We got a late start on the weekend due to trying to finish up some last minute projects and packing took a lot longer than we had expected.  But we did eventually make it down to the hotel after stopping on the way down to deliver the 12th Night project I had been working on.  I spent a lovely couple of hours hanging out and chatting with people before heading to the room which we were sharing with The Best Exit Buddies Ever(TM).

Getting ready Saturday morning was a bit stressful due to a slight wardrobe malfunction but I managed to get the lacing strip sewn back into my doublet.  It held up great all day so all that time I spent worrying about it at the event was completely wasted.

The theme for this year’s 12th Night was the court of Emperor Maximillian I and I made a leather doublet and paned trunkhose for His Majesty.  Unfortunately I neglected to take pictures (even after bringing the camera to the event!) but several were taken by other photographers and if I can get permission to share their pictures I will post them here.  The doublet and trunkhose did turn out rather well and I was very pleased with them.  It was the most wonderful, buttery soft leather that I have ever worked with.  It really was lovely.

Feast was quite tasty and the post revel was very nice.  My husband was a champ and helped with clean up at the site right up til the bitter end.  He really is quite wonderful but don’t tell him I said so.

Practice Sunday was fun if freezing and afterward we enjoyed tasty tasty Mexican with friends before heading home.

All in all I had a great time.

Cutting out the muslin for my new arming cotte.

I did my 2011 retrospective a little over a week ago and I’ve been spending the first week of the new year really thinking hard about what I would like to pursue over the next year (while I feverishly worked on finishing projects due by next weekend! ).

Goals for 2012

1) Work on my physical fitness and fighting.

I started this one early.  As of this week have been working out regularly for 3 weeks.  I’m in the gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays doing 20 min of cardio (usually on the elliptical b/c it’s my favorite) and 20-30 min of circuit training.  I can now do 15 assisted pull ups, 20 assisted dips, and leg press 200 lbs.  I also try to take the dogs on nice long walks (at least 45 min) 2 other days a week.  Rather than focusing on weight, which always seems to make me crazy, I am focusing instead on how I feel and how my clothes fit.  And honestly I feel great.  I’m even starting to sleep better.  My clothes are also starting to fit better.  My black silk suit fits again (it hasn’t fit in at least a year and a half or more) and today I tried on my beloved black wool doublet and it fit beautifully.  I’m very excited and I’m looking forward to continuing to focus on improveing my health.

As for fighting, weather, the holidays, and projects due by 12th Night has meant that I haven’t been able to make it out to a practice since Thanksgiving but I’m looking forward to attend practice on Sunday after 12th Night and regular weekly practices after that.  And I think my workouts will also be very beneficial to fighting.  This year I want to pick up my sword and shield authorization and I am setting a goal of fighting in all the heavy and rapier warpoints at Pennsic this summer (minus the champions battles of course…unless I’m asked).

For the first time in months I’m really feeling great and I’m very excited about the upcoming tourney season.

2) Complete the projects I start

I started a lot of projects last year that I didn’t really finish.  This year I really want to focus on my follow through.  So far I’ve managed to finish 3 of the projects that I had started last year which is awesome.  I’ve also picked my blackwork jacket back up and I’m making headway on it once again.  I’ve set myself a schedule of two motifs a day and laid out a road map of mini goals so that I can accomplish my goal of wearing for 12th Night 2013.  I’ve also set a goal of finishing the surcoat project and pluderhosen project by Gulf Wars (along with quite a bit of other personal sewing-apparently I have no fencing shirts anymore.  I don’t know where they went but there you are).  I’d also really like to make good progress on the Wardrobe Project (good progress=at least 60% completion) by the end of the year.

3) Work on some sewing projects for myself

This is wear my goal of making good progress on the Wardrobe Project (good progress=at least 60% completion) fits in.  I’m really getting the bug to sew for myself again so I want to make sure that I’m definitely setting aside time for my own projects and not always prioritizing them below projects for others.

4) Write some new articles and start teaching at University again

Like a lot of other things my research took a back burner in 2011.  The last University class I taught was June 2010.  In retrospect this has been pretty disappointing to me.    Currently I’m scheduled to teach several marshal classes at March University but I’m starting to work on ideas for a class and article for Summer University.  I definitely want to make a priority of teaching a new HMA class at at least every other University.

2012 Planned Projects

Each year I keep a list of projects I have planned for that year.  The 2012 Project Plans list went up just before the new year.  I’m pretty sure that I accomplished less last year than I have any other year since I started keeping this list.  So this year I’m trying to start things out with a bang.  Now I just need to keep up the momentum.

No related posts.

My happy, healthy Fozzy Bear

If I was going to describe 2011 in three words those words would have to be: unfinished, unfocused, but hopeful.

2011 was a very odd year.  Our dog Fozzy was very sick with a massive antibiotic resistant staph infection (think doggie MRSA) for nearly the entire year.  He came down with it at the end of 2010 and he didn’t really start to mend until this fall.  It was very bad and at points we were afraid we would loose him.  To be honest if it weren’t for the amazing vets at the NCSU Vet School, and Dr. Murphy in particular, we probably would have lost him.

And to be honest, that’s where most of my year went.  I didn’t go to Pennsic or Gulf Wars, we didn’t go diving, I didn’t accomplish much in the way of projects, and I really stopped blogging for all intents and purposes.  There just wasn’t much good stuff to talk about.

Thankfully though Fozzy is now fully mended and chasing the cat to his little heart’s content so 2012 is looking much more promising…

….provided those crazy Mayan’s are wrong.

I went back to review my 2011 goals and planned projects.

2011 Goals

1)  Continue to improve fitness and fencing
2)  Have one sewing project a month
3)  Publish a new ebook every 1-2 months
4)  Be able to play 1 Elizabethan popular song by December

2011 Planned Projects

Get my fencing in top notch shape In progress
Embroidered Jacket In progress (Started August 2009)
Flander’s Gown In progress
Silver Training Manual In progress
Swetnam Training Manual In progress
14th Century Cloth Hosen ebook
New Rapier Armor
Shirt, Brais, Hosen
Charles de Blois Pourpoint
Edwardian Lingerie Gown
Arming Garments Class

What did I actually accomplish?  Well, I wrote an article on Monochromatic 16th Century Embroidery, two articles on the 1903 Savoye Corset, and finished hosen ebook, one commission, a pair of ventians, and a pair of trunk hose.  I also migrated my entire site to WordPress and I accomplished some cool real life things like starting an awesome new job, picking up two freelance web design jobs, getting my puppy well, and paying off debt.  I did start a 12th Night project, a pluderhosen project, a surcoat project, and a 3rd corset article…all of which need to be finished…very soon.

Highlights of the year though were Gaston’s Pelican, Wistric’s White Scarf, being approached about taking apprentices, and Christmas.

Looking over the past year has given me a lot of food for thought with regards to what I want to do in the new year.  I taking some time to really consider where I want to focus my time and energy but one thing is for sure…I have a lot of projects that need finishing.

Now that I have finished the migration I can hopefully get back to blogging regularly.  I know I’ve done a really poor job of blogging regularly since the summer and getting back to regular posts is actually one of my goals for the next year (see upcoming obligatory New Year’s Resolutions post).  Since I’ve been rather bad about posting recently I’d like to do a “State of the Mafia” post to cover what I’ve been up to over the past couple of months.  This will not replace the equally obligatory Year in Review post but will hopefully get us all back up to speed.

• I made a pair of trunkhose for my husband for muster
• I finished a commission and it will be picked up after the new year
• I’m working on finishing the pluderhose project
• I started a project for 12th Night (details will have to wait until after the event)
• I am working on a third installment in the 1903 Savoy Corset series for Foundations Revealed
• Two websites I did will be going live in the new year
• I start back to fighter practices on Wednesday nights.
• I joined a new gym and I’ve been working out on Tuesday and Thursday nights to get ready for Gulf Wars.  Thinking seriously about hiring a personal trainer.
• I want to get back to regularly attending Thursday practices too but I’m having trouble figuring out how to fit everything into a week.
• My black silk suit fits again and I plan on wearing it for 12th Night.  Need to make sure I get some good pictures.

So that’s where things stand right now.

No related posts.

I hope all of you had a very happy Thanksgiving.  We spent the holiday with my husband’s family and had a lovely day.

Projects Started and Completed:

I started one new sewing project for Fall Muster: a new pair of linen trunk hose for my husband.  I also wanted to finish a linen fencing doublet that I had started for myself several months ago.

Coty wearing his new blue trunkhose.

I finished the trunk hose without any issue.  I have made at least 10 pairs of pants based off of this pattern at this point so putting them together went really quickly.  Something I did do differently this time though was to include a pocket!  He loved them and they looked great.  The only issue was that he has lost some weight since I took the measurement for the waistband and they were a little loose.  I’m going to have to find a temporary solution to take them in until he’s lost another inch or so since I don’t want to have to redo the waist band until he has lost at least 2-3 inches.  Eventually though I will take the waist band off, recut it, and pleat the pants back into the new waist band.

I made a noble effort on the doublet but I didn’t quite get it done.  I still need to tack down the lining at the armscyes and the waist, make buttons and buttonholes, and put in eyelets for pointing my armor for C&T.

Burgundy wool Venetians.

I did wear my burgundy wool Venetians though.

Non-clothing related projects I managed to complete were cleaning and rebluing my helm, gorget, and shoulders.  I’m not really happy with how my shoulders turned out though so I’m thinking about redoing them.  I also cleaned up my shoes, which were desperately in need of it.

Trip Up:

Our trip up was blissfully uneventful.  We stopped for a lovely dinner in Clarksville at Gino’s, a little local pizza place.  It was really tasty!

Drill:

We started the morning off with pike drill.  Thankfully at this point I do remember most of it although I do always appreciate the run through.  I was also very gratified that this muster’s drill proved to my husband that “jaunty hand” was indeed an integral part of the drill.  We went through all the positions, commands, and charges and then Master Hamilton proceeded to march us around the field.  I would say it was quite successful…we only hit a couple trees.

Goff:

Goff in the afternoon was by far my favorite part of muster.  Many of you may know it better as cambok.  Robert and Isobel had picked up some excellent leather balls for the game and Coty had made several new goff sticks out of red oak and ash as proof of concepts so he could see what he needed to change about his design.  I had a fabulous time playing goff.  Our games did get a bit rowdy but thanks to the 5 year old who was also playing things didn’t get too out of hand.

Target Practice:

This muster marked the first time I participated in black powder target practice.  I fired one of the calivers.  It was very cool but I think I’ll stick with pike.

Trip Back:

Sunday we helped with take down and stayed for the meeting.  Our trip home was as blissfully uneventful as our trip up.  We did stop for lunch again in Clarksville and this time we ate at The Lamppost Restaurant and Lounge.  It was really tasty!

To Do List for Next Event:

Things I need to do before the next event (although some of this probably won’t be done ‘til at least Pennsic):

1.       Purchase a breast and back

2.       Replace all my stockings-Ugh!  I hate them all and they MUST go!

3.       Make new silk garters

4.       Make an actual arming doublet

5.       Purchase new boots

6.       Make a new falling band

*Special thanks to Drea for taking the pictures!