On The Methods of my Madness! (Hint: there are none.)

If the jury was EVER out about whether or not I'm a dyed-in-the-wool masochist, let me clear that right up.

Yes. Yes, I am.

I'm not sure why I'm this way, because I'm pretty sure neither of my parents is or was. And I'm not sure how I'm going to keep the Girl from getting this way, because I'm supposed to lead by example, and my example is, frankly, pitiful. Faced with a million things to do and a good book to read, I unerringly choose the good book, knowing there will be PLENTY of time to get all those other things done! And there IS always plenty of time--in some other dimension, at least, but not in mine. And so I end up trying to do those million things at the eleventh hour, and inevitably getting more and more stressed so that even things I normally enjoy, like sewing (this is known as "foreshadowing") make me wish I was in a nice, relaxing coma somewhere.

An ongoing issue of mine is that I don't have appropriate (read: impressive) garb for SCA events, but I'm usually too cheap and too proud to buy them ready-made, and too "busy" to make them myself, and so if I do go to an event, I'm wearing something old or something that makes me look like a medieval version of Jabba the Hutt, and because I feel conspicuously unattractive, especially next to my husband Spifficus, who is pretty much famous for his ability to be visually awesome, I don't enjoy the event, and I don't go to very many. SO! Awhile back, Spifficus mentioned that Gulf Wars were coming up, and rather that sit around the house with the Girl on spring break agonizing about having nothing to do, I decided we should go, too. Yaaaay!

But booooo, because my garb sucketh.

Most logical solution? Throw a bunch of money at Historic Enterprises or Revival Clothing and get outfitted with a minimum of fuss and bother, although at a premium cost. Contrast that with the Stef solution, which involves buying yards upon yards of fabric, altering patterns and sewing until the wee hours of the morning. I went with Option B, naturally.

Today I find myself facing the monumental task of outfitting myself and the Girl for 7 to 10 days of camping in medieval style without being embarassed about our clothing. I have 12 days in which to complete this task.

Maybe not so daunting, you say? Let us enumerate--let us DETAIL what needs to be done. Then perhaps we can rethink that. I need to do these things:

1. Alter my green/brown/gold cote. It would fit a moderately-sized mountain gorilla right now.
2. Fix the shoulder on my navy blue cote.
3. Line the sleeves of my chocolate brown houp and sew them in.
4. Position and sew in the pleats of my brown houp. Hem the whole thing.
5. Make a houp belt.
6. Do all these same things for my blue/green houp, plus pattern new sleeves for it out of bits and pieces and then sew them on. Hem the whole thing.
7. Finish all hems and edges of blue/grey particolor cote.
8. Construct 4 undergowns with cool sleeves.
9. Make green cote with long, draggy sleeves.
10. Make grey cote with short sleeves.
11. Finish hand-binding lacing holes on the Girl's green dress.
12. Make pattern for the Girl's oversmock.
13. Make pattern for the Girl's houp.
14. Make 2 oversmocks.
15. Make one houp.
16. Finish the beige underdress.
17. Make particolored dress (red and yellow).
18. Make two underdresses (green and yellow).
19. Make coif or two for the Girl.
20. Other stuff I've forgotten.

In 12 days. Possible? You be the judge.

Tonight's tasks: Draft smock and sleeve patterns for the Girl, draft sleeve pattern for me, and cut out one cote for me. Anything after that is gravy. Ready? Go!