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Bliauts and Needles

Last weekend was Clothier's Seminar in Calontir (and I know it's been a bit since I last talked about my kingdom, so here's a handy link to my unofficial glossary), and I want to natter about it for a bit before the next event I'm attending washes all the details out of my head.

I attended only a few classes this year, and spent part of the event (as usual) asleep in a corner, so most of the photos of me are from the Walk Through History, which Eyfriðr press-ganged me into.

Two young women in white veils and two plaits, wearing flowing medieval gowns with long sleeves, turned toward each other as they walk down an aisle in a school cafeteria, with other people in medieval garb filling the seats. The woman on the left is wearing dark red trimmed with silvery white, with semi-circular sleeves and a shorter hem that shows her white chemise, and her braids are wrapped in white ribbon. The woman on the right is wearing green-gold trimmed with scrolling gold oak leaves, with rectangular sleeves and a long hem, and her braids are plain.
I have hair envy. Photo by Edward Hauschild.
She has good instincts, that one. Bliauts are better in company.

Two young women in white veils and two plaits, wearing flowing medieval gowns with long sleeves, flinging their arms up to show off the sleeves as they walk down an aisle in a school cafeteria, with other people in medieval garb filling the seats. The woman on the left is wearing dark red trimmed with silvery white, with semi-circular sleeves and a shorter hem that shows her white chemise, and her braids are wrapped in white ribbon. The woman on the right is wearing green-gold trimmed with scrolling gold oak leaves, with rectangular sleeves and a long hem, and her braids are plain.
#sleevesfordays Photo by Johann Steinarson.
I also need to take posing lessons from her, because the sleeves really are better when you're being silly with them. Such as posing like a vampire/velociraptor.

A young woman with her back to the camera, wearing a white veil and a flowing, green-gold medieval gown with trailing sleeves, all trimmed in gold vining oak leaves. She's holding her right elbow high to show the lacing at her sides, through which you can see her white chemise, and her narrow red and gold belt sits at her waist.
It's hard to show side laces when your sleeves are the size of France. Photo by Edward Hauschild.
I am noticing, much as I love the quantity of fabric involved, that my pleated-on skirt has far more volume at the hips than most medieval depictions of bliauts show. Something to ponder while I percolate ideas for a new iteration.

A young woman in a white veil and two red plaits, wearing a flowing, green-gold medieval gown trimmed with scrolling gold oak leaves, with rectangular sleeves and a long hem. The sleeves are lined in bright peach, and her hands are clasped in front of her, obscuring the narrow, long gold and red belt.
My hair has actually gotten long. But I want it longer still. Photo by Edward Hauschild.
Also on the list of things to make for future: woven ties for my hair. It's time to stop showing up with modern elastics on my braids.

A closeup of a brass needle with a roughly teardrop-shaped head and small, round eye, held gently in fingers and thumb by a white hand over light yellow, floral print fabric.
Smushing the head of the needle was fun.
Speaking of taking classes, I learned the basics of making metal needles from wire from Ms. Lillian Bowyer, and made a very rough brass needle. It needs more going-over with sandpaper or a very fine file, but it's needle-shaped, and has a nicely centered hole.

Also, I didn't put holes in my sleeves or self or veil or hair or belt or...um...I was not properly dressed for power tools.

Two young women in white veils and two plaits, wearing flowing medieval gowns with long sleeves, facing the viewer and each with her outer arm upheld to show off the sleeve. The woman on the left is wearing green-gold trimmed with scrolling gold oak leaves, with rectangular sleeves and a long hem, and her braids are plain. The woman on the left is wearing dark red trimmed with silvery white, with semi-circular sleeves and a shorter hem that shows her white chemise, and her braids are wrapped in white ribbon.
One more, because we look killer. Photo by Edward Hauschild.
See what I mean about the posing?

All joking aside, it was great fun to meet someone else who loves ridiculous clothing, and to chat a bit about the choices we made in constructing our gowns.

All photos in this post have been very slightly color adjusted, in an attempt to match what my eyes saw (though the photos are more in-focus), and most have been cropped. Many many thanks to the photographers who see SCA events through their viewfinders, and share the results with the populace.
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