BOOK

 

A month ago, I was entrusted to make a vigil book for my BFF's knighting, and it was fun!

I started by ordering some hand recycled paper, 5.5 x 11", and folded it in half, using the edge of a credit card to get a good crease in it.  I used six signatures with four papers each.

Pro tip: the reticulated mat really helped me figure out what "half" was since all the papers were wonky, and all in a few different directions. 

  

I then measured out six punctures (half an inch from the edge and a full inch between holes) and used an awl to go as perpendicular to the spine as possible.  I cut a piece of leather the same height as the folded signatures (5.5") and long enough to wrap around the whole thing, and then mirrored the punctures with the awl.

 

I followed this video about coptic binding relatively through, especially with how it instructed to sew the signatures together with artificial sinew on any needle that will take it.  I was originally going to use a tapestry needle, but it was too thick and I didn't want to ream the holes.

 

You start one hole off from the end and go from outside the spine to the inside of the signature, and back out the edge hole. Then go into the corresponding hole in the leather, go back up through the second hole, and tie to the end of the sinew before going back in to the spine. Running stitch baste the signature and the leather until you reach the end. 

 

When you reach the end, you add another signature and this time follow the motions of a sewing machine, where you go down into the hole of the new signature, around the stitch right under it, and then back up through the same hole you came from (also similar to naalbinding).  Go through each hole until the end, and then step up and change direction again.  Once you've added all the signatures, time to do a running stitch through the leather, mirroring the path of the first row, and then tying off the sinew and tossing the tail into the spine. 

Lastly, I added a strap of leather that I could tie closed and painted his arms on the second page (so that the leather wouldn't rub it off if it was on the very first page).

 

I am very proud of my first attempt at book binding (and that I convinced myself to not make the paper from scratch (I only had one sheet of parchment I had made a few Pennsics ago and that wouldn't have been appropriate for random people scribbling at a vigil)).  I now have copious materials for making more books!  And I want to try the ones with fancy covers. 

The alt YOGT saga

 I had the amazing privilege a month ago to work in the main kitchen for the whole weekend of Known World Cooks & Bards.  The spoils of war, so to speak, that I got to take home were about four gallons of assorted milk containers that had been opened through the weekend and barely used.  All was fine and dandy, until my refrigerator gave up the smoke and I no longer had frozen milk.  So, why not try to preserve some by turning it into yogurt?

I found this recipe online that basically says to use it the same as cow's milk* with some probiotic starter (I used some Pumpkin Spice kefir I was finishing up), but that you'll want to add some gelatin thickener to get it to set.

 It was, questionable.  But I gave it a chance.  I poured it into a narrower container, stuck it into the Science Fridge, and then poured out the... it isn't whey because this isn't milk... oat water? every couple of days. 

After a week, I was able to condense it from 32 oz to just 10, where it was runny but finally had some semblance of body.  In the interim, I made two more batches of yogurt, this time with my regular condensed milk.  The first version, I added a healthy dose of whipping cream that had also not survived the freezer.  It was interesting?  But I realized there is a maximum amount of milk fat that has an ok mouth feel before you're just sucking on a stick of butter.  I used maybe an ounce left of that for the final batch I made last night, which still came out robust but tolerable.

For breakfast, I put a couple of ounces of the cow yogurt into the oat yogurt, mixed it up, and poured it over my Boo Berry for quite the delightful breakfast.

Takeaways:

- Yes, alternative milk yogurts are decent, but will require a lot of straining.

- No, more fat isn't always the answer.

- I'm going to try equal parts of almond milk and evaporated milk next week and try to find a good balance.

* My basic recipe is to just use a spoon or two of any live culture yogurt (most often than not kefir), mix it in with a can of condensed milk (or is it evaporated?  The one that does not have added sugar), and stick it in the Instant Pot on the standard YOGT setting for 8-12 hours over night, mixing at some point in the middle.  And refrigerate.

Did you remember to add seam allowances?

 Lollllllllllll nope 🙃

But it doesn't matter, because I still made pants, even if they tore down the center front when I put them on.  And I can still use them to explain the process of creating them.

I had to screen cap myself from yesterday's video because there were no photos of me in the pants.

MEASUREMENTS

Starting from last month's diagram, I created my own. Depending on what Haithabu article you read, some say that the pants only go down to the knee, and others that they go down to the ankle.  I personally find it more logical to make full length pants that can be zhuzhed up to the knee or left long depending on the weather, so I am going to use the length from waist to ankle for measurement #7.  Measurement #5 is going to be based on the largest circumference (waist or butt) since these pants have no give and need to be pulled up over all your lower topographies.  Because I find 3:1 pleating the simplest, #5 was 3 times the circumference of my butt, divided by 2 (because it is split over both legs).

 The height of B + C is going to be the measurement of your crotch, from bellybutton to top of crack. Add an inch or two depending on how roomy you want them to be.  After that, divide that length by 3.  B will be twice the length of C, and radius of chunk 1 cut out of piece A.  PLUS SEAM ALLOWANCES. DON'T FORGET THE SEAM ALLOWANCES!

Circumference  = pi x diameter = pi x 2 x radius
Circ 1 / (2 pi) = radius 1

 Under that, you go down 3" and you remove radius 9 and cut vertically down from there.

radius 1 + 3"= circumference 9 + height C

height 7 = height 8 + circumference 9 + height C

The radius of curve 1 plus 3" will be equal to the height of C plus the path cut out by curve 9, so that when you add height C plus curve 9 to straight 8, it will be the same distance as height 7.

Now that you have the height of B and C, you need to calculate the width.  The top of B is half the width of the bottom of B.  The top of C is the bottom of B + 6".  The bottom of C (length 4) is half the top of C, which is also the top of B + 3.  I'm going to need to make better diagrams for this...

  

Here you can see piece A at the top, piece B eased into curve 1, and piece C lined up with the bottom of B and the 3" of A. 

 

D is the waist band, that will be the length of your butt circumference and 6" tall so that when you fold it over, you get a 2-3" waist band. 

E are the two calf bands. These I made 9" tall so that they would show 4" long after sewing in and folding in half, and would have enough length to be trapped with the winnegas.

SEWING TOGETHER

1) Sew B into the crotch of A, making sure to ease the fabric.  Do this for both legs.

2) Sew top of C to bottom of B + both 3" of A

3) Sew vertical 7 to vertical 8 + curve 9 of the same leg. 

4) Pleat bottom of A to top of calf E.  Fold over and encase edges.

5) Pleat top of A and B into waste band D.  Fold over and encase edges.

As per several articles, you can choose to add 5 or 6 belt loops to the waste band, especially if you have a greater discrepancy between your waist and your butt.

The striped fabric really helps to show on the back of the pants how C in the center and B down the bottom meet up with A.

Ultimately, I forgot to add seam allowance, I used my waist measurement instead of my butt measurement, and I split the fabric down the front when I put them on -_____-

asdfasf

But I'm glad I did this with the $25 slinky fabric that was impossible to work with and I ended up hating and not the linen!  At least I was able to wear a tunic over them and hold them together with a safety pin for the day. I will give it credit in that the stripes made pleating without having to measure the only plus.

A 22 hour sewing competition? Suuure, why not!

This weekend, Blackstone Raid XXXI was kind enough to indulge the AEthelmearc Clothier's Guild with their first event, Project Promenade. It was such a blast!

I was invited to join a group with Dvorianka Zoya Dragomirova, THL Agnella Iacopi, Lord Arne Burdenson, Baroness Anastasie DeLamoure, and Baron Salvadore de la Torres.  Zoya did an amazing job wrangling a bunch of strangers and coordinating us to recreate this grave find:

She ended up creating a lined silk hat with these amazing wire-woven-but-also-twisted bobbles that some day I'll need to figure out how to make!  Agnella made the two tunics and jumped on the second injection of chaos.  The silk scraps that she chose she was able to include in a very nice chest placard.  Anastasie and Arne also came in clutch on Saturday to help with finishing details, and Salvadore luceted the strap for the bag and his belt, in addition to making a wonderful model.  And lastly, I made pants!

The Haithabu pants I recreated were mostly based on the description from this blog post by Project Broad Axe and this chart I had to screencap from Viking History on YouTube (they claimed it was on their website, but the link was broken):

So, the main measurements I needed were bellybutton to top of crack (length of pieces 2+3), waist to ankle (height of piece 1), widest circumference between thighs and waist (length of 4), and circumference of calves (length of 5).  After that, some simple math so that 4 nests into 1 and you're solid. [Future Magda made another pair of pants and will explain these measurements in detail in the next post].

 

I spent 20 hours hand sewing, but I think it was very well worth it.  The colors, the fit, the drape, it all came together so nicely.  I loved getting to experience this competition, and I was blown away that we won, by one point!  It was a tough battle with very formidable opponents.  I'm hoping next year to be able to be a judge.  Or participate again, who knows :P

I find it hilarious that I even packed both of my emotional support sewing machines, plugged one in, and never used them.

 

 

Another Viking experiment

I told myself after Pennsic that I needed to start going to more events (or, you know, any) outside of AE, so I started with an immersive Viking event, Bloodfeud in the Danelaw.

First there was a linen underdress. There were measurements, there were plans, there were so many calculations, and I still managed to make it four inches too big in the shoulders.

::sigh::

It's just an underdress, I can put darts in the shoulders and nobody will know the better.

I used this knowledge to update the overdress pattern. Not great, not terrible. Very comfortable, at least.

The cool thing, though, was that I discovered this post the week before the event. A couple of years ago, my mother had given me a mink coat she didn't want anymore. I told her the only opportunity I would have to wear it would be to an SCA event. She was glad it would get used, regardless of the environment. It was perfect and cozy and the best Viking item I own. 

Ugh, Viking

I have wanted to get a decent Viking kit together for many, many years, and I just can never get it to be aesthetically pleasing. I am ruined by late period tailoring -___-

For starters, there is the coat I made October 2022 for Crown Tourney out of an army blanket and lined with linen.  Great in theory, less so in practice.  Somehow it still managed to not be warm enough and still let the wind through.

In December, I made a smocked apron dress (in the hotel the night before) for Hael Investiture.  Great party, not so great potato sack.

Later that month, I finished making a Hedby bag that I could "use for going to classes" and carry all of my notebooks and printouts.  It is functional, but it felt oversized in practice.  I might remake it, or not.  Again, it's functional.