Our barony recently held an event called Barmaids, a Knight at the Tavern, with pub/tavern themed activites, as well as our polling for a new Baron and Baroness.  There were dice games, barroom brawls for both rapier and heavy fighters, thrown weapons competitions (all based around dueling after a night at the pub, of course), and a feast to raise funds for the Arn Hold Brewers' Guild, which is headed by my husband.  New heavy and rapier champions for the barony were also selected.

I was particularly proud of the feast we prepared.  My husband made bratwurst soaked in homebrewed beer and grilled, and I made sauerkraut in a variety of flavors, and rolls made with spent grain from the brewing process.  There was also homemade soda (both root beer and cream soda), and salad.  We sold out, and the food seemed to go over very well.

Congratulations to our incoming Baron and Baroness, Balenor and Teaghan, who will do a great job, and to our new champions.  To close, here's a couple shots of my first time participating in thrown weapons, and one of my sisters and I, who both wore red dresses that day.

Photos: Arlen Donald

​I have a lot to catch up on.  It's been a busy few months since I wrote last.  Much of my early spring was taken up with assisting Their Majesties prepare for their coronation.  I was thrilled and more than a little proud that they decided to focus on the Anglo-Normans in the twelfth century, and honored that Her Majesty asked me to help her make a bliaut.  It was a pleasure to help cut out and embellish their garb, and it looked fantastic.  I was also honored that The Queen honored those of us who helped her in court with lovely pewter valkyrie pins.  I was able to get some new embroidery done for my seafoam green bliaut, and received several compliments on it.  I am also proud to report that I am now officially the apprentice of Baroness Antonia d'Alessandria, a fiber artist I count among my friends.  Both of us are a bit awkward and shy about ceremonials, but we called a group of friends and SCA family together in our pavilion, and I was honored that Her Majesty and several other laurels whose work I admire were in attendance.   Mistress Antonia gave me a beautiful card woven belt, with spindles on each end.  It's like she knows me or something.

I'll post again soon with updates on Artemisia's crown tourney and the Feast of St. Pyre.

I can't believe I forgot to mention that my name and device were both passed as of December 14, 2014, a nine month turnaround from my original submission.  Here's the text from our Kingdom Herald:

Ursula de Strattone. Name and device. Per fess wavy vert and Or, two ramson flowers affronty argent seeded Or and a brown bear passant proper.

Blazoned on the Letter of Intent as sexfoils, these flowers are not sexfoils. We have reblazoned them as ramson flowers.

I was particularly pleased that they re-blazoned my device, since my original intent was always that the flowers on my device were, indeed ramson (wild garlic) flowers.  Before submitting I was told by folks on the SCA Heraldry Chat Facebook page that I should blazon them as sexfoils, as it may be hard to show that ramsons were known in period, or used on devices, but I did include some of that in my documentation, and I'm thrilled.

In honor of this, and in exchange for some knitted socks, a friend is embroidering blackwork cuffs for my Italian camicia.  The motif will include both garlic bulbs and knitting needles, and the socks are coming out beautifully.

I have a few other projects I've been working on, a bit of embroidery for my own garb, etc. and lots of projects I'd like to do, but all my SCA crafting time lately has been consumed with helping with garb for Their Royal Highnesses' coronation next weekend.  I will share pics after the event, at least of the work I've done, but hopefully some of the couple in all their finery.  It really is coming out beautifully, and I don't mind wearing a dress I've worn before, especially since I am sprucing it up a bit, and since the event is 100% not about me.  The theme of the event is 12th century Anglo-Norman, which happens to be my persona's time and place anyway, so I already have perfectly good garb to wear, and it's far more important for this event that TRH look perfect.  

I am hoping to make at least one new bliaut in the next few months though, and I'd love it to be something a bit fancier for court, likely in a synthetic taffeta or possibly China silk, since I love the idea of having something light and drapey, as bliauts often appear in art.

The biggest event my husband and I (and half the kingdom, it seems) will attend in the next few months is the first coronation for the Kingdom of Avacal, the newest SCA kingdom and likely the last in North America, which is directly north of us.  It should be a once-in-a-lifetime event, and the monarchs of every SCA kingdom will be in attendance.  I am considering wearing my Italian dress to that court, which I will considerably fancy up between now and then, and hopefully I can make a black giornea to go over it, which will then give me some very nice black and gold (our kingdom colors) garb to wear.  The thought that I may get to view that ceremony from behind the thrones is really exciting, and it's enough to tempt me into making the fifteen hour drive it will take to get there.

I hope to get the Italian ensemble polished up and finished in time to share it as my entry to the Artisan's Display Tourney (formerly the Laurel's Prize Tourney) at Uprising War, our Kingdom's largest event.  That means giornea, partelet, possibly a hair covering of some kind, and additional trim/embellishment on the gamura itself.  I want to continue trying to participate in competitions even though it's intimidating for me, especially since I will be officially becoming an apprentice on Saturday at coronation, and HRH has said she will make an effort to attend the ceremony.    I also plan to enter the A&S competition at the Crown Tourney event in April, so I should really get on that.  ARGH.  Don't even get me started on the whole grad school thing, which is what I actually SHOULD be thinking about.  That said, it's going to be an awesome spring/summer.