Category Archives: A&S Champs

Court Report: Kingdom A&S Championship October 22, 2022, AS 57

02 Monday Jan 2023

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Here begins the Report of the Court of Their Majesties Arnthor and Ceirech, King and Queen of Æthelmearc at the Æthelmearc Arts and Sciences Championship event in the Barony of the Rhydderich Hael, joined by Their Excellencies of the Rhydderich Hael, jorundr hinn rotinn, Silver Buccle Herald, reporting.

Their Majesties gave leave to Their Excellencies of the Rhydderich Hael to conduct Their Court.

Their Majesties thanked everyone for inspiring them to learn about and try new things with the displays and entries this day.

Their Majesties invited Master Hrolfr a Fjarfelli and Mistress Elska a Fjarfelli, the Kingdom Arts and Sciences Ministers to discuss the competition results. The overall winner, and new King’s Arts and Sciences Champion, was THLady Fede di Fiore, for her maternity dress project. There were two youth who participated this day, John Robert, the overall youth champion, and Charlotte, both were presented with tokens to commemorate their participation. The populace choice was Baron Snorri skyti Bjarnarson.

Lady Marguerite de Neufchasteau was called before Their Majesties to discuss her actions on the fields of fencing, archery, and thrown weapons. Her growing skill has been brought to Their Majesties’ attention, thus They inducted her in the Order of the Golden Alce. Scroll illuminated by Arianna of Wynthrope, calligraphy by Jonathan Blaecstan, and words by Sadira bint Wassouf.

Their Majesties called for Lord Meuric ap Gwillam to present himself before Them. They had heard much of his artistic endeavors. Most especially his research into period hide glue. Thus they inducted him into the Order of the Sycamore. Scroll by Gesa von Wellenstein.

Mistress Cori Ghora was summoned before Their Majesties. Mistress Cori never stops. She is constantly serving the Kingdom of Æthelmearc, supporting the scribes, and serving as seneschal. This pleases Their Majesties, and with utmost gratitude They bestowed on Cori an Augmentation of Arms. Scroll by Sophie Davenport with words by Pádraig Ó Branduibh and Juliana Rosalia Dolce da Siena.

Her Majesty called Charlotte to attend Her. Her Majesty commended Charlotte’s skill and courage in playing the harp all day long as well as entering the competition today. For this Her Majesty named Charlotte Queen’s Inspiration for the day and gave her a token.

Their Majesties thanked the cooks for providing a tasty lunch and persevering through equipment issues. They further thanked those who helped dress Them for the event.

Court Closed.

Majesties looking forward to Youth and Brewers entries in the upcoming Champs

13 Thursday Oct 2022

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Their Royal Majesties King Arnthor Inn Sterki and Queen Ceirech Na Hinnsi have a special request of the populace: they would love to fill the positions of A&S Youth Champion and Royal Brewer at the upcoming Kingdom of Æthelmearc Arts & Sciences Championship.

Youth Entry by Simon á Fjárfelli from the Arts & Sciences Championship AS 53 (photo by Master Robert of Ferness)

Our Sylvan Majesties not only enjoy to spotlight their King’s and Queen’s Choice Champions with this event, they also love to to see what the Kingdom’s youth is up to! Especially in these not quite normal times where our youth seems to have grown from six to sixteen just about overnight (due to lack of events to see them on a more regular basis). King Arnthor and Queen Ceirech would love to see what the kingdom’s kids are working on: anything started during the Plague, whether or not it has been finished yet, is welcome. We’d love to have our youth feel welcome and included at A&S events; have them feel special by sharing allll about their favorite thing – instead of their parents!

Brewing entry by Ulf Barelegs at the Arts & Sciences Championship A.S. 53 (photo by Master Robert of Ferness).

Their Majesties are also hoping to find a new Royal Brewer. In the 2021 Kingdom’s Championship at Tavern Brawl, The Honorable Lord Cassiano entered his famous Krupnik in the competition that so greatly impressed Their Majesties, They named The Honorable Lord Cassiano Their Royal Brewer. They were dismayed to find after inquiring that, even though the event site is discreetly wet, zero brewers had pre-registered for their Arts & Sciences Championship! Whom of our Brewing community will take this challenge, and present our Majesties with fermented libations, to vie for the honor of being the Royal Brewer?

But what do I hear there? You are not a youth, and neither are you a brewer? And you are not quite ready to enter a Kingdom Arts & Sciences Championship yet? Not to worry! There will be a large Display area for our industrious populace to showcase their projects, in progress and finished. Documentation is appreciated but not required, although we do appreciate your information. And if you are planning to enter Champs, but have not signed up yet – please help out our event autocrat by pre-registering, it really makes the job a lot less hectic on the day off. That way, he might actually have some time to loiter and enjoy the entries!

More information on the Kingdom Arts & Sciences Championship 2022.
To register your entry online.
To register as a judge online.

We are looking forward to seeing you Saturday, October 22nd in the Barony of Rhydderich Hael.

Elska
Kingdom Ministry of Arts & Sciences

Kingdom Champs: our first dedicated A&S event!

02 Sunday Oct 2022

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Our first dedicated to arts and sciences event post-plague will happen at the end of this month, in October! And we are very happy to announce it is a WET site too!

Come one, come all! Their Majesties Arnthor and Ceirech are very much looking forward to choose their Arts & Sciences Champions and implore any seamstresses, woodworkers, brewers, embroiderers, scribes, metalworkers, vintners &c. to show off their best at the Kingdom Arts & Sciences Championship to be hosted by the the Barony of Rhydderich Hael this October 22nd.

Youth entrant Simon á Fjárfelli explains all about his block printed Saxon tunic at the 2021 A&S Champs.

Kingdom Minister of Arts and Sciences Hrolfr á Fjárfelli is very happy to share the Kingdom once again can offer in-person competitions along the same lines as in the past! Candidates will be evaluated face-to-face and the scoring will be based on the kingdom A&S rubrics, which is available beforehand. In order to reduce the indoor face-to-face time for candidates and judges, we will limit this year’s competition to one 45-minute judging session with a panel of 2 or 3 judges. Although not a requirement, we ask that candidates register their entry online ahead of time, to help match judge to entrant a little easier!

But as we learned a few new tricks during the time of plague, we will also offer any candidates who are not able to join us at the event to submit their entry online. Keep in mind, one of the current Kingdom Champions entered virtual – you are not on the side lines! We now have a basic web form where you can securely upload some photos, your documentation and basic info. The virtual part of the competition will be held much along the lines of last year’s competition. Each candidate will meet face-to-face with a panel of judges over zoom for one 45-minute judging session during the week leading up to the event and their presentation and entry will be judged with the same rubric as used at the event.

Bacon & Eggs subtelty by Astridr Vigaskegg (no, that’s not really bacon, nor eggs!) at the 2021 A&S Champs.

For this year, please note that the site is discretely damp and we are excited and happy to accept alcoholic beverage entries at the event!

Would you like to participate, but have no project to enter? Please help judge! Polling order awards are not required to judge, and those new to judging can ask to be paired with an experienced judge for ‘training on the job,’ so to speak! Judges can also sign up online; please provide us with the area(s) you’re comfortable with judging so that we can match entrants and judges ahead of time.

The Medieval Kitchen and Herb Garden by Baroness Oddkatla Jonsdottir at the 2021 A&S Champs.

We want to emphasize that we totally love to see partial projects! It doesn’t have to be a completely finished entry to be eligible. As usual, you may also enter up to three related objects as a single entry. Prior entry in another competition or display does not disqualify you from entering, we love to see continued progress on existing projects.

Right now, we are planning to spread out the virtual judging between Monday, October 17th and Thursday October 20th. With that in mind, the deadline for virtual entries is midnight, Friday, October 14th. Although we really appreciate pre-registration for the in-person event, the deadline for in-person candidates is until 9:30am on the morning of the event.

Geeking over Lady Isolda de Leycester’s patterns with Æthelmearc’s shoe Master Robert of Ferness at the 2021 A&S Champs.

The scores will be tallied once all judging is completed (the combined online and in-person entries) and relayed to Their Majesties Arnthor and Ceirech, who will choose their champions and announce them at the event during Kingdom court.

Their Majesties and the Kingdom Office of Arts & Sciences very much look forward to seeing what our kingdom has to offer!

Yours in service,
Hrólfr and Elska á Fjárfelli

Kingdom Ministry of the Arts and Sciences

Behind the Scenes at Kingdom Champs: wooden pattens

29 Tuesday Mar 2022

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by Elska á Fjárfelli

A closer look at the wooden pattens entry by Lady Isolda de Leycestre in the 2021 Kingdom of Æthelmearc Arts & Sciences Championship.

Entry of wooden pattens – the wood slippers under the turnsole shoes – by Lady Isolda de Leycestre.

Could you tell me a little about you, your persona. Is your entry something your persona would use?

My persona is a 14th century noble English Lady from a wealthy wool merchant family. The Wooden Pattens are definitely something my persona would have worn.

What inspired you to make your entry?

My inspiration came from a pair of Pouline shoes I bought to have more period correct shoes. Pouline was a type of shoe with long points at the toes. They originated from Poland and were very popular during the late 14th century and 15th century. I bought my Poulines from an Etsy shop called A Stroll Through Time. I had to learn basic woodworking and leather working skills. It was a fun project!

Did the entry throw up any unexpected issues?

The one unexpected issue I had was getting the Walnut Dye on the weather dark. I didn’t find any information on how to get the dye to be dark. Leather dyeing is something I need to really learn about.

The pattens are tied under the poulines, and help the fancy (indoor) shoes keep clean on unpaved roads.

Did you learn something specific, something you would do differently, or would recommend others to do again?

I learned that using woodworking tools are not scary and I’m glad I tried it! I also learned that for making Pattens you don’t need to be good at woodworking and leather working, the skills are pretty basic to make a pair.

What do you think of the difference between entering an in-person or a virtual competition?

My entry was done in person. I have done a virtual entry for another event and if I had to choose between the two I would choose in person. I think with in person it’s easier for more people to see your project, ask you questions or give you advice on the small issues with your project.

Lady Isolda geeking with Master Robert over pattens and poulines (there might have been some judging too).

What motivated you to enter the Kingdom Championship?

Kingdom A&S Championship was my first entry and I wanted to give it a try. I wanted to get feedback from other artists on my Pattens so I make the next pair even better! And maybe think about learning how to make a pair of leather shoes at some point.

Behind the Scenes at Kingdom Champs: Krupnik

17 Thursday Feb 2022

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by Elska á Fjárfelli

A closer look at Krupnik with Lord Cassiano da Castello in the 2021 Kingdom of Æthelmearc Arts & Sciences Championship.

Could you tell me a little about you, your persona. Is your entry something your persona would use?

I am currently a mix of personas, trending towards 16th C. Polish. The working story is that my persona traveled to Italy in search of new trade connections/ flavors, and due to a customs error, got stuck in Northern Italy with an Italian name. Lord Cassiano is still trying to get home to Poland, but alas, the records are mixed up and he is still trying to find his Polish name to leave.

My Kingdom A&S entry, a Lithuanian honey Krupnik made with rye vodka, is something that I think he definitely would drink and be familiar with. The research beyond the making of the drink argues that home distilling of this beverage occurred prior to the late period, and was available on special occasions like holidays. I have not proven this fully and entirely, but work continues.

Lord Cassiano’s yummy entry of honey Krupnik (sampled outdoors, of course).

What inspired you to make your entry? Did you have a specific need? A desire to try a new skill?

Several years ago, I was introduced to Krupnik by members of the Lithuanian diaspora in Pittsburgh, where many found work in mills, or in PA’s anthracite coal regions– that coal and steel barons may have also imported workers because of ethnic biases (Slavs work hard and don’t complain) is another story for another time. Regardless, I tried the drink, liked it, and thought I might try to track its roots back into medieval period.

There go some famous last words, as tracking it into medieval period has been difficult. What became a “I just wanna try this and see how it goes” became a real quest to try to give some small voice to a particularly marginalized and historically silenced area of the world. The more I dug, the more that I came to understand how another ethnic group came to be systematically hamstrung and erased from the medieval socio-political landscape. The Krupnik project, in attempts to use primary source documents, became a discussion of how to find answers in the land and in local hearsay, when the footsteps of life ways for a living, feeling people had been wiped from the landscape.

This line of inquiry kept me going where I might have been sincerely frustrated.

Did the entry throw up any unexpected issues?

Yes and no, all the issues and none at all. Krupnik is blessedly easy to make, and to make well. It has a flexible and robust recipe, capable of accepting additional and varied ingredients (I’ve made the recipe substituting honey with maple syrup, shagbark hickory syrup, and molasses, all have turned out delicious). It is very fun to play with, trying new flavors and new combinations because it holds up so well. So no issues in the project journal aspects of the project.

The research aspect will always have an asterisk, however. Certain folks have remarked that my documentation approaches thesis-length, and half of it is explaining leads that should be taken with a grain of salt, adding caveats, and extensively providing secondary resources where I lack a formal recipe. It’s not ideal. I know it isn’t. But I think that proper justice can be given with the source material provided, it just requires all that much more care and precision.

Did you learn something specific, something you would do differently, or would recommend others to do again?

In the last iteration of the project, I used rye vodka instead of another grain vodka, as I surmised that if a vodka was made in period, it would be from the most available, cheapest grain in the area, and thus rye. The resulting flavor change I think is the best version I have put forward. Rye has a spiciness/ sourness to it that I think really balances out the strong honey character. I would recommend this to anyone making Krupnik.

What do you think of the difference between entering an in-person or a virtual competition?

I have entered virtual competitions with tastings and I do prefer in-person for this. It takes so much more effort to ship out samples or drive them to people. Much easier for in-person!

What motivated you to enter the Kingdom Championship?

I try to enter everything I can. Feedback is necessary for sure, and I am chasing growth and direction with this project. It is also important to me to see benchmarks in my scores of how they change and what I can do to affect them. Even if they do not demonstrate growth, they are a marker of consistent effort, and that is meaningful.

Court Report: Tavern Brawl

02 Tuesday Nov 2021

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Here begins the report of the court of Their Majesties Gareth and Juliana, King and Queen of Æthelmearc, at Tavern Brawl in the Shire of Kings Crossing, October 30, AS56, jorundr hinn rotinn, Silver Buccle Herald, reporting, with the assistance of Baron Arias Beltran Del Valle, Sigil Herald.

Their Majesties invited all those present for whom this was Their first Royal Court, and gave them mugs made by the artisans of Æthelmearc and welcomed them to our Society and Kingdom

Their Majesties next invited the youth present to present themselves before Them. They then offered up a sacrifice, Lord Tiberious Hostilous Mallous, that the youth might be entertained and take goodies from the toy chest.

Their Majesties allowed Master Hrolfr á Fjárfelli and Lady Isolda de Leycestre to conduct some personal business in Their Court. Master Hrolfr gave Lady Isolda a green belt to mark her as his apprentice.

Their Majesties summoned Lady Ilaria Rosati, the Queen’s Arts and Sciences Champion, and Master Hrolfr á Fjárfelli to present themselves. Lady Ilaria was thanked for her long service as champion and allowed to retire. Master Hrolfr spoke of the tournament held this day and how impressed he was by those who participated in person as well as those who presented online. Their Majesties agreed and so called all the competitors present forward to be presented with tokens. There was a victor this day however, Their Majesties did name Baron Caleb Reynolds as King’s Arts and Sciences Champion, for his research paper into period recipes, and named THLady Nichola Beese as Queen’s Arts and Sciences Champion for her display of parchment creation and dying. Both scrolls were by Gesa von Wellenstein. There was a populace choice as part of the competition, THLady Nichola Beese proved to have the most votes.

Their Majesties next called for Lord Cassiano da Castello to attend Them. Lord Cassiano had entered a brewing entry in the competition that greatly impressed Their Majesties, thus did They name Lord Cassiano Their Royal Brewer.

Their Majesties next summoned Songtui Batar Sogdo, who was having a problem with his new protege. Their Majesties felt that they could help with this problem, and so called for THLady Adeliz Argenti to present herself. They felt that the only way to properly address this lady was in the presence of The Order of the Pelican, and so summoned that Order to present themselves, and after affirming that it was the Order’s wish to proceed They issued a writ for THLady Adeliz to contemplate elevation to the Order of the Pelican, for her long service to DART at Pennsic and much more. Scroll by Ceindrech verch Elidir on parchment made by Abigail Kelhoge.

Her Majesty next called for Nea Kimball. It was Nea’s first event, and she entered a research paper in the Arts and Sciences competition, fenced, and generally enjoyed herself with a great amount of enthusiasm. For this Her Majesty named Nea her inspiration for the day and awarded her a Golden Escarbuncle. Her Majesty further felt moved to Award Nea Arms and make her a Lady of the Court. The scroll will be made by Her Majesty on parchment created and dyed by Nichola Beese.

Their Majesties thanked the event staff and the Shire for hosting Their Arts and Sciences Championship. They wished all present safe travels and spoke of how grateful and happy They are to be able to return to events.

There being no further business, Court was closed.

Kingdom Arts & Sciences Championship 2021

11 Monday Oct 2021

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Their Sylvan Majesties, King Gareth Kincaid and Queen Juliana Delamere, are pleased to let it be known to all that they are looking forward to choose their Arts & Sciences Champions at the Kingdom Arts & Sciences Championship to be held at Tavern Brawl, hosted by the Shire of King’s Crossing this October 30th.

We encourage entrants to join us in-person at a wonderful site for a day of sharing and celebrating of all the wonderful things that our Arts & Sciences community has to offer. There will also be room for Arts & Sciences display and we are even working on some cool demos! However, we do understand that going to events is still a difficult choice for many of us and we have therefore decided on a hybrid in-person/virtual format for this year’s competition.

Entry by Lady Ilaria in the virtual Arts and Sciences Championship in 2020

The in-person competition will be held along the same lines as in the past. Candidates with their entries will be judged face-to-face and the scoring will be based on the Kingdom A&S rubric. In order to reduce the indoor face-to-face time for candidates and judges, we will limit this year’s competition to one 45-minute judging session with a panel of 2 or 3 judges. Although not a requirement, we ask that candidates register their in-person entry online ahead of time, to make planning for us a little easier!

Candidates who are not able to join us at the event can submit their entry online. We created a basic web form where you can securely upload some photos, your documentation and some basic info. The virtual part of the competition will be held much along the lines of last year’s competition. Each candidate will meet face-to-face with a panel of judges over Zoom for one 45-minute judging session during the week leading up to the event and their presentation and entry will be judged with the same rubric as used at the event. The site is discretely damp and we are excited and happy to accept alcoholic beverage entries at the event!

We want to emphasize that we totally love to see partial projects! It doesn’t have to be a completely finished entry to be eligible. As usual, you may also enter up to three related objects as a single entry. Prior entry in another competition or display does not disqualify you from entering, we love to see continued progress on existing projects. The scores will be tallied once all judging is completed (the combined online and in-person entries) and relayed to Their Majesties who will choose their champions and announce them at the event during court.

Their Sylvan Majesties and the Kingdom Office of Arts & Sciences are very much looking forward to seeing what our Kingdom has to offer!

Yours in service,

Hrólfr and Elska á Fjárfelli (KMoAS)

Behind the Scenes: Hara Kikumatsu Shares Her Champs Entry

31 Sunday Jan 2021

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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 Hara Kikumatsu, who entered the Kingdom of Æthelmearc Arts and Sciences Championship with a Kikko Braid, made on the Marudai

Kikko braid
the Kikko braid, made by artisan Hara Kikumatsu

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.

double-sided kikko from Heian period
Cord with kikko pattern from the Heian Period (image from http://www.englisch.kumihimo.de/html/history.html)

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.

Fully loaded marudai with tama and weight bag
A fully loaded marudai with tama and weight bag (image from http://www.englisch.kumihimo.de/html/history.html)

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.

Behind the Scenes: Lady Ilaria shares her Champs entry

29 Friday Jan 2021

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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.

Behind the Scenes: Thalia Papillon shares Her A&S Champs Entry

26 Tuesday Jan 2021

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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 Thalia Papillon, who entered the Kingdom of Æthelmearc Arts and Sciences Championship with her Blackwork Embroidery piece.

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.

Blackwork Embroidery piece
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.