylon product that never rots and is easy to bundle and apply as I want.

The shower is much easier, I just have to get off my ass and do it. I'm still looking for proper stakes to use for the frame, but I'll probably end up using the old fence posts in the garage for ease, and to get it done. I can upgrade later. Already have the shower bag purchased.

The class is the biggest problem. I have the main research and some of the handout written. I'm also working on choosing the fabrics from my stash and remembering what I paid for them. I still need display boards and pictures of everything, including the construction process. I need to put together 30 cartridge pleat demo strips and make the small handout for that. I need to laminate the pass-around Do's and Don'ts sheets. I also need to figure out a way to scan everything and get it into a pdf file to put it on the net for download for people who audit and I don't have materials for, just in case. Then I need to actually construct the damn thing and document the entire process. A lot of work for a class about making a 16th c. garb outfit on a budget and in the "easy" category. I guess it's all relative.

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In other news, I'm researching my personal heraldry and getting ready to talk to the local herald. Des is great and she's really funny too. Hopefully, my peacock in his pride will get to live on his silver and red diagonally divided background with the line division dovetailed. There's an official blazon for that, but I'm not exactly sure what it is so I'll leave it out for now. Des can help me write it. She's doing this really neat research on a Jesus kite. Crazy lady, love her. I want to submit everything: my name, Gillian de Chelseye, my "arms" (since i don't have an AoA yet, they aren't arms, but you know what I mean), and my badge for identifying stuff. It'll cost about 36 bucks, but it'll be done and I love my name and I love my heraldry so I really want to get it done. I doubt I'll change it.

Another note, I started my warm weather early garb. Everybody needs an early British peplos and now I have one. It needs to be hemmed (spare me, everything I own needs hemming, I hate it!) and I need to finish the trim, and I should buy two brooches to put at the shoulders, but for now it stays shut with sewn connections and I'm happy with that. It also needs a belt, but I can use trim for that. I ran out of trim so that's all that's stopping this being done. So I have something ready for Pennsic!!! Yay! I'm thinking I'll make another similar garment, but it's called a chiton (it's greek and so is the peplos, sort of, but whatever, if I'm hot I'll go naked if I want). It has a different, but similar arm connection, so not that difficult.

Also, I'm trying to finish hemming everything I own. Everything needs to be fixed or hemmed or needs ties replaced that got lost in the wash. I also need to make several heavy fighting tunics, as well as a few favors to give out. I think I'll paint the favors if I finalize my "arms". If not, oh well, I'll blow kisses instead. HA!

I have several veils that need finishing and I need to try out some different hairstyles for underneath the veils. Also, I need to make some basic, front-laced cotehardies, which is relatively easy now. To go with that, I need a few sideless surcotes. This is really easy, but I'm still procrastinating. God I don't want to be sewing on the day before we leave.

I want at least one more chemise for underwear. That's easy too. I've also got plans for 7 days worth of hosen, as well as 3 pairs of braises and one pair of chauses. Maybe even a pair of paned slops (*shudder* I swore I'd never wear them, but my preconceived notions break down every day I find more information about the Renaissance) for rapier. As if my ass didn't already look big enough...

Oh and I forgot to mention that I finished everything but the ties for my wool hood. I hand-sewed everything and I had a blast doing it. I'm still thinking about covering the sew lines with bias tape, but I can do that as a hand project there. The ties will be cotton as soon as I can borrow/buy a lucet to make them. My makeshift pencil/duct tape lucet shattered so I'm done with that.

I also found my basket cane while my sister was cleaning for the garage sale and now I can make a basket at Pennsic.

I also need to start assembling all the crap I need to take and try to fit it into the least possible amount of space. Need to call Dad and Kelsey to see if I can borrow the explorer to take stuff down in. I'm still not convinced we can fit it all safely into Dan's truck. I've also volunteered to help Etain prepare the Clan food plan meals in July, so that's coming up too, as well as paying the deposit for the plan. I also need to pay for my site pre-registration, like next week. I need to also re-up my membership next week and sign my waivers.

Oh and there's talk in the Canton of possibly needing a new Chronicler and I may apply to do it. I like the idea and it's cool to be able to publish things.

*deep breath*

I think that's it, so for now, I'm off. I promise pictures next time around.

Yours in Service,
Gillian de Chelseye