Machtig Mooie Middeleeuwen bij Kasteel Huis Bergh/ Medieval times at Castle House Bergh

It's always a pleasure to do an event so close to a real castle! The weather at saturday was not great but okay. Sunday was wet, very very wet! 

Medieval Knitting

There are three types of persons, those who knit, those who crochet and those who are lucky enought too enjoy both! I am very much a crochet person, somehow I feel knitting is too slow. Which has ofcourse something to do with my knitting skills or the lack of them. At this moment I a giving knitting, medieval style that is, a go.

I started out with four long needles.

As it wasn't working for me, I was poking my eyes out with three needles at once, instead of knitting. A friend suggested using five needles and I bought a set of short bamboo needles at Etsy.

This is much easier but I'm still not a big fan of knitting. On the other hand it will be nice to have something new to demonstrate at events. 

Detail from Visit of the Angel, from the right wing of the Buxtehude Altar, 1400-1410.

Painted by Meister Bertram von Minden

Toneelstuk De Rode Prinses/ The Red Princes play

I have been involved in a play for the last couple of months, De Rode prinses/the red princes. The original book was written by the Dutch writer Paul Biegel and adopted into a comical play with songs by our producer Herman Kattemölle.

We performed it a total of five times on the 16th and 17th of June. I played the role of the "drama" queen. A mother in distress because her 12 year old daughter, the red haired princess, is missing.

Trying to look very royal and strict ;-)

I am wearing my white damask 14th century cotehardie 

and red velvet gates of hell. 

The whole cast

Dyeing Persian Red Experiment

When I first started dyeing with natural- and plant dyes, I got really beautiful brickred when I dyed with madderroot. A color that I haven't been able to achieve the last couple of years.  I have tried a lot of different recipes but all with the same outcome, orange!

So one of my sisters brought back madderroot from Turkey and I decided to give an old Persian recipe that I found a go.

The madder root

Madder powder

Dyebath before applying ammonia

End result photographed in sunlight

Photographed inside

(left) First dyebath, pongee silk

(right) second dyebath, chiffon silk

Recipe from: Over Wol en Plantaardig Verven, Frans Smeets.

Although the end result is red, I will be trying out more different recipes the next coming months.

Viking tunics

The Whitsun event at the Archeon was our first early/medieval event of this year. In preparing for it we got a lot of things done.

Our son needed a new linen undertunic and a new sleeveless summer tunic to keep him cool on hot days.

We also made him a pair of white linnen shorts, thorsbergen style only shorter. He had outgrown his shoes so my husband made a pair of his old shoes smaller.

front

back

diagram taken from Viking tunic construction page by Carolyn Priest-Dorman.

I have been wearing the same undertunic for about ten years and I decided it was time for a new one. I've decided that my early medieval persona is from Haithabu/Hedeby, ca. 950. So when I update costume pieces they will have to be appropriate for that. My new undertunic is Haithabu style. I left out the front and back gore as undertunic where often less elaborate in style.

The color of my Haithabu based apron dress was refreshed by dyeing it again with union skins. The seams where reinforced with woollen plant dyed cords made by whipcording. I originally wanted to make 6 plait braids, 3 yellow and 3 red, liked the ones found on the original, but couldn't get it to work.

Whitsun Viking weekend at the Archeon

Our very own hunter's apprentice.

We had a wonderful Whitsun with all our viking friends at the Archeon. It was really sunny and warm so I was happy that I had made a new summer tunic and linen shorts for our son.

Website finished!

I am happy to be able to say that my website is finished!
It was a lot of work, especially for my father who designed and made the website.
Thanks Dad, I think it is awesome!

You can visit it here: http://historicalcostumes.nl/