Friday 21 November 2008

...embroidery evening in Vienna - 25.11.2008...

...btw. next embroidery evening at Racaire's home in Vienna: Tuesday 25.11.2008 :)

Friday 14 November 2008

Cruising right along!


I'm really excited about the progress I've made on this, the second sleeve in the set! Please feel free to give me comments. I'm still fairly impressed with my progress on this project and this stitch!
Namaste,
Jahanara

Tuesday 11 November 2008

New Research Notes Posted

I've just added another page of notes from my visits to the Victoria & Albert Textile Study Room. This page focuses on 7th C Persian textiles, with a few earlier pieces.
These notes can be found on my website .

I hope many of you find this information interesting.

Namaste,
Jahanara

Sleeve progress

I've been working right along on my 2nd sleeve cuff. I showed the first sleeve to some friends who were over Sunday night and the difference in my embroidery ability really shows in these two sleeves! The one that is already complete used to look really good, now compared to the one that is in progress, it looks OK. As I've already done the "first" one twice, I don't think I'll be redoing it yet again. I'll just let this garment be a living testament to the growth in my embroidery skill! Here's the one in progress (half way there!):

Sunday 9 November 2008

Dragon's Needle Embroidery Guild - Newsletter November & 2nd Report 2008


10th window finished
Ursprünglich hochgeladen von racaire
Report of Dragon's Needle Embroidery Guild - Drachenwald
3rd report by reporter / guild head: Lady Racaire

A little bit more than a year passed by since I started my work as guild head in October last year and therefore this is my 3rd report and another newsletter for you - in this report I want to inform you about some basic informations about guild members, officers, planned tasks, challenges in progress and upcoming challenges,... and than I would like to draw your attention to the additional reports of the local guild heads of Aarnimetsä, Insulae Draconis and Nordmark.

...and I also want to send to all 39 lords and ladies who joined the guild since Oct 18th 2007, all participants of the soon ending "Something to keep you warm" challenge, all participants of the "Dragon's Embroidery Workshop" blog and especially to our regional guild heads who are doing a very great job:
Thank you all very much indeed!

Time Period: 16.May 2008 - 15.November 2008 / 2nd report 2008

Members - based on the membership roll started at 18.October 2007 - we have a total of 39 official members:
1) Racaire (Central - guild head)
2) Rakonczay Gergely (Aarnimetsä)
3) Thomas Paumer (Central)
4) Katherina Mornewegh (Central)
5) Lia de Thornegge (Scandinavia)
6) Edith of Hedingham (Crown Principality of Insulae Draconis
7) Baroness Mary Verch Thomas (Crown Principality of Insulae Draconis)
8) Hudd de Peth (Kingdom of the Outlands)
9) Johanna aff Hucka (Aarnimetsä)
10) Eva Grelsdottir (Aarnimetsä)
11) Arnulf der Zeilner (Central)
12) Lady Jane Devereux (Crown Principality of Insulae Draconis)
13) Katharina Woinovich (Central)
14) Lady Eilgri Beccan (Aarnimetsä - Aarnimetsä region guild head)
15) Viscountess Helwig Ulfsdotter (Scandinavia)
16) Katharina von Owe (Central)
17) Sileas von Biuira (Central)
18) Lady Ælfwynne of Eoforwic (Nordmark)
19) Renika Rikardsdottir (Nordmark)
20) Mistress Anya Mstyslavyaya (Central)
21) Alenn von Horn (Central)
22) Halfdan von Veneta (Central)
23) Anna de Byxe (Nordmark)
24) Hedwig von Simmaningen (Central)
25) Sahra (Aarnimetsä)
26) Sinikka (Aarnimetsä)
27) Myfanwy Methig (Aarnimetsä)
28) Rixende of Aarnimetsä (Aarnimetsä)
29) Jahanarabanu Vivana (Insulae Draconis - Insulae Draconis region guild head)
30) Ida Järvinen (Aarnimetsä)
31) Lady Melisende Fitzwalter (Insulae Draconis)
32) Lady Siubhan inghean Fhearghuis (Insulae Draconis)
33) Katarina von Danzig (Insulae Draconis)
34) Mave (Central)
35) Himiltrude fan Austrasia (Central)
36) Adelina (Central)
37) Honor of Restormel (-)
38) Tamara Stefanova (Central)
39) Eleanora von Ratzeburg (Central)

Officers:
* Guild Head: Lady Racaire
* Aarnimetsä - region guild head: Lady Eilgri Beccan
* Central - region guild head: Lady Racaire
* Insulae Draconis - region guild head: Lady Jahanarabanu Vivana
* Nordmark - region guild head: Fru Renika Rikardsdottir
* (South: no members in this region by now)

Guild meetings / displays:
* First official guild meeting at Coronation in Insulae Draconis (Summer 2008) called up and conducted by guild head Racaire, initiated by regional guild head Lady Jahanarabanu Vivana. There was also a small guild display at Coronation in cooperation with the A&S display and the Kingdom A&S Minister Mistress Jaelle of Armida.

Planed guild head tasks for the next half year:
* rework of the guild charter (in progress - first draft should be finished due to end 2008, some delay because of mundane life and work of the guild head)
* collecting ideas, pictures, handouts,... for a guild homepage (in progress)
* registration of the guild badge (in progress)
* 2nd official guild meeting and guild display
* planning and creation of a guild banner as soon as the guild badge is registrated
* planning for a small guild badge competition as soon as the guild badge is registrated

Planed projects / projects in progress:
* 08.2006 - 08.2007 (overdue) - Wallhanging Project/Challenge: of Mistress Anya Mstyslavyaya and Lady Racaire still in progress - overdue because of other projects, challenges and commissions
* 09.2007 - 12.2008 - Something to keep you warm Project/Challenge: still in progress - finish date: December 2008 (because some of the projects wont be finished by December 2008 the blog will kept open and it will be possible to document the future progress there, or if the project meets the requirements of the next challenge, it will be possible to carry forward some projects to the next challenge)
* 01.2009 - 12.2009 - new blog for upcoming challenges / preparation for challenge 2009 by Lady Jahanarabanu Vivana and Lady Racaire (current idea: "Pimp up your wardrobe" - for more colour at events with slightly different conditions to also allow personas of a special time period to participate)

...other interesting projects:
* support of the A&S50 challenge in Drachenwald with the blog: http://drachenwald-as50.blogspot.com/ - SCA-wide challenge - finish date: celebration of the 50th year (in 2015) of the Society for Creative Anachronism

Guild blog / homepage:
* Dragon's Embroidery Workshop blog: a place for the embroiderers of Drachenwald to show their own work & projects, ask questions, get answers and enjoy each other's company - no finish date - possibility to display finished projects or projects in progress
(many thanks to Mistress Bridget - http://dragonscribes.blogspot.com/ - for this gread idea)
* homepage: no homepage by now

...other interesting blogs / homepages:
* Aarnimetsä: - (in progress)
* Central: - (see Dragon's Embroidery Workshop)
* Insulae Draconis Fibre Arts Interest Group: http://idfibreinterestgroup.blogspot.com/

Report - Aarnimetsä by Lady Eilgri Beccan:
* The regional guild head Lady Eilgri reports that the Aarnimetsän guild had a meeting at Gudgel Wars in July. Some previous members were present, who are thinking about 'rejoining' the guild - names will be transmitted soon. Lady Eilgri spoke at the meeting about our first guild meeting at Coronation, and about our plans about the new guild charter. Future plans had been discussed and it had been decided to create a blog in Finnish, it also have been thought about starting a challenge project for Baronesses basket.
* At Gudgelwars the talented member Master Kathryn Hebenstraits taught a smocking class that proved to be so popular, she had to hold an other one at the end of the week. And as a proof of a great class there were many beautiful smocked aprons at the Crown Tourney!
* November 7th - 9th the Aarnimetsän guild is going to have a kind of a sewing event, The Feast of st Homobonus (the patronussaint of tailors). There will also be held a meeting of the Guild of st Homobonus, the tailor´s guild for hand sewers.
* At weekly meetings of Canton of Hucca there have been sewing meetings and at Sep 29th there was a class of basics of tablet weaving.
* At Crown Tourney there was an A&S competition with three excellent candidates participating. Rackonzay´s wallhanging won, and there were also two sewing projects - Baroness Uta´s 14th century dress and a complete viking outfit for Herr Oliver for his wedding, made by Lady Sahra.

Report - Central by Lady Racaire:
* Lady Racaire started again with her embroidery and sewing evenings at the end of October.
* Meisterinne Eleanora von Ratzeburg and Lady Gunhild von Brunswik provided pictures of their embroidery that were uploaded to Racaire's flickr account and displayed at the Dragon's Embroidery Workshop Blog.
* Racaire also visited some museums and uploaded the photos to her flickr account and shared the link to the photos at the Dragon's Embroidery Workshop Blog.

Report - Insulae Draconis by Lady Jahanarabanu Vivana:
* The regional guild head Lady Jahanara reports that the Insulae Draconis Guild Members have been fairly active and we still have 8 ID members.
* Lady Jahanara has spoken to several potential new members recently and she hopes they will join soon.
* She reports that Siubhan is still working on her fabulous cloak for Lutr and that it is coming along nicely. Siubhan has finished all the outline work (which is a hug accomplishment in and of itself), has also completely filled in both heads and tails and she has finished a few of the knotwork lines.
* Jahanara has been working on a hood for Odo. She has finished the first roundel and outlined the second. She is also working on the second sleeve in a set of 7th C Persian sleeves. These sleeves are based on an extant embroidered sleeve held at the Victoria and Albert Textile Study room. She is also begun work on a set of wool cloaks for the ID Viceroy & Vicereine. The cloaks are cut out and ready to be appliquéd.
* ID - 'Something to Keep you Warm' challenge: Siubhan is unlikely to finish by the deadline, but has made "successful" progress! The cloak is keeping Lutr warm when needed! Jahanara should complete the ID Cloaks for her challenge by the deadline.

Report - Nordmark by Fru Renika Rikardsdottir:
* The embroidery guild of Nordmark met at medieval week in the fair barony of Styringheim this august and fru Renika Rikardsdottir was elected as local head for Nordmark and as thus is responsible for contacts with the Dragon Needle Embroidery Guild.

... and last but not least - a list of persons who are willing to share theirknowledge, answer questions and help other people in their interest area:
* Guild head & central - region guild head: Lady Racaire
* Aarnimetsä - region guild head: Lady Eilgri Beccan
* Insulae Draconis - region guild head: Lady Jahanarabanu Vivana
* Nordmark - region guild head: Fru Renika Rikardsdottir

Yours in Service
Racaire
Dragon's Needle Embroidery Guild Head

Saturday 1 November 2008


DSC03842
Ursprünglich hochgeladen von racaire
My dear lords and ladies,

I apologize for the bandwith but I would like to invite you to join my walk through the Schatzkammer (Treasury) in Vienna, Austria (Europe) this friday:


I want to share this great impressions and hope that the photos I uploaded to my flickr account will maybe help you with your research projects, entertain you,... and maybe inspire some of you to visit Vienna :)

Extract of the things on display at the Schatzkammer:
- Messornat des Ordens vom Goldenen Vlies (embroidered, 2nd quarter 15th century)
- Das "Ainkhürn"-Schwert ('Unicorn'-Sword, 2nd third of the 15th century)
- Brosche Burgundisch-niederländisch (brooch, burgundian-dutch about 1430/40)
- Reichskrone (empire crown, west-german, 2nd half 10th century, crown cross 1st third 11th century, bow (?) between 1024 and 1039)
- Adlerdalmatika (south-german, 1330-1340)
- Krönungsmantel (coronation-mantle 1133/34)
- Medaillon aus Bergkristall (end of 16th century - inlcuding a small painting with gouache on pergament)
- Beutel König Stephans von Ungarn (embroidered pouch - russian, 2nd half 11.-12th century)
...and many more...

With best regards
Racaire
Kingdom Drachenwald, Shire Ad Flumen Caerulum