The Dummy at the King's Assesment Feast

I'm getting the hang of this S.C.A. business. Having felt rather useless with no skills  these past months--no sword fighting, no archery--and struggling to fashion some garb so I am presentable at events, I finally found my niche.

I am a bona fide kitchen wench, scullery maid...call me what you please...I'll answer to it.

The "kitchen" has never scared me. I'm a good baker, a better stew maker, and a great quiche faker (I buy mine). So, it seemed natural that I could lend the only talent I had helping out in the kitchen under the direction of two excellent and practiced chefs for our barony's King's Assessment.

I made bread bowls, peeled and sliced turnips, peeled and grated carrots, mixed the ingredients for mini-cheesecake cups, and washed dishes, and washed dishes, and did I say, washed dishes? How boring you archers, and swords-people must think. But there is one thing I can guarantee...I do believe I got as much exercise in the kitchen that day, as any of you on the competition fields.

Does anyone have a recipe for relieving dishpan hands?

CHECK OUT MY NEW BLOG--MEDIEVAL ME.

JUST DECIDED TO CREATE ANOTHER BLOG...

ONE JUST FOR YOU MEDIEVAL MEANDERERS AND SCA PLAYERS.

CHECK OUT MEDIEVAL ME at blogspot.com.

I'll still be posting here in addition to new site. See you here and there.
Marie

LOSE THE "LADY"

Yikes!  Researching a name for my S.C.A. persona is almost as difficult as doing the research for my historical (work-in-progress) novel, Lady Mirielle's Flight.

As soon as I mentioned to my writing friends that I needed to come up with a S.C.A.name, they all chimed in...."You already have one!"

What they were referring to was the name of the protagonist in my novel...Lady Mirielle Cartwright Fleming. I know I am not allowed to use the name "Lady" as part of my name so I thought, "Yeah! this is going to be a piece of cake." (Ooops, wrong century.). Just lose the Lady.

I authenticated the surnames Cartwright and Fleming fairly easily, but Mirielle...oh, yes, that was giving me fits. Finally, after weeks of searching, I located a Miriella (1199). If the Heralds will allow me to tweak the final a of that name to an e, I'm set. Otherwise, I'll have to settle for Miriella.

I wonder if Philippa Gregory or Bernard Cornwall have this much trouble coming up with authentic names for their fictional characters.

Medieval: A Word That Shouldn't Leave a Bad Taste in Your Mouth.

Ever notice how some words make you cringe.  The mere mention of them raises goosebumps.

My skin used to crawl whenever the word Medieval surfaced. I always associated it with really bad things...evil things...and evil people. i.e the Plague, King Henry VIII etc. That has changed.

Ever since I became acquainted with the local canton (Lynchburg, VA.)  of the S.C.A,  I see medievalism in a new light.

Instead  of cringing, now I appreciate the time period, and enjoy being part of a group devoted to preserving the institutions, arts and practices of the Middle Ages.

I've been hooked and enlightened. Thank you Black Diamond Barony.

Next step...selecting my persona name. Now tht is something that really gives me the chills.

The Medieval Fates are Against Me

     I am so eager to start participating in our Canton's and Barony events, but it seems that the next few conflict with other events I must attend...unrelated to S.C.A.

    Perhaps, this is a blessing in disguise as I have no garb to wear over my newly made chemise. But, I am making progress. I have the pattern pieces cut out for a side-slit surcoat--now if I can only figure out how to keep my sewing machine's thread from slipping out of the needle. Do I have a bobbin problem? A tension problem? A me problem?

     Why is everything related to sewing such a difficult thing for me? I fear the Fates have seen my sewing and have conspired to keep me from ever attaining needlework nirvana.

CONFESSIONS OF A S.C.A. "NEWBIE"- PART 2.

PART 2---The Trials and Tribultions of Constructing My Chemise.

Who ever said, "A stitch in time, saves nine?"  What does it mean, anyway?

Perhaps this quote may have application for Hollywood costume designers, English Tailors, seamstresses, and Betsey Ross  (in the past), but to me it is a conundrum. There is more ripping out than sewing.

When it comes to sewing, allow me to quote the King in the play/movie The King and I,( which had nothing to do with sewing, but everything to do with my observation when it comes to sewing ). "It's a puzzlement."

Keep in mind I do not know how to sew.  This is my virgin voyage into the world of tissue paper patterns, notches and darts.

Encouraged by others in our Canton, I dove headlong into the project of constructing my chemise. After all, How hard can this be? I'll just follow the directions. Well, as you will see, I am the poster child for the saying..."Pride cometh before a fall."

The section of the pattern that gave me the most problems were the sleeves. First, after cutting them out, I lost track of the wrong and right side of the fabric. I was using a fine muslin. It all looked the same to me.

When nothing matched up, I realized I had attached the sleeves to the wrong armholes. Rip, rip, clip. I tore out the lenght of the sleeve seam, inverted them, and re-attached them correctly. Then, heady with success, I dove into the fray like the leader of a Holy Crusade.

I took up my needle and thread and hand-hemmed the opening edges of the sleeves forgetting that I had pre-folded and ironed them flat prior to inverting them. Hastemakes waste. Once again it was rip, rip, clip.

I flattened the ripped-open edges with my hand, re-folded them under, and re-pressed  them.   This time I wasn't so quick to get the job done. I made sure everything was in order before pricking my fingers with anymore hand-stitching that I'd have to rip out.

All I can say is  this project caused me to exude enough heat to fire up a kiln. Groaning and grumbling, fussing and fretting, I finally completed my first project.  I now have a very serviceable chemise--don't look too closely at the stitching--that I will be proud to wear under my next project that I assure you will not have sleeves.

"Why no sleeves?" you ask. 

"It's too much of a puzzlement," is all I can say.