Even if you’re currently thinking “I don’t know anything about calligraphy!”, I hope you’ll continue reading.
My goal is to bring more awareness to the level of detail and dedication calligraphers put into their work, describe what makes calligraphy beautiful, and teach people how to improve their own calligraphy.
Follow my adventures as colored clay forms shapes, and twists into a quest for excellence and an analogy for character.
Welcome to my world of houppelandes! I love Houps! I could sped my entire SCA career just focused on outwear of the 15th century. In fact, I do!!! Please join me in a study of the origin, construction, and research I embarked on two and half years ago (it feels like six months – Yay, COVID!!!) in creating my 12th night mi-parti fleur de lis Houppelande
A small selection of work I have done in various types, because I’m a squirrel and it’s too fun to stick to one hobby!
Love, business, plague – parts of the every day lives of the middle ages experienced by both commoner and king. And captured in the letters they sent. Reading medieval letters unveils so much incredible information about day-to-day lives and the people who wrote them. This article samples quotes from a variety of topics to show you how rich these letters are in sharing information about the people of the Middle Ages.
Some more research in medieval medicine. “An ointment that the Salernitan women make that is very good for sunburn and fissures of any kind….”
A casual process discussion for an original scroll, a nonstandard gameboard Baronial scroll, and a call for advice on roman patio making.
My focus is a project to create a series of Shakespeare character costumes. My focus last year was the Cleopatra design. This year I am presenting the Calpurnia design.
Creating a shareable online visual dictionary for Scythian artifacts that can be visually sorted by material, use, decoration, geography or century.
Meandering musings about needing to learn more Bardic stuff
As a beekeeper, I have been thinking about making a period bee suit for quite a while. This page describes the start of this journey, beginning with (and inspired by) a surprisingly atypical illustration of beekeepers, and how I began looking into the details of that image, through the current point of creating two appropriate undergarments – a (man’s) camicia and a (woman’s) pair of calzoni femminili.
As my interest in vernacular furniture has grown, so has my curiosity about the processes which went into making household items. What tools were used to shape and join them? What were the materials and how were those materials prepared? What methods of production did cabinetmakers practice? Inspired by the late Jennie Alexander, author of “Make a Chair from a Tree”, and the continuation of her work done in partnership with famed joiner Peter Follansbee, I have been exploring the entire furniture-making process from harvesting trees through the finished piece.
Culinary displays can be attractive and attention getting at public demonstrations.
Here are two examples of demonstrations that can be used at both small and large setups to engage with both youth and adults.
Demonstrations can appeal to multiple senses or be limited based on the comfort of the visitor.
Examining fourteenth century manuscripts for clothing made mi-parti or “divided in half.”
Is it Possible to understand someone and continue their works as if they were doing it? In writing, this is called duplicating one’s Ideolect. In thought process, and even criminal behavior, this is called “Profiling”, in the Arts, it is either called “Forgery” or, if signed by the actual creator, “Replication” 😉
Explores the functionality of clothing and proportional measuring systems in the context of a Mongolian clothing project.
We all begin somewhere, for many of us in the scribal arts we dream of creating grand pieces. It can be intimidating to transition from painter to designer. Branching out can be intimidating but ultimately fun! This is one Scribes journey thus far and the lessons learned with each piece that has been created.
Weaving from more Baynard’s Castle finds to create hose for spouse.
As well, exploring more from the Song Dynasty, combining weaving and embroidery.
Explorations in fabric finishing.
This year has been a whirlwind, and I have progress to show off in multiple areas – Culinary, Scribal, Millinery, Costuming, etc. My exhibit is an overview of the different projects I’ve been working on in these areas this year.
A continuation of my research into the construction and use of the plumbata with a new conclusion on how best to throw them.
This is a collection of projects that I have been working on recently. I made a Scythian hat for a friend and have been playing with some basic metal working which is all very fun and very new to me.
Image overview of Pre-Mongol Arched Plate Ochelye (Headbands) of the Kievan Rus’ and Artist’s interpretations.
Using recent archaeological discoveries, a study was made examining what is known and what new knowledge has come to light regarding the diet of middle-class Romans. Armed with this data, historical manuscripts were reexamined and interpreted with an eye to recreating what a meal might look like for a middle-class Roman family.
Welcome. Join me in my journey through the Pottery and bookbinding methods of Tang Dynasty China and the land where the sun rises Japan.
Pazyryk Bootie
A pre-colonial Filipino war shield sends me on personal journey and search for understanding a part of who I am.
Recreating the Cambridge Diamonds with woad dyed linen and learning to weave cloth on a floor loom
How does copyright work? Fair use? Creative Commons? What kind of content can we- as SCA artisans, researchers, and lovers of history- use as we create our own works? Can we protect the work we make under mundane law? An ongoing project aimed at creating IP resources tailored to the SCA.
I wanted to learn some basic embroidery and narrow-ware weaving skills. I ended up falling down a rabbithole! This about my journey and lessons I learned along the way.
You can NEVER have too many SWORDS! Come and join me as I continue on my journey, this time, creating nine rapiers inspired by historic swords from the 16th and 17th centuries.
When you’re struggling with your own projects….Try to answer someone else’s question! A few experiments about creating blue ink with indigo to answer a question from Athenaeum 2020.
Detailed accounts are written by pre-1600’s English plants peoples on how to grow gourds. Here is an account of a fun experiment growing Bottle Gourds following the historic techniques as closely as possible.
I didn’t make any medieval clothing for most of 2020 since there were no in-person events to wear it to. But that all changed in February 2021, when I spotted an orange silk taffeta with gold brocade stripes in one of my favourite online fabric stores. Herein I tell the tale of the mantle and bliaut that I made from some very colorful silk taffeta.
A slideshow of the progress of two woodcarving projects.
I fell in love with 16th century Venetian women’s clothing. Committed beyond reason, I gathered up my pile of paintings, my needle and caffeine, and fell into the canals of Venice.
This project is dolls, specifically “rag” dolls throughout the medieval ages. I was motivated to do this project because I often see children at events playing with modern toys, so I wanted to research the use of toys for medieval children. In this research I recreate a roman rag doll and dress them according to later period portraits.
Join me on my journey as I learn to create the garb of the women in and among the courts of Mughal India. I am a beginner sewer and creator and invite you to see what I have learned.
Kanavati
An exploration and recreation of the curriculum of the medieval university system.
A few years ago I found myself enjoying painting charters for the Kingdom of Avacal. When the pandemic came, I decided to spend the time upping my scribal game.
Working with fibre is like learning music: you can be taught the mechanics, but no-one can teach you the soul. I have gone down many rabbit holes and learning to weave cloth for Aspasia in 1490 Firenze is the focus of this presentation.
Some notes on testing some Mustard and Green Sauces from 14th & 15th Century English and French Manuscripts by Tanikh bint Farid al-tabibah.
Is there iconographic significance in the architectural elements of the splendid embroidery work known as Opus Anglicanum?
This question intrigued me and led me down a path that included studying Opus Anglicanum images and learning about the iconography of medieval architecture.
While I didn’t find the answer I was looking for (yay science!), I found a treasure trove of potential paths for my research – especially around three Opus Anglicanum pieces featuring unique architectural elements.
FAQ on språng: what it is; where it came from; historical inspirations; modern uses; where to find more information; and how Halima got hooked… and twisted.
These clever cases made of laminated leather are astoundingly ubiquitous in museums and private collections.
I have been attempting to make them since 2018.
Today I will show you the particulars of one single project, from initial design to completion.
A hands on look at four period calligraphy styles.
A selection of my work in Scribal Arts, Research, Costume and Accessories.
Looking at building both skillset and toolset while furnishing an encampment. A series of online classes and discussions aimed primarily at newer woodworkers aiming to help people get started and discussing different ways to achieve an end result without investing in expensive specialty tools, all while I learn to adapt to a digital audience.
An overview of beekeeping from antiquity through modern times. Looking at hive designs, tools, methods, myths and theories.
A foray into the world of period banner making.
Marcella di Cavallino’s 16th century Florence (and other ideas).
Study and process of the Italian masters: Canvas and Oil Paints
My exhibit is an overview of my dive into making a pair of Etruscan outfits based on extrapolations from funerary art and a handful of scholarly sources.