I don't know what possessed me to want to weave a basket, but here we are... A long long time ago, my dad used to say the college football players were all majoring in underwater basket weaving. When I was a small child, I did not understand what this was, but assumed (for reasons that… Continue reading A Brief Foray into Basketry
Tag: medieval
The Crown of Love
In April of 2021 I planned out a rather large embroidery project reproducing a panel of the 14th Century Embroidered Wall Hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I am happy to say, that after nearly two years the project is complete: I wrote a bit about the project in a blog post called German… Continue reading The Crown of Love
White Work Apron
A secret project for John Marshall. The day I became an Apprentice, John Marshall, husband of Elizabet, my Laurel, received his Writ to join the Order of the Laurel for his excellence in historic food, including cheese making (Mmm Cheese). To this, I volunteered to make the cook an apron trimmed with Laurel leaves for… Continue reading White Work Apron
Battle of Little Birds
This summer I agreed to a rather large project. There were times I laid awake at night worried that I would not be able to finish it in time and made a mistake in accepting, and there were times I was frustrated by the fiddley nature of this project, but I have to say it… Continue reading Battle of Little Birds
A Rainbow Pelican
Its been a while since I've posted. Last year at the end of the year I was the deputy event steward for a big event that took place right before the shut down events (yet again). The days/weeks/months leading up to the event were stressful and coupled with mundane problems, I felt burnt out afterward.… Continue reading A Rainbow Pelican
November: Caterpillar
This needlework piece is part of my ongoing exploration of different medieval embroidery styles. A full explanation of the project can be found here. A post discussing how I drafted this pattern and the stitches/materials used can be found here. I have had so much fun stitching this year. I have learned so many new… Continue reading November: Caterpillar
November: Padded Work
As you may have read in the finishing of my Reticella piece, September and October were rough months for me. And reticella was difficult. Drawing my threads from the fabric rather than doing a punto in aria design took many more hours than anticipated. And thus, I am sick of white linen and want to… Continue reading November: Padded Work
September: Needle Lace
Needle lace was the first new thing I learned at my first event in the SCA. I learned a little needle lace edging for a handkerchief (that is yet unfinished, alas). But it lead to the creation of this beautiful bunny: A needle Lace Bunny Now, the casual embroiderer might ask "What is going on… Continue reading September: Needle Lace
August: St. Catherine in her Golden Splendor
There have been four posts thus far about this tiny needle case. In the first, I discussed my plans for the needle case including drafting the pattern and selection of materials. In the second I marveled at how long a split stitch face takes to stitch. In the third, I discussed in detail the way… Continue reading August: St. Catherine in her Golden Splendor
May: Counted Thread, plan and pattern
The invention of the printing press was a boon to society, even needle workers! in the 1500s we have an explosion of printed model books full of amazing patterns. As a student of art history, one of the things that fascinates me to no end, is that these model books were copied and reprinted by… Continue reading May: Counted Thread, plan and pattern