Barters and Shenanigans

I'm currently testing out the wi-fi at the airport, and while I can confirm it's pretty good, the airport makes for a  lousy place to take pictures of najlbinding; at least when one is trying to take them against a sunny outside world to try and get some plane into the shot. In short though, najlbinding makes the perfect in flight project; packs up nice and small and gave no hassle getting through security. Though ask me again how perfect it is when I'm getting funny looks for the other passengers for continually trying on my sock as I work on it.

While at Raglan, I collected my half of the barter exchange, and I'm able to share that with you now.

This is a custom made piece of tablet weave, made by the wonderfully talented Catherine Weaver. She designed the pattern specifically for me and the project I'm working on, and I'm chuffed to bits with it?

Oh the project? Oh, that'd be the shenanigans you may have heard me mention previously. This is the first clue as to what's it's about. A cookie to the person who figures it out first....

Bartery Goodness

One of the things I love about being involved in the SCA, is with so many talented and resourceful people around, there's always opportunity for a barter exchange. I was approached at my last event by someone who wanted a simple white linen shirt, and offered me fabric in exchange - that's where the green velvet in my last post came from. So just in time for the next event, I have the shirt made.

Now, the shirt is made for someone who is much taller and much broader in the shoulder than I am, so it looks downright lousy on my dressform.  Still though, it serves to give an idea of the shape.

The arms are gusseted and all joining seams are flat felled by way of finish. I would have happily added some backwork to the collar and cuffs of this shirt (which would have added to the challenge some more) but the brief was strictly for a simple shirt with no closures to fuss with.

The Challenge: Challenge #9: Black & White
Fabric: White linen, medium weight and cotton thread.
Pattern: To say I drafted the pattern for this would be using the term in the loosest way imaginable. The pieces were cut as a series of rectangles to make most efficent use of the fabric available.
Year: Medieval-ish? Until you get to the collar.
Notions: Cotton thread
How historically accurate is it? While the use of rectangular pieces to make efficent use of the fabric is a known method is ye olde times when fabric was much more expensive than it is now..  this shirt only barely brushes that. So, let's say 50%, for the materials and because it'll still meet the ten foot rule.
Hours to complete: I think it took about 4-5 hours, but that involved a lot of music selection and messing about, maybe 2-3 hours if I had set to without distractions.
First worn: Yet to be delivered!
Total cost: Material was cheap thanks to a bulk order, so that only came to about €7, and thread at €2, only €9! Shame it's far to early to quality for the Under $10 challenge too.

Getting back to it

Sometimes, you just need to give yourself a mental kick to get things going again. Sometimes, that even works. Thankfully, tonight was one of those sometimes.

I've had trouble getting my discipline on the last week or so, so today, I re-jigged my schedule and set my determination to be sure I'd get things done this evening. So far this has included putting my hair into one of my favourite hair masks (pampering is important too) taking pictures of some recently finished items, and even better, starting on the next project!

Firstly, I got my first Victorian hat finished. I became very happy with the glue gun on this one, so there's very little sewing involved. I used a single layer of buckram and just one round of millinary wire, which I think may have been too light for the velvet I used, so the edges don't curl up quite as much as I'd like. 

The trims I'm not entirely happy with either. There's just something missing, but I don't know what. I figure when I see the trim in a shop, I'll know. But until then, this is my first Victorian style hat, and I shall wear it with pride. Though given I missed the Victorian Field day (stupid sinuses), I'm not yet sure when that will be.



But while I wasn't doing much, I wasn't completely idle. My hands are allergic to idleness I believe. So I knit. Something easy, fast, with a simple pattern. And that was Clapotis from knitty.com. And given the sudden, yet seasonally appropriate change in the weather, as well as the corresponding seasonal breakage of the workplace air conditioning, I'm glad to have it done.

And last, but very much not the least; the most important project on my list.

You see, the green fabric I used in my recently completed Florentine dress didn't come from a shop. It was given to me by a friend looking for an exchange, and became the incentive I needed to enter the Realm of Venus costume competition. In exchange, this friend asked for a Tudor style shirt. She picked out a cotton voile for it to be made up in, and I'm planning a little surprise in the making of it that I hope she'll be happy with. Ok, sure, there's nothing much to show yet, but at least I have something to work on for A&S tomorrow.