German Brick Stitch vol. ?

Once a time (last fall) I was without pc for 2 weeks. I was restless and and I needed something to do. So... what I decided... I started new embroidery xD I have no idea what I am going to use is for, but at least I managed to use my random woolyarn. The fabric is 22 evencount and whole embroidery is about 13cm x 10cm. Desing is this one from Medieval Arts and Crafts. .

There is some color variations, just because I had limite amount of the yarn. I'll probaply make another one soon. I just have to remember to buy new evenweave.

Operation: Learn gilding

Firstly I wanted to post one picture from my work. I work in museum (at least for a while) and this one is from the collections. We have plenty of pretty costumes and accessories from the past. this set is one of my favorites.

And then one SCA-scroll. I have been bit lazy/tired/busy for SCA work lately. Sometimes I should do something for myself, not just for everyone else. This one I made for Elena af Humalasalo. I decided to try gilding finally and I had some problems, as you can see. I tried new kind of style for calligraphy and eventually I had problems to keep the text neat. Plus I made too many mistakes and I tried to cover them with gilding too xD At least I learnt what to do next time. The decoration is from mid 16th century embroiderybook and I decided to use it as Elena is excellent embroiderer.

Joyfull New Year!

I wish you all joyfull new year!

I might turn comments on again...

Annoying spammers

I have turned comment-option off for a While. I have got too many spam-comments lately and it's getting a bit annoying.

I also know I have been bit silent lately. I just have not had time/energy to write anything. Actually I have not even done anything lately. No point of showing works in progress... but I assure you. Soon I'll have something a brag/tell about. I am about to finish my 24 evencount German brick stitch I made for me! Yup, I actually make something for my own use, not just orders from friends. 

here's few modern(ish) diplomas I made for Fantasia-feast. I even managed to practise gilding.
Here are the modern calligraphy and Illumination I made

And here are some playing card/ATC sized ornaments I have been making for few swaps at www.swap-bot.com

Back again

Hello!

I got new pc finally. Althou I hate my new keyboard. I managed to lost long update only by pressing a wrong button. oh well, I'll try to write as much as had previously. I hope I won't hit the 'entrykiller'-button again (and I would like to know what did I do then...) anyways, most of my pics are inside my broken laptop, but I do have something to show you.

Scroll for Lord Nattfari

Viking age scroll/diploma (made for SCA.org)
Ink on 250mg watercolorpaper
Border design is from Swedish runestone
Border is (my own interpretation) Glymdrápa , a skaldic poem composed by Þorbjörn hornklofi toward the end of the 9th century :

Hilmir réð á heiði,
hjaldrseiðs, þrimu, galdra
óðr við œskimeiða
ey vébrautar, heyja,
áðr gnapsólar Gripnis
gnýstœrandi fœri
rausnarsamr til rimmu
ríðviggs lagar skíðum

Embroideries I made at work

I made these embroideries at work for small bags we make there. Right pair is multicolored silk with golden outlines and left ones are blue-to-white and violet-to-white cotton DMC with silver outlines. I have attached 2 small beads between both pairs of embroideries. They'll make pretty borders for the bags. all of these are about 5cm in diameter.



I have not had that much time to do anything at work, neither my free time have been that productive. I have started few new projects, like spiral naalbinding with 3 colors (spring green wool (dyed with red onions, if I remember right), dark green wool and Gray wool. I had all of those yarns very little, so I decided to make something out of them and 3-color spiral socks felt a nice idea. I fear I need to use other colors too, as these yarns seem to run out fast.

I have also 2 remodelling projects. My byzantine dress just needs some fixing, as part of the silken sleeves are torn. The other dress need much more work. I made it 14 years ago, so its not that authentic. So I decided to remodel it and I hope I can use it later. I have to cut the sleeves, so it will be quite short-sleeved, and then I have to turn the whole dress. The lacing is now at the back, so I will turn the dress around and widen the hole for the head. I hope that dress will turn more authentic with this little remodelling.

I'll be ending now, my hands are full of gold flakes. I tried gilding 1st time today and it did not work as well as I hoped x)

Short (I hope) break from blogging

Hey!

I am sorry to inform this, but I have to take short break from blogging. My laptop broke down today and this old one is not working as it should either. Plus all pics are inside my broken machine and I cant get them before I get new pc.

so, I hope to return soon. Till then, have a fun summer!

Little update and picspam

Holla!

It's been a while... I know... My irl-work just makes me so tired, that I have not managed to do much... plus, I have started too many new projects x) Here's little update...

Embroideries done at work:
I have some time to do embroideries at work, and here is 2 pics of my creations. 1st one is decorating one of my work's new uniforms (diam. about 7cm) and the other is 2 borders to be added to small bags. The bags will be sold in our shop some day. Left hand side embroidery is made using cotton vatiating blue-white and purple-white and it's trimmed with small silver back stitch. The right pair of images are made with rainbow colored silk and trimmed with golden back stitch.

It took about  week to do this 1st embroidery and about 1½ days for each of the smaller ones. 

 

Here is a peek from my work.

I have material for several posts now, I am planning to make separate posts of them, as most of them are different kind of crafts. I'll be blogging in few days again. 

Viking Drawing

This is islamic scroll I made recently. Borders are greatly simplyfied version of 13th cent star-shaped tiles from Kashan, Persia. I should have done the text bit bigger, it's still readable, but it could have been more clearer. Oh well, it looks now more like handwritten than printed.



This one is drawing I made for one calendar. Two of the people in the pic are my friends ;) Drawn on MUJI 0.38 inkpen and Pilot lettering pen

Interesting blogs!

So...
I created 'promote your partner's craft-blog' at Swap-bot and I think it's my turn to actually promote my partners websites. You should visit these blogs too, you might even get ideas for next projects ;)

craftingwithblue.blogspot.com: She makes lovely cards and scrapbooking. I am bit anti-valentine's girl myself, but one of her valentine cards was actually nice. I love the '2012 albym' she made for the "New Year's Resolutions" Blog Hop. eps. the months Janyary and august looked fine :) I hope to see her future creations.

bpositivebfree.blogspot.com: She writes about life and positivity. Maybe I should take time and read her textx and learn something ;). Anyhow, she make funny and creative knitted peaces. I have never seen such an artform, and I am bit shamed to admit it xD. Remember to check her etsy-store too!

www.createtofeelgreat.blogspot.com: She recently created a knitting needle/knitting supply roll up bag. Nice work! I actually have similar roll for my bruches and I'd say to everyone, that kind of solution is perfect for Knitters and painters like us. She seems to be creating all kind of thing, like sewing, storage-rolls, paintings. Worth to visit.

deidre421.wordpress.com: She makes lovely pottery and other items from clay. Those rings, she blogged about month ago, are fantastic! They really look pretty. And her nanoblock pig is so cute x) It looks so 8-bit ;)

vintageterrace2.blogspot.com : Her papercrafts are very pretty indeed. Lace, vintage images, etc She also blogs about different artforms and at least one of them was new to me too, The Encaustic 'painting'. Check out the video on her site. She has also made few lovely altered bottles etc containers. I have to follow her lead and paint few bottles and make them pretty x)

Tweet me up!

Yup,

I am at Twitter, under name @geeklaugh .Add me ;)

I'll tweet mostly about geeky things, like history, gaming, odd humor etc. There'll be some historical things too. And I definitely post all the strange questions I hear at work xD

Books and illumination etc

oi, oi, oi... I just ordered This book. It was not what I believed to be, size A5 booklet with iron-on patterns. This was _A4_ sized book, full of lovely pictures and even borders. I LOVE IT!!! and It was ONLY 0.01£ !!! (I was not planning to make a celtic dress, but now I just have to xD)

I also managed to finish one islamic scroll, but I am not yet posting a pic of it, as it is not yet delivered to the new owner. I'll tell ya more about it, when I post the pics.

Lately I have been crocheting quite a lot. I finished multicolored mittens (for my ma) week ago and now I am finishing up my new viking apron dress. I totally loooove the color, it's something like deep saffron. I also have naturally dyed tabletweave waiting to be added. I just hope the dress won't be too heavy. It's really thick linen and atm it feel like you're wearing an elefant xD I bet the weight is distibuted more evenly when I add straps.

Since I started work, I have been buying craft-supplies like crazy. I just can not stop. I want ti all and I want it now, haha xD I hope I am not the only one 'suffering' from this 'illness'... og well, maybe I actually create something pretty out of them...

lastly, there is really interesting writing (by Textile Time-Travels) about re-enacting etc. I mostly agree with her, but not totally. I have only tiny differences of opinion in 'fine details' but generally that would be my thoughts excatly. (Althou I don't think I'd have courage to blog about it xD)

Am I alive?

...yes, I think so...

My work has taken much of my energy and to be honest, I have not been crafting that much lately. Whitch is bit sad really.

Here's proof I have been doing (slowly but surely) embroidery for the SCA wallhanging 'We have Dragons' I was planning to make two patches at least, but time is ending and my 1st one is not even finished... so sad...so sad...


That's really only thing I can share with you this time. I am painting a mongol/islamic scroll for Insulae Dragonis, but that's a bit 'in progress' at the moment, so I wish not to share pics yet.

Guess what? As I have bit more money these days, I have been online shopping like mad, haha xD You HAVE to check out The Silk Mill. I adore them!

Yule-holidays are coming soon, so I have at least bit more time to craft, yay! Maybe next time I can even tell you what I have been up at my work. I am so excited already!

naalbinging-hell

Yeah, lately I have done so much naalbinding that I am nearly sick of it. I had to change to embroidering for a moment. I made naalbinded hat and pair of mittens within 2 weeks. Thankfully my work is bit slow at wintermonths, so I managed to finish everything in time. But I naalbinded so much, that I am sick of it. I managed to have 3 days free of naalbinding before I made present for my friend.

About that present. I don't have pics, but I made handwarmers for my friend using Dalarna-stitch. 1st one was silver gray "Seitsemän Veljestä' with dark green stripe from "Seitsemän Veljestä' and the 2nd one was dark green (don't remember the yarn's name/maker) with silver grey 'Seitsemän Veljestä' stripe. So, basically they were Slytherin handwarmers ;-)

Last weekend I was slav...erm, cooking at 'Camp of Historical Dances' with my friends and it was fun! I even managed to dance a bit. Chaotic Petit Riens, Turkish Brandle in Unikankare's way etc. Brandle Dificile looked so great, that I want to learn it and maybe create my own version of it, hehe

My next scroll-project will be Far Eastern and I am trying to find inspiration for it. I have seen few arabic scrolls, but I am trying to find perfect one to copy... let's see how it goes...

interesting page

Hey!

I just wanted to say, that I found 'new' site. It's really fab, I think :)

Two nerdy history girls

So far I have spent 3h browsing the site and enjoying history-geekiness ;)

Ugh... um... do you remember me?

Hi there! Long time , no see/sea ;) I have (lame) reason for being silent.
Firstly, I GOT DREAM-JOB!! I'll last only few months, but who cares. I'll enjoy the (almoust) every second of it. I can do lots of crafts there, esp. medieval. later in this post I'll show some pics of my crafts and the workplace.

Secontly, I just orgaized, with my friend Birgitta, a big(ish) medieval feast last weekend. Eventually there were totally 47 people celebrating in Byzantine feast and such. It' was like SCA event, but more strict about authenticity and men were fighting with real swords, not with rattan (like in SCA). I had massive migrane, jointpains at hip anf knees and 'that time of the month', so I was not as nice and friendly as I could have been (because of the pain) but I think I did not offend anyone and things went pretty smoothly.

This is one embroidery I made for my friend. The desing is vikingage with eastern/byzantinian influence. I'll post another pic as soon as I get it out of my phone x)


That's my new Byzantinian dress, nearly done. I have already finished it thou. This pic was taken at my work. I'll post better pic as soon as I fix the dress. As it was handsewn, It broke last weekend, when I was using it 1st time. Thank Gods and goddesses, I still have few peaces of that red/blackish silk.

Another pic of the dress and my work ;) Envy me :P

Now I have only 3 urgent naalbinding to do. I'll post pics of them, when I finish. Mittens should be ready in less than a month, hat soon (as it's a payment from my new war-axe) and socks. Luckily the socks have plenty of time to 'materialize' :)