VÄV- the sewing fighting-event

Two weeks ago I attended an event, VÄV, in Gyllengran, the sca-group I was a part of before moving down to join Aros. Just because I lived up there for a while I know the beautiful people up there. And seeing them again made me realize how much I miss them. So I wont write that much about this event, just showing a bunch of lovely people. 

Me and Torfin

Den jävligt väna Gele (Sorry for the Swedish).

VÄV stands for Våld är Vackert, meaning violence is beautiful. The point is that the event is focused on fighting. But a lot of people, myself included is just there for the company and we sit sewing and drinking and eating the whole day while the others are fighting.

 

Branna beautiful in red.

..and dont forget the coffee...

 

I brought a 16th century German blackwork embroidery. It was for a collar. A lot of embroideries on me this event, both on my gollar and my hairnet. Both of them comes from different painting of Katharina von Bora, the wife of Martin Luther.

 

Torfin och Ingrid

 

Beatrix and Gele - you cant not love them..

 

The best people in the world. 

The sca-family.

 Love you!

Medievalweek in Visby

It has been a couple of days now, sense I got home from medievalweek in Visby. According to me, the best event during the year. As usual I dont take as much pictures as I would want, but I will show you the ones I did take, and some I have borrowed from friends. 

Me and friends stayed at the medieval camp, 1,5 km outside Visby. The medieval part of camp, together with the mundane camp, contained almost 800 people during the week. It was a lot of tents! I had my own as usual but I got spoiled staying with people who brings kitchen, benches and a lot of stuff that makes a camp complete. Last year I only had my bed in my tent but this year I also had a table. It was so nice to be able to stand up preparing meals and doing stuff. 

This picture is taken during Saturday evening. I had just arrived after traveling for 9 hours, put up camp and changed cloths. I was so happy and so tired. But getting met by the most beautiful people in the world makes it worth everything. This is also the first time I wore the hairnet with the embroidered band I made for myself. Its inspired by a painting of Catherine von Bora, the wife of Martin Luther. 

And this is my tent, my home for the week. I dont have any pictures from the inside but I dont think I would show them even if I did, it was a bit messy in there...my tent anyway. And O was sneaking into the picture, he is one of the fantastic autocrats for the campsite and they all did a great job. 

I got a little sheering up by mintu pear before going to town that first evening!

There were a lot of just hanging out, both in camp and at the market. One place to always come back to is at Hans-Gunnars place at the market. There are always people you know there.  

This is Hans-Gunnar. The go-to for medieval shoes and good company.

And here are the good company!

 

Due to the medievalweek being such a long event there is always room for some hanging around, some sewing, some good times doing nothing in camp. 

Helvig and Kat both have hairnets i have made so I needed to take pictures.

And suddenly they were three!

I took my little frame with me to be able to do some sprangwork. Its small so you cant do bigger things. I made some golden ribbons in silk for the award The golden ribbon, its for service here in Nordmark. 

 

Im wearing my undergarments for the 16th century german peasant outfit. Its a hemd in undyed linen and an underdress in undyed wool. Very comfy when its warm. And the typical headwear for german 16th century women of course. I did also start working on a new underdress for the same social class. I really like wearing it since I made my first outfit back in may. 

We had a sewingmeeting in camp, with cockies!

My frame is standing on the table, really easy to bring and to work with. 

There also were some cooking in camp. Here Basse is making dinner for us. I have no idea of what day it was. All the days comes together to one long good memory.

 

And some more hanging out. 

Arngrim were celebrating his birthday by learning how to sabre.

God morning Kat!

And finally, after talking about it and planing for a year, a collaboration between three craftsmen is out. A limited edition handmade 16th century eating-kit is put together. Knives by Rasmus Rasmussen, spoons by Riku Pasanen and bowls by me. They will be avaible by the holiday season.

Im so excited by this! Its such an honour to be making this together with these both fine gentlemen.

I was also selling some of my ceramics in camp.

 

But the best, all my friends that I havent seen for a while.

 

 

 

In the picture below Im wearing my little fancier garb. Still 16th century Germany of course. My embroidered cap with spangles around the forehead, a brocade vest. It was really warm during the day but in the evenings you could wear some more, fancier clothing. And Kat had her embroidered golden brusttuch. A really impressive project! I need to make one of those too.

And here Im wearing 16th century peasant garb again. With a pair of trossfrau-socks. My ordinary woolen ones were to hot. And a strawhat, that is normally not worn together with a stechline, the german headwear. But with bangs I dont want to wear it the way its seen in paintings, just the hat and braids. I might need to figure something out. This was also a bit to hot but I soaked the veil in water and it worked a bit better.

 A quick video from camp from Friday evening. 

In the video Im wearing my golden egg-project, the embroidered cap from the painting Portrait of a woman by Bernhard Strigel from 1510-15. Its such a joy to be able to wear it out in public now when it has been approved. It looks so good in the sun!

I will end this post with this amazing picture that Kat took. Its from one of our tours too the market, we were walking back home again. Visby is such a great place, everywhere you look there is a good opportunity to take great photos. We both wear 16th century clothing, but Helwig is wearing English and Im wearing German. Me in red, her in blue.

Hairnet with embroidery inspired by Katharina von Bora

I have been working on an embroidery for like for ever. One of those embroideries that you have laying on the side, to work on between other projects. My plan was to make a hairnet for myself, inspired by a net worn by Katharina von Bora in a painting by Lucas Cranach the older. Or as it says in the portrait, Kattarina Lutterin, as her name would have been after marrying Martin Luther.

This one.

This type of hairnet with an embroidered band at the front can also be seen in this picture, Portrait of a woman by Hans Cranach.

 

 

And mine look like this.

 

I choose a pattern from the book German Renaissance patterns for embroidery, a facsimile copy of Nicolas Bassée´s New Modelbuch of 1568. 

 

The embroidery is made with cross stitch in golden and black silk on a linen fabric. The net is made with the sprang technique, also in silk. 

Both their net consist of a golden background with a black thin pattern. A pattern that is clearly renaissance to its form with its thin flowey lines. And my pattern is a late gothic one, I know, a bit older than the pattern for both nets in the paintings. But I liked it, so I made it anyway. 

Both women use their nets without any padding. I wont, my headshape does not work well with nets used with only my hair. And therefore I used padding on my doll too. During this period in time women where for the first time allowed to show some hair and the hairline is clearly visible in both paintings. I have bangs and therefore not able to use mine as far back as they do. But I will try different ways to wear my hair, during the medievalweek next week. Picture of me in it will come after next week. I was a bit to eager to get it done in time for medievalweek so I made the net a bit to loose compared to the ones in the paintings. It is usable but I might make a new one when I get home...or not. I might just make another one. That would be typical me.