Kíli Project - Under Coat

So, having made what I'd like to call a "first draft" of the blue tunic (I'll be doing a new one once I get hold of the right material, which I suspect to be linen, or wors, natural silk), I can start my work on the next layer; the under coat, or actually, as it turns out a leather vest with gambeson sleeves. Having done some research, and stumbling across this awesome blogpost describing both the making of a medieval gambeson and testing it gor it's usefulness in battle, I've decided to go for the layered method for the sleeves. However, I'll be using cotton rather than linen due to my budget. For the leather, I will use some more of the suede hides I got for a bargain price. I'm still not certain what to do with regards to the trims, but I suspect I'll be buying some wide velvet trims and simply sew the dwarven pattern on myself (just need to get thread with the right yellow/gold hue).

Here's what I've got so far:

Gambeson sleeves:

I first cut out five layers of material, then aligned them all, stitching the top and bottom together. Turning them inside out, I ironed them so that the hems were all nice and neat. From there I started the work of sketching up the seams:

 After the sketching job was done, I pinned all the layers in place:

Here's the result:

And when the last edges were sewn together, this is how it looks:

A it turnes out, these may be a little too tight and a little too short, so I'll probably have to redo them, which is why I didn't add the last vertical seams as seen on the original. However, this was a useful test run and I've learned a lot (and broken a lot of machine needles). From here, I will be moving on to the trimming and the leather.

Kíli Project - Tiny, Almost Insignificant, Update

I've really been focusing a lot on my music lately, which has put the Kíli Project a bit on hold, but yesterday, I got a little boost of inspiration as I read a blogpost by my lovely and talented  friend Therese (not only is she an excellent seamstress, make-up geek and generally delightfully nerdy, but she also has an amazing singing voice!) about her self-made Merida costume.

For the blue dress, she had used linnen, and the colour was perfect for Kíli! This obviously got me way more excited than anyone should be allowed to be about a bloody fabric, and I started interrogating her about it. Turns out, she bought natural coloured linen and dyed it herself, however, the perfect woad blue result she got was actually just a normal "stuff it all in the washer and see what happens"-dye.

Feeling very relieved at the fact that I might actually not have to go through the whole messy process of using natural dyes to get the right colour (I do still want to work with natural dyes at one point, but I'd rather it be for a project without a particular time limit on it), I'm really looking forward to pick up where I left! I will get back to you as soon as there is some real progress to write about! :)

The Musical Path

I've been rather lukewarm to the idea of creating a Facebook page for myself as a musician, always feeling it's a bit awkward, but having been told by so many people lately that I should, I've kind of given it a shot:

Ingrid Windsland

 It feels a little bit embarrassing, and yet, at the same time thrilling every time someone presses the "Like" button. In some way, it suddenly feels like I've convinced myself that I am indeed starting to take myself as a musician seriously, which is something I've sort of postponed for a long time, using arguments such as "not enough time", "not enough money" and "not enough talent". But now that I have the time and the money, and people have been giving me a constant stream of positive feedback and encouragement, I guess I've just decided to put it to my peers to judge whether I have the talent or not.

It's healthy to have a dose of self-criticism, and healthier still to allow your peers to be honest critics as well, but if you spend your life with the mindset that if you're not the absolute best in what you do, you are nothing, then you'll never get anywhere. Just because someone else is a great singer, it doesn't make you a bad one. ;)

Since I finished drama school a few years ago, I've not  really considered seriously getting into anything artistic, brushing it aside as something that was unattainable, but now I'm finding myself really wanting this, feeling that the only thing I actually want to do is music. I'm realistic enough to know that it is unlikely I'll be able to make a living out of it, but that's utterly irrelevant; I just want to sing my songs, not make tons of money on them. Don't get me wrong, if I end up making tons of money on my music, that's great, amazing even! But the point is that it would be a bonus, not the goal.

So, I'll continue working towards a bigger repertoire of self-written material, getting it recorded with proper equipment (and not just with a recording app for my mobile phone) and uploaded on SoundCloud, and hopefully one day have enough music to start doing gigs here and there.

In the meantime, though, I'll entertain myself with the insanity of my costume projects and other shenanigans! ^_^

Archery Glove

Being slightly tired of project Kíli, I felt the need to do something different, and as I'm heading out to test my new bow this weekend, I figured I might as well make something useful. So, I made an archery glove for my bow hand with protection for the arm. There is no "window" or "shelf" for the arrows to rest upon on my bow, so I needed something that could protect my hand where the arrows will be resting. I gathered up some of the excess leather and got to work!

First I cut the two main pieces and, using an awl, made holes for stitching. I proceeded with needle and thread and repeated the process on all five pieces.

 Before I stitched the last piece on, I punched holes and fastened eyelets onto one of the sides (this so that I could check that the distance between it and the opposite lacing piece would be sufficient).

 Then i stitched on the opposite lacing piece, did some adjustment cutting, stitched on the last bit that would protect the fingers, and (far too early in the morning) I was done! :)

 Although a few days earlier, I also made this little pouch for my phone!

Kíli Project - Studs

A tiny, little update! :)

Feeling up for a little break from the hard leather work, I sat down and digged out my old Fimo stuff. It's been ages since I tinkered with Fimo, so a little bit of tidying up was needed. I did so while lamenting the lack of nummies currently available in my flat. Fimo somehow always makes me think of sweeties ...

Having a better account of what I actually had available, I set myself the task of making a tester for the studs used on Kíli's vambracers, belt and over coat. Using black Fimo and silver dusting powder, this was the final result:

 I think this'll do, don't you? :)

Music Sessions and Manners

Last night, I went to the weekly Irish Music Session down at the pub as I usually do when I have the time. I love being able to play and sing and listen in the cozy atmosphere that is provided there, exchanging a few words with the friendly staff, and having a pint now and then. Last night, however, things took a quite different turn.

There were very few of us, six heads counted at the most, and it looked like it could turn into one of those slightly quiet, but intimate and positive sessions, and for a while it was. Then we got company.

Now, let it first be said that I don't mind it at all that new people join in with the session; quite the contrary! I love the freshness it brings when a new sound or voice fills the musical picture with a new hue! I also don't mind it at all when non-musicians join us to listen and enjoy our company. BUT, this is all on the condition that they understand the unwritten rules of a Music Session. You don't talk (and if you have to, you keep it low and muted) while someone is singing or playing and you don't interrupt others who have just started singing or playing because you want to sing or play or talk. Of course, everyone buggers this up from time to time, but good sessioners make a point out of trying their best to listen and observe. Yes, sometimes it can be a bit hard to get through because people get caught in the moment, and one tune leads to another, which leads to a song and then a reel and so forth, but perhaps that is the time to lean back and simply enjoy the magic happening in front of you?

Going back to last night's events, the two fellows who joined in were kind enough to buy us all a round of drinks. We all thanked them as they took a seat, although I found myself flinching a bit at their timing, because they started to distribute it while music was being played, but thought to myself that it was simply an unhappy accident. It all started out rather well, one of the fellows proclaiming his love for Irish Music and how much he enjoyed listening, but as the night progressed, it became clear that he wasn't so much interested in a live Irish Session, so much as an Irish Music jukebox, with which he could request songs and expect to have them played in return for payment in beer.

While most sessioners don't have a problem with a request or two from time to time, it becomes very tiresome when the pause between each song or tune is filled with an outsider's call for something from his Spotify playlist. The point where it tipped over was when these requests began to happen in the middle of people playing as well as in between. As some added seasoning to this particular tale, it can also be noted that the guy who did most of the talking, couldn't help himself from bragging about his income, and starting to tell people how he could fix them up with a recording studio, and then as the the crowd (all six us us :p) started to thing out as people got sick of the negative atmosphere being emitted, he started to suggest that we move "the party" to his flat (which, he made sure to point out, was over 200 sqm large ...) just asround the corner, proclaiming it in such a way that one would think it was indeed an honour to be invited to such a fine place. I believe it was at this point we all started packing the moment they had disappeared out for a fag, and made ourselves scarce. I lingered a bit behind as I needed to pick up my phone, which had been charging in the bar, and took a moment to chat with some of the staff. They had observed a lot of the goings on, and were as appalled as I.

I'm sure these two probably meant well, and I doubt they are awful human beings, they were, however, completely void of social antennas, common sense and manners, and in a matter of just a few hours, they, the chatty one in particular, had managed to insult most of the sessioners and even get the staff to raise their eyebrows. I was left with the impression of new money toffs with the mindset that anything and anyone can be bought, and it disgusted me. The fact that they ruined what could have been a lovely little session, disgusts and enrages me further.

The lesson to be learned from this, for us sessioners is, I suppose, to be outspoken about these unwritten rules when people break them, and to do at the first instance, making it clear that if they do not abide by these rules, we will, unfortunately have to ask them to sit down in another area of the bar, so that those who are actually there to enjoy it may continue to do so.

The lesson for anyone who is not a part of a Music Session, is to be humble about imposing on other people's art. If a session allows you to join them, be polite, quiet and listen. By all means contribute if you yourself are a musician, but do so on their terms, not your own. As one of my fellow musicians present last night explained, this is a place where people are allowing themselves to be very emotionally open and sensitive, baring their souls and feelings for the sake of artistic and musical passion and enjoyment. It is a very brave thing to do, and it is not just bad form, but also downright cruel to disregard that bravery.

Kíli Project - Patterned Sleeve

The half sleeves on Kíli's coat has a beautiful dwarven pattern. I don't know  for certain how they've made it, but I will assume that it's embossed or raised, which means that's what's up next!

So, before I start, I had to do a test run,  so I drew the pattern onto a piece of leather with chalk.

Once that was done and it looked relatively correct, I went over the chalk lines with a silver clothes marker to make it more clear, and not to mention, more permanent. 

From here, I proceeded to cut out the pattern, resulting in this:

As it turned out, this didn't really work, as the pattern needs to be embossed fra the inside and out, so I tried a new tactic. Finding a wooden plank and drawing the pattern onto it (a lot more precisely, this time,  mind you), I began the process of carving the pattern out.

After hours of work, this is how it turned out:

 I did a test with a piece of leather and this is how it turned out:

I'm not entirely happy, as the pattern doesn't show as well as I had hopes, but, then I didn't soak it through with water properly, nor did I work very long on the embossing process. But at least I have a stencil (and very achy hands)! Yay!