Their Highnesses are looking for help from the Populace on their Royal Wardrobe. Are you interested in being involved in making our next Royals look fabulous? Do you have ideas, skills, thoughts to share? Their Highnesses are hoping for outfits inspired by what the travelers of the Nordic countries would have encountered during their trips (raids?) around the years 950 -1050, from Sweden, to Dublin, to Paris, to Iceland and over to Constantinople.
Interested? In the spirit of the Wardrobe Project hosted by Mistress Elisabeth we are hoping to provide more exposure to our wonderful Æthelmearc artisans. Participants would work in groups towards a specific outfit with a predetermined deadline. Historical plausibility is requested. Materials will be provided for or reimbursed. We will again make use of the Wardrobe Project Facebook group to update progress and for the inspiration and enjoyment of all!
We like everyone to share with us ideas for wardrobe items that fit the time period, but don’t worry, we have a few starting ideas as well. Also let us know if you don’t have a specific idea, but would like to participate. Together we will find a way to contribute your skill.
We are looking forward to working with many of you towards another wonderful Royal Wardrobe.
Mistress and Master of the Royal Wardrobe,
Elska á Fjárfelli and Hrólfr á Fjárfelli
This year, Ædult Swim on February 17-18 in Abhainn Ciach Ghlais will be expanding the Arts and Sciences opportunities as we strive to be more “epic.” Keeping with the practice mindset of the original Ædult Swim, we are hosting both structured classes and unstructured time with experts in different fields. If you have been struggling with a work in progress, bring it along! Odds are, you will find someone who can help.
The Garb Workroom will be open all day Saturday for anyone who needs another pair of hands or some outside advice. Sunday will have an open class on making a gothic fitted gown. The Fiber Salon will have experts in weaving, spinning, and nalbinding. In addition, the Scribal Studio is offering both beginner and advanced classes, as well as an open studio space.
An A&S display is in the works with several entries already set. There is no theme or required documentation, just the art you wish to show off! If you would like to participate, contact Lady Syele.
Nearby will be an A&S Consultation Table. This is a chance for artisans to get advice and personalized commentary in relation to the Æthelmearc rubrics for judging in competitions. Those from out of kingdom are welcome to stop by for questions. We can always suggest someone who may have more information if we don’t have the answers.
Offsite, Master Gille will be creating a historical-based beer, brewed on modern equipment. All are invited to stop by to discuss the process, ingredients, and the recipe.
What to do when your significant other is getting black and blue? You go off to see the Arts Display or take a class or two!
For those good gentles who would like a more structured setting, there will be classes on SCA topics such as Fundraising and Teaching. There are also classes on working with chocolate and a chocolate-tasting to satisfy those with a sweet tooth. Finally, if anyone has ogled the garb worn by TRMs Æthelmearc, the sessions discussing their 12th C. and Viking outfits will be a perfect fit.
Are you interested in teaching? There is still time to sign up to teach! Click the link for the Teacher Sign-Up Page at the Æcademy Website.
If you have questions about the classes, or are interested in being listed as an Expert on Hand for one of the Workshop areas, contact the Class Coordinator, Lady Margareta le Sayre.
By Baroness Katja Davidova Orlova Khazarina (Chris Adler-France)
Grimmy loves his new coat from Baroness Helene. Photo by Baroness Ekaterina.
Come on, you know you want to join the Æthelmearc Artisan Exchange!
Yes, you.
You, creating that awesome, intriguing, engrossing, fun, beautiful art form.
Sign up to make it – whether an art form you’ve been developing for years or something you just started delving into, whether woodworking, sewing, brewing, metal smithing, leather working, cooking, etc. – for someone else.
Then reap the joy of that person receiving it, while you receive a personalized gift in return from another talented artisan in our kingdom.
What is the Artisan Exchange?
Unlike A&S competition, displays, classes, or other common artisan-oriented activities that are often competitive and scary to new artisans, the Exchange encourages artisans of all levels and abilities simply to practice an existing skill or explore a new one while creating something within roughly three months’ timeframe (and with a $25 limit on materials, not including shipping costs) for a fellow artisan in the exchange, at the end of which they will receive a gift in turn from another artisan. As in modern Secret Santa exchanges, only the Exchange coordinator knows which artisans she has matched up until the gifts are mailed and the effusive thanks begin. Artisans of all ages, skill levels, genders, etc. participate and the created items do not all have to be documented period items.
History of the Exchanges
Originally created as a Noblesse Largesse swap in Calontir by Lady Konstantia Kaloethina and HL Aline Swynbrook, those founders encouraged gentles in other kingdoms to use and expand the idea. Baroness Oddkatla Jonsdottir learned about the East Kingdom’s Swap (and then Exchange) while a resident of that kingdom and enjoyed participating in 10 exchanges over four years there: knitting shawls, painting and embroidering messenger bags and a Norman cloak, and sewing a silk banner and a Skoldhammim hood.
When she and her husband, Baron Friderich Swartzwalder, became citizens of Greater AEthelmearc a few years ago and began playing in the Nithgaard/Abhainn Ciach Ghlais area, she wanted to join our kingdom’s Exchange, which had been coordinated in 2013 by Janice Mullins Wagoner.
“I saw the amazing art being made in the East’s group, and knew that AE had or has many very talented artisans,” Her Excellency explained.
Block-printed feast gear bags from Mistress Fredeberg to Baroness Helene. Photo by Baroness Helene.
When Janice stepped down and offered the Exchange to Baroness Oddkatla, she talked to the Calontir founders for guidance with the process and forms and began coordinating the project in Fall 2015, which finished by Kingdom Twelfth Night in January 2016.
“The first exchange was very well received, and we had about 40 artisans participate. I try to have a new exchange start within about a month to six weeks after the previous on ends. Most of the time it works out to be two exchanges a year. Someday, maybe I can get a third one in or have two different exchanges running at the same time.”
At the beginning of each Exchange, Her Excellency asks participants to join the project’s Facebook group and fill out a survey detailing the participant’s home group, persona, color preferences, favorite activities, and art interests. After receiving all the surveys, Baroness Oddkatla randomly matches each artisan with another and privately sends each artisan the survey information for their matched artisan. She checks in frequently with the artisans via the Facebook group (and private emails, if necessary) on the progress and nudges everyone into mailing or personally handing every gift by the Exchange deadline.
The Exchange is primarily coordinated on the Facebook group, but Her Excellency notes that artisans do not need to be a Facebook member to join the Exchange; they can participate via email.
What outcome did you hope for the Exchange – just a fun Secret Santa gift swap or something more?
“When I first thought about starting an Exchange in AE, I had the dream of getting people together in a fun way to make and share art, whether the participant was a new person to the SCA or a Laurel who had years of making and creating art. The fun part (in my mind) was the fact that no one knew who was making the art for you. When I was taking part in the East Kingdom exchange, one of the best parts was anticipating what might arrive in the mail at the end of the exchange.”
How has the exchange changed/evolved since you began this?
“The exchange has grown by leaps and bounds since we first started. The Facebook group has 296 members with more artisans asking to join every swap. The first swap had 40 artisans and the more recent exchange that finished in December 2017 had 70.”
So far, 50 participants have joined the one that is in the survey stage right now. Baroness Oddkatla is hoping for 70 participants.
Woven belt/trim by Lady Zianna for Lady Catherine O’Herlihy. Photo by Lady Catherine.
What has gone well and was has been a challenge?
“The amazing creativity AE artisans have (has gone well)! A challenge has been getting the gifts delivered in a timely manner. One of the things about the exchange that dismays me is the need for extra time at the end of the exchange, as some need more time to finish. One of my goals is to have everyone mail their gifts on the scheduled mailing date. Usually, the extensions are given as an artisan has a “fail” and needs more time to finish. Please don’t misunderstand, most people mail on the date, and only a few need extensions.”
What have been some of the themes of past exchanges and what is the current one?
“Themes in the exchange have been varied. The first one was a Twelfth Night theme, with the gifts being something fancy that could be worn or used at Twelfth night. Themes since then have been “Spring/Camping” where each artisan was asked in the survey if they would like to receive a spring- or a camping-themed gift. The theme of the exchange that we just completed was “Heraldry,” and each artisan was asked to make a gift using their recipient’s arms or colors, or if the artisan did not have heraldry, the recipient’s household or Kingdom arms were used.
“This new exchange is a repeat of a past exchange called a “RED/WHITE” exchange. What this means is that the artisan can pick either the RED or WHITE part of the swap. RED gifts must be made with period methods, have documentation, and the dollar amount for supplies can be more than $25. WHITE gifts stick to the original rules of $25 being the top end of the amount each artisan can spend on supplies and no documentation or period methods necessary. Other than that nothing special needs to be done.”
What are some of the most notable gifts you’ve seen made?
“Every gift that is made is very special! I have a few favorites, from all the different exchanges. Some memorable ones are the amazing painted box Abigail Kelhoge made for Anna Leigh, inspired by an illumination; a blackwork embroidered coif Rhys Penbras ap Dafydd made for Elisabeth Johanna von der Flossenburg; and the angel gift Rynea von Lingen made for Astridr Vigodottir, known as Ashling.
Painted box by Lady Abigail Kelhoge for Countess Anna Leigh. Photo by Countess Anna.
“There are many, many gifts I love, way too many to list here!
“You’re probably wondering what an Angel gift is? An Angel gift gets made when an artisan cannot complete their gift. I put out a call for someone to make a gift, and then when I get an angel, I send them the information they need and they make a gift for the artisan that did not get a gift due to their artisan not being able to finish their gift.
“I make sure that everyone who joins to make a gift gets a gift. I feel that every artisan needs to be able to have something to show for the hard work they have done.”
How much time each week during the exchange do you spend coordinating this and what is involved on your end? Is anyone else involved in the coordination?
“There is a fair amount of work that I do to get the exchange up and running. Starting with writing and developing a survey all the artisans must take to be included in the exchange. After the surveys have been taken and it has been closed, when I have the number of artisans that I need to run the exchange, the real work begins. I take each artisan and give them a number, and then using a blind draw, I assign artisan to artisan. Then I send each artisan an email with their recipient in the email. I ask each artisan to send me an email back so that I know they have received their artisan’s name and survey information.
“At this point, the progress of the exchange is up to the artisans. My part slows down a bit as I just make sure I am a cheerleader to keep people motivated and working. I let everyone know that I am here to answer their questions. One of the rules is that no one contact their recipient. If they need help for something they would like to know, they need to contact me either by email or private message on Facebook.
“I put in about 20 to 30 hours at the beginning getting the exchange started and then about two hours a week answering questions from artisans. When the gifts are due to be mailed, I do a bit more making sure that artisans have mailed their gifts. I ask that they send me a photo of their mailing receipt, so that I know their gift has been mailed; there’s a bit more work if anyone asks for extensions. By the end of the exchange, I’m usually putting in anywhere from four to six hours a week. I am the sole person running the AE Artisan Exchange. I have had people ask if I need help, which I usually thank them for, but decline. “
What are your future plans or hopes for this exchange?
“I hope the exchange will continue to grow, and that AE continues to show how talented her artisans are. “
Quiver by Lord Wladislaw Poznanski.
When is the deadline for the current one?
“Deadline to mail this Exchange’s gift is April 15, 2018. Deadline to withdraw from the Exchange is March 1, 2018, barring last-minute major project failure, for which an extension may be granted. If for any reason you need to bow out of an Exchange it must be done via the Gmail account, not Facebook message.”
What do you say to artisans who are intrigued but unsure about participating?
“I tell people who contact me about participating in the exchange, that they may have doubts about playing with us, but each and every one of us can art. We each have special talents that I know are there, and that all they have to do is fill out a survey, and ask questions. I turn NO ONE AWAY!!! Everyone is welcome, and I will make sure they have help if they think they may not do as well as others that participate in the exchange.”
Anything else you’d like to add?
“This is a lot of fun! I have made many new friends, and encourage all that may have an interest to come and join us!”
Pronunciation: ‘I-“kän
Function: noun Etymology: Latin, from Greek eikOn, from eikenai – “to resemble”
Date: 1572
a usually pictorial representation: image
[Late Greek eikOn, from Greek]: a conventional religious image typically painted on a small wooden panel and used in the devotions of Eastern Christians
an object of uncritical devotion : idol
emblem, symbol <the house became an icon of 1860’s residential architecture — Paul Goldberger>
(a) a sign (as a word or graphic symbol) whose form suggests its meaning (b) a graphic symbol on a computer display screen that suggests the purpose of an available function
Christ Acheiropoietos (Image of Edessa), c.1100, from Wikimedia Commons.
This very bland definition from the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary led me to wonder about this facet of church art in the early part of the Byzantium. I had run across references to icons and their symbolism during my research of triptychs and diptychs. In the readings, icons seemed rather dry and didn’t quite answer my basic questions regarding why their style never progressed like the other works of religious art work did with the advent of the Renaissance.
Then, serendipity happened. I found a business card on a corkboard at an art supply store for Darya Carney, Traditional Orthodox Iconography in Egg Tempera. This was the break I had been looking for; it turned out that Mrs. Carney was the wife of a Russian orthodox priest and had been painting icons for more than 10 years, all less than a mile from my house. When I met her, Darya showed me her work. That’s when I discovered that icons are a venerated object used for meditation and prayer. She showed me all the aspects of mixing the tempera, gesso, and gilding.
The icon makers feel that the work is God moving their hands with every stroke and that the icon is imbued with the sacred spirit. So, although she didn’t feel comfortable making an icon for someone who was not orthodox, she readily agreed to answer my questions so I could write an article on the subject; she and her husband were thrilled to share the information and allow me to use their extensive library.
It was while I spent time with this couple that I saw how important the art is to them and how invaluable it must have been to people all through the period we attempt to recreate. Our ancestors believed the icon was the embodiment of the spirit talking to the artist to open a window of God’s grace.
Where do icons come from?
Praying With Icons offers this origin: “The first icon was made when King Abgar of Osrone, dying of Leprosy, sent a message begging Jesus to visit him in Edessa and cure him. Hurrying to Jerusalem and his crucifixion, Christ sent a healing gift, instead. He pressed his face against a linen cloth, causing the square of fabric to bear his image. The miraculous icon remained in Edessa until the tenth century until when it was brought to Constantinople. After the city was sacked by the Crusaders in 1204, it disappeared altogether. Known as ‘not made by human hands’ or the ‘Holy Face,’ the icon has been reproduced over and over until today.”
This legend was intriguing but I had suspicions that the icon might have had its life in a pre-Christian history. This bore out when I remembered a three-paneled triptych that had a goddess and two gods from Romanised Egypt.
The concept of a sacred image to aid in prayer was around before the Byzantine Empire. This theory was confirmed in Origins of Christian Art:
“Another form of painting, especially associated with the Eastern Church, was that of the icon. The icon may well have originated in Egypt, where the common pagan practice to adorn mummy cases with portraits of the dead, or to affix wooden plaques painted with their likeness over the shrouds of the less wealthy.
“For those portraits, the encaustic process of burning colored wax into the surface of the wood was used; a technique that which had the advantage of producing a very tough finish which, combined with the climate of Egypt, made the portraits well nigh indestructible.
“The earliest known Christian icons are examples from St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai, so it seems not unlikely that the pagan Egyptians’ veneration of the likeness’ of there dead was later transferred to Christ and the Virgin.”
The author follows up later with this statement, “The earliest icon, of the sixth century, represents the Virgin, enthroned and wearing the imperial purple, as a young mother of highly individual features and positive personality.”
I confirmed this idea, in Byzantine Painting, which discusses the 6th century icons in Sinai and their resemblance to the wax funeral effigies in Egypt, and by consulting Dr. Alexander Boguslawski’s website on Russian art work (see References below).
So we have its origins and what it was used for, but why did the icon remain a stilted, unchanging style?
To sum it up, I offer this quote from, E. H. Gombrich’s The Story Of Art:
“The Egyptians had largely drawn what they knew to exist, the Greeks what they saw: in the Middle Ages, the artist also learned to express in his pictures what he felt.”
The artist didn’t feel the need to show the reality of a portrait, but instead the mystery and symbolism of the saint or religious figure — the feeling of the holy and the miraculous.
When I inquired to my resident icon maker regarding the unchanging nature of the art, Mrs. Carney said that the people who painted icons in the Middle Ages and earlier are closer to the time when the venerated walked this earth. To deviate from those images would be to go away from what the image is supposed to look like. The icon is to be meditated upon and, when combined with prayer, should cause you to reflect on that person’s work on this earth and the message of the kingdom of heaven. Icons are simple and unchanging; nothing to distract or to take focus away from their primary objective. The faces, while kind and somewhat stoic, are never to be sensual or beautiful enough to distract your mind from worship.
What happened to so many of the early icons?
I wondered why there were so few icons from the 10th century; why was there a gap in their history? Once again, Mrs. Carney had the answer and explained that they were ordered to be destroyed when they where thought to be too close to idol worshiping. I went to the library and learned that between 726 and 843 AD, the Byzantine Empire was caught in a huge debate on whether the icon was a venerated object or an idol.
One side of the fence was the Iconoclasm: this word comes from the Greek eikon (icon) and klao (destroy). This group felt that icons and images of God, the saints, and apostles were idols. They felt that when God said to Moses, “Thou shalt not make an idol, thou shalt not bow down to (idols) nor serve them” (Exodus 40-4-5), that these icons were in violation of that decree and had to be destroyed.
The Iconophiles, or lovers of these images, were the ones who argued in support of their use. They formulated rules of icon painting and the prayers to govern their use. They cited stories of icons healing people in times of need and making wells run with water. “They must be blessed by God, if the miracles happen,” they argued.
In 725, this argument came to a head when Emperor Leo III began to write a document, Legos, to condemn the holy images. He had serious problems with the new Arabic religion, Islam, rising at his back door. In 726, during the turmoil after an earthquake, the image of Christ was removed from the gates. It was said that a group of iconophiles killed the guards. Leo had had enough problems and he finally ordered all the icons removed from the churches in 730. He believed their use was angering God and the Moslems were God’s punishment. Strangely enough, the Moslem faith had restrictions on the human body in religious art as well.
The icon would have died out completely had it not been for Empress Irene, who convinced the Council of Nicaea to call the removal of icons a “detestable error” in 787. By 843, her son Emperor Michael III had the face of Christ replaced on the gates to the palace.
How are icons made?
When most people think of icons, they picture a wooden slab-like board with gesso and tempera paint. The truth is that the very early icons were made using a colored wax burned into wood. We also see icons made of frescos applied directly on walls, as well as cloisonné glass in a frame. There are even remnants of mosaic icons made with tiny ceramic tiles.
During the 10th century, the icon settled into the style we now generally consider its typical form: a slab of wood; sanded and squared; sized in an animal hide glue (sealed and making a base for the gesso to adhere); gessoed with a mixture of white alabaster or plaster and size (animal hide glues); painted with a mixture of tempera (a pigment suspended in egg yolk); and sealed with a copal resin varnish.
Why is Russia connected to icons?
The early Russian people, called “Rus,” were Vikings settlers. They began visiting Constantinople in 838. In 860, they attempted an aborted attack on the city. The Emperor negotiated monies for protection but it wasn’t until 988 that Emperor Bales listed his Rus troops at 6,000 (Prince Vladimir of Kiev).
The Rus had contact with the Byzantine Empire as the Varangian Guard. We know that Vladimir (ruler from 980 to 1015) converted to Orthodox Christianity. This was accomplished through his sister Anna’s marriage to the Emperor Basil II around 989. The event was marked in the settlement of Kiev by a church being built, dedicated to the Holy Mother of God. Craftsmen from the Byzantine Empire were sent to build and decorate it.
This convergence of craftsmen was to continue as more churches where built. But when the Byzantine Empire became more riddled with civil war in 1321, the throne was eventually abdicated in 1328. The Empire was crumbling and the artists and crafts men could see the writing on the wall. In 1453, the Byzantine artists (particularly the icon makers) fled to Christian lands that would accept their icons. They knew the Moslem religion with its prohibitions on recreating the image of holy figures would not take kindly to them.
Stable and entrenched in the Orthodox Church, the Russians welcomed them in, as did Greece. By this time, the Church in Europe had moved to portable altar work for personal uses, such as triptychs and diptychs, and had left behind the stilted look of the Byzantine icons.
In Russia and Greece, the reproduction of icons never deviating from the original was respected and kept alive until modern times. Even today, you can purchase an icon made by a Russian icon maker with the appropriate prayers said over the work as it is painted, bearing the approved subject matter and symbols.
Forest, Jim (1977) “Praying With Icons” ISBN 1-57075-112-9
Gilbert, Stuart (1979) “Byzantine Painting” ISBN 0-8478-0225-6
Gombrich, E.H. (1979) “The Story Of Art” ISBN 071481208
Gough, Michael (1972) “The Origins of Christian Art” LCC 73-8233
Lowden, John (1997) “Early Christian & Byzantine Art” ISBN 0-7148-3168-9
Appendix: Prayers for the Iconographer
This was supplied to me by my resident icon maker. I do not know the age or history around this set of prayers. It has been established that, even in period, no icon was considered holy until prayers where performed for consecration and guidance of the iconographer’s hand.
A Prayer for Consecrating an Iconographer
from Mt. Athos
Thou Who hast so admirably imprinted Thy features on the cloth sent to King Abgar of Edessa, and hast so wonderfully inspired Luke Thy Evangelist: Enlighten my soul and that of Thy servant; Guide his hand that he may reproduce Thy features, those of the Holy Virgin and of all Thy saints, for the glory and peace of Thy Holy Church. Spare him from temptations and diabolical imaginations in the name of Thy Mother, St. Luke, and all the Saints. Amen.
Prayer Before Beginning an Icon
O DIVINE LORD of all that exists, Thou hast illumined the Apostle and Evangelist Luke with Thy Holy Spirit, thereby enabling him to represent Thy most Holy Mother, the One who held Thee in her arms and said: The Grace of Him Who has been born of me is spread throught the world! Enlighten and direct my soul, my heart and my spirit. Guide the hands of Thine unworthy servant so that I may worthily and perfectly portray Thine Icon, that of Thy Mother, and all the Saints, for the glory, joy and adornment of Thy Holy Church. Forgive my sins and the sins of those who will venerate these icons and who, kneeling devoutly before them, give homage to those they represent. Protect them from all evil and instruct them with good counsel. This I ask through the intercession of Thy most Holy Mother, the Apostle Luke, and all the Saints. Amen.
Prayer After Completing an Icon
Thou, Thyself, O LORD, art the fulfillment and completion of all good things. Fill my soul with joy and gladness, for Thou alone art the Lover of mankind. Let Thy grace sanctify and dwell within this icon, that it may edify and inspire those who gaze upon it and venerate it; that in glorifying the one depicted, they may be repentant of their sins and strengthened against every attack of the adversary. Through the prayers of the Theotokos, the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, and all the Saints, O Savior, save us! Amen
Points are the short (generally a foot long) ties used by Elizabethans for many clothing purposes: attaching sleeves to doublets, holding jerkins closed, and lacing doublets to hosen, among others.
During that time period, points were sold in bundles of a dozen. From this we may deduce they were a “manufactured” item, not something made to order for each customer. Many Scadians use short shoelaces or bits of ribbon for points, but here is a way to make them.
Tools and Materials. All photos by THFool Dagonell Collingwood of Emerald Lake.
I make my points from brass tubing and braided cotton cord. It’s really quite simple and results in handsome points (if I do say so myself) that don’t break the bank.
Start with a length of small brass tubing. I have used 3/16” tubing with good results. While 5/32” works, I found it difficult to insert the cord. Cut the tubing into approximately 1” lengths, two for each point you want to make. These are your aglets.
If you decide to use the whole length of tubing (it’s commonly sold in three-foot lengths) you may want to cut the last two lengths in half; any errors in the lengths of the aglets will accumulate at the end of the tubing, and cutting the last two aglets in half will result in one point per batch having shorter but even tips.
Cutting aglets with a tubing cutter
The best tool for cutting the tubing is, surprise, surprise, a tubing cutter. You can also use a hacksaw and a mitre box, but that will leave you with rough ends that need to be smoothed with a file or sandpaper, with no guarantee of a square cut, unlike the tubing cutter.
Measuring the cord
Once the aglets are cut, it’s time to cut the cord. I use braided cotton cord such as Venetian blind cord, about 9/64” in diameter. Cut about a one-foot length and pull the core from the braid.
Pulling the core
Roll the cut end between your fingers and carefully push it into an aglet. You can ease the aglet onto the cord by twisting and pushing, and you may find waxing the end of the cord helpful.
Inserting the cord into the aglet
Once the end of the cord is even with the other end of the aglet, pinch the aglet with a crimping tool such as those used for connecting terminals to small wires.
Make sure the end of the cord is even with the aglet
Crimp near the cord end of the aglet, then repeat the process for the other end of the cord.
Crimp the aglet
Congratulations! You have made your first point. Now all you need to do is repeat the process until you have all the points you need.
You can also use different materials for the cord. Period portraiture often shows ribbons with aglets used as points. You can do this simply by substituting half- or three-quarter-inch ribbon for the braided cord. Lucet cord would also work, but you may need to use a different diameter tubing; take a sample of your lucet cord to the craft store and find tubing that fits. I do not recommend using leather lace; I have found that crimping leather crushes the fibers and causes the aglets to break off.
Master Cynwyl MacDaire’s Hand-carved horn with silver embellishment
By THL Elska á Fjárfelli (Susan Verberg)
Lord Otto Boese’s 13th century Magyar (Hungarian) archery kit. All photos by THL Elska.
For the Arts & Sciences portion of the Pennsic War Point this year, last year’s participant Mistress Fredeburg selected and organized this year’s contingent of Æthelmearc artisans.
Lady Shirin of Susa’s Canon page from the Armenian Gospels of Gladzor
As in previous years, each side could choose 12 entrants consisting of five Laurels and seven non-Laurels.
But this year, different from previous years, the item to be displayed could not have been entered in any previous A&S competitions, making this competition quite the last-minute challenge for our artisans.
Master Robert of Sugar Grove’s “bench for His Excellency”
To preserve anonymity performance entries were also not allowed, as were cooking entries for public health safety.
While in previous years only awarded artisans (Sycamore or higher) could vote, this year all Pennsic attendees could participate. Each person wishing to vote for their A&S Champions of choice would be given three beans to place in any of the entrants’ cups. At the end of the competitions the beans would be counted and scored for a winner-take-all for the 2 War Points.
Lord Hrólfr á Fjárfelli’s weaving broken diamond twill fabric to create a Viking-age apron dress
Although our side did not win, the results were very, very close with a difference of only 82 points from over a total of 1,800 votes cast. The quality of entries was incredible and I think our Æthelmearc artisans deserve a big thank you for giving it all they had!
Our artisans were:
Master Robert of Sugar Grove
Master Cynwyl MacDaire
Lord Hrólfr á Fjárfelli
Lord Otto Boese
Lady Shirin of Susa
Thank you Mistress Fredeburg for organizing such an amazing team, and thank you Lady Shirin for stepping in at the last minute when one of our allies had an artisan drop out.
Greetings to all the talented and generous Gentles of our Glorious Kingdom from Elisabeth Johanna von der Flossenburg
Good Gentles:
Our Royalty represents our Kingdom, both at home and abroad. Pageantry is a large part of our game. So is showcasing the talents of our artisans. This is why I am coming to you today requesting your help.
Their Highnesses have honored me by appointing me Mistress of the Wardrobe. But I cannot do this by myself; nobody can. However, if the work is divided out into small parts it becomes easy and manageable.
My thoughts are as follows: I would like to have groups of artisans work together on this project. Please let me explain
In period, there were workshops, where a master and his apprentices and journeymen worked together. If a garment was embroidered, an embroiderer did that work, while the tailor or seamstress only sewed the garment. There were Modelbooks that had the designs in them for the embroiderer, etc. etc.
I hope you see what I am trying to say: I think our Illuminators could be the designers of the embroidery design, which our embroiderers then execute, the weavers make the trim and the seamstresses or tailors put the garment together. Someone else casts the buttons and so on. You see many hands make light work.
It is my hope that all over this Kingdom artisans will get together to form teams so we can all together make our Royalty look fabulous and showcase the talents this Kingdom is so blessed with.
I will be at Æcademy this weekend. Please find me and talk to me if you are interested in participating in this project. Their Highnesses have expressed that they are willing to wear many different styles of clothing, so everybody in this Kingdom can get involved, and no one person has to do all the work.
If you are not coming to Æcademy but are interested in getting involved, please contact me via email or Facebook messenger under Elisabeth von Hahn.
And please do not worry, I am not expecting anyone to start working on this until after Pennsic unless you want to and have time before then.
Looking forward to speaking to and hearing from many of you. I remain in Service to our Glorious Kingdom and our Royalty
We will be having a clothing lending library at the event. Please bring any books you think others might be interested in looking at. We are hoping to have a scanner and printer set up so people use.
12 to 2 Photo Booth will be open – Please come get your picture taken in all your finery!!
2 Fashion Show
4 Awards ceremony
6 everyone must be out or they can help move all the dining hall tables
Come fight and fence once again in a medieval Great Hall. Show off your finery in our fashion show. Join us for a day of enjoyment at Risley Hall.
Please join the Dominion of Myrkfaelinn on March 4, 2017 at Risley Hall (536 Thurston Ave, Ithaca NY 14850) for Dress Your Best. There will be fencing and heavy fighting, but most excitingly a fashion show with prizes! Come take the stage and compete for prizes for things such as best overall, best persona, best accessory. And of course we don’t want to leave out they fighters so there will be prizes for things such as best heavy kit and fanciest fencer! We are also hoping for a class or two on personas and making garb.
Site opens at 10 am and will close at 6pm. Autocrat is Gytha Oggsdottir.
Adult Event Registration: $13
Adult Member Discount (or Adult Student Discount) Event Registration: $8
Teen Event Registration (13-17): $4
Youth (0-12): Free
Make checks payable to SCA NY Inc -Dominion of Myrkfaelinn
Please join us in our gorgeous medieval surroundings Dressed your Best!!
Several months ago, I finally put scissors to fabric and began putting together an early 16th century German dress. I’d been researching for some time, but it took a lot of mental preparation to work myself up to the idea of constructing a late-period garment on my own. For this dress, I drew inspiration primarily from two Hans Holbein sketches of a Basel woman from 1523.
I began with my own measurements and looking at patterns from both Katafalk and Reconstructing History, but found that neither really worked for my body. So I ended up fitting myself and making my own, which was a long and infuriating process — next time I’m having a friend help me fit a new pattern.
When I finished my bodice pattern (which was slightly modified after these photos), I cut an interlining of heavy linen and the wool shell, then attached them mostly following Katafalk’s tutorial. I cut the guards out of black wool and attached them after the bodice was all put together, then moved onto the skirt.
Using Mistress Genoveva’s Rolled Pleat Calculator, I came up with the length needed for my skirt, which I think was about 6 yards. I had a whole bolt of red wool from JoAnn Fabrics, and I only used a half-width of the fabric for the top portion of the skirt. I spent several hours with a ruler and chalk, and by the end of it I had my skirt pleated.
I ended up piecing the bottom stripes together in three panels of stripes, then sewed them together and attached them. Next time, I’ll likely attach the stripes before I pleat the skirt, but it didn’t create any major inconveniences doing it the other way.
It was after I completed the skirt that I started running out of time leading up to Fall Coronation of Marcus and Margerite, so I decided to put my plans for the sleeves on the back burner — it would be easy enough to take the middle-class route and simply sew the exaggerated stitching at the joints over the chemise. The proper chemise also wasn’t going to happen in time, so I pulled a cheater shirt out for the event.
The last piece of the outfit that I could accomplish in time was the hemd and steuchlein, which I made following Katafalk’s tutorials. The hemd was even more difficult to fit by myself than the bodice pattern was, and I was extremely glad to cover it and all the mistakes I made on it with the steuchlein.
There weren’t a great deal of photos of the good-enough dress I took to the event, but I was pretty pleased with it. I’m currently working on the more-correct sleeves, a pleated chemise, and fixing some general mistakes on the dress. Ideally, there will also be a structured linen kirtle to go under this dress and over the chemise.
See Astridr’s blog here for more of her sewing and culinary adventures.
Come fight and fence once again in a medieval Great Hall. Show off your finery in our fashion show. Join us for a day of enjoyment at Risley Hall!
Please join the Dominion of Myrkfaelinn on March 4, 2017 at Risley Hall (536 Thurston Ave, Ithaca NY 14850) for Dress Your Best. There will be fencing and heavy fighting, but most excitingly a fashion show with prizes! Come take the stage and compete for prizes for things such as best overall, best persona, best accessory. And of course we don’t want to leave out they fighters so there will be prizes for things such as best heavy kit and fanciest fencer! We are also hoping for a class or two on personas and making garb.
Site opens at 10 a.m. and will close at 6 p.m. Autocrat is Gytha Oggsdottir (Lori Drake, 101 Uptown Rd #33, Ithaca NY 14850 607-351-8433).
Adult Event Registration: $13
Adult Member Discount (or Adult Student Discount) Event Registration: $8
Teen Event Registration (13-17): $4
Youth (0-12): Free
Make checks payable to SCA NY Inc -Dominion of Mrykfaelinn
Please join us in our gorgeous medieval surroundings!
The official announcement on the kingdom webpage is here.
Æthelmearc Seamstresses, Weavers, Embroiderers!
