My blue, silk overdress with the blue buttons is destined for some embroidery. I've been looking at some great pictures of embroidered dresses which also happen to be blue. Here's a sneak peek at some of the images I'm looking at.

The first two are kirtles or overdresses. First from the late 14th century, second from St Jerome Tempted By Dancing Girls from 1400-1409, the third is a sideless surcote from The Madness Of Lancelot, 15th century, but the elements of embroidery are similar- bold, simple design and it can be seen decorating hood as early as the early 14th century.
















I'm thinking white silk embroidery- or gold thread. Silver thread? Most of my accessories are silver so silver thread would match in, although gold thread would be nice. White on blue always stands out as well and seems to be the fashionable thing. I had previously taken this style of decoration to be an artist's representation of embroidery, but having done a hood with the lines embroidered almost as seen in the manuscripts, I've come to the decision that perhaps it was an actual fashion trend and not an artist's representation.

Either way, I think my blue, silk dress is in for some embellishing.

Since I'm getting busy with my documentation database, I will be sharing some photos of my things. Here is a close up look of my 14th century headpiece with side cauls and false hair plaits around the side. The sides are claret silk and set with cross-shaped clusters of garnets and real pearls. The pearls around the side are also real and the coronet I usually wear with it is pewter with the very popular fleur-de-lys motif.

Many of these also have a wire fretwork at the sides, and I do have silver wire which I'm still undecided about adding on this set. I have found references to some of these which don't have the wire and seem to be more of a fabric coif or hairnet sort of thing.

Below is a line drawing of an image from 1410 Les Merveilles du Monde from Paris showing noble ladies wearing the less ostentatious headpiece without the wirework at the sides. I have a close up of a coronet with hinged pieces with the same construction as mine but I don't have permission to share it online, sorry. It's also interesting to not that the sleeves of this particular overgarment are not as fitted as some other images from the same period.

I saw, for the first time last night, the artifact from Kempten, Germany, of the hairpiece made from stuffed linen tubes. They are altogether amazing, albeit 15th century which is a little later time period for me at the moment. I have seen silk false hair in England but nothing like this.

This is absolutely amazing, and I must thank silvenka for the original post of the pictures. She has a lot of fantastic stuff in her journal. I'll reproduce the image here but I don't have permission to do so, so if it's your picture, please let me know so I may credit you.



Amazing, isn't it!

This week's lucky find is the new-ish bead shop just down the road from me. It has a massive amount of really nice supplies for anything with jewels. Their supply of freshwater pearls is great AND at really good prices- much better than the bead shop in the city. They stock semi-precious stones by the string, red coral, all the things a lady might like.

I'm also impressed with their range of metal things usually used for bracelets and necklaces, but also some are suitable for using as spangles on clothes and headpieces. They have silver-plate and brass. Not that I need them for this, but they also have an extensive range of swarovski beads and crystals.

And leather thonging. They have coloured leather thonging useful for drawstrings on pouches etc.

Well, among a million other small and not so small sewing projects and encampment jobs I'm in the middle of, I'm also making my re-enactment documentation into a documentation database. I'm making it in HTML so it works like a website with active links but it won't be online.

History Alive 2013 is drawing nearer and I'm busy with stallholder things for that and encampment things as well since quite a few of our regular members are off with other period groups leaving only us High Middle Ages types to represent the group.

The Abbey Medieval Tournament is creeping closer and closer and the amount of sewing to be completed for that is diminishing but is still a tad on the biggish side. I do appear to have successfully patterned my Beloved a set of wool hose which looks like working and am almost completed a second set ot wool hose for myself in bright scarlet red.

I have meetings to attend left right and centre.

Much is happening in my private life also, so that will be a seperate post.

My Kickstarter reward song written about this medieval woman. Composed by the very talented Michael Gordon Shapiro and sung by Enrico Acosta. With much thanks.

Tis here...

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/73572304/Rosalie.mp3

A while back, I took part in a Kickstarter project which got a friend's Short Musical which involved ninja koalas, Super Sidekick off Broadway and, as my reward, got my very own song. I could pick the topic and theme. It was more important to get that project off to Broadway-ish directions than to get rewards, because it's cool to see your friends do cool stuff, but seriously... a song? That is just super cool. In my real life I will never inspire ships to be launched, jousts to be fought or songs to be sung, but as a re-enactor? Maybe? Just this once? I honestly didn't have to think too hard about it. I mean, really... if a girl does have a medieval alter ego who patronises the arts, then certainly troubadors would sing of her largesse... would they not? Clearly, they would.

I don't know what I expected. madbard is a consumate professional- writing and composing music for games, film and documentaries etc, but he also has a great sense of humour. I thought perhaps something short and Monty-Pythonesque. How wrong I was.

Today my finished song arrived- a gorgeous medieval tune sung troubador style of a "Fair Lady" who sews. A Lady with pale blue eyes who lives across the sea. Although never actually accused of being beautiful, I will accept that by medieval standards, I am fair of heart. It truly is a most beautiful and catchy tune and I don't have the words to properly articulate how it captures the heart of a song of the middle ages. The lyrics were sung by the rather fabulous Enrique Acosta, who also captured the feel of the period beautifully.

I honestly feel the reward far outstrips the support I gave the project, but a huge thank you to Michael Gordon Shapiro for the nest reward ever. You positively rock. You can see his awesomeness here http://www.mikemusic.com/home although my song isn't there, a huge amount of his other stuff is.

I've very nearly finished the third tunic for Paula just stitching the sleeve bands.

I'm still stitching decorative stitching on the blue, silk hood. It's my on-the-way-to-work bus project at the moment. Hopefully, pictures soon. Ish.

I was extremely fortunate to find a small amount of autumn brown/tan wool at the thrift shop while I was out and about this week. I paid a whole AU$5.00 for what the packet says is 1.5m although to be honest, it looks a bit more like 2.5m or 3m.

It's a really gorgeous colour, but a sort of mottled blend, so I'll need to have it approved for group use, but I'm hoping I won't need to overdye it. It's really gorgeous, and it's a fine weight. It won't be enough for anything large, but certainly enough for two hoods or hood and hose or hose for both of us. This came from the same thrift shop which I bought my large amount of wool a few months back. I think I should drop in there a bit more often!

My olive, wool hood. Wool outer, linen lining, hand stitched entirely. Silk decorative embroidery with metal fleur-de-lys and garnet beads at the points of the embroidery.

I wore it last season with metal fleur-de-lys and the garnet beads, but had always planned to embroider something pretty around the face and the bottom of the hood. I'm very pleased with the embroidery and am so encouraged that I will be embroidering my blue, silk, daggued hood next. It's been a great project as it's small enough to sew while I'm on the bus on the way to and from work. As the trip takes an hour each way, that's two hours of sewing time each day. This not only keeps small projects ticking along, but frees up time at home for bigger things which don't travel or for items made from fabrics which fray when handled.

I've decided that I'm not embroidering enough. So, I've started embroidering my olive, wool hood. I'm so pleased with the results, I must say. Two more bands of embroidery and there will be photos to share.

I've finished the particolour for a friend. And her aqua wool tunic. And I'm down to the bands on the sleeves on her silk tunic. There will be photos of all of those- hopefully with her in them.

I'm making headway on my chocolate brown, linen kirtle which has short sleeves and will be worn over the top of my Limbourgh Brothers Blue kirtle. More hoods and accoutrements for my Beloved are partway. I'd better post some photos of those when I get a little more done on them. I'm making two cotehardies for him- both in linen lined with linen- one orange and cream and the other a particolour in navy and cream with bagpipe sleeves. My blue, silk daggued hood of a few years ago is being finished off properly now (mostly on the bus on the way to and from work) and will also get a good embroidering. As will some kirtles which have been in need of embroidery for a few years but I've felt I lacked the time.

It turns out that the embroidery is significantly quicker than I expected.

Finally, after sitting in limbo for the best part of a year or two mostly finished, but not actually finished, I have finished my brocaded silk pouch. It's made from a silk brocade and lined with a white silk. Entirely hand stitched. The drawstrings are lucet braid. I do love the squareness of the braid which prevents any slippage of cords. There's nothing more disconcerting that having your pouch drop off while one is busy. Most importantly, it's very pretty!

I've just discovered the St Thomas Guild blog online. Woah. What a great blog.
If you haven't seen it, it has a load of really great woodworking projects. sister_michael you will be interested as well! Lots of great photos of existant pieces- many I'd not seen before today. Lots of other interesting bits and pieces and the members links are pretty interesting too.

http://thomasguild.blogspot.com.au/

Happily purchased yesterday a new, large tarp to go under the canvas flooring of the new tent. It will help prevent rising damp and a little insulation from the ground as our events are generally held in the middle of winter and it can be a little chilly at night. This week, I'll be ordering the coloured canvas flooring itself and that's two more things crossed off the list of things I need for the new tent for this year. Rugs and other floor items will sit over that.

Slowly, but surely, I'm getting there!

Well, another long-over due piece of encampment furniture I've wanted for a long time and haven't had is a two-seater (or one-lady-with-sewing seater) chest chair. You know the kind. A chest on legs which doubles as a seat. I have all the timber and it's mostly cut. I just need to trim the sides of the wood I'm recycling which are slightly rounded and I'm ready to put it together. Then I can stain and add a seat rose for identification.

I'm very excited about this project as well. My tent is going to be full of pretty things this year.

I had a great dinner yesterday with medieval friends and got a whole plethora of items approved for the new tent and for the new tournament season. The wool I bought 9 metres of- Approved. The proposed A-frame table legs I want to make- Approved. The design for the tent roof- Approved. The design for the tent walls- Approved. I found out how to fix my lanterns to make them usable in the encampment all day round, although I will use my reproduction candleholders on the tables since they are beautiful. I showed the painting I'd done on the backdrop of the tent walls and got a thumbs up on them too.

I've also made a start on the next painted project- a wooden chest painted with stripes and roses. I've go the first coat of paint on and I'll start stencilling the roses on before work one day this week, if I can wait that long to get started.

And I still have a great deal of sewing to do, although both Paula's things and my Beloved's things are taking shape well. It's just so... hot.

Okay, that was a lame heading, but I couldn't help myself. Last night I had a lovely evening for fittings for four 13th century tunics for a musician lady-friend. My favourite of the four is a particolour with one half olive-green wool and the opposing side a red-and-cream brocade. I can't wait to post photos to show you all!

The lady herself has dark hair and fair skin and the colours she has chosen look stunning on her. Also in progress for her are a bright teal wool tunic and a gorgeous natural silk in a slightly chunky weave. It drapes divinely!

We've not pinned all the necklines, measured sleeves and hems and done fittings, so the next time I see her, I can hopefully take some great portraits of her new threads, complete with accessories and musical instruments!

Recently I stained a writing slope and a table from their old red wooden stain to a gorgeous dark, walnut stain. The table I restained was originally made by my friend thebellman in a tiny bit of a cheaty way- the legs were hinged directly onto the table top. As a part of the new furniture upgrades, I've become unhinged, as it were, and made the legs seperate. The whole staining and rewaxing is completed, and I'm delighted to share the finished photo with you. It's so pretty.

Have you ever wanted to go exploring around the gorgeous churches of England? Yes? So have I. If you haven't already seen this fantastic website, it's a must see when you plan your trip and before you go. Your site host, Lionel Wall, has a great deal here you will want to thank him for.

http://www.greatenglishchurches.co.uk/index.html Great English Churches also has a great look at the ornamental carvings found in and around the old churches- demons, women, ornaments and all that can be found in an old, English church.

The site has a great guide to 90 English churches, organised into counties- many off the beaten track- and what you can hope to find when you get there. Included are helpful tips on where to find the key and those churches to avoid as they seem to be closed or do not allow access. There are photos. Many photos- all taken by Lionel and his wife. It's a great site and invaluable if you're planning a trip.

I'm extremely excited to have made a fantastic vintage shop purchase. Nine metres of almost 100% wool in a natural colour and a sort of houndstooth striped weave. Nine metres! It's a nice, light-weight fabric which will drape very well in a gown, and there's enough there for a gown, hood and hose.

The entire lot set me back AU$12.00. Considering it usually sells for over AU$40.00 a metre and more often than not just isn't available in our temperate climate, I am just delighted. Value of about AU$360.00 for AU$12.00.

I love second-hand shops. I really, really do.

The roses are finished! The roses are finished! Once the paint dries, I can sew the sides together with the green stripes, add some tape at the top for strengthening and add the top ties! I'm so pleased.

Although, I'm already thinking I'd like to do the side walls as well instead of having them white. Perhaps after I've painted the tent roof and exterior walls... and made my Beloved all the clothes he needs this year, which is all of them.

I have some beautiful reproduction candlesticks which I use on the tables at events, but for a long time I've really wished for some of those gorgeous brass, cylindrical lanterns which can be seen in the Museum of London. Since they're still on the wishlist this year, I have been in dire need of a couple of lanterns to go in the tent which are servicable and don't look too out of place. Just something for after the gates close and at night time as an open flame near the bed really isn't a good idea. Canvas tent. Open flames. Not recommended.

A few weeks ago I found these lanterns in a discount shop and thought they'd be ideal! As a basic, hexagonal style with a hinged door and made of wood, they tick all the boxes for Temporary Lantern. They are considerably better than the old metal square ones I was using.

A quick look at the completed trestle tables. They are the run-of-the-mill, basic type with the three-legged supports underneath. The timber I used is for the legs a little fatter than the type generally seen in manuscripts, but these are temporary and I was using up some spare timber I had lying around at home. I already am working on some "A"-ended style ones for the future, so these will be perfectly serviceable in the meantime.

I gave them two coats of grey-blue paint, although the photo looks much lighter and brighter than it is in real life. Generally, the table tops will be covered with cloths, so the paint is more for durability and protection of the timber, as well as being pretty. I have other timber standing by which will be stained dark walnut to match other furniture I already have, but that, as they say, is for another time! Meanwhile, these are pretty servicable for a first attempt at making tables.

I'm one for planning, and my tournament home-away-from-home is no different. I was thrilled, therefore when my Beloved gifted me scale graph paper with which to plan our new tent. I've been able to make scale furniture, chests, and plan what goes where and where the poles are. It may sound a little crazy, but it's fun and I really don't have time on the day to be shifting furniture about when we're out on the grounds. There's just too much to do and other people to help set up. Being slightly organised is an advantage.

I'm .... still... painting the roses for the back wall of the tent lining. I'm up to the swirly rose petal lines and getting closer to having it done and ready to join together. Sadly, I'm already thinking how plain the other walls will look with plain white instead of groovy roses... hmmm...

We've also decided on the design to be painted on the roof of the tent- and as soon as it's been approved for the group we belong to, I'll post pre-starting pictures. If I can, there will be roses also amongst the linework.

Meanwhile, I'm in the throes of starting a medieval bed. My very first one. And I'm already looking at making some extremely stylish "A" style table legs- the ones with the triangle side. I've seen some about which are entirely able to be taken apart for storage and transport. And they're very cool.

Stay tuned for more pictures and exciting woodwork projects!

I have a lovely writing slope, made by my friend thebellman, which used to be his. Now that I'm doing a heap of Making Things New for the new tent, I've decided to use a dark walnut stain to change it to fit the new colour scheme. The new slope, along with another small table which was stained the same colour is finished and waxed and ready for use now. I also painted the inside, which wasn't painted before. Here are the before and after pics:

BEFORE:



AFTER:





I'm pretty pleased, if I do say so myself. I have writing tools and quills. Still hunting down a cow horn to make a really groovy inkwell.

I've had a week off work Being Productive on Things Medieval and have made vast headways. So far this last week I've managed to:

- make stencil for medieval roses to use on tent lining and stencil 115 roses.
- build 2 sets of medieval trestle legs for new tables.
- build 2 table tops
- paint the trestle legs (not happy with colour, 2nd coat of paint will be darker)
- stain a writing slope with 2 coats of walnut stain. Now ready for waxing.
- stain a small medieval table and legs with walnut stain. Now ready for waxing.
- hand paint 115 medieval roses onto fabric to make the back lining of the new medieval tent.
- hand paint the second coat of roses.
- paint the tent poles with 2 coats of paint.
- stain 2 folding chairs with a coat of walnut stain. Another coat to go.
- looked through exterior tent designs for new tent.

Quite frankly, I got no sewing done, but the outfits I am making for a friend are coming along really well and I have spent a little time with my Beloved. I am on a roll.

I'm making a tent lining for my new tent. I'm sooo pleased with how it's going. The design has wide vertical stripes of green and white and on the white stripes are two rows of hand-painted, red, medieval roses. The roses strips are about 65cm wide and 6 foot high, and the entire back wall will end up a lovely 5m wide. The rest of the walls will be lined with white at this stage.

The painting has been ongoing for almost a week now, doing each colour in turns and leaving it to dry over night. First coat of red. Gold centres. Green leaves. Second coat of red. I'm now up to the petal detailing and then I'm right to sew it all together.

As is what happens at meetings, if one turns up, one is likely to end up on a committee. I'm now on the Manage History Alive 2013 Committee for our QLHF. Queensland Living History Federation is our insuring body for most re-enactors in Queensland, and History Alive is the annual event held in June at the historic Fort Lytton on the Brisbane River. Despite going for 10 years, it's still only a small event- something our new committee is hoping to work on. It's a timeline multi-period event, which is great for the re-enactors. It's not often we get to mix and mingle with re-enactors from other time-zones, though many of us do more than one period so the groups often don't have their full contingency of members as some are off in other encampments.

Here's the link: http://www.historyalive.com.au/

I designed the new fliers for this year, which are off at the printers at the moment. I'm also the Stallholder & Displays Co-ordinator. I'm hoping that because the event is significantly smaller than other ones I've done the stalls and marketplaces for, that I will actually be able to re-enact for the weekend as well as look after the stalls. Most are long time vendors, a few new ones, and many set up in the dining hall the day before. Sites will be clearly marked out and NAMED and I'll be on site Friday as well to tackle any setting up issues before the event starts.

I'm looking forward to it. If you have any enquiries about having a display or stall, don't hesitate to drop me a line at stallholders@historyalive.com.au

This weekend will see a flurry of activity!

I'm still sewing 3 outfits for Paula O'Donnell, a musician lady friend and I hope to be making some headway on things for the new tent. The prettiest outfit for her is down to hemming with the border attached. The second tunic is almost together and just awaiting a fitting time to ensure the sleeves aren't so long that they impinge on her instrument playing. The third is cut and awaiting. It's a gorgeous fabric is a silk which has what she calls "a lovely slub to it", however it frays like anything so I'm trying to handle it as little as possible until the sewing starts in earnest.

I want to start painting the tent poles- and I have a paint ready to go- I want to make some new tables- both tops and trestle legs- I'm considering doing a test stencilling of the pattern for the lining of the inside of the tent. My plan is to get up early and do woodwork and paint and when it gets too hot for anything else, relax inside and sew, sew, sew!

That's the plan, anyway! I'm so looking forward to a little time off work over Christmas to dig in and get things done!

Okay. So the Tent of Hugeness which used to be thebellman's, then Paula's then mine is now safely in Rockhampton to make a loving (and huge) home for sister_michael and I have, with huge thanks and much love to Larissa, HER old tent which was originally Tannia Matthias's Illuminator's tent. It has thick, red/maroon canvas walls and a bright blue and yellow striped tent and is completely usable. I've replaced the centre poles since one of them was broken, and plan to paint them all a nice maroon colour to match the walls.

I was really loving the old Tent of Hugeness, but when it all comes down to it, this one is smaller, rectangular and easier to line, and has thicker walls to keep the heat in over winter. This last one was a very important factor. I get chest colds faster than you'd believe and camping out in the middle of winter isn't really a good choice health-wise, though I wouldn't miss Abbey for anything.

The tent is large enough to have small talks in and will be an open tent- set up with 14th century gear on display. I'm already making new furniture to add to what I've got. And of course, new decorative paintwork needs to be added to my new walls. You saw that coming? Go on.

Last weekend the Knights Order of Lion Rampant attended a small but fun school fete which was medieval-themed. We has a static display for most of the day- hanging out and chatting, eating, and for me, embroidering on the never-ending Manesse Codex pouch. The day was amazingly hot for this time of the year. I got to help out more with setting up more than usual since I had transport with the tents, so I really got to have a good look at the basic structure of roof tops, which, until lately, I haven't paid much attention to. I learnt quite a bit and am looking at my own new tent with a bit more thought.

The knights put up a great display with their manly and heroic display and we had quite a few people over at the encampment afterwards asking questions, which was half the point of going to Mitchiefest in the first place. I ran into a lady who makes cosmetics and skin care from medieval recipes, but more about her in another post!

Packing up at the end of the night was made earier with the help of a group of young and seriously enthusiastic teenage American missionaries. Yep, you read that right. Tents packed down and stowed in record time. It was a late night by the end of it but well-worth it. I'm sooo looking forward to next year when my beloved can come with me to days like this. Quite a bit of the group gear is stored at my place at the moment, and it's been really good to have a close up look at table legs and other bits and pieces.

Updates at the website have been slow of late- the patterns page still isn't complete.
I've done the pictures, the cutting layout editing and the image editing, but I'm not very happy with the layout and haven't quite decided how to fit the text the best way.
So.. stay tuned I guess.

Incidentally, new things planned for the new tent. I've got a bunch of woodwork set out under the house- table legs and a table top of varying kinds, ready to cut and put together. One hardwood table top will be sanded down, other bits and pieces may end up painted.

I've spread out the tent in the back yard, checked the top of the tent which needs repair and measured up all the sides, worked out what wall joins where and taken notes. I have a few tent designs from manuscripts to consider for the new added paintwork for the roof of the tent- and possibly the walls- but have yet to decide on the one I like best. It does look like the whole thing is starting to take shape. I still need to wrangle rope, but the guys in the group will be helping out with that.

Soooo looking forward to the new tent and it's lovely new furniture to go with!

New discovery for me at Woolworths in the dried fruit section- honeyed dried figs. And they are just amazingly delicious.

I know I posted about mixing clove oil with almond oil, but I can't remember whether I posted about testing it out on some shoes. Anyway- I tested it out. Wow. That stuff really not only makes the leather soft and does well with mould and on wooden gear, but it really, and I mean really, makes everything smell so good. Even my hands! Now that I'ved used it myself, I would definately recommend it.

It's just heavenly!

The Kid's Dig It Archaeology Day went off quite well, I must say. The crowds were small but very enthusiastic at the Storytelling, and much to the chagrin of everyone, entirely populated with kids and.. their Dads. Um. Yes. I managed to fit in another storytelling session since a few kids missed out with other activities and asked so nicely! The day was extremely hot, but it was great to work with friends and catch up with others. I did have a photo taken, but it's not back from the photographer yet. Will post when it is. The new, blue, storytelling dress worked really well as a day dress.

Today I finished the last buttons on the blue, silk storytelling dress for tomorrow's Kid's Dig It Archaeology Day where I'm the Cultural Storyteller. The dress looks fantastic and I'm so pleased with it. It has a longish train front and back which will drive me nuts but is always seen in so many illustrations from the 14th century.

The stories I'm telling are:
- How Kangaroo Got Her Pouch (Australia)
- King Midas (Greece)
- Urashima Taro (Japan)
- Mulan (China)

Looking forward to a fun day!

http://www.abbeymuseum.asn.au/kidsdigit.html
Cultural Storytelling. Enjoy exciting stories from around the globe, including Australian Dreamtime, Ancient Greece and Traditional Japanese! Age suitability: 3-12yrs.

Our museum is holding an archaeology day for kids with a bunch of historical based activities. Some are free but some require booking in and a small fee to cover materials. I am the storyteller for the day! My stories are:

- How the kangaroo got her pouch (Aust dreamtime)
- Midas and the Golden Touch (ancient Greek)
- Mulan (ancient China)
- The Turtle and the Fisherman (Ancient Japan)

http://rosaliegilbert.com/clothesandaccessories.html

Changes in the Clothes and Accessories pages and directories! I now have a dedicate Dress Accessories section, which includes pages for aprons and gloves. In the Items of clothing section, a page for houppelandes is now up and running. The page for 15th century gowns has pictures loaded but no text. It will have the briefest of brief overviews of a few different dresses which fall into the medieval period but are outside my main field of interest, which is english women. The T-tunics page for early medieval clothing isn't loaded yet.

The Manners page has been revamped. And the Stallholder Help section is revamped also.

I'm still going, but I'm getting there.

This fabulous handy hint for mould on leather shoes comes from Felicity, a fellow-medieval woman. You've probably all heard that clove oil is the best remedy by far. If you've bought any, you will have noticed how ridiculously little you get for your money. She offers this hint-

Take half a cup to a cup of almond oil. Health food shops sell it. The cooking grade oil is the best value for money and works fine. Add about 20 drops of clove oil- or a little more if you like- mix together and use.

She says the smell of the almond oil is pleasant and it makes the clove oil go much further, conditions the leather and appears to work every bit as well and clove oil neat does. It gives you enough for belts, shoes and pouches. And it will keep for later if you have any left over. I've tried it, and give it the thumbs up. Thanks for sharing, Felicity!

Well, a belated catch up post. August 18th saw another fabulous International I Want To Be Arne Koets Day. It was wonderful. I made a new nametag and photo for work and wore it proudly all day. I emailled other Arne's and spoke with Arne and Arne. Facebook was awash with many Arnes who were all have a much better day than usual for being him. The photoshopping was particularly good this year.

You may not know the story. I'm going to tell you how it started and maybe next year, you will be him also, just for the day, just because... well, just because we can be.

There's a jouster- an awesome, sweet guy, Arne Koets. His pic was being used on facebook by some other guy who was making claims that he was the guy in the pic bla bla bla. A friend contacted him. No, I'm Arne! he said. No, I'm Arne! He kept saying. In the vein of Monty Python's Life of Brian, where everyone wanted to be Brian (and so's my wife), others joined in claiming to be Arne. We all now want to be Arne. We have a day, a facebook page (which strangely, fake Arne didn't want to join). International Jouster's Life blog urges non-jousters to get involved. Annnyyyway, you will be more awesome if you are Arne, even just for 24 hours. You don't even have to be a man. 18th August. The facebook page also offers pics of him you can use for your profile pic, so you can be him in a more convincing way. Anyway, Arne is a great guy and rocks. The other fake-arne is a twit, but if HE can be Arne, why, then, so can I. Here's the blog with all you need to know http://thejoustinglife.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/iiwtbakd2.html

The REAL Arne is getting a tad embarrassed about the whole thing, I think, but it's taken on a life of its own. There's no stopping now.

So I still owe a few posts- but am rather busy with the website upgrades and sorting out a bunch of things at home. Last week I made a decision not to hire stuff any more. Lots of reasons, really, but my life circumstances have changes and I need to keep up with it. Bottom line is- I just won't have the time to do it anymore. I have the sets for the people who hired this year and who expressed an interest in doing so again next year, so they aren't disadvantaged. But the rest of it is going to me and my family.

The plain t-tunic women things are going into my own dark age and early 13th century wardrobe and some for my beloved, should he need them. I'm even going to embroider same bits and pieces to make them really nice. A few of the things were not my size, and will be put away for loaning to nieces and nephews or children should they wish for tournament-going. I now have a range of hoods in a variety of linens and wools and colours, and the man stuff is set aside for my beloved. We now have MANY things to choose from. Many layers. And although there's quite a pile of things still to finish off, I'm in no rush. I have a bunch of pouches in different colours. I have more belts than I need, but should my sister do they tourney in the future, she has 4 little ones, so an excess of belts and pouches will be extremely helpful.

Also, this gives me a substantially reduced To Do list so I can focus on my pile of museum sewing which has been sadly neglected. I can get out and attend more events instead of stressing about sewing. I can spend more time at the museum AND I really want to spend a little time finishing of the medieval activity books I'm in the middle of. The artwork is sort of mostly done but I need to sit down and spend time doing them.

In my real life I'm not into a lot of girly accoutrements. I don't really do the handbags and shoes thing. I don't wear lots of jewellery. I rarely wear dresses. I was slightly amused at myself when I realised that I'd spent the best part of an hour- an entire hour- pondering the very pressing question- Am I wearing enough bling on my head? Could I be wearing more?

As a medieval woman of a certain age, I have come to realise that throwing on a gorgeous gown doesn't cut it. A Lady of a certain age needs to pull rank. Oh yes. The older medieval woman earns admiring glances with her bling. And lots of it.

So really, I'm part of our group's entertainment pre-banquet tomorrow night. Most of the guests are members of the public and it's a good chance for recruitment. So. Do I have enough bling on my head? I think not. I'm going to switch the silver fleur-de-lys coronet for a heavily jewelled silk band. There will be photos!

I've been super busy with the website, but as I've said, a lot of the changes are under the hood- fixing and maintaining and re-coding and editing. This is now where everything is. Many of these sections have changes or been merged with other pages. Some pages are deleted to make way for other ones. Some areas, like the bit about hennins, is now on the new Hats and Hennins page, because I've tried to make the website a springboard to those who are interested in learning more but are non-medieval people. To people looking to learn more about a hennin, it's logical to look for it with hats. There are some new pages altogether- have photoedited a bunch of stuff which may or may not be loaded onto pages with no text yet- gloves, aprons, houppelandes, and 15th century gowns are all not loaded yet, but the pages are there.


HOME
WELCOME TO ROSALIE'S MEDIEVAL WOMAN MAIN PAGE

CLOTHES AND ACCESSORIES
ABOUT CLOTHES
CLOTHES FROM ART - Interpreting artworks to make medieval clothes
SUMPTUARY LAWS - Clothing regulations for the classes
GLOSSARY - Glossary of clothing and personal adornment terms
CLOTHING CARE - Care, storage and laundering techniques
ITEMS OF CLOTHING
KIRTLES - A look at the 14th century medieval dress
SURCOTES - The outer layers
HOUPPELANDES - The late medieval outer gown
15th CENTURY GOWNS - Burgundian gowns and late medieval gowns
MATERNITY WEAR - For the medieval mother-to-be
CLOAKS & MANTLES - The medieval cloak and mantle
CORSETS - What it is and what it isn't
UNDERWEAR - A lady's underclothes reveal'd
- CHEMISES - The chemise, shift or smock
- BREAST COVERINGS - Bras, support and structure
- UNDERPANTS - What did they wear 'down there'
- HOSE & GARTERS - Leg coverings and support
DRESS ACCESSORIES
TIPPETS & LAPPETS - The arm accessories of the late 14th century
BELTS & GIRDLES - Belts and belt fittings
PURSES & BAGS - Purses, pouches, aumonieres and bags
GLOVES
HEADWEAR
- COIFS
- CROWNS & CIRCLETS
- HEAD-DRESSES - Templars, cylinder cauls, hennins, crowns and more
- HATS & HENNINS
- VEILS & WIMPLES - What it is and why to wear one
- HOODS - The buttoned-up hood
FOOTWEAR - 14th century shoes, slippers and sandles
JEWELLERY Meideval jewellery and the significance of gemstones
- BROOCHES - Marriage brooches, pilgrim badges & cloak fasteners
- RINGS - Women's finger rings
- NECKLACES - Necklaces, pendants and collars
- PATERNOSTERS & ROSARIES - Church approved jewellery
- RELIQUARIES - For your holy relics

FABRICS & SEWING
SEWING TOOLS
DYES AND COLOURS
FABRIC, FUR & LEATHER NAMES
SEWING TECHNIQUES
EMBELLISHMENTS AND EMBROIDERY
BUTTONS AND LACING
BASIC CLOTHING PATTERNS
GLOSSARY OF CLOTHING TERMS

BEAUTY, HEALTH & HYGIENE
SKINCARE - For the beautiful medieval woman
COSMETICS - Makeup in the Middle Ages
HAIR STYLES - Styling of the hair
BODY HAIR - The trends in body hair, eyebrows and other. adult themes
CLEANLINESS - Bathing, perfuming, soap and general personal cleanliness
HAIR CARE - Care, treatments and hair colouring
ORAL CARE & DENTISTRY - Care of the teeth
FEMININE HYGIENE - Menstruation and what to do about it (adult themes)
GENERAL HEALTHCARE - Dieting and other womanly ailments

A MEDIEVAL WOMAN'S LIFE
BIRTHS - A look at the practices surrounding childbirth
WEDDINGS - Medieval wedding celebrations
DIVORCES - The rights of the divorcing woman
DEATHS - Funerals and death practices
MANNERS - Manners at table and in society
EDUCATION - Opportunities for women
EMPLOYMENT - Where women worked
RECREATION - Hobbies and passtimes
SEX - Sex, contraception and sexual health (adult themes)

HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENT
WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO DO IT

MY RE-ENACTMENT LIFE
MY MEDIEVAL PERSONA
MY PERSONA HISTORY
THE HISTORY of the GILBERT FAMILY at COMPTON CASTLE
MY COAT OF ARMS

MY NOTICEBOARD

BIBLIOGRAPHY

LINKS

MY SUPPLIERS

ABOUT ME

STALLHOLDER HELP
COMMON PROBLEMS
WHAT TO WEAR - WOMEN
WHAT TO WEAR - MEN
HEADWEAR
FOOTWEAR
MAKING BASIC PATTERNS
STALL HOLDERCLOTHING HIRE

The new page on Rosalie's Medieval Woman about sex, contraception and sexual health is up and running. I've not included the direct link here to avoid accidental clicking. This is the parent page. If you wish to go to the sex page, please go to this page and click the link. I am not responsible for accidental sex-clicking.

http://rosaliegilbert.com/awomanslife.html
This page contains ADULT THEMES! Try not to be too surprised about that.

In the words of Christopher Robin, I have been bisy backson. I Have a few posts here owing- one about how great it was not only to be International Jouster Arne Koets for a day but to hang out with other versions of him on International I-Want-To-Be-Arne-Koets Day.. more shall be explained when I post.

I've got a backlog of sewing I've had a few weeks off from while I've had a break and redone the entire website. A lot of changes still going. I set the end of this month to be the upgrade finish point. New directories, a few new pages. There will be a post on some of the bigger changes. On the surface it looks the same but there's much added and combined and moved and changed.

On the home front, a personal post owing too- much happening and much happiness.

Tomorrow I'm doing a bunch of completely non-medieval things with draquin, so maybe tomorrow night I'll make a few posts. Meanwhile, I'm bisy. backson.

I was contacted last week by a very lovely lady who runs a cooking blog asking to use some information from my website. Of course, I said yes. The recipe looks absolutely devine. If you'd like a peek, her blog, The Diplomatic Kitchen is here!

http://diplomatickitchen.com/2012/08/09/moelleux-au-chocolat-en-aumonieres-soft-chocolate-cake-in-a-beggars-purse/

Upgrades all over the website mean that a number of page links are out as they are changed over. I'd either avoid the whole thing for a bit or use the menu bar at the top of the page. The clothing menus in particular are where the main loss-of-linkage will be this week.