farmlassie

A Dream Come True

October 13, 2021





Greetings and salutations! 

I may or may not have mentioned this in years past, but I used to be a medieval musician. Of a sort anyway. 

It started during my freshman year at Wilmington College. I was looking for fine arts courses and found one that was called Collegium Musicum. What I learned later was that it was actually a co-curricular that you could take as a music credit because of the complexity of the music...which, as you can imagine was Renaissance and Medieval music. And so, I decided to take it in the spring semester of freshman year. 

The only regret that I have is that I didn't take it a semester earlier. 

The group had both wind and string instruments - fiddles, a viola de gamba, recorders, and a guitar being the majority of them. While I had experience in both, my primary instrument had been the fiddle, which placed me firmly in the string category. And since string players were quite hard to come by, I was a practical shoo-in...for a "soprano" instrument that I had never seen in my life. 

It was the hammered dulcimer. 

Over the next three and a half years, I learned to dearly love that instrument. It was a 15/16 hammered dulcimer, and I believe it was made by the company Songbird. We made wonderful music together, and I learned many cool pieces with it. As my time with WC was drawing to a close, I looked into purchasing my very own dulcimer. 

But to the chagrin of my wallet, I discovered that I would have to plunk down over well over $500 in order to get everything I would need (stand, hammers, etc.)

So I knew I would need to wait for my dulcimer to come to me. And I had a premonition that it would come about four years after I graduated from college...because by then, my financial situation would have been a little more stable. 

In the meantime, I did start a hammered dulcimer playlist on my Spotify. Cause ya know, gotta have my dulcimer fix. 

And now, let us jump forward a few years...specifically to late September 2021. 

Lia, Megan Chappie, and I were at the Ohio Renaissance Faire. It was close to the end of our visit and Lia wanted some alcohol. And so, we went looking for a spot. 

And lo and behold, we spot a dulcimer player at one of the gazebos. Her name was Victoria Van Arman, better known by the stage name The Lady Victoria. And so, while Lia was fetching her wee draft, the rest of us sat down to listen to her play. 

It was quite a nice performance, even if it was difficult at times to hear because of the lack of microphones. A few times, Victoria was joined by another woman, playing the bodhran, or Celtic drum, which brought back fond memories of when my professor would play the bodhran with Collegium. 

After the performance was finished, I went up to the stage intending to tip her (and maybe sneak a peek at her instrument because I am that way), when I got distracted by the side display. How typical of me, lol. 

The bodhran lady was there, and we ended up striking up a conversation. And in the midst of it, I mentioned my desire to buy a dulcimer one day. 

Patina (for that was her name, I do believe), then leaned forward and said, "You know, we have a dulcimer for sale at our stand near the Swordsman's Stage. We'll be going over there in about 15 minutes. You should come down and maybe play on it a little." 

You ever hear the *click* of fate? That feeling when things settle and you feel something is right? It was there in this case. 

And so, I told my two friends and like little shadow, I waited for them to pack up and head down towards the stage...and dragged my two friends with me, because that's what girlfriends do. Of course, I made the mistake of following Victoia and not Patina and so we ended up in a rather awkward situation as she was conversing with several other Renn Faire people. I made the executive decision to move ahead to the stage and got there just as Patina was depositing her things on the ground. 

And so I made ready myself. I had a heavy sword belt on, along with a cloak and purse. All of those had to be taken off so it wouldn't interfere with my playing. I had just finished taking those off when I noticed Patina taking out the dulcimer. 

"Ah, waiting patiently, I see!" She gaily said as she hung the "for sale" sign out. 

Of course, I was. I was not going to pass up getting to play a dulcimer for the first time in four years. Are you kidding? 

Patina gave me the hammers, and I set to make a little music. But I did run into a small snag. 

The dulcimer was a 13/12, which was smaller than the instrument I had played and had fewer notes. It was also tuned slightly differently. And...the notes were not marked (my prof had marked hers for ease of playing). And so I spent many minutes navigating around, trying to remember where all the notes were. Old muscle memories were not helping at all. Even with consulting a tuning chart, it was difficult (I think the silly thing was out of tune - dulcimers are quite prone to that). 

But instead of giving up, it made me more determined. I knew there was music in there somewhere. I just...had to figure this little dulcimer out. 

Photo credit: Megan Chappie
Me, with the ducimer and my fairy godmother Patina just behind me.
Also, can we note with irony that the dress I'm wearing was specifically made for my Collegium days?

Through it all, Patina was super gracious and helpful. She went over every detail - even allowing me to lift the instrument to feel the weight. 

I eventually got to the point where I could play the majority of the song medieval "Grimstock", which was one of my favorite pieces from Collegium's repertoire...and one that I had memorized, lol.

My mind had not exactly formed the thought, but my face revealed how much I desired that instrument. And so I asked the fateful question. 

It turned out to be $485. Now, I should say that included the case, the stand, a book, hammers, and a tuning wrench. Literally, everything I needed (well, except an electric tuner, but that's an easy purchase). 

Even with the smaller instrument, I knew that was a fair price. Oh, was I tempted! And so I looked at the dulcimer. Could I deal with it being a little smaller than my ideal?

Patina then said, "You know, you've bonded with this instrument...." 

She was hooking me and I knew it. I knew the sellers game all too well - my grandparents had taught me well in that regard. But...I had to admit that she was right. I loved it and I didn't want to leave it. 

And so I admitted my temptation and the fact that I could afford it...but I still hesitated just a little. It was such a big purchase...

And so Patina said. "I shall tell you what, I'll throw in a turkey leg keychain to sweeten the deal." 

I laughed a little interiorly. She wanted that sale as much as I wanted that dulcimer. Bless her! 

And so I purchased it. I was so elated! (and yes, I got the keychain too, LOL!)

As Patina was packing up my dulcimer, I turned to search where my friends were. Turns out they were across the street, as they had gotten bored. 

"Girl, you were over there for over a half-hour!" Lia had protested. 

I found that hard to believe at first - 15 min maybe? But upon reflection, Lia was probably right. But it was well worth it to have my dream of owning a dulcimer come to pass. 

Now, I have not tried out any of my music on it just yet. I know for sure that I won't be able to do the cool drone tones for some of the pieces that I could do on the other instrument. But, I still believe that I will be able to do the majority of the pieces from Collegium, even if it means doing a smidge of transposing. And, there are fewer strings to tune, which is a boon for my limited patience. And its smaller size does allow for easier traveling. 

Once I get a couple pieces of equipment, I hope to treat you all to some music videos with my little dulcimer! Be nice to have some actual content on my YouTube channel, LOL. Stay tuned for more adventures! 

Old-fashionably yours, 

Catherine

farmlassie

A Cringey Medieval Dress Tutorial (with Sarcastic Commentary)

June 22, 2020





A wonderful day to you all!!

In today's workbasket post, I'm going to bring a dusty mothball filled post that dates back to....a long time ago.

Back when I was playing around with blogging, I wanted to make a lot of tutorial like posts. Especially for things that I wanted to learn how to do but could never find instructions for. No one could really give a tutorial on how to make a medieval dress in a cheap manner, and so I was left to figure it out on my own. I kept a record of how I did it and proceeded to write a post for it. That never saw the light of the internet until now...more for the lack of pictures.

Now, I have realized that there is a lot of things wrong with this post. I warn you now, this post is much more arrogant than you're used to seeing from me (I mean, I know I have a streak of pride a mile long and this post will prove it without a doubt). But I have decided to publish it in it's raw form just for the pleasure of shredding it to pieces.

So without further ado, let's get started!



I'm sure that every girl wants at least one medieval dress in their closet to wear to Ren Faire, right? *bold of you to assume that Catherine* I know I did. *really? wouldn't have guessed* However, one look at some of the prices that ready-made dresses were going for convinced me that there was a cheaper alternative (break out the sewing machine!)
The question was: how to make one?
My pattern search quickly became a source of frustration. I couldn't find any that I like *lies, you were cheap!* , (with the exception of Laura Marsh, but those come from overseas…). I knew there had to be a way to create my own SOMEHOW!
Turns out, Pintrest saved my head from blowing off.
No, I did not find a how to guide (I wish). Instead, I discovered from (looking at my collection of medieval costume pins) that a particular style dress looked an awful lot like a princess dress. I managed to get a hold of pictures of one such dress of front and back, and, with a princess dress pattern I already had, decided to draft my own medieval dress. *otherwise known as knockoff* 

The proved a little daunting, since I had NEVER drafted anything in my entire sewing career, at least not to the extent that I ended up doing.
The material I used was a medium heavy cotton blend. I was pleasantly surprised with how well it draped, but for your sake, I would go for a medium cotton. *rolls eyes really Catherine your naive arrogance is endearing* 



You will need: at least 6 yards of main fabric, 1 yard of accent fabric, ¼ yard heavy cloth or leather, thread, eyelets and cording. Follow the patterns instructions with the following exceptions:
1. Cut the dress a size bigger than 'your' size.

EDIT: Don't do that for the entire dress. Only do that for cutting out the BACK SEAM. Otherwise, the dress won't fit, especially at the shoulders. 

2. Instead of adding a zipper, simply sew the entire back together.
3. For the eyelet tape: measure from the middle of your bust to 1” below your waist. Add an inch, and then cut two lengths of that measurement of the heavy cloth. Roll over the cut edges, and hem them. Add eyelets at each end and then every 1-1 ½” on both sections of tape (think shoelace holes). Baste the finished tape to the back (remember to put the top at where the middle of the bust will be, and the bottom at the waist) *gee thanks Young Catherine I wouldn't have known if you hadn't told me*  with the eyelets facing out. Sew the sides on as normal.
NOTE: I used single-biased tape originally, and it didn't hold the eyelets very well.

EDIT: I actually used grommets originally, (NOT eyelets) and not only were they a pain to put in, the tape didn't hold them. I've since made actual eyelets and they hold a lot better. And, I would actually recommend a medium-heavy fabric for the tape because leather would be hard to sew in. And, for future projects, I mayyyy stick the tape a smidge higher...actually more like a whole inch higher.



4. Before sewing the hem, check the fullness of the skirt. The princess pattern may not have the really wide skirt circumference that is characteristic of a medieval gown. *MAY NOT?? GIRL IT DOESN'T* Add gores for additional fullness. I was able to do that with the extra fabric left over from the dress. *what, no tutorials for the gores??*  Finish dress accordingly, using cording as the 'laces' to tighten up the dress. *slaps head. Did I seriously not leave instructions for this??*




On my dress, I created the sleeve band, bottom of the sleeve and sleeve flaps from scraps. Because of the difficulty that I had with that, I would recommend that you find a dress pattern with a long sleeve, and add the band and sleeve flaps yourself. That whole sleeve pattern was me flying by the seat of my pants....er skirt.  However, if you are adventurous, I can give you some tips on how to make your own version of these sleeves. The sleeve flaps are quite easy. It's just a trapezoid of main on a slightly bigger trapezoid of accent fabric, and hemmed accordingly. If you wish a lower sleeve that look similar to mine, look for a bracer pattern "Look for a bracer pattern"? Come on, I literally just wrapped a scrap of fabric around my arm. and customize it yourself. Take in mind, bracers are not meant to go past the elbow, so having at least ¾ sleeves is essential if you wish to go this route. Use the sleeve band of accent fabric to hide seams.


EDIT: *sigh* where to start??? There is literally hardly any information worth saving out of this step, except for making the sleeve flaps.  And leaving out half the instructions for finishing the dress? Obviously, Young Catherine must have thought she was writing to a group of old lady seamstresses who knew what they were doing...


As for colors, it is up to you. If you wish to be historically accurate, go for natural colors or colors that are achieved with natural dyes. If (like me) you just want a costume, go for colors that suit you. Jewelled belts and circlets are the most common accessories with a medieval costume, followed by French hoods, snoods and circular medieval veils.

EDIT: I had originally intended to make a belt and a veil to go with this dress, but as you can see, I have not done so yet. Probably just as well. Though it does seem to be missing something, doesn't it?  

*shifts eyes*

Are we done?

*breathes sigh of relief*

Man, was that a mess. Thank heavens I didn't start blogging in those early days. I don't know if anyone could actually stand me.

I do hope that there at least was some entertainment value in all of this, if not actual valuable information. All I can say is that when I actually DO draft a pattern, I hope to find people much more knowledgeable than myself.

Old-fashionably yours,

Catherine 

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