How to Make “Whypa”, (Russian for metallic twisted cording, google translates as “waste of Time”)
THL Cristina inghean Ghriogair
Learn to make any size cording for your project. My research is focused on Russian but it has a multitude of applications for other cultures and time periods.
1 hr. No limit. No fee.
Applying Cording
THL Cristina inghean Ghriogair
Want to apply cording to your garb or embroidery project? Learn to make it in class 1, then how to apply it here. Its not as hard as you think. I ‘ll get you started on a needle book sampler to show you the basics. Bring a hoop and scissors if you have them.
1 hr. Limit 15. $2 for supplies (plus $2 for hoops if you need one).
Trees of the Bayeaux Tapestry
Mistress Jaqueline de Molieres
Why does everything in the Bayeaux Tapestry look realistic EXCEPT THE TREES!? The trees would look at home in a Dr. Seuss book! We’ll discuss those trees, look at them in the Tapestry, compare them to other artwork of the period, and ponder some possibilities as to why they look like they do. And then, students will learn the Bayeaux “laidwork” stitch and begin a tree project of their own.
Supplies: Bring your embroidery tools. I will have tools on hand in case you forget, and I will also provide fabric with a pattern drawn on it and wool thread. If you are allergic to wool, I will also have cotton floss available.
1 hr. Limit 10.
Introduction to Netting
Maistres Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon
Basic netting techniques to make flat pieces of mesh which can be then used as a ground for lacis embroidery.
2 hr. Limit 5; observers welcome. $5 for shuttle, mesh sticks and handout.
Applique for Banners and Clothing
Mistress Rowena ni Dhonnchaidh
Applique is an ancient skill, and can also be used for patching clothing. The modern tricks of how to stabilize and either hand or machine applique, with practice on hand skills. How I got the 'stained glass' effect on the Kingdom Dayshade, still going since I gave it to the Kingdom during the reign of Their Graces, Malcolm and Tessa in 2005. A demonstration on machine applique, and why the Escarbuncle makes me insane.
Bring sewing needles and an embroidery hoop.
1 hr. No limit. No fee.
SPINNING
Spin on Anna Codde’s Flyer Wheel 1529 CE
Mistress Rhiannon y Bwa
Netherlandish painter van Heemskerck depicted two innovative Flyer spinning wheels with special cage distaffs. This class will demo a re-creation of these hand-driven, flat-rimmed 16th-C. spinning wheels using some of the first versions of Picardy flyers.
Since no known surviving wheels from this time period have been found, recreating a wheel with the similar mechanical properties reveals what it was like to use a then-new mechanical system which not only makes twist in forming thread, but also winds the newly made thread onto a bobbin. This wheel design seems to have developed independently from the famous "first flyer" wheel from circa 1470 in southern Germany, which uses a flyer between two maidens. Hands on.
1 hr. No limit. Handout $1.
New life for a Broken Spindle-The Coppergate Nok
Mistress Rhiannon y Bwa
This class will cover the carving of a spindle top notch or ‘nok’ using the extant York Coppergate spindle nok as an example. The Viking/Medieval Coppergate nok is particularly well-balanced and longer-lasting at the fragile top of wood spindles which use a half hitch. Students are welcome to bring damaged spindles as show and tell. Materials are provided for nok practice.
1 hr. No limit. Handout $1.
Stone Spindle Whorl Make & Take
Master Bedwyr Danwyn
Learn how to make a stone spindle whorl with commonly available tools and basic level skills, for a unit cost of 10 cents each!
1 hr. No limit. No fee.
WEAVING
Laziness as a Guiding Principle: Drafting Patterns for Tablet Woven 3/1 Twill
Herveus d'Ormonde
Learn a technique for drafting patterns and deriving the turning draft that takes into account minimizing gratuitous complexity. This is a paper and pencil class. You should go away with a measure of understanding how 3/1 twill works and how it relates to 3/1 repp (more commonly called double-turn double-face).
1 hr. No limit. No fee.
Warp-Weighted Loom Play Time
Hrólfr á Fjárfelli
Try out a new free-standing loom design, and give weaving twill a try.
1 hr. No limit. No fee.
On the Six: Turkish Six-hole/Skipped-hole Tablet Weaving
Mistress Phiala O’Ceallaigh
Beautiful and elaborate tablet-woven bands were produced in royal Ottoman workshops, and given as diplomatic gifts, or worn by the rich and powerful. Many of these were woven with six-holed tablets, often with only three holes threaded. We’ll look at the historic material, European cognates, and explore the pattern drafting possibilities.
1 hr. No limit. No fee.
When Tablet Weaving Attacks
Viscountess Rosalind Ashworthe
Are you lost in the middle of a pattern? Did your cards turn in ways you didn't expect? Was there a cat involved? Then this class is for you!
This is a troubleshooting mistakes in tablet weaving hands-on class. We will learn to find your way back to where the problem occurred, untangle or figure out if its worth untangling as well as how to fix you own band in the future. Bringing you own "time out" bands are a plus! If you have your own tips and tricks, we would love for you to share with the class as well.
1 hr. No limit. No fee.
Simple Tablet-Woven Edges
Maestro Filipia Capriotti
Learn how to stabilize and finish garment edges with needle-applied tablet weaving, based on 14th Century English examples. Additional discussion of more advanced decorative applications on purses and seal bags.
1 hr. Limit 10. $1 for materials.
Whatcha' Wanna Weave? [NEW]
Lady Magdalena Txoperena de Guerra
There are many different weaving techniques we all want to learn that can easily lead us astray. Can you get enough yardage? Can you get enough detail? Do you have enough working space? Run through the basic decision-making process in this class so you don't get shafted by the wrong loom.
1 hr. No limit. No fee.
CLOTHING
En Español: Defining Characteristics of Spanish Womens' Fashion from 1500-1600
Baroness Elena de la Palma
What makes Spanish fashion distinct from, well, anywhere else? That's a big question, but we'll try to answer it for one particular segment: women's fashion from 1500-1600. We'll look at everything from materials, cut, and construction to embellishments, undergarments, and accessories, reviewing commonalities from image and inventory sources of the time.
1 hr. No limit. No fee.
Cofia Y Tranzado Make and Take
Baroness Elena de la Palma
The cofia y tranzado (cap and braid case) was a common head covering in Spain after 1300 (and even infected Italy for a while too). In this class, you'll get an overview of several different methods to make one, plus leave with one of your very own! Bring needle and scissors - all other materials will be provided in the $5 kit.
1 hr class. Limit 10; observers welcome. $5 for kit.
Monyō: Japanese Textile Patterns
Sǫlveig Þrándardóttir
Wear not just the cut, wear the look. A field guide to buying or producing textiles appropriate for premodern Japanese clothing and household goods. Proclaim your rank, station, and refined taste from the clothing you wear to the furnishings of your villa.
1 hr. No limit. No fee.
Beginner Hand Sewing
Sibyl of Nithgaard
This is a beginner level class, so no previous experience is necessary! The class will go over a handful of basic hand sewing stitches, including the running stitch, back stitch, whip stitch, blanket stitch, and ladder stitch as well as where it might be appropriate to use the stitches in your own hand sewing projects. This is a hands-on class, and students will be provided needle, thread and scrap fabric so that they can practice the stitches they will be learning.
1 hr. Limit 10. No fee; donation for handout welcome.
Itty Bitty Cartridge Pleats: A Guide to 16th Century Underwear
Lady Fede di Fiore
This class will teach the techniques required for sewing and gathering late period undergarments. We will discuss basic shirt/shift construction and finish up by cartridge pleating our own piece of light weight linen. Trial materials will be provided, but attendees are welcome to bring their own supplies or projects.
1 hr. Limit 10. No fee.
Fix-it Forum: Seamstress Triage [NEW]
Lady Magdalena Txoperena de Guerra and Baroness Syele Pfeifferin
Even the most experienced tailors need to put projects in time out. Bring your headaches and we can figure out what went wrong and how to make them work. This is a free-form workshop with no specific material. We will work through as many projects as we have time.
1 hr. No limit. No fee.
BRAIDING
Down the Rabbit Hole: An Examination of the Red Cord in the Portrait of Sir Henry Lee
Mistress Irene von Schmetterling
Description: A request by a dear friend on ideas of how the red cord in the portrait of Sir Henry Lee, Elizabeth I of England’s Champion was created sent me on a exploration of many methods of cord creation to find a solution. Samples of the many methods will be shared and an opportunity to weave cord will be presented
1 hr. No limit. No fee.
RELATED ARTS
Furoshiki
THL Bera of Tavastland
The goal of this class is to acquaint the participants with the art of furoshiki, fun with flat fabric. It is an entry level class, open to anyone (any age and any ability level). The class is broken in to 4 parts : a) the history of furoshiki, 2) examination of different fabrics, and a discussion of the pro's and con's of each, 3) creating a small tote (from a cotton dish towel), 4) discussion of the application of furoshiki in the SCA.
1 hr. No fee. Handout and materials for the first 12 participants.
Kakishibu: Japanese Persimmon Tannin
Lady Oribe Tsukime
Persimmon juice has been used to give a brown, water- and insect-resistant coating to porous materials such as fabric, paper, and wood since at least the 900s in Japan. Learn how to make it from scratch and apply it to various materials to make paper garments, cooking utensils and more.
1 hr. Limit 15. $1 for handout.
ADDITIONS
Whatcha' Wanna Weave?
Lady Magdalena Txoperena de Guerra
There are many different weaving techniques we all want to learn that can easily lead us astray. Can you get enough yardage? Can you get enough detail? Do you have enough working space? Run through the basic decision-making process in this class so you don't get shafted by the wrong loom.
1 hr. No limit. No fee.
Fix-it Forum: Seamstress Triage
Lady Magdalena Txoperena de Guerra and Baroness Syele Pfeifferin
Even the most experienced tailors need to put projects in time out. Bring your headaches and we can figure out what went wrong and how to make them work. This is a free-form workshop with no specific material. We will work through as many projects as we have time.
1 hr. No limit. No fee.
CANCELLATIONS
Further Excursions into Kumihimo
Folly
Description to follow.
2 hours. Details TBA.
Spinning Flax into Linen — Using a Distaff
Baroness Fiadnata ó Gleann Àlainn
Spinning wool into yarn is relatively easy — wool fibers are relatively short and love to cling to each other. Spinning flax fibers into linen thread is more challenging. The fibers can be one to two feet long (or longer!) and don’t necessarily want to cling together. With a distaff, it’s much easier to keep the fibers aligned so that they may be spun into long, smooth threads. Come learn how and why you want to use a distaff.
1 hr. Limit 15. $1 for handout.
Beginning Drop Spinning
THL Glenna Cholmondeley
This class will teach basic techniques used to make yarn on a drop spindle. This is the foundation of most textiles in the SCA time period.
1 hr. Materials fee $5 includes a spindle and fiber.
Introduction to Plying Yarn
THL Glenna Cholmondeley
This class will explore two methods for plying yarn that come from traditional spindle culture (one drop spindle, one support spindle). Extant examples of plied yarn can be found from the bronze age and probably before. This is a perfect class for beginners.
1 hr. Materials fee $5 includes a spindle and yarn.