Continuing the freshly-minted tradition of virtual sharing in these times of plague, the Kingdom Office of Arts & Sciences once again reached out to our fabulous Arts & Sciences Championship artisans to share their work with the populace at large on a more personal level. The virtual Kingdom Championship was also a juried competition, and included a week’s worth of face to face judging – with judges especially selected for their knowledge and background – as well as an online populace “meet and greet the artisans.” Master Hrólfr and I, your Kingdom Arts & Sciences officers, enjoy finding new ways to inspire and motivate our artisans in these trying times and we are happy to see the Championship ran so smoothly!
Could you tell me a little about you, your persona? My persona is Japanese artisan from late period Azuichi-Momoyama (1573-1603). I am in the household of samurai class.
What inspired you to make your entry? The Kikko braid book by Claudia Wollney inspired me. I braid on the marudai almost exclusively and having a book with that particular kikko pattern adapted for the marudai with 85 different patterns was too tempting. The kikko pattern is very old in Japan dating back at least to Heian period as a braid. The pattern is symbolic of the tortoiseshell pattern and symbolizes the long life of a tortoise. I wanted to try the pattern and this was my first 32 strand braid. I have braided a couple 24 strand braids, but mostly stick to 16 strand braids.
Did the entry throw up any unexpected issues? The pattern is very simple set of 8 moves, but with 32 strands on the marudai, it was very easy to set a strand down in the wrong place or to pick up the wrong next strand or forget exactly where I was. So I had to develop some techniques to keep the cords organized, and make up a little chant to keep track of where I was. I also had to make sure I never braided when I was tired, and not braid for too long at any sitting.
What did you think of the virtual face to face judging concept? I think the way the virtual judging was done in the sessions worked well. It was awkward somewhat when there were judges missing, but I was delighted at how the organizers were able to pull together judging staff and make it work. I think there is a lot of good in something that is more accessible and doesn’t require the travel.
What motivated you to enter the Kingdom Championship? I participated because the local baroness urged local artisans to enter. I had been working on the braid and figured if it turned out well, I could enter. I don’t like competitions and judging feedback discourages me.
Hara Kikumatsu posted about her entry on her personal blog as well.
Are you interested in reading more about the entry after this appetizing interview? You can! All entries including documentation and images are available at the Kingdom Office of Arts and Sciences website.
Continuing the freshly-minted tradition of virtual sharing in these times of plague, the Kingdom Office of Arts & Sciences once again reached out to our fabulous Arts & Sciences Championship artisans to share their work with the populace at large on a more personal level. The virtual Kingdom Championship was also a juried competition, and included a week’s worth of face to face judging – with judges especially selected for their knowledge and background – as well as an online populace “meet and greet the artisans.” Master Hrólfr and I, your Kingdom Arts & Sciences officers, enjoy finding new ways to inspire and motivate our artisans in these trying times and we are happy to see the Championship ran so smoothly!
Today’s interview is with Lady Ilaria Rosati, who entered the Kingdom of Æthelmearc Arts and Sciences Championship with A French Hood, from circa 1525. Lady Ilaria entered the Virtual Queen’s Prize Tourney, as well as the Æthelmearc Kingdom Arts & Sciences Championship with a different set of head coverings, and her skillful artistry secured her the honored place of the Queen’s Champion!
Could you tell me a little about you, your persona? I’ve always been interested in all kinds of headwear, and I’ve been working my way through a chronology of representative styles of high-status women’s headdresses of the 15th and 16th centuries, which ended up being centered around France. I’m more interested in the styles themselves than trying to match them to my persona, so I just followed where they led. The first style I made was the bourrelet for my Queen’s Prize Tourney entry. The French hood comes a little more than 100 years later.
What inspired you to make your entry? I expected French hoods to be relatively challenging, but this ended up being the hardest project I’ve ever done! It was quite a puzzle trying to figure out the different parts and layers and how they might fit together.
Did the entry throw up any unexpected issues? Artistic evidence can be incomplete, hard to interpret, or have uncertain dating. Textual evidence is hard to find, because it is locked away in archives, and what does exist is fragmentary, ambiguous, and sometimes contradictory. Also, the French hood spans over a century across different places, and has many variations. Trying to dial in on a specific style in a particular time and place was very difficult.
I also wanted to find my own way through the construction without copying anyone else. It makes the process more engaging, and it’s fun to see other reconstructions and whether we’ve reached similar conclusions.
Did you learn something specific, something you would do differently, or would recommend others to do again? I would recommend to anyone making French hoods to get a good head block that accepts pins, and a stand that can be secured. It’s preferable to trying to fit the back of your own head!
What did you think of the virtual face to face judging concept? I really liked the face-to-face judging. I could tell that the organizers put a lot of effort into matching entrants with judges, and that made feedback very rewarding. I thought the rubric was very clear, and it helped me think of the questions I should ask myself as I worked.
What motivated you to enter the Kingdom Championship? I wanted to enter Kingdom Championships to represent my Barony, Barony of Delftwood, and to challenge myself. I’m very glad I did!
Are you interested in reading more about the entry after this appetizing interview? You can! All entries including documentation and images are available at the Kingdom Office of Arts and Sciences website.
Continuing the freshly-minted tradition of virtual sharing in these times of plague, the Kingdom Office of Arts & Sciences once again reached out to our fabulous Arts & Sciences Championship artisans to share their work with the populace at large on a more personal level. The virtual Kingdom Championship was also a juried competition, and included a week’s worth of face to face judging – with judges especially selected for their knowledge and background – as well as an online populace “meet and greet the artisans.” Master Hrólfr and I, your Kingdom Arts & Sciences officers, enjoy finding new ways to inspire and motivate our artisans in these trying times and we are happy to see the Championship ran so smoothly!
Lady Thalia resides in the Barony of the Rhydderich Hael.
Could you tell me a little about you, your persona?
My involvement with the SCA began when I was living down in western Virginia in the Charlottesville area in the Kingdom of Atlantia with a small local group, the Shire of Isenfir. My first SCA event I attended was the Kingdom of Atlantia Arts and Science Championship. I participated in monthly archery practices, took classes in Arts and Science, and attended weekly dance practice. I moved to Buffalo and joined the Barony of the Rhydderich Hael in 2016 and Ice Dragon was my first event I attended in Æthelmearc. The persona I chose was Viking as the style of garb with apron dresses and strings of beads which I found particularly interesting. The aspects of my heraldry include two of my favorite things, the butterfly (as my mundane first name means butterfly in Spanish) and comedy masks which translated into finding my SCA name which is both French and English that means butterfly in French (Papillon) and comedy masks (Thalia) as English representation for theater in England.
What inspired you to make your entry? Did you have a specific need?
The inspiration for making my entry is my love for doing needlework as I have been doing cross stitch since I was kid, which I learned from my Aunt. After entering several arts and science displays, making largesse to donate to the Kingdom, as well as entering completed cross stitch work into competitions including the Pentathlon, I received encouragement from peers who saw my work with cross stitch to branch out to trying blackwork because of the skill I already had with needlework, to move towards doing work that is representative of the Middle Ages period. I found myself being open to trying a new skill as I have the basics down with doing needlework and felt that I had the ability to be able to branch out to try a different form of needlework.
Did the entry throw up any unexpected issues?
As I started working on the entry, due to the nature of the pattern being a chain-like pattern, I chose to inquire with a peer what would be the best area of the pattern to start with, the length of thread to use, and how to loop it in on the other side so as not have too many loose ends of threads on the other side as it is custom in blackwork for the work to look identical on both sides of the fabric. I am accustomed to starting in the center of the fabric when working on cross stitch so that the design is centered. I found it a bit challenging to start on a different area of the pattern other than the center only because that is what I am used to doing with cross stitch, and had concerns about the design not being even or centered. I had to pay particular attention to the reverse side of the fabric to make sure stitches were going in the same direction as the ones on the other side so that both sides would be identical. I was able to grasp this concept to some degree, however, I would have to continue to work on ending the stitches on the other side so that there would less thread tails showing, which would take some time and continued practice.
Lady Thalia’s blackwork entry.
Did you learn something specific, something you would do differently, or would recommend others to do again?
This piece was my first venture into stitching a project using a pattern from a period sampler. Something different that I would do is to continue to work on pieces that are from a period reference and have historical significance. I would also like to spend time exploring blackwork to look for other patterns to work on and do additional research of how black work was utilized in the Middle Ages time period.
There are several things that I learned in the course of the virtual judging. I had been under the impression that black work patterns should look the same on either side of the fabric no matter which side was being looked at. It was helpful to find out during judging that the stitching should look identical on either side if the blackwork was being used to adorn clothing such as cuffs at the end of sleeves, etc. The other thing I learned was that if only the front portion of the design was visible that it was not as necessary to have both sides of the stitching look identical.
What did you think of the virtual face to face judging concept?
The kingdom championship was my first encounter with face to face judging for my work. I had entered A&S competitions / displays before where face to face judging was not a part of the competition. I was quite nervous about the prospect of going through the judging process. There were multiple aspects of the virtual judging that helped with my comfort level and nervousness. I liked the fact that I was paired with judges who were familiar with embroidery and also cross stitch. It helped the conversation flow with the judges, as I could share my experiences and knowledge of cross stitch and my experience with blackwork embroidery thus far. It was also helpful to have judges with similar interests to be able to be open with them about my work process and understand their recommendations with expanding my work in terms of trying different materials, making the work more to scale. For example, trying to use a different type of fabric and thread. I also received advice about how to space out stitches with the different type of fabric in comparison to the type of fabric that I had been using for years.
I was very pleased with the four judges that I encountered as they really made the effort to let me know about how detailed and clean my work was, which I very much appreciated as I really put a conscious effort into doing the needlework well. I also appreciated the encouragement from the judges to keep on going with advancing my work and how they appreciated seeing works that are in progress. I was also very pleased with the feedback that I received regarding my documentation, as I try ongoing to make improvements every time with feedback I received from a previous competition. Overall, I was very pleased with the scoring that I received ranging from a 3 to 5 and 6, which I felt was quite an accomplishment for only the first time being judged for an A&S Competition. I felt the overall process from the judging to how the competition was run was very successful and well organized.
What motivated you to enter the Kingdom Championship?
I chose to enter the kingdom championship for several different reasons. I would like to have opportunities to showcase my work and to be able to share with others because before coming to the SCA, the pieces that I worked on were only shared with a few close people in my life. I would like opportunities for feedback / guidance as I have taken the first steps towards branching out in different type of needlework as encouraged by peers. I find that being able to create things with needlework to be very satisfying and uplifting. I have also had the personal satisfaction thus far of seeing how my work can be appreciated by others, and that items that I have had made with cross stitch for largesse have been shared and appreciated by others. I would like to continue in this path be able to learn more and gain more experience with blackwork.
Are you interested in reading more about the entry after this appetizing interview? You can! All entries including documentation and images are available at the Kingdom Office of Arts and Sciences website.
Continuing the freshly-minted tradition of virtual sharing in these times of plague, the Kingdom Office of Arts & Sciences once again reached out to our fabulous Arts & Sciences Championship artisans to share their work with the populace at large on a more personal level. The virtual Kingdom Championship was also a juried competition, and included a week’s worth of face to face judging – with judges especially selected for their knowledge and background – as well as an online populace “meet and greet the artisans.” Master Hrólfr and I, your Kingdom Arts & Sciences officers, enjoy finding new ways to inspire and motivate our artisans in these trying times and we are happy to see the Championship ran so smoothly!
11th Century Naalbind Accessories, including a beef bone needle and wood bobbins.
Could you tell me a little about you, your persona?
My persona is actually 14th century French but because our family participates in historical Scandinavian reenactment outside of the SCA, I’ve spent more time in the last ten years researching various aspects of Viking age Scandinavia and the cultures they interacted with. Guess you could say I spend more time there than in 14th century Calais! While both of the pieces in my entry were at the tail end of The Viking era, 11th century, only one was definitively Scandinavian (Finnish, more precisely.) However, because naalbinding forms were so prevalent across the world for so many centuries, I would expect that my 10th century Scandinavian self probably was aware of, if not accomplished in, the art form.
What inspired you to make your entry?
Oh, the mittens! When I saw other recreations of them, I was just so excited to try them myself. To me, they resemble Wonder Woman’s costume and I just had to make a set for my daughter! The hat was actually a practice piece for a hat I’m making for a friend in my shire. But it turned out better than I expected and really, you can never have enough hats!
Work in progress on the Eura “Wonder Woman” mittens.
Did the entry throw up any unexpected issues?
I hit road bumps with both projects. With the mittens, there are only fragments to go by and we can’t even say with certainty that they were, in fact, mittens. I believe they were but recreating an entire piece based on fragments has its hurdles. With the hat, we have a completed extant piece but so little information on it! No one knows where it came from, who actually made it or whether it was inspired by Middle Eastern nalbind or Scandinavian nalbind. The only historical use for the stitch itself is this one hat. With both pieces, there was a lot of drawing inferences and trying to connect the most logical dots. But experimental archeology is the fascinating part for me!!
Did you learn something specific, something you would do differently, or would recommend others to do again?
Mostly my learning experiences here were method based. The wool fiber I used for the hat was a bit too thick for the Trier stitch so next time I know I need to use a smaller fiber. I experimented with different yarns on the mittens and gained insights into how different wools behaved, regarding torsion, tension and splicing. I also finally convinced myself that stitch counters are important, lol!
What did you think of the virtual face to face judging concept?
I have had a unique perspective on face to face judging; I’ve been an entrant, a judge and as former KMOAS, I have coordinated face to face judging for the Champs competitions. My personal learning style is such that I tend to prefer face to face judging for myself. I just am better at explaining and talking than writing, for the most part. I did worry about the virtual aspect and my Laurel and I did a practice session in Zoom just to work out the technical aspects and to get more comfortable with the online setting. I think this actually opens up more opportunities for artisans, to be honest! It is hard to organize judging for 15 people in a one day event and the judges wind up spending the entire event working. I know that can be rough on both our judges and our entrants. Spreading it out over the span of a week was very nice!!!
Early stages of a nalbound project: the possibilities are endless!
What motivated you to enter the Kingdom Championship?
This year has stunk for all of us. I started out tracking my hours spent teaching and making art at the beginning of the year but then when the world shutdown, I got depressed and really stopped doing much with my needlework. I have two terminally ill parents and my own house to take care of and family and home obligations just took so much of my time this year, on top of not being at events. I used the competition as a goal to get back into my art and it really did help! And I started crying when I began seeing everyone’s faces when judging began!!! On top of that, I did get really helpful feedback and support!!!
Are you interested in reading more about the entry after this appetizing interview? You can! All entries including documentation and images are available at the Kingdom Office of Arts and Sciences website.
Continuing the freshly-minted tradition of virtual sharing in these times of plague, the Kingdom Office of Arts & Sciences once again reached out to our fabulous Arts & Sciences Championship artisans to share their work with the populace at large on a more personal level.
The virtual Kingdom Championship was also a juried competition, and included a week’s worth of face to face judging — with judges especially selected for their knowledge and background — as well as an online populace “meet and greet the artisans.” Master Hrólfr and I, your Kingdom Arts & Sciences officers, enjoy finding new ways to inspire and motivate our artisans in these trying times and we are happy to see the Championship ran so smoothly!
Maggie Rue’s entry included a miniature display for everyone’s enjoyment, as well as a paper presentation on the Apothecary.
Could you tell me a little about you, your persona?
Maggie Rue is a complicated woman with dealings in a lot of things. She is a procurer— someone that people would come to asking about items or information and she would provide it at the right price. My character would actually run the apothecary. She may deal in questionable content at times, but needs a legitimate business to stay afloat and take care of family, so the store serves as a front and a legitimate way to work heavily in trade around the world.
The apothecary work room, including miniature furniture, mortar and pestle, as well as storage jars.
What inspired you to make your entry?
I’ve been writing a newsletter for a while and was working on apothecaries when the call came up to enter the championship. I put together a paper on the information I’ve been working on and was hoping to have enough time to put together a miniature apothecary that would go with the paper as a sort of instructional manual for apothecaries. The need is to teach others on what it is to be an apothecary and what it would be like to see one in person.
Did the entry throw up any unexpected issues?
The entry was supposed to be an introductory paper on apothecaries for newcomers and people interested in such a persona; it was not in any way a research paper of high caliber and I realized during judging that it had been anticipated as such.
Did you learn something specific, something you would do differently, or would recommend others to do again?
Yes. I realized that I was going to take this paper and use it as a chapter for persona/character creation for the SCA, LARPs, and roleplaying games. It’s a great way to provide information to others on how to portray their characters/persona.
What did you think of the virtual face-to-face judging concept?
The miniature was supposed to be a part of the competition and the judges all felt that because it wasn’t put forward as such, they didn’t want to look at it as much. In all honesty, my stuff never translates well to judging and I’m likely not going to bother entering anymore since my intentions are never understood as well as I liked.
What motivated you to enter the Kingdom Championship?
I figured I should enter something because I have information to share, I feel that if I’m not doing anything people will forget I’m around doing this stuff, and it was motivation to make the miniature, which will be used at demos as a great tool for education. If you feel discouraged or have trouble with criticism (it happens to everyone), know that your information is still valuable and is needed to help the SCA as a community. I hope that my miniatures and papers will someday be on display 50 years from now with some SCA-related group and they will be valuable as much then as they are now in teaching newcomers and people looking at different aspects of medieval reenactment.
Are you interested in reading more about the entry after this appetizing interview? You can! All entries including documentation and images are available at the Kingdom Office of Arts and Sciences website.
Continuing the freshly-minted tradition of virtual sharing in these times of plague, the Kingdom Office of Arts & Sciences once again reached out to our fabulous Arts & Sciences Championship artisans to share their work with the populace at large on a more personal level. The virtual Kingdom Championship was also a juried competition, and included a week’s worth of face to face judging – with judges especially selected for their knowledge and background – as well as an online populace “meet and greet the artisans.” Master Hrólfr and I, your Kingdom Arts & Sciences officers, enjoy finding new ways to inspire and motivate our artisans in these trying times and we are happy to see the Championship ran so smoothly!
Today’s interview is with Laird Coinneach Mac an Leigh, who entered the Kingdom of Æthelmearc Arts and Sciences Championship with the Mary Rose Purser’s Chest. Not only was Laird Coinneach the very first artisan to enter the Kingdom Championship, his skillful artistry also secured him the honored place as the King’s Champion!
Laird Coinneach Mac an Leigh entry the Mary Rose Purser’s Chest
Could you tell me a little about you, your persona?
Coinneach is a journeyman cabinetmaker and woodworker. This project is something he built for the purser of the Mary Rose.
What inspired you to make your entry?
Ever since I thumbed through Before the Mast, I’ve wanted to re-create some of those wonderful pieces. The Purser’s Chest is fairly simple in construction, so it seemed like a good project to start.
Did the entry throw up any unexpected issues?
I have been planning this project, off and on, for a decade or more. With all that planning, the actual construction went smoothly. The most difficult part was ascertaining the position of the trunnion sockets in the front and back panels; they had to be precisely opposite each other for the till lid to operate. Using a template helped make this happen.
Did you learn something specific, something you would do differently, or would recommend others to do again?
In retrospect, I would have liked to have done some more research on period paints. The original was almost certainly painted for protection against the salt air, and while modern paint looks okay, a period reproduction should have a period finish.
What did you think of the virtual face to face judging concept?
I enjoyed the face-to-face judging! I found I was able to respond quickly and accurately, and I have to admit I enjoyed talking about my project.
What motivated you to enter the Kingdom Championship?
I can’t deny the interest in exposure, but one of the main reasons for entering was to show that period joinery is within the capabilities of the weekend woodworker. Particularly in English woodwork, the joints are relatively simple; you cut away part of one board to make a place for the second one. That’s the essence of the joinery in the Purser’s Chest: part of the thickness of the front and back panels is cut away for fitting the end boards. Part of the end boards is cut away to fit the bottom. That’s all there is to it! If I can do it, so can anyone else.
Anything else you would like to share?
I want to thank His Majesty, the judges, and the Ministers of Arts & Sciences. I look forward to serving the Arts & Sciences community over the next year, and I hope to see many, many more beautiful examples of Æthelmearc’s extraordinary artisans’ crafts
Are you interested in reading more about the entry after this appetizing interview? You can! All entries including documentation and images are available at the Kingdom Office of Arts and Sciences website.
Continuing the freshly-minted tradition of virtual sharing in these times of plague, the Kingdom Office of Arts & Sciences once again reached out to our fabulous Arts & Sciences Championship artisans to share their work with the populace at large on a more personal level. The virtual Kingdom Championship was also a juried competition, and included a week’s worth of face to face judging – with judges especially selected for their knowledge and background – as well as an online populace “meet and greet the artisans.” Master Hrólfr and I, your Kingdom Arts & Sciences officers, enjoy finding new ways to inspire and motivate our artisans in these trying times and we are happy to see the Championship ran so smoothly!
Could you tell me a little about you, your persona?
Well, I am still a newbie, so my persona is still a bit fuzzy. The general idea is an 11th century second-generation son of a Varangian who married well and has become part of the military class in and around Constantinople. It seemed a great way to open up a breadth of research opportunities that really interest me.
On the left are the candles as dipped by Dominicus, on the right are historic examples: bees wax candles found at the Alamannic graveyard of Oberflacht, Seitingen-Oberflacht, Kreis Tuttlingen, Germany. Dating to 6th or beginning 7th century A.D., they are the oldest survived bees wax candles north of the Alps..
What inspired you to make your entry?
A specific need, and a mundane life need in fact. In what I’m told is an entirely backward method for submitting A&S projects, this one began as simply recycling candle stubs for my church. We use candles and tapers in our Liturgy (which is in fact period correct, dating from the 5th century) and there was a mundane need to find something to do with the stubs of consecrated candles. I’d begun making tapers already when I saw a notification that there was a championship. I jokingly mentioned that I’d started making a period craft, and (in the middle of finals, I might add) I was encouraged to submit an entry. And I have to say, knocking out my research and documentation in only a few days on top of final exams absolutely would not have happened without the dedication of the event organizers. Hrólfr really went above and beyond in that, and I’m glad he was recognized for his efforts.
Did the entry throw up any unexpected issues?
At the time of submission I’d blown up one pickle jar, that count has since doubled. I thought that I’d solved the problem, but apparently I haven’t yet. Honestly, if I were doing this on any scale – and I may, some day – I’d invest in the proper materials. I can’t say enough how much easier having the proper tools makes things.
A commercial wick dipper rack costs a little over $50, Dominicus used about thirty-four cents of wire and threw this together while watching “The Addams Family”.
Did you learn something specific, something you would do differently, or would recommend others to do again?
I really learned not to be afraid to just jump into A&S. I was up alongside some real heavyweights who had really put the time and effort in, and it was made very clear that while I didn’t win (I’m still honestly a bit fuzzy on whether or not anybody “wins” A&S events outside of championships) what I presented was clearly valued and appreciated. The judges made it clear that while I was a novice, there was strength and merit in much of what I was doing, and also room to improve. I enjoy the combative aspects of the SCA as much as the next big bearded guy, but I’d really recommend that anyone hesitating from trying A&S? Get out there and give it a shot. It’s got its own brand of thrills.
What did you think of the virtual face to face judging concept?
This was my first A&S event, so I can’t comment on what worked better or not. I will say that other than the obvious limits of the medium – I’m considering trying mead brewing for my next entry – it worked quite well. The judges were very considerate and gave concise, to-the-point critiques while being utterly unafraid of encouraging me and offering very helpful advice. Some of the lessons learned, of course, were things that can really only be learned in the doing: how to prepare one’s spiel, for example.
What motivated you to enter the Kingdom Championship?
Honestly, I was doing a handcraft that needed doing as a way to keep my hands busy and my mind calm during finals and someone stepped in and went “That’s a cool thing. You should show that to people.” The intent wasn’t for an A&S project, I just found that I was solving an ancient problem in very close to the ancient way. In my Church, that’s kind of a given: we’ve been saying our Liturgy the same way for longer than the language my parish uses has existed. You know that you’re doing very ancient things with a long, long chain of custody. But the research that I did connected me to an artifact almost as old as our Liturgy, and seeing that artifact was nearly identical to the product that I had made connected me to that ancient world in a new, deep, wonderful way.
Are you interested in reading more about the entry after this appetizing interview? You can! All entries including documentation and images are available at the Kingdom Office of Arts and Sciences website.
Continuing the freshly-minted tradition of virtual sharing in these times of plague, the Kingdom Office of Arts & Sciences once again reached out to our fabulous Arts & Sciences Championship artisans. Through interviews for the Æthelmearc Gazette our artisans can share their work with the populace at large on a more personal level. Unlike the Virtual Queen’s Prize Tourney, which was run completely virtual, the Kingdom Championship is a juried competition, and included a week’s worth of face to face judging – with judges especially selected for their knowledge and background – as well as an online populace “meet and greet the artisans” before Kingdom court. Master Hrólfr and I, your Kingdom Arts & Sciences officers, enjoy these challenges of finding ways to inspire and motivate our artisans in these trying times and we are happy to see the Championship ran so smoothly! The Kingdom Championship would not have been nearly as successful without the extra-ordinary organizational skills of Master Hrólfr, the web development magic of Master Robert of Ferness and the zoom room wizardry of Lady Magdalena Txoperena and Baroness Amalie. Thank you for helping our artisans shine!
Could you tell me a little about you, your persona?
Eudoxia Antonina models her mid-16th Century Florentine Woman’s Outfit
I am Eudoxia Antonina, my persona is Byzantine, I live in Constantinople around 800. This is absolutely not something my persona would wear, but I, like a lot of SCAdians, bounce around a lot. There are a lot of time periods that I am interested in, Byzantine, High Middle and Renaissance French, now add to that English Renaissance and Italian Renaissance.
What inspired you to make your entry?
I have wanted to make a Florentine style gown for a while. My Laurel Mistress got me interested in Elizabethan garb so that’s how I came around to later period clothing, and I saw an image of a woman from Florence around 1550 and fell in love with the style. But it was a few years before I was able to make it, I really wanted a silk dress, this style is perfect for a silk dress, and I don’t have a lot of money to spend on more expensive fabrics. But a friend of mine asked me to make him a doublet and in return for that he offered to buy me some silk I had been admiring at Pennsic from Carolina Calicos. From that, the opportunity arose that I could make my silk dress in the Florentine style and it is all thanks to Colgrim Grimmson.
Did the entry throw up any unexpected issues?
SLEEVES!!! They always seem to be the bane of my existence. In this case, it was the sleeve poufs that I could not get right. What I ended up with was try number 3, and they are still not quite right but I’m just going to stick with it at this point… I used a sleeve pattern from a similar garment I made and tried to tweak it to fit, but I had never made sleeve poufs before and had trouble making it work. If I had access to some other information or was able to see in person someone who could give me some pointers I may have been able to do them without pulling my hair out. I’m not sure any project is smooth sailing really, even for highly experienced artists.
Did you learn something specific, something you would do differently, or would recommend others to do again?
The way I make garb, or should I say decide on what I want to make next, is by seeing an image like a portrait or mosaic and think “that looks really cool, I want to make that.” This is not a bad method for deciding what kind of garb to make, the issue is that I tend not to look too deeply into HOW particular garments were put together. For my Elizabethan garb I had help in the form of a Laurel Mistress with an immense amount of knowledge and books (her sewing studio is amazing! mine is just a desk in the corner I have to keep my kids away from). So after saying all of that, what I learned the most here is that there are a lot of references for how things are made late period and that techniques are not always the same in different regions around Europe. I want to make garb that is as authentic as possible which means I kind of need to up my documentation and research game. As for what I learned in making this dress is that I really do not mind cartridge pleating, the end result is so worth it, and things get better with practice.
What did you think of the virtual face to face judging concept?
I think the virtual judging went pretty well although it is difficult for the judges to see things clearly. I like that I got to talk to them about my entry and answer any questions they had that I didn’t think to include in my documentation.
What motivated you to enter the Kingdom Championship?
A Laurel friend of mine recommended I enter something, I have never entered a kingdom competition before and had no idea what to expect but I plan to enter more in the future so this was a good experience. Yes I do want the exposure, I think anyone who makes anything should show their thing in some way. I also wanted to know what other people were making as well as to get feedback on how to make my thing better. So I guess the answer to this question is yes to all the things you said?
Any other things I would like to share?
This was a really good experience, everyone involved was helpful and kind, and I learned a lot on how to write good documentation. I will definitely be entering things again, my next project will be a completely hand sewn Byzantine outfit. Thanks for asking these questions! I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this “experiment”
Are you interested in reading more about the entry after this appetizing interview? You can! All entries including documentation and images are available at the Kingdom Office of Arts and Sciences website.
Continuing the freshly-minted tradition of virtual sharing in these times of plague, the Kingdom Office of Arts & Sciences once again reached out to our fabulous Arts & Sciences Championship artisans to share their work with the populace at large on a more personal level. The virtual Kingdom Championship was also a juried competition, and included a week’s worth of face to face judging – with judges especially selected for their knowledge and background – as well as an online populace “meet and greet the artisans.” Master Hrólfr and I, your Kingdom Arts & Sciences officers, enjoy finding new ways to inspire and motivate our artisans in these trying times and we are happy to see the Championship ran so smoothly!
Could you tell me a little about you, your persona?
I am Caleb Reynolds. I joined the SCA in November 1984 after seeing an armored combat demonstration at the Texas Renaissance Festival. I tracked down my local chapter (Barony of the Stargate) by looking up Richard Lionheart’s number in the phone book. My persona is a late 11th century Norman in occupied Saxon England. My paper is about the diet of the Norse who occupied Greenland: I think it is possible my Norman alter-ego might have heard of Greenland, but would never have visited.
What inspired you to make your entry?
I am fascinated by the minutiae of medieval life. Most book concentrate on battles and who became King or Queen. I am interested in the little things: table forks, pretzels, weathercocks, bowling, fried fish, horseshoes, law suits, water mills. I was reading a book about the Norse expansion and the book devoted three or four paragraphs to Greenland. The Norse occupied Greenland for around 450 years and this book could only mention that Eric the Red discovered it; his son discovered America, and that the Greenlanders couldn’t grow anything because Greenland wasn’t green (ha ha, wasn’t that a scam to get people to Greenland), so they only ate seal meat and cheese. I was surprised since the details on Iceland, Shetland, and Dublin were very well written. My research took me to Jerald Diamond’s “Collapse”, which has a sizable section about the start and end of the colony. Some of his statements didn’t sit well with me and inspired me to do an more in depth search. The majority of the popular press only mention a diet of protein and dairy, but humans can’t live on a 100% protein diet: they must have eaten something other than meat and I wanted to know what they could have eaten.
Did the entry throw up any unexpected issues?
This was a straight up research project. Since I don’t have access to primary sources, and I don’t read Latin, Danish or other languages, my sources were primarily English ones. There is most likely a wealth of information that could have helped me but has never been translated. With the pandemic, JSTOR and Academic.edu opened up their libraries to everyone. This gave me access to a lot of information that I would not have known existed a year ago. The major hurdle I encountered was all of the rabbit holes this topic opened up. The paper was primarily a discussion on what food was available to eat on the island. But I had to reign myself in from running off on extended tangents.
Funny enough, two days after I was judged, I was recommended a paper titled: “Palynology supports ‘Old Norse’ introductions to the flora of Greenland” which details the plants the Norse brought to their new home.
The subject is rife with future papers, either for myself or for others:
Danish flour and iron subsidies to Greenland, Iceland and the Shetland Islands.
Norse donations of wine for Greenland church services.
What was the method of making wine from crowberries that King Sverrir taught to his son?
Were Cogs used to transport cargo to and from Greenland, or only knarrs and other longships?
What was the cost of trade goods on Greenland?
What was the markup of Walrus Ivory on the Continent?
Was salt produced in bulk on Greenland? If so, how?
Cooking over manure: pros and cons.
Were there people who to traveled to Greenland for a year or two just to make a fortune hunting walrus? Like wildcats in ’49 Gold Rush.
How long does a lamp fueled by blubber last compared to olive oil?
Why were the Norse such jerks to the Dorset, Thule, and the first nation people of modern day Canada?
How the Black Death and attacks by the Victual Brothers destroyed Bergen’s ability to send ships to the far colonies and how that impacted the survivability of the Greenlanders.
Did you learn something specific, something you would do differently, or would recommend others to do again?
One of the things I have discovered over the years is that pretty much every time you hear or read an absolute statement about the past, it is usually wrong, and the truth is far more interesting and a great topic of research.
“No one in the middle ages ever bathed.” What about all of the bath houses throughout Europe? Most of which were closed down during the Renaissance. The city of Bath was named for it’s hot springs and bath houses. (Or, baths were named after Bath. Someone should research that.)
“There were no pain killers.” What about all of the medieval manuscripts that talk about the pain relief properties of various plants and mushrooms?
“Everyone ate rotten meat, that’s why they used spices.” Really? Spices were expensive. If you could afford spices from the literal other side of the planet, you could afford fresh meat.
“Few people traveled more than 5 miles from where they were born.” What about traveling merchants? What about pilgrims? What about soldiers and crusaders? How did salt travel from the Mediterranean to the north seas to salt cod which was then moved throughout Europe? It didn’t fly.
Absolute statements are generally a jumping off point for a fun bit of research. For people new to research papers, I would recommend picking a topic and writing a few pages about it. A research project does not have to be book length. Nor does it have to be unique: you can write on a topic that others have also used; just present your own experience and interpretation. Are you interested in a strange image in a manuscript: write about it. A recipe you want to try: write about it. Did you come across an interesting duel: write about it. Every SCA newsletter would be happy with two or three pages of something interesting about the middle ages.
Here is my suggestion: if you have access to old newsletters or old editions of the TI, like 20 or 30 years old, look through them for anything interesting: Medieval wrapping paper. Cosplay during the Middle Ages. Obscure recipes for food or beverages. Modern veggies vs period ones. Soap or “tooth paste”. Use that as a starting point for your own journey: what new information has been uncovered since the old paper was published? How would you present that thing, today. Our A&S community is not just about one person writes something and then it’s fixed in stone; the SCA is living history. That article about a recipe for ale; the author said to use malt extract and whatever hops you can get. How would you make it using whole barley? What hops would have been used at that time and place? That recipe says to use a non-stick pan over a stove top; how would you make it over a fire? Period sources call for an egg to determine how salty a brine is, or how much sugar is an a wort: Tell me how that would have been done. You do not have to be the first person to research something; just tell us your experience and your methods.
What did you think of the virtual face to face judging concept?
I like the face-to-face judging. I’ve been on both sides of the table in previous Arts & Sciences Faires and Championships. As a judge, it’s really nice to ask the author a question about some point not covered in the documentation. As a victim…. I mean competitor, it is an opportunity to explain a point that you either didn’t cover in the documentation or expound on a different tact. The Zoom method was good: not perfect but it was good opportunity to talk to old friends. There also were no interruptions from passer bys or noise from adjacent tables. Perhaps next time, I will be one of the judges.
What motivated you to enter the Kingdom Championship?
I had no expectation other than to present a paper on a topic that I found fascinating. I hope that I can inspire others to not only do a deep dive on an unusual topic but to share their passion with others. I was not expecting to win (although I had a 50/50 chance for the first two or three weeks: at least until a third person threw in their hat). Those of you who know me, know that I love obscure topics and know that I love asking stupid questions that have complicated and interesting answers. I was also drawn to the chance to talk about my paper and be spun around and pointed towards new topics that I had not thought of. This was a far better process than just having a score assigned to a judging sheet.
Are you interested in reading more about the entry after this appetizing interview? You can! All entries including documentation and images are available at the Kingdom Office of Arts and Sciences website.
Continuing the freshly-minted tradition of virtual sharing in these times of plague, the Kingdom Office of Arts & Sciences once again reached out to our fabulous Arts & Sciences Championship artisans. Through interviews for the Æthelmearc Gazette our artisans can share their work with the populace at large on a more personal level. Unlike the Virtual Queen’s Prize Tourney, which was run completely virtual, the Kingdom Championship is a juried competition, and included a week’s worth of face to face judging – with judges especially selected for their knowledge and background – as well as an online populace “meet and greet the artisans” before Kingdom court. Master Hrólfr and I, your Kingdom Arts & Sciences officers, enjoy these challenges of finding ways to inspire and motivate our artisans in these trying times and we are happy to see the Championship ran so smoothly! The Kingdom Championship would not have been nearly as successful without the extra-ordinary organizational skills of Master Hrólfr, the web development magic of Master Robert of Ferness and the zoom room wizardry of Lady Magdalena Txoperena and Baroness Amalie. Thank you for helping our artisans shine!
Could you tell me a little about you, your persona?
Lord Éadaoin Ruadh, our current Kingdom of Æthelmearc Bardic Champion
My persona is a turn of the 14th century Irishwoman who got to Scotland right around the time of Robert the Bruce. I’ve not determined whether or not she would actually write songs and stories, but she would certainly memorize and perform songs like these around a fire. Given the violence and backstabbing she has experienced, the pacifist feelings in Towton’s Creek could be right up her alley, though perhaps she wouldn’t have voiced them until after the war was finished. The love of the land and its offerings in Drink For a Scot’s Land would sit incredibly well with her character, too.
What inspired you to make your entry?
For Towton’s Creek, I’ve loved the message of Green Fields of France as well as its melody, and always wanted a period adjacent version to sing at campfires. Last Pennsic, after a late night/early morning performance that earned me a gift for my passion and talent, I was pushed even harder to complete it. Because I needed a brush tipper for it, I was also inspired to source local AEthelmearc oak and horse hair to make one for performing it (as any bard in that day would’ve done). For Drink For a Scot’s Land, I wanted to highlight the conservation efforts of Alan Watson-Featherstone and the Trees For Life charity that has been restoring Scotland’s Caledonian Forest for 40 years now. You find evidence of the flora and fauna in its verses as the land heals, as well as the timeless, world famous imagery their land evokes. Just like TFL, I believe there’s a lot to learn from nature, whether the scientific patterns or the symbolism. Additionally, so many people stereotype Scottish songs, as the opening tells us, into violence, drinking, or tragedy, so I wanted to highlight what wasn’t any of those.
Did the entry throw up any unexpected issues?
The write up took a lot longer than I expected, trying to cram in where I applied the research. I realized I need to leave more composition time, and better organize my sources for citing within my documentation. The variance in how well / poorly my voice can reach my range of notes is generally always an expected road bump, so I did my best to avoid it by singing after my voice had rested (right after waking up). Our adventure cat Mohinder decided to stay in our room while I recorded. Thankfully his movement didn’t distract the performance, and I’m glad for the practice in handling the mild chaos of a campfire.
Did you learn something specific, something you would do differently, or would recommend others to do again?
I learned a lot about how historical accounts are essentially a survey of what happened–no one group is going to have it exactly right. Somewhere in the midst of all of their words combined is the truth. As mentioned before, I would give myself much more time to prep the writing portion of the entry. I’d put more practice into breath control, as well, to help keep the audience from getting lost in choppy phrasing.
What did you think of the virtual face to face judging concept?
I’m in favor of the virtual judging when in-person isn’t possible, and this worked fine for me. This is the first competition I’ve been in with feedback on performance, so I don’t have much to compare it to.
What motivated you to enter the Kingdom Championship?
In all honesty, it was because Elska suggested it, that she would like a performance entry. Later I found it to be good practice for performing under pressure and examining how intimate I am with my pieces. I’m always happy to provide inspiration to others, to make our populace more aware of the bardic arts, and overall help where I can. The feedback helped immensely, in having experienced eyes and ears on my pieces, and my performances. I’m not truly here to win, but to compare my skill with how I’ve been in the past.
Anything else you would like to share?
I highly recommend any artisan to enter their works for a contest, even if you’re not looking for awards or renown. Sharing your knowledge and art is really what our Great Dream is about. The judging will help push you to improve and hone your skills. You never know what eyes are watching, and who next you’ll push to be their best.
Are you interested in reading more about the entry after this appetizing interview? You can! All entries including documentation and images are available at the Kingdom Office of Arts and Sciences website.
