This year’s Irish Feast was a marvelous success. Hosted by our home Shire of River’s Bend, it was really nice to attend an event only five minutes from Huntington House.
Mirella has grown considerably since last season, and as a result, she was in serious need of new garb. This sideless surcoat was the first item I completed. It is actually my third modification of the original pattern. Finally, it has the correct lines. Originally, I used a ‘period pattern’ from France. The cut was just too boxy and unflattering for Mirella. I wanted to create a surcoat that was a nice cross between the garments that children wear and the surcoats worn by 14th century women. After two significant alterations, including an increase in the number of gores, I feel that this is a winning look for her. The garment has been put together with machine sewing, but all of the trim was applied with hand sewing. And that was a project! It serves as a good compromise for our family, a balance between practicality and authenticity.
There was a productive meeting for the staff of the new Accademia dei Studiosi. This took up a good share of my early afternoon, but the results were exciting. Hopefully, it won’t be much longer before the Accademia is fully functional.
For me, the best part of the event was simply the time spent with friends. It was enjoyable to have the chance to connect with so many of those people who make the SCA a special place for us. I am particularly indebted to Dame Arwen, who gifted me with the most lovely set of veil pins. Featuring a pair of dazzling red beads, they will assuredly make an appearance on my head-ware in the very near future. The gift was especially meaningful as Arwen always gives a decided amount of attention to the details and adornments which make garb personal and exciting.
Well done, River’s Bend.
~ Cristiana
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