Honors Keep Coming

        I thought the academic world was done with my dolls and research, with the citation from 2022 in Embroidering Her Truth: Mary Queen of Scots and the Language of Power.  That work by Clare Hunter referencing my 2013 doll project, Pandora's Box: Replica of a 16th Century Extant Fashion Doll. Seems this one project I created 13 years ago has become my minor claim to fame, so to speak.

    Within the recent months, I was asked to provide some research on the same doll replica fashion doll for an upcoming museum exhibition called "Doll Dressing" in the Autumn of 2026 by the museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. It's an honor just to be considered for exhibiting in any museum, but better at a fashion institute with notable alumni in the fashion industry. 

            Photo and description credited to the Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology and Dr. Colleen Hill.

    Of course I accepted the offer. Including my doll being photographed, more than likely a write-up about the project research for the Doll Dressing exhibition book. I am sending in my doll in mid-summer. Expecting the museum to gather the objects for planning the space and order would be important. Also needing time for professional photography for the book, so it can be sent to print in advance, is key. Can imagine all the weeks of work the staff undertakes to get these organized and set up for an exhibition. It will be a learning process to see how it comes together. Including my role, if any, in undertaking tasks for an exhibit opening evening.  Just the book alone has that task organized to be printed by the time for sale before the exhibition. 

    Seems when good things happen to it, they all happen at once, not a one-at-a-time kind of time frame. Must take the good with the bad, as previously this was part of the exchange of good and bad in life. Since this good news happened close to receiving my writ for the Most Noble Order of the Laurel. This has been a lot of information and planning over the past few months. I have now fully absorbed the gravity of the honors and can talk about it more candidly. This is quite the wave. I am going to do my best to surf it with grace towards the opportunities that may open up on this more national stage.

    The bad being my employer of over 10 years let me go, I did find full-time employment within 6 days of being let go. Luckily, most bills are paid, and student loans are fully paid off by another good in 2025. So, just house bills, some money is better than no money. Reorganized my bedroom desk and added more of my dolls, since the computer and monitors are gone and sent back. Going to make this my bedroom workshop for dolls and research.  This is not a setback; it is an opportunity to secure local, long-term employment for me.  Onwards and upwards to better things!

A Doll Artisan,

Maureen

Ice Dragon

 

    I have been working on organizing with help from my friends for my elevation to the Most Noble Order of the Laurel, which is to be at The Feast of the Passing of the Ice Dragon March 28, 2026, held at Gowanda Free Methodist Church 149 W. Main St., Gowanda, NY 14070.  While I have dolls galore on a table with my research for display, some decor sorted for the event, what I am planning on wearing (in progress), goodies to eat, all set to be awesome day although very busy. Also super cool announcements regarding my art at the event as well. 

There is a Facebook group called 'Ello Poppet, https://www.facebook.com/groups/824203353702899 Any interest in assisting can be done through the group or by messaging Baroness Antoinette DeLorraine. 

Thanks,

THL Mairin O’Cadhla 

Then and Now

This is a side by side image of one of my very first completed Tudor outfits back from 2010.  Comparing that to a gown that I had completed many years later with a lot more resources and knowledge in 2024. Keep in mind we all start somewhere, also we are subject to what we have available and can afford.  You can do later period personae’s on a budget, I am proof this is possible. Making gowns from curtains and bedsheets and limited knowledge. As I had to learn to sew when joining the SCA in 2004, needed a few years for proficiency before tackling Tudor court garb.

The 2010 Tudor gown is made out of red silk velvet, and the gold fabric is a polyester brocade, that I sourced from some cheap curtains. Silk from silk shirt for the foresleeve puffs. The gabled headdress uses 10 gage wire under stiffened felt base with polyester fabric and beaded gold trim with black velvet veil and black velvet partlet. Jewelry is eBay costume pieces.

Side note to the 2010, I had just graduated college in 2005 a few years before and my budget was very limited. The 2008 recession caused a lot of trouble for me finding a good paying job. All the while paying on my student loans working two jobs, where I was only making eight dollars an hour. I wore this to SCA event called “Feast of the Passing of the Ice Dragon”, and that was the first time I entered researched fashion dolls in the pentathlon Arts and Sciences competition. Fashion doll research is eventually are what I am known for in and outside the SCA.

The 2024 gown is a cotton brocade upholstery fabric with velvet hanging sleeves, over a fitted silk kirtle with upholstery velvet, over a closed neck linen smock. With silk French hood, the gown is lightly bejeweled neckline with jewelry findings, and freshwater pearls, has a metal girdle belt. The necklace and brooch are from the Metropolitan Museum of art collection of jewelry. The ring and earrings are from Armor and Castings.  Am wearing American Duchess, leather Tudor style shoes over the same brand silk stockings.

Side Note on my 2024 gown, this is better fitted and the under layers are proper to the Tudor Tailor researched book series. As well as the fact that I have the proper historical stockings and shoes which were definitely out of my prior budget. I was able to navigate an Arts and Sciences, display event all day in comfort. Looking super spiffy feeling every inch, the Tudor lady that I always wanted to represent within the SCA. On a personal note for budget, I had been working for a company where I was making over $25 an hour for the past 10 years. Which allowed me to acquire better materials to make structured outfits with the proper layers. And also be able to obtain replica, jewelry pieces, replica shoes, replica stockings, and the jewelry findings for the decoration of the gown. In the next two years, I was able to pay off the student loans completely from when I graduated. A modern day miracle in my opinion.

In ending this post, you do what you can with the knowledge you had at the time. It’s constant upgrading and learning which is part of the journey. Enjoy your reenactment or SCA journey, it’s not about the destination or the cookies. It’s about finding your joy in your personae and your chosen specialty. If you get kudos that just keeps you motivated for more of that journey. If not keep doing what makes you happy, that’s the point of this after all. 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to each one of my readers. May the year of 2026 bring many blessings, joy and peace to you all. 

Knitting the day away,

Maureen 

 

2025 Doll Album

 

Happy Yuletide

    As I look at 2025 in review. There has been some amazing art and research I have been able to create and compile this year.  The doll you see on the left is my most recently finished creation. There are some other dolls in progress, that are in the chemise shift linen stage but nothing that I have patterned for a gown as of yet. So this is the doll that 2025 is closing out with, a Ebay find that was bought undressed.  While the doll was styled in a more Edwardian hair style was a great option for a more Tudoresque design. Since the Victorians and Edwardians really enjoyed a Tudor Revival in their time. I find some fun in acquiring dolls of this style and giving a more accurate Tudor revival rework in clothing for these dolls.             

      Originally I had a different wreath arrangement, after a few days of contemplation and restyling. I forewent my plan and reworked the headdress. There was a leaf ribbon that is gold leafed from Michael's Arts and Craft. I added some copper highlights to create depth. Opened the wreath wire to make it easier to style. Also put a wreath of pearls to pull those up from the jewelry. Also with the hair being darker brown this allows color to be layered.  Love the periwinkle with orange brocade, this was from Pure silks. I also used a copper colored velvet for the outer gown with some gold lace accents to pull both metals into this ensemble.      

    The doll already had loops for earrings so I was easy to match pearl drops and put those in place. Not all dolls have this feature, but whenever I can find a doll with holes for earrings, I always add pearl drops as the period aesthetic calls for in the 16th century.

    The gold colored necklace and belt were Avon jewelry with a knot like design, that I had in my costume jewelry bin for years. I find myself either shopping smaller dainty pieces for dolls or finding costume pieces that work with the more medieval to renaissance styling for their scale. Many I find second hand stores in my local area. This doll is about 24" tall compared to the smaller size 12" I had done most of the year. The gold lace was purchased from Amazon, they have a bulk feature called Haul that works similar to Temu for some cheaper small items that can be shipped together with free shipping.  I find it interesting that Amazon got on the Temu train with this feature. Although money making is their game. I order trim maybe twice a year but this gives me more variety that I would find locally. Other than Holiday time, I do look at big box retail for trim at Christmas as they get more grand selection that I can use throughout the year for SCA Medieval/ Renaissance uses.  

     The laurel wreaths are charms I also obtained in bulk through Amazon Haul. Surprisingly decent quality for jewelry findings. This feature lets me also find some brass or copper stamping for jewelry that are not always available at local craft stores. This is something I normally purchase online since I began my journey making my own jewelry and dolls.

    I love the profile of this doll, and wishing I could find more quality sculpts like this second hand, really a rare find. While I have done image searches via Etsy and Ebay the AI is not always picking up on the styling just that it's a larger  porcelain doll.  

    There is so much more to be desired with the accuracy of AI. I do not use it for writing my research or my art whatsoever. Art really is an expression of humanity, even if we are replicating human visage though the centuries in figurines that look like us, realistic dolls, lifelike statues and movements of humanity in automations. All of these are made by human hands to display humanity, not to be humanity. The centuries of depictions are only facets that AI could hope to attain. We need to remember we are the artists, the spark that lives encased in our flesh.  There is nothing that can rival our brains power to process than a computer. Humanity's creativity, ingenuity, and invention.

While I may use AI to search things or ask questions, in everyday life. It is not what so ever used in any of my art or research pieces that you find online.  I also do not use it here on Blogger, I type in my imperfect style. Which is very me and that is something that is not going to change here for my readers.

As always I do like to post pictures of the back of the outfit. All the great pleats, seeing how the skirt lays compared to some of my other dolls. See the headdress from behind in this picture as well along with the standing lace.  Always like to have interest from every angle. The lace for the standing ruff is from a vintage dresser scarf, I did have to do some repair on some areas but this is one of the best ways to show it off.

Going back to my original topic, checking my tally for 2025. Created Twenty-Four Renaissance Porcelain dolls in 2025 made this year or styled by me.    

Hoping that your Holiday Season was Warm and Bright,

Maureen

 

Dolly Goodness

 

Enjoying the process of creating dolls that are 1:6 scale so about 11 to 12 inches tall. These particular dolls, I found online in the nude. I dressed them in the appropriate layers that would be found for this style of late medieval clothing. The two in the middle are more of a 1520s to 1530 style Henrician Tudor gowns. Middle left has a Gabled English hood, While the middle right happens to have a French Style hood. The gown on the middle right is fully lined in a fake fur, but it is super plush and close cut so it is appropriate for the scale of this doll. Gowns were lined with fur, especially in the winter to keep warm as fireplaces in each room only provided so much heat.

The gown on the middle left is of a purple silk with hanging sleeves that have a purple cotton velvet. The under skirt and foresleeves are made from a brocaded silk that has a metal accent running through the design. The same fabric is used on the Gabled English headdress, which has a black silk split veil on the back side. And each design has its own custom-made jewelry and either glass, metal, with some pearl accents.

The doll on the far right is created in a 1570s style French gown, made out of a red brocaded cotton edged with velvet ribbon. The underskirt is a moss green silk fabric edged in a gold lace. Each doll has a linen shirt, this particular one has rough on the collar and on the neck cuff. A least edged silk handkerchief makes an appropriate veil for this early Elizabethan style.

The doll on the far left is created in a 1570s English style, created from of a light blue dupioni silk. Edged with metallic gold threads and soutache trim. The under-layer is made from a brocade gold and white silk in a floral pattern, which is also used for the above full sleeves. Those sleeves are edged in a lace, as well as the underskirt edged in the same trim. A lace edged linen shirt completes the delicate ensemble, with The same metallic and soutache trim used for a bun covering in the back of the hair.

There has been some challenges, trying to find dolls that are about the size of a Mattel Barbie, but made out of porcelain that are jointed. I’ve been lucky enough to find a few in my travels as I’ve been collecting other size dolls for redressing. i’ve had to resort to looking at advertisement from closed porcelain doll store. As they would have a better likelihood of the size and variety of doll that I am looking for. I’m doing my best to locate dolls that look like adult women and not like children, which is a task easier said than done.

I do have some good news coming up for my research in 2026. I’m not able to share it at the moment due to future time constraints and making sure that thing actually happens. Although I didn’t want to keep completely silent that great Dolly things are coming in 2026. Just because I have achieved some thing doesn’t mean the work ends.Wanted to share some Dolly goodness on this rainy autumn day.

Soon to be Mistress of Poppets,

Mairin 

Godsmacked

Another award wall has been started at home, the one above my desk is pretty full, except for maybe some smaller scrolls in a 4x6 inch size. Anything larger would end up getting tucked behind the door or up near the ceiling and it wouldn’t be as nicely visible. Fittingly there is wall space above my bookcase.  Which features my most used and treasured research books regarding Tudor and Elizabethan clothing. Along with my resources for all my research on fashion dolls. 

This past weekend, I was honored with the writ for my future inclusion into the Order of the Laurel. This has been a dream goal of mine since I started in the Society for Creative Anachronism back in 2004. Which means I’m going to have to set new goals, which is perfectly fine. There is extra wall space above the picture frame you see in this image so there’s a nice spot for a larger fancier elevation scroll. 

Elevation in the Society for Creative Anachronism as a party celebrating a person’s cumulative  accomplishments. There are people that will normally describe accolades that the person has done over their many years of participation. There is delicious food made for the occasion sometimes snack food sometimes or a minor meal depends on what the honoree wants. Normally food made by friends and or family especially for the occasion. There is a certain amount of required regalia that do notes the persons induction into a particular peerage. Those pieces of regalia are normally made by someone who is close to the honoree. This completely caps off during the elevation ceremony at the end of the day where all the pieces of regalia are dressed upon the new peer. Just before they take their oath of Fealty to their kingdom, peers, and society before all the populace. 

This is definitely daunting for an indecisive person, but on this, I have had some ideas over a long period of time. Had some preparations made for materials and some bling in my sca hope chest. Now it’s the process of setting them into motion.

The next several months are going to be joyfully busy,

THL Mairin O’Cadhla

The future Mistress of Poppets

Women’s Knitted Tudor Cap

This is a project I have been wanting to make for a long time. Until more recently, I was concerned, my knitting skills were not up to par for this kind of work. Although one does not necessarily do something because they already know how to do it sometimes you have to challenge yourself. And while I looked at the directions that are in the Typical Tudor book. I realize those directions were for a very family lace weight yarn, which is not what I happen to have. While it’s single ply, it is definitely a bit thicker and has some variation in the thickness. Just like the example picture I have above this is from 1534 by Hans Holbein the younger. The young lady will cap you see over her linen is what I am trying to re-create. These tend to be made out of wool that is white. Although that does not necessarily mean, they could not have been made in other colors of dyed wool or natural sheep colors like grey or brown.

 

This time around, I’m going to be making them in three different colors; a darker blue, moss green and  goldenrod yellow. As you can see the example image to the right. They were not always in white. Even though this image is pencil drawing we can tell the beret like hat is a darker color. I currently have this type of hat in a different style that was made during the Artisan exchange. In black with red embroidery see picture below. I am hoping after I knit and full these caps, that I can either to embroider, appliqué or both type of designs to make them unique.

Also looking to see about making the linen under caps, decorated shirts, and partlets as well, to better enhance the garb I have and the more I plan on making in the coming months. All good things and feeling motivated to create despite life being busy. 

For this project it could be done on 4 or 5 double ended needles or a set of connected needles. I decided knitting in the round for all three hats made the most sense for me and how I knit. Having a hat made of wool fabric that is not knit still is useful for a size that I know fits my head. For these knitting projects am using a US size 6 round needles and 100% wool Lion Brand yarn, each skein has 299 yards of single ply sport weight wool. I have three sets of needles one for each color so I can get the different ones started. 

Am proud of my consistency it has take years to get my rows to look nice and neat without going nuts on tension. This is a really lovely wool yarn for being a commercially produced, although sustainably done according to the label. 

Which is also very important. According to the label, it says it is a medium weight yarn compared to the lace weight that was used with directions from the book. I obtained two skeins of each color, just in case I decided to attempt other projects with the yarn. Definitely could make a beautiful set of sleeves with this weight and they could be fulled since it’s a single ply.

Update!  here is one of the three hats that is completed. I was having issues reducing so I gathered the center me like the star pucker. This still needs fulled and blocked so some of that may smooth out with that finishing process. The other two women’s knitted flat caps are still on needles and are at the halfway mark or more. Also with the finishing process am wondering what will happen with the shrinking in hot water, this cap is larger than my head so hoping it gathers in to the size you see in the picture off the black one. 

Also working on a Wool and silk blended shawl I like the first miniature picture in this post. That is in a thin white two ply lace weight wool but wanting to see can be done  in the same yarn for these to have matching shawls. Things to consider, yes I know less matchy matchy in the period but it’s my preference. Also as a person would order or make items their preferences would be in their selection so there is that influence of the individual in wardrobe choices. 

Knitting away,

Maureen 

Spinning All The Fiber

When I am not working on dolls or making my own garb or garb for other people. One of my side arts and science’s project is fiber arts. When I originally learned to spin, I started on wool mostly of a Corridale breed of sheep. Which is an Australian breed eventually I learned to spin Marino, which is an Italian breed of sheep. More recently I’ve learned to spin shetland wall because it would’ve been available back in the 16th century and would’ve been a Scottish import.

Breed a sheep or something that happened after the timeframe I like to depict. Sheep are particularly bread for the kind of wool staple length of their fleece. They have to be shorn in the spring every year because the fleece does not fall out on its own due to the breeding. It’s the summertime now and even on Facebook marketplace I am seeing people who don’t sell their wool, trying to sell the fleeces unwashed to those who might actually use the wool.  While I have purchased dirty fleeces to wash and then spin, it is very labor intensive. Some people also spin in the grease as it’s called and then wash the wool after it’s created into yarn. I’m still trying to figure out which version would’ve been more accurate to the 16th century. I very carefully store mine in a dry temperature control basement and if it is dirty wool, I put it in plastic to at least keep it from making other surfaces greasy.

After I had truly gotten comfortable with spinning wool. I want to try other fibers to see how they behaved. Next moving onto flax as that was one of the more common fibers in the 16th century. This was normally used as your base layer of clothing against your skin. Regardless of social economic status, you were wrapped in linen when you were a baby and wrapped in a line shroud when you were dead. So this clothing made from plants was ubiquitous in the human experience.  I also found out that there is other plants besides flax that can be used to make linen fabric. Nettle or known as stinging nettle, bast fibers of the stem are harvested set to dry and then soaked to allow the outer shell to rot and the fibers to be released. Allowed to dry again and then manually beaten to slough off the outer shell of the stem. Bast fibers are the material that soaks up moisture, and brings it to the leaves and the top of the plant to allow photosynthesis. Through researching the history of plant fibers, I found out that there are many other plants that can be used to create fabric. Cotton, of course is the material around the seed pod. Jute, hemp, rayon known as cellulose,  are all bast fibers some are more processed than others to create the necessary fibers for spinning into yarn. There are plenty other plant fibers that can be used to create fabric and be spun into yarn. It was a very interesting to research from horticultural background, to find the various plants species that can be used for creating fiber for clothing production. Wetting the plant material does help release some naturally occurring mucus that the plant uses to hold together that also will hold the yarn fibers together. This was a very interesting discovery while I was working with the various different kind of plant fibers

The most recent type of fiber I have been using is silk. I was finding the process of spinning, this fiber a bit more challenging. As the spindles I had were much larger and heavier, and were not allowing the fibers to pull apart as easily. I was able to learn from a fellow SCA person that I needed a smaller spindle so it’s fun faster to twist the fibers quicker. Which allowed me to draft the silk into the desired thickness and create a continuous unbroken thread. Which is always the goal when spinning to create a continuous unbroken thread the least amount of joins creates a very strong finish product. I’m noticing with silk in particular that I have to be very mindful of the tension when a join is present so it does not fall apart when I am trying to place it on the spindle for the next fibers to be drawn. 

Currently, I am spinning some silk handkerchiefs in multi colors to get the hang of the manual spinning process. So far so good I’m hoping that eventually I can create my own silk threads for sewing and embroidery from my silk spinning. Even if I’m able to weave a little bit for my own use would also be nice as well. It would end up being more narrow work than yardage of wider fabric.

Also something to do while people are at Pennsic war For the next two weekends.

Mairin