IDFIG Crafts and Carafes

At this past Yule Ball, the attending members of the ID FIG met to discuss ongoing projects, our love of fibre arts and share a few drinks. Her Celestial Highness, Lady Ayesha and Lady Catherine Weaver enjoyed the time to craft and chat together. It is my hope that we can continue such sessions in the future in order to grow our group. I expect to hear from Lady Catherine this week, as she wishes to formally join the group.
I have some newly completed projects to share here. All members present shared excellent projects in various states of completion. Her Celestial Highness was knitting a lovely pair of Viking socks. Lady Ayesha shared a retta that she recently completed. Lady Catherine had a newly woven shawl and was spinning wool!
I hope to see more members at Coronet for the next installment of Crafts and Carafes!
Namaste,
Jahanara

Lady Genvieve's Nalbinding Handout

Lady Genvieve has kindly agreed to have her handout posted on the blog, you can see the permanent link to the left. It can also be found here.

I'm sure many of you will find this useful.

Namste,
Jahanara

Nalbinding instructional links

Greetings fellow fibre fans, from Genevieve,

I had the happy opportunity to teach nalbinding for the first time in awhile, and was delighted that so many people were interested. I think most folk got the hang of it.

If I can figure out how, I'll post the handout. In the meantime, here are some links of videos for followup, since the handout is mostly background info.

The best way to learn nalbinding, I've found, is by watching someone else work it and following along.

The first and best resource is YouTube: search for 'nalbinding', adding terms like stitch names or techniques (like working on the thumb) to refine your search: example terms include

Oslo

Danish (two stitches covered in the class)

thumb (for working on the thumb)

York

Finnish

Asle (other stitch names, for the adventurous - there are many more!)

One excellent instructional site is also available in German and English:

http://www.nadelbinden.de.vu/

Another high-quality resource is the nalbinding Yahoogroup. The photos and links alone are worth signing up.

Once you have the hang of the stitches, I recommend this site for sock construction advice, from an English reenactor.

Happy to chat about getting started in yet another addictive and time-consuming fibre hobby, regards,

Genevieve

Thrilling Twills-Weaving Workshop

You are invited to the “Thrilling Twills” for a 2-day intensive Warping and Weaving Workshop! We will begin, Friday evening, with a basic discussion of weaving including the different weaving methods and when and where each was used. I would like everyone to share the history behind their favorite weaving technique, or ask questions about techniques that interest them.
This will be followed by a hands-on session Saturday morning during which you will focus on warping multiple harness table and floor looms. Attendees are welcome to bring looms that need warping, or use one of several loaner looms available. Once the looms are warped we will tuck into your weaving.
For those who are brand new to weaving a Weaving Basics document will be provided in advance to help you learn basic weaving vocabulary (please request this in your RSVP if you need it). This will allow us to get right to the hands on sessions!
When will this workshop take place you ask? 1 - 3 October 2010
Where: Hockwold cum Wilton, Norfolk (Flintheath)
Proposed Schedule:
Friday Dinner and Weaving Discussion
Saturday
Warp looms
Weaving, with breaks, lunch, and tea/coffee as necessary
Sunday- departures as needed
Please RSVP to Jahanara, please include any dietary requirements/allergies as food is provided throughout the weekend.

What should I bring? Yourself and any looms you need warped, or for which you need help and advice.

How many people can attend? We have crash space for 7-10, including student's partners.

I hope to see many of you there.

Namaste,
Jahanara

Upcmoing London Conference

Greetings Artisans, Researchers and all those interested in Early Textiles!
I just noticed the Early Textiles Study Group is hosting a Conference in November. The Conference is held at the Wellcome Collection Conference Centre in London 19-20 November. The theme this year is Colours! Both days are filled with interesting Seminars are on colours available to various early period people and what was used to create these colours!
I hope to see many of you there! More information can be found here.
Namaste,
Jahanara

Raglan Textile Tea

I would like to invite all members of the ID FIG to join me for tea from 3-4 on Saturday in my encampment (Blue and Gold Viking Wedge very bright you're sure to see it). I looked for a time that would not clash with too many of the wonderful classes at Raglan, however there are so many that this is impossible without interfering with your evening meals.
I hope some of you will join me for tea. I also hope that many members will take part in the Textile Courses held in the Eplahiemer encampment on Saturday. I hope when you are not attending classes that you feel welcome to stay in the encampment and work on projects or just socialize.
Here is the final Textile course schedule:
9:30-11:00 Nalbinding - THL Genevieve
11:00-12:00 Spinning - Baroness Sagadis/ Drop in Double Face Tablet Weaving Instruction- Jahanarabanu Vivana
12:00-13:00 Danish 12-strand flat Braiding - Duchessa Alessandra/ Drop in Double Face Tablet Weaving Instruction- Jahanarabanu Vivana
Lunch
14:00-15:00 Hand-Dyeing the natural way with the ID Textile Arts Group/ Drop in Baltic Weaving Instruction- Lady Estrid
15:00- 16:00 Basic Embroidery - Children Lady Amphelise de Wodeham/ Drop in Baltic Weaving Instruction- Lady Estrid/ Textile Tea (Jahanara's Encampment)
16:00-17:00 Basic Embroidery - Adults Lady Amphelise de Wodeham/ Drop in Baltic Weaving Instruction- Lady Estrid

See you at Raglan,
Jahanara

Challenge from Meisterinne Katheryn Hebenstreitz

I am crossposting this here for anyone who has not already seen it.
"Dear honourable Lords and Ladies,

gentle members of the "Dragon's Needle Embroidery Guild" and "-eMail Group"!

I am sure that all of us are aware that there is always a great need for helping hands, scrolls and tokens and the solution can be quite easy because help always starts with what YOU do and anyone of us actually does!
Concerning helping hands please ask the event steward or kitchen crew at your next event or just offer help if you see that help is needed,
concerning scrolls please feel free to contact your signet scribe (http://dragonscribes.blogspot.com/ - signet@drachenwald.sca.org) who offers help for anyone who would like to start with calligraphy and/or illumination and
concerning tokens - yes, that's a little bit more difficult and I am very happy to support & to forward the following challenge of Meisterinne Katheryn Hebenstreitz to you :)

But first I would like to thank all the helping hands that make our events so great and beautiful, the great artisans who create all the beautiful scrolls, tokens and gifts that make our dream more beautiful and create great moments of joy many of us will never forget... :)

...and here Meisterinne Katheryn Hebenstreitz's challenge:

~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~

Greetings embroiderers!

I have a small challange for you!
The Kingdom is in a dire need of award tokens. And now, please don't stop reading!

It is never nice to get an award and then never recieve the token to proove that you were once made a member of a certain order.
While taking us up on this challange you will make some of your friends and perhaps family very happy the day they recieve some recognition.

The trickiest one to get tokens for seems to be the Silver Guard. This award is suposed to come with a bracelet with the order symbol on.
But what if we make white linnen ties with the symbol embroidered on that the fighters can tie arround their upper arm?
I presented this idea to the Queen who got very excited and also promised a prize for the embroiderer that makes a tie with as many period stitches as possible while making it!
There is a crosstitch pattern avaliable for the dragon itself that can be easily adapted to hold the sword if anyone wants to do a later period kind of dragon. Let me know if you want that charter and I will send it to you!

Once you have made your Silver Guard or perhaps even Guards – let me know and I will find a suitable place to send them so that the King and Queen will be able to recieve them to pass them on to new members of the Order.
I hope that I will see many of theese embroidered Silver Guards around in a while!

Best regards
Meisterinne Katheryn Hebenstreitz

PS. I am contributing to the project of creating a bigger pool of tokens by making 5 Panaches myself. If I find time after that I promise to make a Silver Guard tie aswell!"

I hope any members who take up this challenge will share pictures of their work here! Please remember to share. I have been forgetting to do this as well and hope to make it a higher priority in the coming weeks and months.

Namaste,

Jahanara

Great Response for the Textile Day

We've already had a great response for the ID FIG Textile Day!

Tuition on offer:
Spinning- Baroness Sagadis
Double Faced Tablet Weaving- Jahanarabanu
Warp Faced Baltic Weaving- Lady Estrid
Braiding- Duchess Allessandra
Embroidery-

Gre

I'm pleased to announce we have already had a great response to the ID FIG Textile Day, being held at Raglan. So far we have the following Tuition on offer.
Spinning- Baroness Sagadis
Double Faced Tablet Weaving- Jahanarabanu
Warp Faced Baltic Weaving- Lady Estrid
Braiding- Duchess Allessandra

ID FIG sponsored Textile Day at Raglan

In Honor of HRM, who is a fibre guru, the ID FIG has been asked to host a Textile Day at Raglan. Please RSVP if you are willing to participate. I would like to have spinners, dyers, weavers, knitters, nalbinders, embroiderers, etc enjoying one another's company, plying their crafts, and sharing their knowledge together throughout the day.
Remember if you haven't booked for Raglan, there are still 20 some odd new spaces!
Please contact me to let me know if you will attend and are willing to teach! :)

Weaving Workshop Ireland

Greeting everyone.
You are invited to the “A Warping Good Time II” for a 2-day intensive Warping and Weaving Workshop! We will begin, Friday evening, with a basic discussion of weaving including the different weaving methods and when and where each was used. I would like everyone to share the history behind their favorite weaving technique, or ask questions about techniques that interest them. Followed by a hands-on session Saturday morning during which you will focus on warping your loom. Attendees are welcome to bring looms that need warping., or use one of several loaner looms available. Once the looms are warped we will tuck into your weaving. This is where I need participants help. I am willing to offer instruction on Tapestry or Rigid Heddle Weaving. Please make your preference known in your RSVP. Please not we will focus on one or the other according to participant interest. If you have a rigid heddle loom, please know you can use these looms for tapestry weaving as well!
Forthose who are brand new to weaving a Weaving Basics document will beprovided in advance to help you learn basic weaving vocabulary (please request this in your RSVP if you need it). This will allow us to getright to thehands on sessions!
When will this workshop take place you ask? 30 July-1 August (noonish)
Proposed Schedule:
Friday Dinner and Weaving Discussion
Saturday
Warp looms
Weaving, with breaks, lunch, and tea/coffee as necessary
Sunday- departures as needed, I will need to leave before noon to catch my ferry home
Where? Kilmurry House, Roscrea, Ireland
Please RSVP to Jahanara
What should I bring? Yourself and any looms you need warped, or for which you need help and advice.
How many people can attend? Due to the nature of this workshop, there will be a 7 student limit.

I would like to let all interested parties know that I will be traveling to Ireland for Eplaheimr Peasant Revel 23-24 July. I will be staying on for the next week and will offer the weaving workshop 30 July – 1 Aug (noonish). I am more than welcome to run a shorter session at the Revel for those who can’t make the workshop weekend.

Calling all embroiderers! The Kingdom Guild is working on a fantastic embroidered wall hanging. this hanging will be composed of every group's arms! many embroiderers have already volunteered, and in some cases finished, several groups arms. I am crossing posting the list of Principality groups here.

The Kingdom Guild is working on a fantastic wall hanging project! I know many of you have already volunteered to help with the Princess' gown, but I hope there are still some embroiderers left to help with the wallhangin! it is already halfway done, but some of our Principality's groups still need volunteers! Please look at the list and contact either myself or Racaire if you wish to volunteer!
Crown Principality Insulae Draconis: Isabella of Vielburgen
College of King's Lake: -
Shire Dun in Mara: -
Shire Eplaheimr: -
Shire Flintheath: -
Shire Glen Rathlin: -
Shire Harpelstane: Amal binti Hamid Al-ChaniaIncipient
Shire Hrafnsborg: -
Shire Klakavirki: Ameline
Shire Mynydd Gwyn: Mary Verch Thomas
Shire Pont Alarch: -
Shire Thamesreach: Tamara
Shire West Dragonshire: -

For the complete Kingdom list see http://dragonsembroiderers.blogspot.com/2010/06/update-project-coat-of-arms-wallhanging.html
Namaste,
Jahanara

ID Challenge

What you can do for your Principality you ask?

I recently inquired of our Princess as to what projects she would like to see fulfilled during her time. Here are the things Her Highness is looking for help with:

• Embroidered Roundels for a dress for Princess Aeringrunnr. Please contact Jahanara if you would like to be put on the list of Interest Group Artisans willing to participate in this project.
• Principality Banners for your Shire- Their Royal Highness are very aware that travel for themselves and their successors will limit the regalia that They can travel with, therefore They are asking that each Shire/group make a Principality banner that can be used when the Prince and Princess are sitting in State in each Shire.
• Kneeling cushions- As Duchess Alessandra Melusine reminded us, kneeling cushions also take up quite a bit of space when traveling. Any shires that do not already have a set of kneeling cushions could also provide these items for Their Royal Highness' attendance at Shire events.
• Largesse-Their Hignesses have noted that the largesse coffers are not as full with the work of our artisans as we might like. They will be giving out largesse as they travel in and out of our lands this Reign. They would very much enjoy being able to give away items that were made by our artisans, so that they might show our wealth in the realms of Arts and Sciences!
  

I am therefore issuing the following challenge to all members:
It is our first year as a Principality, in order to celebrate our growth, so shall our Shire's artistic holdings grow. Each member is hereby challenged to make or facilitate the making of one of the following; a roundel for Her Highness Aeringrunnr's dress, a Principality banner for your local group, a set of kneeling cushions for your local group, or an item for the Principality coffers.
Those bold enough to accept this challenge are asked to comment here, or e-mail jahanara@thepurplelotus.org. Jahanara will keep a list of challenges accepted on the blog to ensure that efforts are efficiently utilized and not duplicated!

Happy crafting,
Jahanara

Display at Winchester Pilgrimage?

Greetings IG members,
I was just wondering if there will be enough members at Winchester Pilgrimage for another IG Display? Nothing over the top or high stress/stakes, just comment here if you'll be there and willing to bring an item to display. If there are enough willing, I'll provide a table(s) and advise the autocrat!
Namaste,
Jahanara

New ideas?

Hello everyone,
I know a few of you are still checking in regularly. I hope that we can breath some new life into our group and continue to encourage one another!
I would like to ask how many members are interested in the following:
1) Online workshops- I've had several good experiences with online workshops on various fibre related social networking sites. If you're interested how often would you likely participate, monthly, quarterly?
2) Group project- Napkins for the Prince and Princess, largess basket, wall hangings, etc.
3) Designing a badge for the group- badges often help identify group members and provide a better sense of group identity!

Testing 1,2, Anybody out there?

Heya,
I have finally recovered from my time as MoAS, well I've had enough down time. I'm wondering how many folks are still tracking this blog. Please post an affirmative comment here if you're still lurking! :)
I really hope to get us back to our initial level of group activity.
Cheers,
Jahanara