Well, I can proudly say that Sir Brynjolfr's trousers are finished well before the Memorial Day deadline we agreed on.  I am probably going to see him at Honor War in a few weeks, so I can bring them for him to try on in case of any modifications.  For now, though, here's the finished trousers.  I used my serger on these since hand-sewing wouldn't even be visible, and I wanted them to be machine-washable and sturdy.

They are based on the style known in the SCA as Rus trousers, which actually seems to have been pretty common throughout the Viking world.  There are lots of images of men wearing full trousers that appear creased or pleated, which come in below the knee for a tight fit.  

I have to say a huge thank you to my husband, Lord Aonghus, who helped me struggle through these.  He gave me all the source info I could possibly ask for, and helped keep me on track (check out his references on his Norse Garb pinterest board).  It was at his suggestion that I make the lower leg portion full-length instead of just a shorter strap/cuff below the knee.  He said these pants were sometimes worn without leg-wraps, and that they are more comfortable and stable with leg wraps if the trousers go all the way down.

The waist band is made of a double-folded strip of linen, eight inches wide.  Aonghus says he makes his trousers so that each leg is twice as wide ashis thigh measurement.  I went with the full width of the linen, since I had enough, it was close to that measurement,  and it was easy to measure/cut.  The thigh pieces are attached by a crotch gusset that runs from the front waistband to the back, and is a couple inches longer than the client's rise.  The bottom leg sections are about two inches larger than his calf, and should reach to the ankle.

Below is a photo of the full width of the trousers.  It kind of makes me think of those before/after weight loss photos with someone holding their giant old pants.

The waist band was made about two inches longer than Sir Brynjolfr's waist.  I then pleated the pants into the waistband by marking halves, quarters, etc. until I had about one inch pleats.  I did the same thing with the trouser legs where the lower leg connects.  A lot of the construction of these pants was based on conjecture, since actual period examples are really scarce.  Many reenactors have made similar pants without adding a waist band by simply folding over the top of the pants and adding a drawstring.  My experience of wearing garments like that is that they're uncomfortable.  The gathered material shifts around, feels baggy, makes clothes look rumpled on top, and can be kind of a pain to get in and out of.  I made a waist band for comfort and ease of wearing, but I think it's a plausible addition to a pair of pants, and likely will never be seen by anyone except Sir Brynjolfr anyway.

I didn't get a decent photo yet, but I made fingerloop braided ties at the waist band, and can add additional sets if he wants the pants more snug.  Overall, I'm proud of how they came out.  This was a fun easy project, and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished object on the recipient!  

Another plus, is that even for the rather tall Sir Brynjolfr, this project only took two yards of 60 inch wide linen, making it an economical garment too!

I wanted to share my project notebook here, because it shows the very simple pieces that make up the Rus pants (lefthand page).  A couple of rectangles and squares, and that's it.

The other reason I wanted to show it is that it shows the struggles I went through with cutting out my new project, a 14th century kirtle (aka cotte).  I had exactly four yards of 60 inch wide wool, and if you haven't learned from reading my blog yet, I love trying out new styles.  I had gotten help from a friend with draping a pattern, but when I read the info presented on the Medieval Tailor website I started getting really interested in the look and construction of these ubiquitous garments.  You can obviously read a lot more about this on the site itself, but I really liked the author's insights about the fact that kirtles were sort of the transitional item between rectangular construction (think t-tunics, bliauts, etc.) and tailored/draped construction (think tudor/renaissance).  

The author bases her pattern on a lot of images, her own experience, and the construction of the Herjolfsnes finds from Greenland, specifically H38, H39, and H41, all of which feature side gores that reach from under the armscye to the hem.  The front and back panels resemble the four-panel kirtle we are all used to seeing, but the fitting in the waist takes place along the side gores as well as the front and back seams.  This has a couple of benefits in my opinion: 1) No pre-draped pattern required, because who would really have the extra fabric for that in period? 2) Takes advantage of narrow fabric width on period looms.  My widest pieces as cut out were 30 inches wide, far closer to period fabric width. 3) Almost no waste.  The pieces I had left from cutting out are large enough to be used for something, and the pieces that will be trimmed away in fitting will be negligibly small.

There are only a couple of challenges here.  You may be able to see from my first cutting diagram, that I mistakenly only accounted for two side gores (enough for one side), then had to panic and re-configure to get what I needed out out of the fabric I had.  I had to plan for slightly narrower front and back gores, but I made it work.  The second challenge is that I've never done a sleeve like this before.  I eyeballed my sleeve pattern based on the instructions from the site, and I'm sure I'll need to fiddle with it to get it to fit, but I really just want a sleeve that is relatively fitted but in which I can still use my arms.

After much scribbling and swearing, I got the pattern cut out, with about a quarter yard left over.  This is really a fabric-conservative pattern!  The pile on the left is my dress, the one on the right is the scrap fabric, which could become anything at this point... extra sleeve gussets, maybe garters or a pouch, material for future applique projects...  You may see a stain on the top left piece of fabric.  I have no idea where that came from, as I washed the fabric when I got it, but I'll try washing the dress once more when it's finished.  If it just won't go away, I'll dye the whole thing.  It's wool, so that should be easy.

I think I'm going to go ahead and hand-sew this dress.  I know it's a bit crazy, but I really enjoy hand sewing, and it'll be a fun way to get better at my stitches, and to get comfortable with the narrow seam allowances you get in extant finds and can get away with when using wool.  I have silk thread to use for the construction, and then maybe this will be an A&S project entry someday.  I only set the front gores in wrong twice last night when I got started sewing, even with my trusty assistant Betsy to oversee my work.  

Well, another week has come and gone since I last wrote here.  Once again I felt like I didn't have much of consequence to say about my SCA life, especially not my art, and then I thought about it, realized that yet again I have plenty to say, so I snapped a few photos and here I am.

I will say that grad school is taking up a lot of my time right now, and add in some unexpected health issues and a full-time job, and I've got a lot to juggle. I'll keep doing my best to keep at this, and someday there'll be happiness again in Nottingham. ;)

Last Sunday the Cavalry got together to have another project day to brush up everyone's fighting tabards for the upcoming war season.  I brought over a bunch of scraps of linen, Beth bought a few more yards, and we got to work putting in side panels for the rapier fighters and adding applique arms all over the place.  They are looking great, but we'll need one more gathering to finish them up.  Honor War is just under a month away, so hopefully we will do it before then.

I decided that since I find ramsons so tasty, and since they feature so prominently on my device, it was time to have some around.  They aren't native to the U.S., and one previous attempt to grow them failed miserably (I'm an avid but  inattentive gardener), but I bought more seeds and they arrived with a bonus package of corn salad, which I've also never grown before.  Wish me luck!  I'll be starting both indoors in the near future.  They may stay indoors, to be honest, since Idaho summers are very hot and dry, and very different from the moist cool shady floor of a deciduous forest, which is where these normally grow.  Check out kykeonplants.etsy.com for all kinds of cool seeds and garden stuff. I'll be back for more, I'm sure.

In an effort to keep up with my finished object a month plan, I ordered the fabric for Sir Brynjolfr's Rus trousers, and since I liked the color so much, I nabbed enough for a dress for myself too.  Not sure what style it will be yet, but we'll see.  I also hauled out and measured this lovely tan wool, which I got from a friend when her mother died and left a big fabric stash.  There are a few moth holes that need mending, but between that and the fact that it was free, I'm not so scared to screw it up by using it.  My aim is to make this into a 14th century kirtle to wear with my heraldic sideless surcote from last summer.  Tomorrow I'm helping a friend pattern and cut a bliaut, so hopefully she can help me pattern and cut my kirtle at the same time.  Here's a pic of both fabrics:

And last but not least, I made it out to the first Baronial archery practice of the season and got to test out my new longbow, a gift from my awesome husband for our anniversary last fall.  She's a beaut, though I really need a better stringer.  I'm still adjusting to shooting without an arrow rest too, but it sounds like practices should be happening regularly, so I should get a chance to get comfortable using it.  Here's a few pictures from the session.  This first one was a bit of a fluke, I split the wand (totally by accident, of course)!

Here's a few photos my husband took of me warming up.  This is going to take some getting used to, but look at my pretty new toy!

And finally, the clout shoot.  My fellow marching band veterans and I paced off the length to the flag from where we were shooting, and it was just about 90 yards.  Once I got a feel for the distance, I did pretty okay.  This shot is from the second round.  I was within two yards of the target!  Not too shabby.  I need some longer arrows, and some good leather gloves if I'm going to use myself as an arrow rest, but I had a blast!  Sore muscles today are a good sign, I think.

Photo: Nicole Scofield

P.S. check out the lovely arrow bag my husband made for me!  He's so talented, and he just whipped it out in a couple of hours.  It's based on the Mary Rose quiver.  It worked really well.  I can't wait to decorate it!

Well!  Suddenly it's March and it's been a week since my last post, so it's time to catch up on what's going on in my SCA life, especially my Arts & Sciences life.  I really didn't think I had a thing to talk about, then I remembered I have an event to talk about, and plenty of other little bits and pieces that have piled up.

Firstly, way back in March of 2014 I submitted my device, which you can see and read about here.  It passed without any issues, along with my name, in December of that year.  However, the more I look at it, and looked at more period devices, and use the colors, etc. the more I felt like it just wasn't *quite* me.  It was close.  I was in love with the bear and the wild garlic flowers, but it felt a little sloppy to me and just not quite right.  Using the resources from www.heraldicclipart.com I came up with a new configuration using a more period image of a bear, and elements that feel more cohesive.  The switch from or (gold) to argent (silver), the move from a per fess (split in half horizontally) to a chief (smaller border at the top) and a move from wavy to embattled division looks a lot better in my opinion.  I'll be submitting this later in the month once I get my paperwork colored and sent in.  What do you think?

Two weeks ago our household had a banner-making day to make some signage to identify ourselves when we go to war.  We used canvas drop cloths from the hardware store painted with latex house paint diluted with water, and Duchess Clare's handy projector for tracing on the designs.  Here are a few pics of the fun

Facebook also reminded me today that it is my one-year anniversary of becoming my Laurel's apprentice.  Both Mistress Antonia and myself are introverts with busy lives, but I have tried to be a good apprentice this year, and I've made lots of new garb, taught two classes at events, and set an agenda to make sure I keep up my art this year even while I finish up my master's degree.  I have gained a sister student who returned to our barony after a long absence, and I'm sure I'll continue to learn and maybe even improve!

Finally, on March 5, last Saturday, my husband and I attended our kingdom's coronation celebration in the Barony of One Thousand Eyes  I volunteered to serve on the new Queen Veronik's retinue when she asked for people in our area to step up, but I have a feeling it will be a very different experience than my first time around with Duchess Clare.  I am beginning to see how deeply I dove in and how gleefully I took on a full-contact experience.  I was really hungry for a deeper view of the SCA, and I surely got it with Clare.  

Damon and Veronik, who were on the thrones when I first started playing, seem to be fairly low-key, with good senses of humor and the knowledge of experience, as this is their third reign.  In any case, I did not hear from Her Majesty or anyone on her retinue after her email asking if I would serve, didn't have any duties on Saturday, and wouldn't be surprised if she couldn't pick me out of a lineup, though we did meet once last summer.  In any case, I'll be here to help at the events they attend in our Barony, and hopefully we will get to know each other a bit too.  This commitment level is a better fit for my life right now, and the longer I play the more variety I see in how different people approach this game.  It helps me remember how much of what we see in the SCA is just convention, habit, etc.  I saw queens from my area, like Duchess Kortland and Duchess Clare, who had long courts, naming retinue, giving favors and tokens, and filling long stretches of time with pageantry.  A king and queen who stepped up, were brought the regalia by members of their own household, put it on themselves, accepted oaths, and left it at that was something new to me.  We'll see what the future holds.  

For now, here's a couple photos of the day.  The first, by Mistress Jacquelinne of Cobalt Dragonfly is the oath-taking.  I'm in my blue bliaut and white silk veil, my husband behind me in white shirt and green cap.

The second is a selfie of my husband and I.  We're both making odd faces, but I share it because the trim on his hat was woven by yours truly.  I had just enough for the hat, with a bit left over for the cuffs of some future sleeves.