VPC2017: Meisterin Christian & Dona Isabel Maria's Refurbishing of Cushions and Cushion Bags

This joint project is for the categories Show Us Your Arms, One Metre Material Project, Give What You Get, Fly the Colours,  Remake, Reuse, Refashion, Reconsider, Containment System.

Meisterin Christian says:

Baroness Ginevra recently completed embroidered Baronial augmentation cantons for the baronial kneeling cushions, having been commissioned by Baron Oswyn and Baroness Isabel Maria to do so.  She asked for a volunteer to sew these to the kneeling cushions and I obliged.  She also asked for bags to contain and protect the cushions (the baronial cushions had never had bags, and the Lochac kneeling cushion bags had disappeared).

On close inspection the cushions were very dirty, and the velvet fabric very faded, so I offered to refurbish them so they would not look a  little tatty against the new embroidery. The cushions were original embroidered and constructed by Baroness Eleonora and Mistress Madeleine more than 20 years ago, so its no surprise that they were in need of a little care and attention.  I dismantled the cushions and vacuumed the embroidered pieces (it is best not to try and wash or dry clean embroidered needlepoint, as this can ruin the piece, esp. anything red).  The canvas had become very soft over time and had started to come apart in places.  I mended and over sewed the edges and seams to keep them together.  Thanks to THL Ydeneya for donating some red velvet for the project when there was none to be found.

The augmentation of arms cantons were stitched on by hand, with some additional tacking stitches to ensure the soft cushion canvas did not rub against the stiff new canvas and become damaged.  The cushions were reassembled and the canvas bottom layer was renewed.  The canvas needlepoint of one cushion has always been out of square, which makes this cushion a little awkwardly shaped and wrinkled.

The cushion bags are simple and practical (and fairly ugly) and have their purpose written on them in hope they will not be lost again.  Please take care of the cushions and bags, and ensure they don't get lost or further damaged!

VPC2017 Her Excellency Ginevra's Appearance In A Play & Throne And Kneeling Cushions

Her Excellency writes to inform of her appearance in a morality play at Canterbury Faire. This falls into the categories Break A Leg, and Out Of Your Comfort Zone.

Additionally, these throne and kneeling cushions, submitted as Show Us Your Arms, Give What You Get and Embellish It.

VPC2017: Dona Isabel Maria's Marchpane

A delicious and delightful entry from Dona Isabel Maria - Marchpane! This is for the categories Back To Basics, Show Us Your Arms and Fly The Colours.

She says: 

I began with a copy of 'The English Hus-wif' by Gervase Markham, a packet of raw almonds, a packet of caster sugar, a bottle of rose water, a mortar and pestle and a quiet evening.  Some time later I had 'searced' (powdered) sugar. Some considerable time after that, I had a lump of raw marchpane, two sore arms and a strong resolve to buy a spice grinder. 

I followed the rest of the instructions (kneading, rolling it out, adorning it, washing with rose water etc) but with a few modifications. I ignored the wafers (not having any) and decided to have a go colouring the 'ice' (icing) using plausibly period ingredients. The red was colour was created with a couple of drops of beetroot juice in some powdered sugar and rose water, while the green came from boiling up some rosemary and parsley from my garden. The decorated marchpanes were then baked in a relatively cool oven until they were just beginning to colour.

However, the colours did not really develop as I had hoped, so I applied additional coats. I tested the differences between baking it before icing it, and icing the raw marchpane, as well as the difference between letting it dry between coats and baking it between coats to see if there was any appreciable difference I could use in future experiments. 

Taste: the finished items were taken to a household sewing day, to add to the lunch table. The general consensus was that the marchpane was tasty, even for those people who actively avoid modern marzipan. I personally found it fairly irresistible and hope to experiment further in the future.

VPC2017: Her Excellency Ginevra's Tiniest Unicorn

This delightful piece of embroidery from Her Excellency Ginevra is for the categories Here Be Monsters, Show Us Your Arms, and Give What You Get.

Her Excellency says:

It is worked with silk thread, on silk, in split stitch (with thanks to Melissa for teaching me) and is 1.5 inches high. It's been given to Mistress Rowan, to be part of the Broiderers Guild of Lochac Banner.

VPC2017: Lady Melissa's Belt With Bone Buckle and Strap End

This belt is an entry from Lady Melissa - she started the project before BA, but this is acceptable for the category Remake, Reuse, Refashion, Reconsider (and it also fits in Show Us Your Arms). I believe this makes Lady Melissa's fifth project, making her the second person to finish the five projects aspect of the Pentathlon, and earning her a prize to be awarded at a future event.


She says:

I started this project before BA, but it was sitting unfinished due to a number of challenges regarding safely riveting through bone and obtaining a suitable leather (which needed to be blue, as it was for Nathanael, whose device is a white stag on a blue field). I have finished it for the pentathlon challenge!

This is a belt with a bone buckle and strap end. The buckle was carved out of cow bone, and the strap end is carved out of sheep bone. The strap is commercially veg-tanned blue leather. The buckle is loosely based on the Borre belt buckle, which features two wolves rather than two deer. The strap end is based on a Jelling-style dragon strap end, modified to represent a stag instead. The belt is slightly less than 2cm wide.

 

VPC2017: Baroness Agnes' Banner

This entry is Baroness Agnes' second, a painted banner submitted for the category Show Us Your Arms

She says:

The plan was quite simple: paint the Hous Amberhearthe badge on to one of those big white pieces of fabric I got from Kutwells. The execution was complicated by the intervention of the feline, eventually requiring the white of the ermine border to be painted in due to green pawprints. However, I am pleased with the final effect. In the end the whole banner had about 7 coats of paint!

The white was trimmed down, a backing of heavy linen tacked on, sewn, inverted, pressed and hand finished. Pole inserted and braided cord attached.

 

VPC2017: Mistress katherine k's Armorial Tombstone

Submitted for the categories Forget Me Not, and Show Us Your Arms, this entry marks Mistress katherine's fifth entry into the Challenge, and makes her the first person to meet the Pentathlon requirement, and complete the Challenge!

She will receive a prize for doing so.

Here is her description:

This rather macabre project involved producing a tracing of katherine kerr's tombstone, which is very similar to that of her cousin Ionet Ker (Lady Restalrig). According to the 1927 drawing made by S.T. Calder in Restalrig Church, Janet Kerr died on the 12 Day of Maii Anno 1596. Katherine's tombstone follows the same pattern, but notes that she died on the 31 Daie of Dec 1599 (the last day of the SCA period); cites her as being a Pelican & Laurel; and includes her arms (with the hopefully soon-to-be-passed augmentation) marshalled with those of her husband Master Bartholomew Baskin.

 You can find Ionet Ker's tombstone here.