Full of Suprises

Well kingdom 12th night turned out to be a very wonderful day. I was able to get all of my youth activity set up, though I had forgotten a few things at home. Was able to keep the youth entertained with coloring for young ones, I fellow shiremates, Lord Jeremy Mccool, set up painting miniatures for the older kids. Later in the day I had revel mask coloring which worked for both age groups. There was a nice wide space for the kids to romp and play, for those who would not be participating in the youth activities. There was also butter making which one over very well from my friend Lady Macca.  It was nice to be able to take turns and be able to go up and enjoy the event a little bit and not be stuck just at the youth table all day. The nice thing is you can just put a little sign up saying temporarily shut down till end of court.  I think with my wonderful help from my shire friends we can make youth activities much more entertaining. Plus help one another with food and bathroom breaks and things like that.

Having done youth activities for such a long time, it was a pleasant surprise that I receive my

Keystone for it.  I have this wonderful elaborately calligraphed scroll, with some beautiful illumination of the little Tudor lady on it. Very impressed, humbled and thankful for this award.  In the meantime I had spent what little time was not working with youth activities, able to get some embroidery done. It was a very relaxed and stress-free environment for everyone at the event. And that's always my goal is to make things very easy for the youth and partners involved. Many babes in arms which is nice to see, more little ones for the future to come play and learn.

I knew lunch was going to be tasty but I didn't know how filling it was going to be. The food was so good, a nice variety, amount of it that there was no way I would've even had room for feast if I had been on board. Having been properly laced in there was just no way that there would've been much more room come feast time. However I have no doubt that the main feast, after court was not only delicious but also very much like lunch, plenty of good food variety and tasty. Funny part is I was so full from lunch I didn't eat anything for the rest of the night. And that was after coming home and doing four hours worth of cleaning.
So I don't know if I would've spent the money for feast, if I would've been able to  truly sit there and enjoy it, having been full for the whole entire day.

So able to make major progress on my blackwork coif this weekend As of yesterday, I have

completely finished using all of the black silk on my embroidery. Now it'll be just the woven goldwork stitching going underneath the blackwork. And I know that is going to be it's own tedious process, the thread I am using does slide past itself very well but it still catches on occasion. I had never been very fond of using the DMC and other artificial gold colored threads. They end up tangling and do not slide through the fabric let alone slide past itself without catching. Normally I would end up with such a mean not to mess that I would become frustrated and find some sort of alternative way of putting shine on my projects. Be at the alternative ways were not a period correct solution, they did the job at the time. Though if for historical accuracy purposes it's important to do it the old-fashioned way despite how frustrating it can be.

I soon will be further along on my piece than the extent piece that I am basing this project on.  There was a wide variety of areas not complete on the period piece. I am going to be completing this coif project using a braided gold stitch going down the top portion of it and hand woven lace on the sides to really show what this was supposed to look like when completely finished. I am certainly hoping that this piece will fit when I am done.  This is one of the wider scroll frames I have,so I've gone to the edges of my frame as much as I can. So here's to hoping that it shall fit when all the goldwork is completed.

 After this particular project I have a few gowns that I plan on making here in the spring because I need something that fits proper.  In the meantime going to modify a couple of my other Tudor gowns  for the next events coming up. Working on idea for project for Ice Dragon at this time, have some material to read over and figure out whether or not it's a project that I can complete within the two months or so till the event. Plus get the documentation already to go and properly done. So we shall
see!

Plans coming along,

Lady Mairin