Back Home

I'm back home from the conference. Finally got a good nights sleep. I didn't do much yesterday, we did some shopping over town. I drove home from Woolies to home. That meant Saturday morning Mayfield traffic, so I was pretty stoked. Then we ended up going back over town to buy a new phone. I thought about offering to drive but I was pretty tired so I didn't. When we got back I crashed in bed. Didn't wake up till tea time.

Got to catch up on the housekeeping today. Done some washing and ironing, and I will do a bit more tidying up before I head over town this afternoon.

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Gotta Love Cyber Cafes

Well, I'm coming to you from that Cyber cafe at the Blackboard 2004 Asia Pacific Users Conference. If any conference was gonna have free net access, it's gonna be one hosted by Blackbaord. Anyway, fairly uneventful trip. Morrocan food for dinner last night and some intesting breakout sessions today. No sewing so far, too busy. But I might get some in tonight. Til tomorrow.

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Going Out of Town

I will probably be offline for a few days. I am going to a conference for work, leaving at lunch time and going for Thursday and Friday. So I should be posting again on the weekend, as long as the new modem arrives. We had a big storm the other day and our ADSL modem got fried. Luckily, the old 28.8 modem on the old laptop still works!!

No stitching last night, too tired. I am taking it with me to do incase of unexpected delays during travel.

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Progress on Shirt

Well, I finally seem to be making headway. I have now finished the two underarm gussets:

Two Cuffs:

And the collar (only part of the image, wouldn't all fit on scanner):

I am now working on the left sleeve. Not enough progress to show.

After getting back from the gym, I had a quick, 15min driving lesson. It was my first time driving at night, so it seemed like much longer. Even went over the bridge and back!

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Stress

Adam is getting annoyed that I don't have my licence so I went for a driving lesson today. It went really well, for over an hour. Did straight driving, u-turns, revering, parking and reversing out. I am really going to try to stick with it. My learners permit runs out in Feb next year, so I really want to be on my P's by then, if not before. We are gyming tonight, but I might see if I can talk Adam into a bit of night driving around home, I haven't done that yet. Then, if I am feeling brave, I might offer to drive to work tomorrow. Got to grab the proverbial bull by the horns if I am going to do this.

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Cleaning

Adam is away playing computer games so I cleaned today. Did laundry and generally cleared the decks. I got a few hours of stitching in late tonight, got started on the collar for the shirt.

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Blackwork Progress

Managed to get a couple of hours done on the shirt. One cuff is now finished.

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16 C Embroidered Extant Items

• Italian Cutwork Cover, 16th C
• Blackwork Panel, 16th C
• Voided Work and Double Running Stitch Cushion in Red Silk, 16th C
• Voided Work Pillow or Cushion Cover, 16th C
• Blackwork Jacket, 1600-1630
• Embroidered Sleeve, (Detail) 1600-1630
• Coif and Forehead Cloth (in Green Silk), (Detail) 16th C
• Mans Gloves, (Detail, Detail) 16th C
• Man's Gloves (Detail, Detail,), 16th C
• Gloves (Detail, Detail), 16th C
• Coif and Forehead Cloth (detail), 16th C
  
• Coif and Forehead Cloth (Detail), 16th C - interesting goldwork
  
• Women's Forehead Cloth (Detail), 16th C
• Forehead Cloth (Detail), 16th C - blackwork and cutwork
  

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Heraldic Clothing for Women

I have just received this great website in email. It has just been posted and is a must read for anyone interested in heraldic clothing within the SCA. The site is HERALDIC DISPLAY - Women’s Heraldic Frocks by Lady Sabine du Bourbonnais. As well as the website, the original article is available in Word format for easier printing.

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Attention Melanie!!

Hey Melanie, I did get your email. I replied but it bounced, so I am posting here. And that shirt - it is the BEST blackwork shirt I've EVER seen in the SCA!! Without doubt. I would like your permission to post pictures here or I could make up a website so you can show them to the world!! Just drop me a note in the comments to let me know what you think.

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No Stitching Progress

Even though I have two big projects on frame, I haven't done any stitching. It started raining a couple of days ago and hasn't stopped. Since we are in a severe drought, this is a good thing. But the rain makes me not want to stitch, I am just tired and unmotivated.

On a brighter note, I found this old article from 1938 about the Goss Vestments. I will be adding the info to the website.

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Evidence of Insanity

I've just spent 4 hours transfering the designs for the shirt to the linen. As I was standing over the ironing board, I thought to myself, "If it's taking this long just to put the designs on, it is going to take forever to do the embroidery. I am insane". I can't say that I have changed my mind! But at least I can begin to do the sewing. This project is going to have to be washed before the pieces are put together, so this will be my carry around project. I know have two long term projects in frame. The Elizabethan Sweetbag and this Blackwork Shirt, are both going to take well over 100 hours each to complete. But I think that the shirt will see enough progress to keep me interested and I will do the sweetbag when I need a break from the shirt. With a bit of luck, there will be progress pictures tomorrow.

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Blackwork Shirt

I've been working on the shirt for most of the afternoon. I've cut out all the pieces and finished the edges. I decided to do the finishing at this stage so that I won't have to sew over any of the embroidery. I had hoped to get the patterns on tonight but I've run out of time (Adam wants to play Scrabble!). So I will try and do it first thing tomorrow.

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House Keeping

Not much to report. The Anglo-Saxon handout is out with a few reviewers, no word back yet. Finished tracing the blackwork patterns. With a bit of luck, I'll do the transfer pencil tonight. I really want this on the fabric by the end of the weekend.

• Anglo-Saxon Pouch, 10th C
  

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Another Personality Quiz

I am a hybrid of: Progressive Girl Girl Next Door Click on the pictures below to read more: Take the 'What Kind of Girl Are You?' quiz at CookingToHookup.com

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Still No Stitching

Still no stitching. The last couple of days have been really HOT. It's going to be 37 today, hottest Oct ever recorded apparently. Been working on the Anglo-Saxon handout. Lost one really good source. Maybe I should rename it the 12th Century handout and be done with it?? I've brought tracing paper with me to work today, so at lunch time I am going to trace all the motifs for the shirt. That way I will feel like I am getting something productive done!! I should be able to put the transfer pencil on tonight, then I can start putting the designs on the shirt. I really want to get this one to workable stage, so I can start taking it places with me. This should be a highly portable project, as I am going to have to wash it before it's put together.

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More Reading for Handout

The reading, well actually the note taking for the handout is taking longer than expected. I finished it yesterday in the late afternoon. Now it's back into the handout for revisions and the addition of some new information as well as adding in the design drawings and some illustrations. Hopefully, a draft will be ready by the middle of the week.

No stitching for a few days. I've had itchy fingers but I am determined to get this handout done before I get to do any more stitching.

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Reading for Anglo-Saxon Handout

I've been reading all day for the Anglo-Saxon handout. I've written 16 pages of notes. These need to be condenesed. Still have several articles plus a heap of monographs to go.

I am going to watch a disaster movie, this will be less depressing than watching the Federal election results.

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Anglo-Saxon Progress

Didn't do any design work last night. Did a couple of hours on the Viking Coat. But there is progress, so far we have:

• 6 Collars
• 6 Cuffs
• 12 Roundals

Tonight I will work on borders. So with a bit of luck all the designs will be ready this weekend and I can do the final work on the text. At this stage, I am thinking of spliting the work on two, making the handout simpler and putting the text into a straight article for Cockatrice.

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Armenian Medieval Embroideries

Here are some extant Armenian medieval embroideries:

• Embroidered processional banner of 1448 - 15th C
  
• Embroidery of Lions - 13th C
  

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Anglo-Saxon Animals

I didn't get to the sweetbag last night. I was busy using the Bayeux Tapestry as a source for some funky animal designs. They will be put inside circles and added to my Anglo-Saxon embroidery for clothing handout. I have now scanned all the patterns in so that they can be inserted into the electronic document. So we are in the home stretch. I should have something ready for reviewing by next week. In the meantime, a sneak peak:

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Back to Work

Two weeks holidays are over so back to work today. Only good thing is that I had a new computer waiting for me. Nice, clean, fast new puter. It's just past lunch and I have nearly got all the old info over. Something to be said for keeping as much on servers as possible.

On the stitching front, I hope to start the sweetbag tonight. Just couldn't get motivated to do it last night. We have a houseguest and so things are a bit chaotic at the moment.

Back to hanging out on a couple of USA political blogs. We have our Federal election this weekend, but I am trying to ignore it. Cause it's closer, if things don't go the way I want, it's going to be too horrible to contemplate. At least with the USA election, even though I will be affected, I can't influence the outcome so I am able to follow it with less emotional attachment.

Just remember, vote the issues not the personalities.

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Sweetbag Started

Well, finally got the sweetbag on the frame. It is now ready to go. I have all the silks, though I might be a bit short of a green shade that I need (though I don't know why, I should have heaps left). Here is the full design:

I've decided to do it as one piece, it will give a cleaner finish. So next move is to start the black outlining of the flower and leaf motifs. The finished bag will be about 15cm square.

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Warwick Motifs as Largess

I finished the Warwick Shirt motifs that I am working up as scent bags for the Baroness to give out as largess. They turned out pretty good. I love these little bags, they work up so quickly and make great little gifts.

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Sweetbag Design Done

The design phase of the sweetbag is done. I've tried to base it as much as possible on period examples. So lots of flowers and leaves.

This is the front of the bag only, I haven't drawn up and coloured the full design for the back, and probably won't at this stage. But you can see the back when I post the image of the design on the fabric.

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Spring War

I managed to talk Adam into dropping me up to Spring War today. I had arranged to meet a couple of people there who wanted to talk to me about embroidery. They were from south of Wollongong, so they had come a fair way. The weather was nice, it had finally stopped raining. So after talking to them about the specific stuff they were interested in (some really funky blackwork), we just sat in their camp and had a nice chat with a bit of sewing thrown in. Nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

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