This May I went to a small and cozy weekend event outside Stockholm, to watch the Majgreve tournament and meet with new and old friends. It was such a nice event, the weather was perfect and the site beautiful.
Wow, what a site! Don’t you want to go for a swim?
During Saturday, everyone hanged outside by the lake, having lunch picknick-style, playing or chatting with each other.
The fighters got hot; so they continued to practice in the lake.
I also got too hot, and decided for a swim in the lake. It was very cold, but very nice! I didn’t take any bathing photos because of no swimwear, but look at how happy I was afterward!
I put up my shop on the grass and tempted children with stuffed horses and adults with shiny jewels. Works every time!
The jug sneaked around the bush, going on adventures of its own. Who owned it? Don’t know, but I know that it is based on a find of a medieval clay jug.
Court in the shade
Afternoon sun by the lake
In the evening, tables was set outside by the shore and on the pier, and everyone enjoyed a pot-luck feast together!
And finally, some photos of fellow SCAdians! I always try to take some photos and/or portraits during events, to let you meet some of all the amazing people I get to meet during my adventures!
I had an amazing weekend, and really recommend you to visit a SCA event if you haven’t already, or to visit Majgreve next year if you live closer to Sweden and Stockholm!
Wearing my 16th century trossfrau outfit during the event. If you want to know more about it, read my other blog posts about 16th century clothing, and check out my tutorials on the subject =)
We went to the SCA event Double Wars in southern Sweden (Skåne) and traveled from early snowy spring to full summer in a day. Magical event on a beautiful site, and a really large historical camping ground. The drive took about 15 hours, so we divided it in two days and made some small stops and side trips along the way, like visiting historical buildings and eating ice-cream.
I am working on photos from the event, so the following blog post will be about the event, site, camp and lots of inspirational photos for you- hope you enjoy it!
The new red dress, late 14th century, in red wool with pewter buttons and front lacing. Since the event took place in early May, a warmer dress like this was a good choice. Being photographed in the camp site
Out new tent from Tentorium; we are really satisfied with the quality and the rainproof fabric, it kept us dry and comfortable living during the week-long event. Took the photo one morning, getting dressed in the late 15th c green kirtle (I will come back to this outfit later in a separate blog post)
One day we went for a short stroll down to the lake, through magical green forests with woodgarlic and birdsong
Do you remember my green houppelande with rabbit fur? I sold it, and tried out a new model (how else to learn?) in a green high quality wool, lined with silk and trimmed with the same silk fabric, to imitate a painting I got inspired by. I call it the Weyden outfit; and I will write more about it when I got the time.
Love is feeling very well now, and was spending most of his time hanging around the archery, practicing or just having a good time. He is wearing a 14th century outfit, made of wool.
I also like archery, and discovered that most of my outfits was wearable for shooting and handling the bow. Even the fancy new red dress, with large veil was ok. What I didn’t like? My straw hat and the temple braids; they got in my way.
Here with love, practicing archery
Strolling around the camp groundsMarket day, love is jumping in to help some customers, while I had a snack and talked about clothing with friends.
Me and Aleydis by the lake, she was swimming in the cold water, while I was minding the sun…
Do you like what you see? SCA is a big organisation that is active in lots of European countries, USA, as well as other places around the world. Google SCA and your country or city to find out if you have a local group to join- SCA is friendly for beginners and there is lots of help and friends to have if you want to join in and journey with us to long-ago-times!
The last 1- 1 1/2 year the 15 century has been one of my main interests. It is a really interesting period in history, with lots of changes in both politics, society and how trade, money and people moved. My main interest has been the clothing in middle Europe, around what is today Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands (more or less, influences and fashions spread and you can see similar styles in areas boarding to these ones).
From these areas came several great artists, there are lots of paintings and artistic work left, and Scandinavia were greatly inspired by the clothing and fashion movements from the German area.
To both challenge and inspire myself I decided to make a Golden Egg challenge on the topic of 15th century clothing. The Golden Egg is a household in the SCA; you can read more about it here. My goal is now to research and make a whole outfit from the late 15th century for myself, and the timeline is one year between start and presentation.
I wanted to share some of my research, as well as some good sources for you to read for yourself. My main interest is the clothing for women, but you will find lots of good inspiration for men’s fashion as well.
Some important points to remember when studying 15 c fashion (or any historical fashion really) is:
The diversity of the period. Fashion shifted over a certain time, and during the 15th c it shifted quite fast. It also differed over areas (such as towns, countries) as well as social classes. It is not possible to sum up the period by stating “a women wore this and this, in such a way” but some things are similar, like wearing a linen shift, middle kirtle and over dress of some kind. How these looked, what materials they were made in and how you wore them differed greatly, as did the accessories.
The art and paintings of the period is a really good source, since there’s a lot of them, and the fashion of art suggested a natural, realistic reproduction of the people living during that period, with lots of details regarding seams, models, fashion and materials. This was also the period when portraits became popular for others than the nobility, with the ever-increasing burgher class economy as a base for portraits. This give us a source of good depictions of people of the time, and also gives a good clue on what kind of clothing and headwear was in fashion. It is important to note that there also were sumptuary laws regarding what you could wear, and how you were to be portrayed according to your status in society, making the understanding of art and symbolic meanings very important.
Religious art was also very important, and great artworks were often the result of a whole workshop with different painters, studies and sketches from different areas and periods, as well as saints depicted with biblical clothing and symbolic tokens. This means that you can find different styles in one and the same painting, both considering fashion and the style of the artist, even though the master overlooked the work on each artwork. It also means that flowing robes and cloaks that appear might not be the fashionable items like the gowns and doublets right beside them, but more some kind of biblical clothing.
Colours, technics and styles regarding painting developed greatly during this century, with the use of different mineral sources etc as a way of getting vibrant, expensive and fashionable colours. But this does not mean that the colour tone on a painting was the same as the depicted garment from sketches and models; the colour was foremost the result of the client’s budget, where vibrant reds, dark blues and golden inlays were important for the fashionable and rich client. Does this mean that paintings can’t be the source for fashion studies? No, of course you can look at art for getting an idea of the clothing of the time. Just keep in mind that the colour that you see on your computer screen is the result of both a computer screen setting, the photography of the painting (with editing) how well the painting has withstood time (mineral paint tend to change over time) as well as the idea of what a really expensive colour looked like in art versus fashion.
Artists of the time was more handcrafters and less artists in our modern use of the word. They trained for masters, belonged to workshops and worked with paintings as a team, not as one expressive personality. The money came from churches, rich nobility and the burgher class who commissioned art pieces (or bought ready-made pieces) such as piety paintings, portraits and, later on, everyday scenes from their home. This means that art was the result of society, fashion, study and individuals, greatly inspired by the ongoing social development as well as other painters. Of course there were room for personal style; compare Rogier van der Weyden to Durer and you will find style differences, even if you are not a trained art historian.
The artist had knowledge about the fact that fashion shifts; and that what was worn everyday when the paintings was made, was not the clothes of the time depicted in them. So in a painting of Christ’s birth; you can se both people dressed in the high of 1470’s fashion, as well as mythical and religious figures dressed in cloaks and robes that were meant to be seen as “some kind of long time ago clothing”. This might be pretty obvious, but to make it a bit trickier there is also paintings with 14th century fashions depicted (in a rather loose style) in 15th century paintings.
Dress for your age; as for society today, people tend to dress after their age, with the young girls and women of that time preferring high fashion dresses, loose hairstyles or flowing hair for the unmarried (or soon to be crowned queens) while older women seems to be more covered, with additional layers and more elaborate veils. Older women can also be seen in “unfashionable” garments; what was the thing 10-20 years ago at their prime seems to hang along.
Having this in mind, you can clearly se that if you aim to make an outfit as historical accurate as possible (…possible for your means, skill etc) an important start is to choose a certain time and period. The social standing is also important, so a good starting point could be a woman from south Germany (or a city of your choice) from the wealthy burgher class, who lived during 1450-1470.
I have chosen to focus on the area of Germany, the Netherlands and the Flemish region. This because there were some great artists living there that I want to study further, but I also enjoy the fashion of that area and how the geographic areas and countries influenced each other. If you compare this areas to (for example) Italy or France, you will find that both style in art and fashion differs greatly.
Another thing to consider, is to search for sources besides art; like finds, surviving clothing items, sketches, written documentation etc. This will give a depth for your understanding of the period, where the beauty ideals and painting technique might touch up certain details to the point of it being difficult to interpret (like, how did all the women have those small round breasts sitting high up on the body?)
These are some important painters and artists from the German/Netherland/Flemish (Belgium)/Burgundy region during the century that I have chosen to study in more detail:
(About the dating: Sometimes it is difficult to find the year of birth/death for individuals, so the dating in uncertain, but it will provide with a overview of when they lived and were active)
Limbourg brothers (1385-1416) Germany
Hubert van Eyck (1366-1426) Flemish
Jan van Eyck (1395-1441) Netherlands
Rogier van der Weyden (1399-1464) Netherlands
Petrus Christus (1410-1476) Netherlands
Hugo van der Goes (1440-1483) Netherlands
Hans Memling (1430-1494) Netherlands
Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1504) Netherlands
Gerard David (1460-1523) Netherlands
Hans Holbein the Elder (1460-1524) Germany
Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) Germany
If you are interested in this period and want to learn more about the art, there’s some good books about different artists, and this really good (and free) article at Wikipedia about the subject.
I have also studied books on different artists, the Prestels “Masters of Art” series have been very interesting. There you can find both Van Eyck, Durer and many more.
Want to see more artwork from the time? Check out my Pinterest folder!
Sometimes I get the feeling that I never get anything done, or that I haven’t made a piece for sale in like, forever. So I made a list of some of the things I have done this year, both for customers and for myself and love, and then I felt that yes- maybe I have been quite productive after all!
In the beginning of the year, I think I accidentally started this Herjolfnes recreation, all hand stitched.
I made our wedding outfits for our Midsummer wedding:
Supporting linen dress, white silk dress, velvet over dress, purse, belts and for love; silk shirt, silk brocade doublet and under west, woolen hose, bag and belt. Also, I remember sewing some tunics and dresses for our families for the wedding.
Did I sew this houppelande also, or did I finish it the year before? It is also all hand stitched, on wool, silk and rabbit fur.
During autumn, I apparently needed to redo my apron dress, make a whole new viking coat by hand and put it all together to a new outfit, along with some tablet woven bands.
Also, some commissions took place, like this coat…
… as well as a number of hoods, shirts and tunics (here’s some of them along with the silk cotehardie)
I also remember some viking hedeby trousers (baggy pants)- four of them i think.
As well as some hand sewn viking clothing…
I updated my shop and market stall during the spring with cloths, small flags and my own logo hand painted on a linen fabric.
Made a whole bunch of veils in linen and thin wool for different outfits;
I studied 16th century tailoring manuscripts and sewed two jackets for women, in wool fabric (one for my friend Linnea and one for myself)
Oh, and rosaries were totally a thing- I have read a lot about them, made a whole bunch of drawings, some pieces for sale and a folder about how to do them yourself, as well as holding some workshop on the subject.
This is far from everything I have made, and some pieces have not even made it to being properly photographed though I have been wearing them on several occasions. Also, quite a few items and commissions also are just on fb or my Instagram accounts, otherwise this post would be far to long.
All in all, I think I have; 1. made quite some things and 2. need to be even better at documenting them and writing about them here on the blog.
Recently, I was at the SCA event Kingdom University, and there I met lots of really good handcrafting persons. As a result, I got lots of inspiration, new knowledge and good tips on where to read and look for new inspiration. I wanted to share some tips with you, so here is some really good links to other people’s research and blogs;
Textile time travels is such an excellent blog by Annika where she generously shares her knowledge and projects.
Historical textiles have a very interesting blog about different historical finds and such, and a completely awesome dictionary with textile terms in different languages; perfect for reading blogs or books in a foreign language!
Anna/Renika has a nice blog about 15th century clothing, full of both research and sewing tips.
Eva/Aleydis has a blog about her costuming work, apart from some really cool silk dress projects, you can also read some more about Kingdom University there!
Right now, I’m working with the photos from Kingdom Univ, sewing on some projects, and trying to stay alive in the cold, dark November of Sweden. When I have worked through all the pictures I will show you them, along with some really great paintings ans sculptures from the Rijksmuseum. See you!
Det här inlägget är en gästpost, skriven av min vän Linnea. Hon har återskapat trossfraus/kvinnor i landsknektsarmén från 1500talets Tyskland i nästan tio års tid. Hon berättar om sin dräktresa, saker hon lärt sig, och vackra dräkter hon sytt. Läs och inspireras! (fotografer är angivna där Linnea har haft namn på dem/tillhör mig.)
This is a guest post by my friend Linnea. Since she chosed to write in Swedish, I will publish it accordingly- but use google translate to read about her journey as a handcrafter and 16th century camp follower from the German areas. She presents her different outfits and things she has learned along the way!
Linnea:
Jag gick med i SCA, Styringheim på Gotland, 2008. Det var en kompis som sydde min första klänning, tidigt 1400-tal, i ett tjock mörkblått ylle med en ljusare blå underklänning i linne. Den ligger undanlagd i gömmorna sedan länge. Kanske använde jag den bara vid två eller tre event. Redan på mitt första event fick jag syn på en klänning som skulle sätta så djupa spår i mig att jag för tio år framöver inte skulle ha några andra stilar. Det var en klänning som tillhörde Jovi, som skulle komma att bli en av mina vänner, och hörde hemma i det tyska 1500-talet. 2009 gick jag med i landsknektsföreningen Proknekt och var under två år föreningens ordförande.
Efter den första egensydda dräkten har det blivit betydligt fler och i dagsläget har jag sytt 10 klänningar i samma stil. Det har varit min egen utveckling, en strävan efter att hela tiden förbättra kläderna, utan att för delen ha en önskan om att forska djupare. I början var klänningarna inspirerade av andra klänningar jag sett och med tiden har jag för varje klänning gjort en förbättring. Jag anser att alla måste lägga sig på en nivå som känns bekväm, vi har alla varit nya och måste få ha rätten att börja någonstans. Det här är min klädresa.
Första klänningen syddes i ett tungt mörkblått, nästan svart, ylletyg med orangea detaljer. Den är sydd på maskin och eftersom jag tröttnade på att sy i det alldeles för tjocka yllet, är slitsarna till viss del limmade. Kjolen består av två raka stycken, vidden blev 3 meter. Klänningen har synlig snörning, något jag förstått senare inte är historiskt riktigt. Men så stolt jag var första gången jag hade klänningen på mig! Om jag inte minns fel så var det på Knäckekriget 2009. Skjortan är sydd för hand med en smockad kant. Kanten fick inget stöd och viker därför ner sig på ett mindre smickrande sätt.
Andra klänningen syddes i ett något tunnare mörkgrönt ylle med mörkblå detaljer. Klänningen är helt handsydd. Ärmarna var löstagbara och med en kant som gick att vika upp. Kjolen består av två raka stycken, vidden är 3 meter. Här hade jag gjort en ny underkjol i blekt linne. Den här klänningen var färdig 2010, och jag gjorde samtidigt en ny smockad skjorta.
När jag sydde klänning nummer tre valde jag ett tunnare ylle än för klänning nummer två. Det är fortfarande mörka färger som gäller, blå med röda detaljer. Klänningen består egentligen av kjol och jacka. Ärmarna är fastsydda och har en kant som går att vika upp. Slitsarna är alla sydda för hand, liksom klänningen i övrigt. Kjolen består av två raka stycken, vidden är 3 meter. Den här gången hade jag lyckats få en bättre form på ringningen både på fram- och baksidan, mer fyrkantig i likhet med originalen. Den här klänningen var också färdig till 2010. Här är också första gången som jag har korrekta skor, så kallade oxmular, till kläderna istället för ett par vikingaskor. Delarna syddes ihop till en klänning 2017 för att sen säljas. (Fotograf Ulf Ekberg)
Klänning nummer fyra syddes i ett tunt kostymylle som jag fick billigt. På grund av att kostymyllet var så tunt blev det detaljer i ett brunt syntettyg för att matcha. Men den är helt handsydd. Ärmarna är avtagbara. Kjolen består av två raka stycken, vidden är 3 meter. Klänningen saknar slitsar, något som jag alltid varit mycket sparsam med. Överlag tycker jag att många återskapade klänningar har för många slitsar om man jämför med originalen. Klänningen var klar till Peter und Paul festival i Bretten 2011.
Klänning nummer fem är sydd av ett petroleumblått ylletyg som jag hittade på en militärloppis i Tallin, och svarta detaljer. Ett helt suveränt tyg men kanske inte 100 % ylle. Det regnade under en eldshow på Medeltidsveckan för ett par år sen och regnet bara rann av istället för igenom. Den är handsydd och jag har dagen till ära sytt en ny hatt, i orange ylle. Ringningen är också fyrkantig i likhet med originalen, något jag inte alltid fått till. Kjolen består av två raka stycken, vidden är 3 meter. Klänningen var klar till Medeltidsdagarna på Hägnan 2012. (Fotograf Kim F Rehnman)
Klänning nummer sex var en klänning i linne att fäktas i. Slitsarna är alla nedsydda för hand men i övrigt är klänningen sydd på maskin. Kjolen består av två raka stycken, vidden blev 3 meter. Den var klar till 20th Anniversary of Drachenwald på Ludwigstein Castle 2013.
Klänning nummer sju är sydd i Historiska rums ylleflanell, ett tyg som är tunt och svalt samtidigt som det ganska fort får en lite sliten patina. Den är handsydd, vilket inte var helt kul med tanke på att det är 12 meter handsömnad i varje rand i kjolen… Snörningen är gjord med korsettband, ett mycket bekvämt fusk. Ärmarna är löstagbara med slitsade överärmar. Kjolen består av två raka stycken, vidden är 3 meter. Jag lämnade här min trygghetszon med annars så mörka färger för en ljusare blå. Underkjolen är av oblekt linne. Klänningen var klar till medeltidsveckan på Gotland 2014 och såldes vidare 2017. (Fotograf Bella Ekström)
Till 2017 syddes en underklänning i Medeltidsmodes råväv. De skjortor jag haft under klänningarna har inte varit helt korrekta. Det ska, enligt mina vänner som lägger mer tid på forskning än vad jag gör, vara en underklänning mellan skjorta och överklänning. Det blir varmt och därför har jag den sällan, men här, vid matlagningen på Landsknecht Hurra i Tyskland, passade den ypperligt. Den är handsydd efter samma mönster som mina överklänningar men utan dekorationer. Snörningen är synlig med handsydda snörhål. (Fotograf Torbjörn Walberg)
Klänning nummer nio är sydd i brunt engelskt kläde från Historiska rum med krappröda detaljer. Kjolen är sydd i våder vilket ger 5 meter i nederkant. Inga slitsar här heller, bara dekorbanden. Den här klänningen sitter ihop med hyskor istället för snörning, väldigt bekvämt! Jag har gått från starka färger till en mer nedtonad färgskala, beige och krappröd, något jag föreställer mig är lämpligt för en mindre bemedlad kvinna i trossen. På bilden har jag också en jacka i rött ylletyg med oblekt linnefoder. Jag har också sytt små tossor i linne som skyddar strumporna i stil med tossorna som återfinns på träsnitten. Under överklänningen har jag underklänningen som syns tydligare på bilden ovan. Alltsammans blev klart till Landsknecht Hurra i Tyskland 2017.
Klänning nummer tio syddes också under 2017 och var klar till Medeltidsveckan på Gotland. Det här är den första klänning jag syr efter ett specifikt träsnitt. Den är sydd i ylleflanell från Historiska rum, i bärnsten och krapprött. Kjolen är sydd med våder vilket ger en vidd på över 5 meter. Den stängs med hyskor. Nedre delen av ärmarna är lösa i enlighet med träsnittet. Jag slyngade snörena med slynggaffel. Det var ett test från min sida, jag har hört att det kanske var vanligare med fingerflätade snören. På bilden har jag också en ny hatt, en ny huvudduk i ylle och nytt smockat förkläde. Strumporna är från Kapitelhusgården och väskan från Craft Hive. Banden på kjolen finns inte på träsnittet, jag tyckte det blev snyggare med band än utan. Klänningen ska egentligen också vara rosa med röda detaljer. Men trots att jag har gått från mörka till ljusa färger ligger rosa utanför min gräns… (Fotograf Erika Hernlund)
Blev du inspirerad? Under min sida “tutorials” kan du lära dig att göra en knekthatt, eller spana in högerspalten och klicka på Lansknecht & Trossfraus för att läsa mer om knekt och trossfraudräkter, hur du gör egna och var det finns inspiration. Jag har också länkat till föreningarna som Linnea pratar om, och till de inköpsställen hon använt sig av direkt i texten.
This post is in Swedish, copy to google translate if you want to read it. The post is mainly about historical camping in Sweden at viking markets, SCA events and the like, and is my personal remember-note for next years season and the updates I want to accomplish. Do you have any piece of advise on your own, or do you have a blogpost that is about historical camping in any way? Give me a link to it in the comment section so I can get inspired by you!
Bilderna i inlägget kommer från Double Wars 2017
Nu har jag åkt på massor av event under vår, sommar och höst där jag, jag och maken eller ett kompisgäng bott i tält. Det har varit både vikingaevent, marknader, SCA-event och blandningar däremellan, så nu tänkte jag göra mig en lista så jag kommer ihåg alla kloka lärdomar inför eventsäsongen 2018. Det här är alltså ingen packlista, utan mer en uppdatering på saker som kan göras bättre till nästa år, och saker som har fungerat fint.
Både jag och maken är ju rätt bekväma av oss nuförtiden, så vi gillar att kunna rulla fram bilen till vår lägerplats. (Fram till att jag var typ 22 så trodde jag att normen var att bo på andra sidan ett berg, längs med en stig. Norrlandslajvare.) Vi gillar också att sova torrt och bekvämt, ha rena kläder, lagad mat och vi vill inte behöva lägga för mycket tid på skötsel och packning av lägret. I dagsläget har vi klockat vår packning, och det tar oss en timme att sätta upp lägret från det att vi anländer, och en timme att riva + packa in allt i bilen. Ganska lagom, tycker vi. Med ett större tält (som vi planerar att köpa) + en liten shop med så tänker jag att det kommer ta lite längre tid nästa säsong.
Jag har också funderat lite på hur vi alla kan hjälpas åt för att göra den historiska lägerupplevelsen bättre för alla som är med (det som inom SCA kallas drömmen, inom lajv kallas inlajv och inom reenactment kallas att vara helt period). Jag tycker helt enkelt att det känns så himla tråkigt när jag ser massor av människor som lägger ner tid, möda och pengar på att skapa stämningsfulla läger och sedan mötas av en granne som tuggar chipspåse, knäcker en ölburk och spelar hårdrock helt öppet i lägret. Så respektlöst! Det här skulle kunna bli en arg rant, men jag undviker det för den här gången och delar istället med mig av inspiration.
Det här är min lista på smarta saker att ta med, kloka lösningar och idéer på förbättringar. Du får gärna bli inspirerad av den, kanske hittar du något nytt som du vill förbättra ditt läger med?
Lyktor är viktigt. Förutom i Norrland under sommaren, där behövs inga lyktor.
Myggnät är super. Är det inte mygg så är det tvestjärtar.
Ta med fler spännremmar till packningen. Och några extra.
Det är inte jättepraktiskt att ställa en keramikmugg med vatten i sängen ifall man är törstig på natten. Ett sängbord vore klart bättre.
Varje gång vi lämnar sopkorgen hemma saknar jag den och avundas alla som har en snygg sopkorg framme. Ta med en jämnt, med soppåsar till.
Våtservetter, hushållspapper och handsprit i en korg. Därför.
Träbänken är bra och rymmer flera gäster, men varsin stol med ryggstöd gör att man blir en mycket gladare människa! Vid urymmesbrist i bilen, duger 50 situps/dag i två månader innan eventet lika bra.
En korg att bära disk i. Diskmedel + diskborste om vi inte är på SCA-event. Och något att värma diskvatten i.
Ett ylleunderställ, mössa och tjocksockor värmer lika mycket som två tjocka filtar. Effektivare packning, varmare och nöjdare.
En stor flaska att ha dricksvatten i, för att slippa springa iväg från lägret så fort man blir törstig.
Efterrätt på maten är aldrig fel. Kaffe och choklad ger en dessutom helt nya vänner.
Bloggutmaning; har du också en blogg, pinterestmapp, en facebookvägg eller liknande där du skriver (eller samlar på bilder) om medeltida/vikingatida event? I så fall så utmanar jag dig att skriva en egen tipslista, en packlista eller berätta om ditt läger- så delar vi erfarenheter och tips med varandra! Skriv en kommentar här med en länk till din sida, och berätta om utmaningen (och inte minst, skicka vidare den!) För ett bättre lägerår 2018!
About a woman living a long time ago, in a world close to our own- but different. Photos taken by Minna Nilsson a couple of years ago, but still lovely for a cold autumn day when one needs to remember summer.
The outfit is a 16th century trossfrau- a woman living with the army in the German regions of Europe, working in the camp.
With a sparkly necklace-
slightly wrong for achieving historical accuracy but good for the upcoming party at the event that summer.
Wearing a smocked linen shirt, linen headwear and a smocked linen apron. The dress is made of wool
The bag, made of thin leather, holds the coin, and the rosary shows she is a member of the (catholic) church, in a political unsteady time.
It also is a very nice accessory.
Period time drinking glass, period time drink… Ready for a nice party evening
During Hägnans Medeltidsdagar in Luleå this summer, (that the local SCA group Frostheim organized) I had the over all responsibility to make the handcraft camp work out well. We had a camp outside (or inside if the weather was bad) with different kinds of handcrafts that each participant brought (so you could do whatever was in your interest and current project, as well as trying out some new things others had.) My work was mostly about saying “yes, good job!” and checking that the guard schedule was working. And reminding people of lunch – lunch is important!
Basically, it’s not that much work – happy handcrafters of different kinds gather and sit down during the days to craft, talk and show different kinds of handicraft to interested visitors. I usually try to make them bring many different things to work with, and to show different stages in the handcrafting process so that visitors can grasp what it really is about. Good ways of doing this is showing step-to-step pictures or unfinished objects, talk about the handicraft, lay out your tools etc. People get really interested when handcrafting is actually done – my love even got attention for winding yarn by hand when he sat down and helped me…
I also brought my market shop with me; but as usual I’m just not that interested in selling things from a specific place, when there is an opportunity to go around, talking handicraft, taking photos, sewing on projects and drinking coffee. So my market stall was mostly empty (but my friends checked it for me – thanks!) Anyway, it is good to have the shop with me because it usually spread the costs and make me afford all the traveling expenses.
Johan and Erik from Trix were performing just behind us during the week- first class entertainment while you are sewing!
I really recommend visiting handcrafting areas if you are a visitor on a medieval/viking market. Bring a project, some snack or just questions about different handcrafts and you will be almost sure to find someone who is willing to share and talk about how things are done.
So, I was originally going to write a detailed post about my preps for Visby. I’ve been packing, planning, sewing, making tutorials for sale and much more. Buuut everything went according to plan, I finished mostly everything yesterday, and today my preps is all about chilling, picking berries in the garden, training my horse and having a barbecue with my friends J and L whom I am traveling and living with. Feeling really relaxed and looking forward to this week!
Tomorrow early morning we leave for the ferry, and then I am at Visby the whole week! If you are reading my blog; I would love it if you said Hi! during the week, or stopped by for a small chat. It’s so nice to meet all of you readers and get a face on all the stats… And if you really likes the free tutorials and stuff and meet me during the week- I really like wine. Just saying…
Special tip: Have you noticed that my Instagram now also have a guest player by #GladaRåttan? Glada Råttan (Happy Rat) is a small pop-up store, that will appear on the marketplace by Friday evening, near the open space were Forum Vulgaris usually is. If you are an (more or less) adult and like (more or less) bawdy and sex-related stuff, this shop will be just in your taste…
