Post Pennsic Roundup

I'm back from Pennsic! I survived (even unpacking) and I had a great time. I know I've been a little quieter than usual in the months leading up, but I was SO busy I just didn't have the energy for blogging. Before I finish up posts about my armor (which got it's shakedown cruise on the battlefield at Pennsic!) and a few other things I've been working on, I thought I'd do a quick roundup of all the basic sewing I've done to get ready for the summer events this year. Even though the big kids went to camp grandma instead of Pennsic (so they didn't need a weeks worth of clothes), it was a huge amount of work to have enough clothes for me, the Husbeast, and Kitten to survive a week with only one round of laundry. I didn't get everything done I wanted to, but next year I can add to the wardrobe without the pressure. I KNOW we can survive a week with just what we have. We also finished our tents up (finally) complete with sunshade, and the Husbeast made us a bed and sundry other furnishings.

I do spend a lot of time on the interesting and new projects that I usually write up for this blog, but I also spend a lot of time on the very basic sewing that keeps everyone clothed for events, mending, and also mundane sewing (particularly for Ladybug). This year there has been a LOT of that basic,  keep people from going naked, sewing.  Thankfully, the sheer volume I've had to produce this year will not be an annual event. Sooner than later Kitten will start getting Ladybug's old garb, and the same holds true for Crash and Bang. God bless hand me downs. Also, Now that Husbeast has a basic wardrobe, I can add to it in a more seemly and less panicked manner.

So here's what I've accomplished in the last 4 months that hasn't been interesting enough to blog about. (although some of it may show up in later posts!) Everything is Terribly wrinkly because I just got home from pennsic, washed it all, and folded it to put it away, then decided to take pictures, and unfolded it....

Kitten has 5 small back lacing gowns, a hood, a kaftan, a nightgown, and a tiny coif for to keep the sun off her noggin.

 Her Kaftan and hood are wool. The kaftan is upcycled from two old wool skirts, and the hood is a scrap I had leftover from another project. It's edged with blanket stitch, and seamed with van dyke stitch, all in crewel wool. I used the leftovers to make a little tassel. The kaftan has some decorative stitching in silk Perle.

The yoke on this little butterfly gown is upcycled from an vintage doily. This (and all the others this year) is Baby Gown v2.0 It back laces with a fingerloop braided cord and hand eyelets. Much easier to get on, and she can't take it off!

 Crash got two new tunics, a nightshirt, and a new pair of Thorsbjurg trousers.

He also got this upcycled cloak. We were given an old cloak that was made of two layers of heavy wool and had lost it's clasp. I took it apart, let the boys choose lining fabric, and made two new cloaks. In addition he got a new hood since he outgrew his wool one. This is a lighter weight linen one (originally intended as a fencing hood but didn't fit the helmet right.) and edged with satin stitch worked in green wool.

Bang got two new tunics, two new pairs of thorsbjurg trousers, a nightshirt, and his half of the upcycled cloak project. Thankfully Crash's hand me down hood fits him just right.

 Ladybug still had some garments, so she got two new gowns, a nightgown, and some accessories.

She asked for a hennin and veil, but I told her that wasn't really a thing little girls wore in the 14th century, but I'd find something. A little research led me to discover that younger girls did wear chaplets of flowers, sometimes real, sometimes jeweled or enameled. So I made her this little chaplet of enameled flowers. Also she got the silly embroidered purse.

The nice thing about viking is my garb needs are fairly few and simple. (Thankfully because I needed armor.) I made two new Serks of linen, one with silk trim. and a pair of (also linen) Thorsbjurg trousers for fighting in.

Himself on the other hand, has ALL The garb needs. Particularly because he needs body linens in addition to outer clothing. I finished two shirts for wear, and two shirts to fight in, with at least a little embroidery on them.

I learned to do pulled work on his shirts, and found it addictive. Here's the neck opening of one of his wearing shirts.  (the collar is worked too)

And the cuff of one of his fighting shirts. The little zig zag was really fun!

 He had no clothes, so He got a half circle wool and velvet cloak, lined in silk, one suit of clothes (brown trunkhose and blue doublet) and one pair of camp pants out of a single layer of linen canvas. He can wear those around camp with just a shirt and be more comfortable and cool. He still wore his viking some too. Hopefully by next year he'll have enough of his own period of clothes he won't have to wear the viking at all.

He also had to have a fighting houpelande to match the rest of our household that we're in the process of joining when he was out on the melee field. This has a hanging sleeve (although you can't see it that well here.) it's two layers of linen in the body to pass the safety tests for SCA rapier fencing, and one layer in the sleeve.

Here he is fencing in it :) on the left with the loud tights and brown hood.

In addition to that I helped Husbeast with the fabric portion of our tents. That was a project and a half. I'm so thankful I have a heavy duty treadle machine to handle the sewing. I also have a new respect for tent makers.
After all that, I'm taking a bit of a break from projects with deadlines. I'm spending some time reading, weaving, working on an embroidered kaftan project, catching up on household duties (you can't see my poor roses for the weeds!) and generally decompressing.

Sneak Peek of the Kaftan project!!