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Exploring happiness...
Oct. 17th, 2018 10:03 amLast night I was in a room full of peers...the same people I'm with every Tuesday night- not because they are peers but because they are my friends. I decided to ask the question that has been on my mind recently- are there PLQs that I'm lacking that are cause for concern. The immediate answer was "NO!" But then we talked about giving the appearance of confidence. Karl said that I give the impression that I will break under pressure, although he knows I don't. So I'm not sure what it is that I'm doing to do give that impression and he wasn't either. Something to think about. But generally I don't project an air of confidence which seems to be something people do look for. So I need to work on that. But from there the conversation moved to finding what makes me happy in the SCA.
Trudi asked me to think about when I was last happy and what I was doing. I finally said, I don't know if I've ever been really happy, but I'm not unhappy. Erica agreed that she also doesn't have a default setting for happy. I hadn't thought about it much but quiet and content seems to be the best I get most of the time. And I think that's ok. However, I get more enthusiastic when I have a chance to get my geek on with costuming. Currently, I'm finding that I'm paralyzed by projects. First I have time constraints and second, I just don't know where to start. I start thinking about making something and then that I start thinking about needing to dye fabric but I want to use a natural dye and I don't know what that should be but I know I don't have it....and around and around I go and nothing gets done.
Erica suggested I make a project map that would help me break it down into smaller chunks. For that I have to actually decide on a finished project. So for a first project I want a 12th Century German Bliaut. As I understand it, the German Bliauts were a little looser and did not lace on the side. These were cut with rectangular construction. I have the argument that with a center front gore, there would be a center front seam but the artwork of that time doesn't seem to show seams. Still I cannot imagine someone weaving or purchasing a woven width of fabric and then cutting it in half. I think I will work on that premise unless someone convinces me otherwise.
But the step first:
Linen shift - Underdress- Bliaut- hair style- veil- shoes
Linen shift- shorter, rectangular construction, light weight linen (handkerchief weight).
Underdress- also linen but I would like to dye this with natural dyes- maybe use avacado skins and pits to get a nice pink color? Need to figure out the mordant. Or maybe black beans as a dye (http://www.mycrosspatch.com/blog/2016/06/10/natural-dyes-experimenting-with-black-beans/)? Or maybe I want to buy a prepared natural dye instead of trying to do it myself. (https://maiwa.com/pages/natural-dyes)
Should this dress be tighter more like the gothic fitted gown? Should it provide support? In that case, does it need to lace? How is it embellished?
Bliaut- Linen or wool. Document the color is achievable with natural dies since all my wool is already colored. Should it be lined? The sleeves must be. Silk sleeves with linen lining, or all over linen lining or just linen lined sleeves? Sleeve shape? It needs a belt that wraps twice around the body seems to be either leather or woven. I like the woven look but haven't mastered weaving nor do I have the supplies to try currently. Maybe Jay would make me one (I know he would but I need to give him the colored yarn, his eye is suspect). How is it embellished? Woven trim or embroidery? Location of trim?
Hair- Worn in two braids with ribbon wraps. Need appropriate ribbon.
Veil- Round or oval veil of light linen. worn with a forehead wrap of some kind and often a chin wrap.
Shoes- Turn shoes of leather. Might go with the older halfboot option. I know very little about this and have no tools for leather work but perhaps I can find someone who does.
Lots of places here to get paralyzed but I just need to make one decision at a time.
Trudi asked me to think about when I was last happy and what I was doing. I finally said, I don't know if I've ever been really happy, but I'm not unhappy. Erica agreed that she also doesn't have a default setting for happy. I hadn't thought about it much but quiet and content seems to be the best I get most of the time. And I think that's ok. However, I get more enthusiastic when I have a chance to get my geek on with costuming. Currently, I'm finding that I'm paralyzed by projects. First I have time constraints and second, I just don't know where to start. I start thinking about making something and then that I start thinking about needing to dye fabric but I want to use a natural dye and I don't know what that should be but I know I don't have it....and around and around I go and nothing gets done.
Erica suggested I make a project map that would help me break it down into smaller chunks. For that I have to actually decide on a finished project. So for a first project I want a 12th Century German Bliaut. As I understand it, the German Bliauts were a little looser and did not lace on the side. These were cut with rectangular construction. I have the argument that with a center front gore, there would be a center front seam but the artwork of that time doesn't seem to show seams. Still I cannot imagine someone weaving or purchasing a woven width of fabric and then cutting it in half. I think I will work on that premise unless someone convinces me otherwise.
But the step first:
Linen shift - Underdress- Bliaut- hair style- veil- shoes
Linen shift- shorter, rectangular construction, light weight linen (handkerchief weight).
Underdress- also linen but I would like to dye this with natural dyes- maybe use avacado skins and pits to get a nice pink color? Need to figure out the mordant. Or maybe black beans as a dye (http://www.mycrosspatch.com/blog/2016/06/10/natural-dyes-experimenting-with-black-beans/)? Or maybe I want to buy a prepared natural dye instead of trying to do it myself. (https://maiwa.com/pages/natural-dyes)
Should this dress be tighter more like the gothic fitted gown? Should it provide support? In that case, does it need to lace? How is it embellished?
Bliaut- Linen or wool. Document the color is achievable with natural dies since all my wool is already colored. Should it be lined? The sleeves must be. Silk sleeves with linen lining, or all over linen lining or just linen lined sleeves? Sleeve shape? It needs a belt that wraps twice around the body seems to be either leather or woven. I like the woven look but haven't mastered weaving nor do I have the supplies to try currently. Maybe Jay would make me one (I know he would but I need to give him the colored yarn, his eye is suspect). How is it embellished? Woven trim or embroidery? Location of trim?
Hair- Worn in two braids with ribbon wraps. Need appropriate ribbon.
Veil- Round or oval veil of light linen. worn with a forehead wrap of some kind and often a chin wrap.
Shoes- Turn shoes of leather. Might go with the older halfboot option. I know very little about this and have no tools for leather work but perhaps I can find someone who does.
Lots of places here to get paralyzed but I just need to make one decision at a time.
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