Baronial Guard Badge Complete

Baronial Guard Badge Complete, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

This is the finished badge. I used a cardboard template, covered in interfacing to pull the embroidery over. It will be outlined in thick gold cord once it is sewn onto the sash. It is very shiny!! I am entering it in the Heraldic Embroidery competition this weekend at May Crown, I will let everyone know how I went.

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Baronial Guard Badge - Embroidery Done

Baronial Guard Badge - Shiny, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

I finally dragged out the Baronial Guard Badge and did the last couple of hours work on it. Now all I have to do is "make it up". I'm thinking of backing it with buckram or cardboard to help give it some body. It will be sewn on a sash and I think stiffness will help make it look nicer. Because of the materials, it can't be washed so the cardboard shouldn't be a problem.

Baronial Guard Badge, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

Baronial Guard Badge made using red and green silk ground, with imitation Japanese gold thread. Basic couching work. This image is taken in indirect sunlight to show the design.

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Gloucester Shakespeare Festival, 2007

Got an early start, picked up a couple of people at 8am and headed off to Gloucester for the Shakespeare Festival. We were the second to arrive at about 9.45am so we made pretty good time. Helped to set up the tents, put up banners, put embroidery out for display.

It was a nice day, still too warm to be wearing wool. I think I need to start being less authentic at these events. I don't think anyone really cares if I'm being authentic, they are only there for the fighting.

There was a pretty good turnout, but very few food places and no Turkish people!! The golzemes are my main reason for going! We found out later in the day that the Tocal Field Day was on, so that's where everyone had gone.

We left at about 3.30pm, I dropped Lara and Tim off, and treated myself to a Butter Chicken from Beaumont St. Was dog tired, hit the sack at 9.30pm.

Here is a video of some fighting, I've been trying to get this to work in YouTube for hours, but couldn't. So here it is in GoogleVideo. It looks better with the screen slightly smaller, ah well:

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Bloodtree Festival

We went down to the Central Coast for the Bloodtree Festival. We had a pretty good turn out from the Barony, and as usual, as soon as we arrived, people were asking us when the first fighting demo would be on. The crowd for the first one was so large I couldn't get close enough for photos.

You can see images of the day in my Flickr Bloodtree Festival set. Some pictures of me in my full outfit.

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Belts / Girdles

Belts / Girdles, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

These are the Elizabethan belts I've made. The large tassle ones is based on images from the Civitates Orbis Terrarum, the fringe one from various images on monuments from churches and the plain one also on church monuments.

I've gone looking for the image that I based the big tassles on and I can't find it!! I know I based it on a period image, and I could've sworn it was the COT, but I can't find the image now. Damn and blast! It will drive me mad until I do.

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Finishathon

In an effort to curb my bad habit of getting something 99% done and then starting a new project, I had a bit of a finishathon today. I've been working on my green coat for a while. It is basically done, but there were a couple of minor alterations I wanted to do to it to make it perfect. I needed to add some pocket slits on each side. These are then outlined with black wool trim. This is now done. I also want to narrow or more properly fit the front bust area. Not done, but everything set up so I can do it one night after work. Tomorrow, I need to buy some stuff to finish off a couple belts to go with it. It's the little things like the belts that make the outfits.

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Klosterstitch Hanging

Klosterstitch Hanging, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

Managed to get a bit more done. Starting to get into the swing of the project now. This is the progress at just over 20 hours work. Can't wait to get more red and start the blue.

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Archery

Went to Baronial gathering today. The two people I needed to talk to weren't there. But Orric was running an IKAC Archery comp. So I took my stuff along. I shot most of it in garb, but by the end I was too hot, as we were standing in the sun. I really should've taken something to drink!! And I couldn't find my glove, so I had to use a finger tab. It worked fine in the joints of my fingers, but the inside skin got sore, never had that happen before. We all started off pretty crap but by the end were doing ok. I ended up winning. I think it was down to one round where I got five scoring shots out of six.

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Singing in the Rain

Sorry to be offline for a few days but I came down with some weird bug. I started to get the sniffles and sneezes, then they went away and was replaced by a complete lack of energy and tiredness. So I had a couple of days off work.

I managed to get better by Sunday. We had a big day planned for our group. One of our group is involved in Scouts, so we did an all day demo for them at a big regional event they held on the weekend. I had been worried all week it would be too hot in garb, as it had been averaging around 30 C all week. But the Sunday dawned gloomy and rainy. It stayed that way all day and we were all soaked by the end of it.

We decided to combine the demo with our Newcomers Event. Would've worked out great except for the weather!! But I think we might have a few of them come to our regular meetings. Sorry, no pictures as it was too wet to take any! Well, I took some of the fighting but that all looks the same!

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Woo Hoo!!! Festival 2008

"We need to announce that while we have had a very successful association with Crossroads Medieval Village for Rowany Festival 2008 and beyond we will be negotiating to hold the event at Glenworth Valley Horseriding Centre, Peats Ridge NSW."

After missing my third Festival in a row, next year is looking up. We had submitted this site, as it's only an hour away. And it looks like it's been accepted!!!!! So instead of 8 hours driving, some of it through Sydney, I now only have to drive an hour down the highway! I can day trip if I want, it's that close. I won't, but it means I can go, come back home and feed the cats, and then drive back. It will be a lot of driving, but it's doable! Hell, if I don't like the weather, I can drive home!! But again, not so cold there, so I won't have to. I just hope it doesn't fall through. I am so stoked.

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Embroidery Night Good

I had one person show up last night but we got a few issues sorted out so I'm putting it into the success column. Still pondering about me Klosterstitch project. Thanks for the feedback so far.

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Embroidery Night

I had one person show up to my embroidery night last night. They are working on a needlepoint project, so they started marking up the fabric. I was able to dig up a few skeins of yarn they needed that I had spare in my stash. So while things are starting of slowly, we now have two new projects on the go (although the needlepoint one was already well into the planning stages). Hopefully, we might get a couple more going.

I am going to start work on my klosterstitch project tonight. I need to add a couple of elements to the design and then I can start putting the transfer pencil on. Then by this weekend, we might have some stitches in. But I am going to have to ask Racaire for some advice.

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Step 2 - Elizabethan Hood With Bongrace - Side View

Step 2 - Elizabethan Hood With Bongrace - Side View, originally uploaded by jane_stockton.

Step 2 - By putting the bulk caused by sewing the front seam at the top, it helps fill in the "gutter" behind the wire and make is presences less obvious.

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Step 2 - Elizabethan Hood With Bongrace - Front View

Step 2 - Elizabethan Hood With Bongrace - Front View, originally uploaded by jane_stockton.

Step 2 - The wire strengthened frame is covered with a thin padding fabric. I used a white flannelette.

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Step 3 - Elizabethan Hood With Bongrace - Side View

Step 3 - Elizabethan Hood With Bongrace - Side View, originally uploaded by jane_stockton.

Step 3 - Side view of the top layer. It is open at the back to allow the bongrace to be sewn into place.

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Step 3 - Elizabethan Hood With Bongrace - Front View

Step 3 - Elizabethan Hood With Bongrace - Front View, originally uploaded by jane_stockton.

Step 3 - The top layer of black wool is sewn to the lining fabric of white linen and then this is placed over the frame. I pressed the front seam to give it a bit of crispness.

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Traditional Buckram

Traditional Buckram, originally uploaded by jane_stockton.

This is a traditional mesh and cardboard buckram. It is used for a variety of purposes, but especially in hat making.

This is the stuff I was trying to track down a couple of weeks ago. Managed to find some, and cheaper than what I was paying for it previously!

My new supplier is:

CJ Preston Milliners
38 Walsh St
West Melbourne VIC 3003

Ph: (03) 9329 8944
Fax: (03) 9329 6537

Cassie was the very helpful person I spoke to. They also had the cloth covered millinary wire much cheaper than other places as well. They are out of buckram at the moment, I got the last three metres, but they will be getting more stock in about the end of March, beginning of April.

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Green Coat

Had a pretty laid back Sunday. Went to Baronial gathering. Took my Green Elizabethan gown/coat so that I could get some help marking the pockets on the side. I am going to outline the pocket slit as per the various images available. Then this coat will be officially done. I also took my newest Persian along to get some help evening up the hem.

Lots of people showed up, which was nice. Rurik brought his rapier stuff. I think I am still very keen to give this a go. Need to track down a mask and get a gorget made. Everything else I can do myself. So I will be doing a few things this week so I can get into the rapier seen.

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