Signs of summer

You know summer in Bulgaria is upon us when the roadside vendors all have sweet cherries for sale and the roses are in full bloom. Guess it's really here!

Random book for my collection!

For the first time in two weeks, I was well enough to walk home after work today. My route goes past a bookshop, which is a dangerous proposition at the best of times!

Imagine my delight in seeing a new window display that included a large, heavily illustrated book entitled Представи си, че си рицар.












I know that doesn't mean a lot to you (Hi Mom!), but it translates as Imagine You're a Knight. You can see an English version here. The publisher's description says:

This heavily illustrated book takes children on an imaginary journey to medieval Europe, where knights swore oaths of loyalty to their lords and lived according to the rules of chivalry. Dramatic full-color spreads on every page show and describe the typical knight--his armor, his weapons, his helmet, his horse, and his activities. Young readers learn about--

* The Making of a Knight: his training for battle and horsemanship skill
* The Knight's Armor: chain mail, plate armor, and helmets
* Weapons: the sword, the mace, and the lance
* Chivalry: the code of conduct that emphasized loyalty and courtesy
* Jousting Tournaments: the main sporting events of medieval Europe
* Heraldry: the history, art, and study of coats of arms

This fascinating volume's added features include illustrated flaps and three gatefold pockets containing cardboard press-out models for kids to assemble. One is a knight's helmet, the second is a standing knight in armor, and the third is a knight on horseback. The book's front cover shows a knight's helmet-covered face. When kids push a tab to lift the helmet's visor, they uncover the knight's face.

I think I am still a kid, because I find it fascinating! It also doesn't hurt that it's useful reference book for the College. I now know the Bulgarian words for a lot of SCA terminology. It's a win-win purchase!

The heraldry section is certainly interesting!

The semester is over and remodeling continues

I have to say this is the first year in a long time that I was very happy to see the back of some new graduates. Must have just been something about the class of 2011. The graduation ceremonies are over and alumni reunion season starts tomorrow. That's usually fun!

On the remodeling side, I now have a roofless house. It's not permanent, of course, but it looks quite odd. For the last two days, the workers have been climbing all over the old roof, removing the terracotta tiles and the rotten roof joists. The nice part is that they save the old roof tiles and re-use all the whole ones. The next step is to raise the walls to make a full second floor out of what was just an attic.

I'm working on two dresses for Constanza and a tunic for Guy right now, which I expect to complete over the upcoming four-day holiday for Sts. Cyril and Methodius Day. After that, I want to start work on recreating a dress worn by a noble's wife in a 1493 mural in the Kremikovtsi Monastery of Saint George the Victor. She's wearing the most amazing headdress, which looks like an embroidered veil covered with a giant white platter. Her dress is red, figured in gold and she's wearing what looks to be a check or plaid underdress. Oh, and don't forget the green, obi-style sash! I've got a scanned picture, but my blog doesn't seem to want to upload it, so for now, you'll just have to use your imagination!

Happy Easter and a finished project!

I had not realized just how much time buying and renovating a house can take. By the time I've worked a full day, checked on house progress, and had dinner, I'm generally too tired to do anything but sit and watch a video or go to bed early. My creativity seems to all be going into the house, which looks like a construction site, not somewhere I hope to be living at the end of next month. >sigh<

With the Easter holiday, construction was at a standstill, so I had several days to sew, which makes me very happy. I've finished Constanza's hood, so she'll have it for Midsummer Coronation. And I have even taken pictures. It's hard to believe! The color is more accurate on the first two shots. This is wool lined in linen, 100% handsewn. The couched work is all wool. The thicker wool is part of what I dyed in a class at Raglan Faire last summer, using weld, while the thinner lambswool used to couch it down is from Renaissance Dyeing. The cast metal buttons were purchased at Winchester last summer. This is all from things I had at home - nothing purchased especially for the project. The wool was left from my cloak and the linen is a remnant from a dress. When I make my next dagged hood, I will either leave the dags unlined and full the wool really well or go with a geometric shape like these. I cannot imagine lining leaf shapes!

A day off

I actually had a whole day off today and in addition to getting caught up on housework, I went to see Red Riding Hood with a friend from the College. It was just as cheesey and silly as we expected and we kept annoying the teenaged girls around us by laughing at the angst. (Which was fun in and of itself!) It was also fun to critique the costumes, which were very silly. The cloak that grew to epic proportions in the "vision" scenes was the best.

I also started some embroidery on Constanza's hood today. It was too plain for me without anything, so I'm using some new lambswool embroidery thread from Renaissance Dyeing and working something heraldic for her. I hope it turns out well.

Chestit Prolet!

Happy spring to everyone! I have not disappeared from the face of the earth. It's just that renovation planning/works at the new house and my job have eaten up every minute of my days (and sometimes nights) lately.

On the sewing front, I have made some progress on the new hood for Constanza. The dags are all lined and looking pretty. It needs a little more top-stitching, buttonholes, and buttons and it will be finished, so she should have it in time for Winchester Pilgrimage this year. I'll post some pictures when I get my computer back from being serviced. I'm also working on a dress for her, but it is on the back burner for now.

I've got to get through Easter, then things will slow down at work and I can get back to fun stuff on a more regular basis!

Mine!

The closing is over and I am now the proud owner of a nice little house in the village of Kocherinovo. Since I was on a roll, I went ahead and bought a car too. Go me! Now I'm set for driving back and forth to work on snowy roads - it's a Land Rover Freelander!