Clothing and Equipment1 Comment

Tent progress – I’ve sewn a house!

Greet Gijsberts

I spent a lot of time in the past week sewing on my tent. Yes, I do all my sewing currently on a 30" x 48" table squirreled away in here.  No pics of the folding required to lay out pieces in a room smaller than they are. In case I haven't said so already, this fabric is Odd.  It's a wool/Something Plastic blend, as determined by a burn test.  Except that I can't keep it on fire.  I can't help thinking this isn't a bad thing in a tent.  I just hope it doesn't turn out to be a sweatbox…but … Continue reading Tent progress – I’ve sewn a house!

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Run + Pell workout

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Now that summer is over, temps are low enough for me to handle outdoor workouts. I'm disgusted with how low my stamina is in armor, and this is colluding with an underlying "you really ought to be taking better care of your heart and lungs" worry.  I've figured out what my workouts should be for vanity's sake – I mix P90X with yoga, and am not terribly consistent with either one – but that is not cutting it for the performance I would like to bring to the sparring field. So today I ran about 3K, on a road that … Continue reading Run + Pell workout

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Sable Sword cloak patterns

Greet Gijsberts

As part of my job as Special Projects Deputy to the Costumer's Guild of Meridies, I've been trying to capture the projects that are being done.  Numerous people have been making Sable Sword cloaks, which are regalia for those individuals who have been named to the Order of the Sable Sword.   They are large hooded black cloaks, with a white center black panel, to show off the appliqued black sword at center spine, hilt up. Maudey made up eight kits, and put assembly instructions in them, but if we ever want any more, I thought it'd be good to … Continue reading Sable Sword cloak patterns

Clothing and Equipment2 Comments

Tent stakes and puller and hardware

Greet Gijsberts

The other half of my weekend was consumed with making tent stakes, a stake puller, hardware, buying wood for ridgepole and uprights, and being shown about a pretty good flea market in Dothan. Stake puller and tent stakes.  They need painting next. Red iron is fun. First we cut 10′ long square rod (10-45 steel?) into 20″ long pieces, with angle cuts on the ends.  12 of these.  So long because of sites like Gatalop, which have sand for dirt, and occur at shoulder parts of the year, with unpredictable and windy weather.  Each stake got a notch mark at … Continue reading Tent stakes and puller and hardware

Events4 Comments

First bruise

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Oh boy, lots to catch up on from this week. I went to my first fighter practice as a fighter yesterday, at Oldenfeld.  Nice turnout for a newbie, about six fighters – I did three intervals, which is back up to what I'd done at Daggers that flattened me so badly, and I had my armor on from about 11-2.  In Florida, late September, in the shade, about 80% humidity, high 80's temp.  Not bad. I got this lovely thing, on sword side not-quite-hip.  It's tender, but not awful.  Not sure why there's a stripe through it.  I knew I'd … Continue reading First bruise

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Trade: Viking Rus tunics for a trunk

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Just for my A&S record:  I made Gregg a couple of tunics, according to what I learned in the early Rus class at Pennsic… Both tunics are linen – the under one is quite light, with red flat-felled seams, and the decorative hemstitching at neck and cuffs and shoulders.  The over one has dark green flat-fell stitches, and white giant herringbone.  I left the blue tunic's cuffs undecorated – they really should have something quite fancy on, but Gregg is unsure of what he wants.  Refinement for later. The blip at the neck is the reverse side of a maker's … Continue reading Trade: Viking Rus tunics for a trunk

Clothing and Equipment1 Comment

Kit details

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I've been talking with Brenna today, and she was full of questions about kit details, so I thought I'd share. The belt I've got is not a C-belt.  Here it is laying out flat: Here's how to make one, sacrificing a t-shirt and using lots of duct tape (heh – this sport runs on duct tape, it seems). I need one of these soon.  I'm sitting in the legs now, and the leg straps on this belt are being pulled out by the legs…they don't run straight up like they ought.    The leg buckles seem to want to extend … Continue reading Kit details

ResearchLeave a comment

Initial data dump

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 (a C-belt is in my future.  Also some particular yoga moves.)  Well, as typical for me finding a new rabbithole, it's going to be All Fighting! All The Time! for a bit at Greet's Middle Ages, until I find balance again.  Some of you will love that…everybody else just hang on.  There will be tents and tunics and graphic design and embroidery soon.  Progress report: I have read The Armored Rose, and I liked a lot of it.  The part I could judge was of course the psychology/chemistry/physiognomy part.  Which jived completely with the swimming, dance, working construction sites that … Continue reading Initial data dump

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Down yet another rabbithole.

Greet Gijsberts

(It's funny, I'm now able to feel a rabbithole opening up beneath my feet and there is still NOTHING I can do about it.) Why am I interested in fighting? (here I try out a bit of grande allegro on the armor…someday I'll get a photog who'll catch the tour jete') Because I was a dancer.  I trained for classical dance 20+ years.  I did mostly ballet, but also lots of modern, jazz, tap, and the occasional oddness like Scottish and African.  (I was better at the non-ballet, but ballet, particularly pointework, makes you tough.)  I have also done swimming … Continue reading Down yet another rabbithole.

Clothing and Equipment3 Comments

Armor debut – It’s a whole new world, and I’m way behind again.

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I have to admit that I *like* being way behind.  Learning stuff is fun.  Though I need to learn how to get more sleep.  The cough is back. More pics of me being shiny and beat upon are here.  Also a fair amount of pics of me with strange expressions.  I utterly fail as a photography model – eh, it's more interesting to see personality, right?  Things that happened at Daggers & Hemlock: The hug-a-Greet line that formed at troll.  I miss my Gladians already. Stayed with Cordial/Raven/Angel/Daniel – had a great time listening to Malcolm and Lex's stories.  Shared my cemetery report with … Continue reading Armor debut – It’s a whole new world, and I’m way behind again.