Sabina di Zorzi

Author: SabinadiZorzi

  • Banner War 2025 – gratitude and recognitions

    This post is a bit overdue, but it’s still worth recognizing these folk from Banner War!

    First – I ran an A&S Tiny Talks for War Points and these folk took the opportunity to share their passion about some great topics. Our Newcomer Site-Walk landed some newcomers in the audience, too, so this worked out as a good, quick introduction to some A&S, a bit like speed-dating different topics!

    Elewyn verch Emrys – block printing

    Eibhlin inghean Sheain – Mancala (game)

    Sybil of Aquaterra – Lucet braiding

    Gideon Hrafensfuri – wood carving scrolls

    Adeliza a Donyng – Being a feast steward

    4 out of 5 of these were House Hrafensheim, so they won 8 of the 10 points available! Thank you to everyone who taught and to those who joined us to witness!

    Also, I’d like to thank some folk who helped with setting up my day shade near the main hall so the barony could offer our visiting royals a place of their own if they needed it. Unfortunately, the paper with names got a bit wet (thank you Banner War!) so I’m doing my best here:

    Kanin Gustafsson (Vickers)

    Em??? Hagelin (Tomislav)

    Conan Wulfson (Patrick)

    Ulfrikr Agiso (Drew)

    Egan? Swine Bane (Jhonathan)

    Margun Mor??ssen (Logan)

    During tear down after the potluck, I missed some folk’s names in the rush, though I know we had at least one person return from setup, and Sarah Pixie and her husband Phil (SCA name?) joined in the efforts. Thank you so much for helping late on Saturday so that canvas didn’t need to be dried after the event!

    If anyone can help clarify the names above, I’d greatly appreciate it!

  • Badge project – tabletop – oops!

    Banner War weekend was excellent and I’m still enjoying the event crash. I’ll write more good things later, but now, to keep the pouting separate, I share the casualty of a tired brain. I tried airing out the car a bit on the way home, and this slid off a stack of furniture and out the window.

    In other news I forgot to announce before the event: I finished painting this tabletop with my SCA badge! So at least if it can’t successfully be repaired for some reason, I’ll be able to make it again, which will just mean more practice painting.

  • The lacing!

    I’d hit a wall on my Venetian mourning gown when I realized that, due to using a smaller and more squishy cording for lacing than on my previous gowns, my results weren’t what I’d experienced previously with this technique. Part of what I’m working on is documenting this different way that I create the ladder lacing using offset lacing rings, but this time, they weren’t successfully creating the parallel ladder lacing, which is the *entire* goal.

    But, unexpected results just mean a learning opportunity, right? So I pivoted and figured out a good alternate way of determining placement, rather than basic math that wasn’t taking the cord’s *squish* factor into account.

    First, I put the bodice with my first attempt at the lacing still in place around a pillow inside out. After I pinned it in place to keep things from shifting, I put a lined notepad between the pillow and the lacing so I could see where the lacing rungs were landing compared to the goal. I then removed the stitching from a ring I felt needed relocating, shifted it until the lacing was level, and then stitched it down before moving on to the next one that needed adjusting.

    This was added steps, but might be the makings of a better starting point for this method in the future! 😊

    The first two pictures are showing the inside of the bodice. The last pic is the current state of it while quickly trying it on tonight and I think I’m finally ready to move on to the skirt!

  • A&S Tiny Talks at Banner War 2025

    In the style of Dame Lissette de la Rose, I’ll be hosting Tiny Talks at Banner War! Tiny Talks are a low-stakes opportunity to geek out about whatever your current passion is, in this case something that falls in the theme of SCA Arts and Sciences, without the pressure of running a full class or even being a subject expert. Each Talk runs for only 10 minutes followed by a 5 minute Q&A period, and then we tag in the next Talk. This also means the audience’s attention span doesn’t have to stay on one topic for a very long time either, before being given something new to get inspired by! You don’t have to give a Tiny Talk in order to be part of the audience, so please join us and discover new things!

    And YES, there will be WAR POINTS!

    If you are interested in doing a Tiny Talk, you can sign up in advance at [https://forms.office.com/r/95mRXh1iAV](https://forms.office.com/r/95mRXh1iAV) to be sure you get a spot or if there’s more time and interest on site, we can add more folk, giving new folk a chance to do a Talk before opening the floor up to a second talk from previous speakers. You can bring visual aids, handouts, or project kits if you like, but it’s not required.

    11:30 am start time at the A&S Pavilion. We’ll go for about an hour before taking a lunch break and then can continue after that if we have more speakers. Bring a chair if you like as there will be limited seating available.

  • 2025 Aquaterra Arts and Sciences Championship will officially be happening at our Good Yule event on December 6th

    As the current A&S Champion of Aquaterra, I’ll officially be hosting the 2025 Aquaterra Arts and Sciences Championship at our Good Yule event on December 6th!

    Given that art takes time, I’m putting this year’s A&S Championship details out now (below) so folk have time to get their entries together. Please message me directly if you have any questions or if you’re willing to be a judge for this competition. These details will also be able to be found on the Kingdom Calendar soon:

    ***Aquaterra Arts and Sciences Championship Competition 2025***

    “Anachronism within our anachronism”

    *Overview*

    In this competition, artisans are invited to showcase their skills by creating an item using a technique from one time and place inspired by artwork or objects from a different time and place. Think of it as two SCA personas working together on one piece of art. This challenge is meant to encourage creativity, experimentation, and historical exploration, combining the beauty of one time and place with the techniques of another.

    *Competition Guidelines*

    *Creation*

    Choose any period technique from a specific time and place. Select a piece of artwork, an object, or a style from a different time period and/or place than the technique you have chosen for inspiration. For example, you might create an embroidered pocket using 16th Century Venetian stitching techniques, but with a design inspired by early Scandinavian wood carvings.

    *Documentation*

    Provide a brief written explanation (1-2 paragraphs) detailing the historical period of the inspiration piece, the period technique used, and how they were combined in your final creation. Include references to primary sources or academic research where possible.

    *Judging Criteria*

    – Historical Accuracy: How well does the item align with the chosen period technique? Is it made using authentic materials and methods?

    – Creativity & Interpretation: How effectively does the artwork inspire and influence the finished piece? Did you take creative liberties that enhance or explore the historical context?

    – Craftsmanship: The overall execution of the technique, attention to detail, and the quality of the final item.

    *Submissions*

    Items must be presented in person to the judges and other interested witnesses who may ask questions as well.

    *Championship will be awarded* based on the above judging criteria and our Coronets approval. All participants will receive feedback on their work to encourage growth and exploration.

    *Requirements* for Champions can currently be found in our Customary on the baronial website, but that’s up for review, so check in with the Coronets if you have questions regarding that.

  • Badge project – travel stool

    I’ve been on a break from my Venetian mourning gown project while dealing with other priorities, but took some time to finally tackle the first of a few painting projects: I painted my recently registered badge on a travel stool I bought at Autumn War last year! I’m stupidly proud of this!

  • New Officer Introduction

    This is the agenda I used to teach a New Officer Introduction class at Boars Hunt 2024. Most of this is from the agenda I used when reviewing things with new officers in my second term as baronial Seneschal.

    • Officer descriptions
      o Baron and Baroness
      o Seneschal, Youth and Family Activities (YAFA), Web Minister, Social Media
      o Exchequer, Chamberlain
      o The Marshallate: Master of Stables, Mistress of Sword, Baronial Archer, Minister of Thrown Weapons, Youth Armored Combat (YAC), Minister of Horse, Warlord, Minister of Lists
      o Chronicler, Grete Boke
      o Minister of Arts & Sciences, Games Minister, Dance Minister, Bardic
      o Chatelaine, Gold Key
      o Gorges Herald, Voice Herald, Scribe
      o Baronial Champions
      o Guilds
    • Who is the boss? -> Volunteer organization
    • Expectations
      o Help inspire the populace to get involved in their area of responsibility. They don’t need to know all the things, but they should be able to help point folk in a good direction. This might include running weekly or monthly gatherings/practices, overseeing activities or competitions at events, advertising relevant opportunities, and improving info available on the website.
      o Kingdom Library for resources
      o Facebook groups for officers
      o Reporting
      o Represent the barony and your office’s best interests
      o Behave in line with the Society’s core values
      o Maintain paid membership with the SCA through your full term of office
      o Office 365 and the value of using the officer account – protects personal account from potential future audits as well as ensuring continuity of the office.
    • Current Customary
    • Current Financial Policy
      o Budgeting
      o Requesting approval & reimbursement
    • SCA Core Values
    • Bullying & Harrassment Policy & Grievance Procedure
    • Reeds, Website, Kingdom Calendar, Social Media
      o Official sources first
      o Social Media officer can help with posting
    • Leadership – This is an opportunity and a choice
      o Caretaker of what’s valued – learn from other’s experience, but be willing to try new things and help the barony flourish as times change.
      o Shape the culture and be worthy of trust
      o Be responsive, not reactive
      o Express gratitude (Award Recommendations, Largesse, direct and personal, and word fame.)

    Reference:

    https://antir.org/library/

    Conflict resolution starter set By Lara Coutinho-Dean (SCA: Dame Sophia the Orange, OL):  http://bit.ly/43HG78d

    E-mail list for the Barony of Aquaterra: https://groups.google.com/a/g.antir.org/g/reeds

    Current Customary and Financial Policy for the Barony of Aquaterra: https://aquaterra.antir.org/baronial-documents/

    Social Media Policy: http://bit.ly/4525qkI

    SCA Conduct and Behavior, with links to Core Values and the Policy on Harassment and Bullying: https://www.sca.org/conduct-behavior-in-the-sca/

  • The bodice continues

    Project update – yesterday I sewed the vertical interior seams of the bodice main fabric and liner on the machine, inserted the boning in their homes, and started turning in the edges on the exterior of the bodice and stitched them down by hand to help keep things clean and crisp.

    Today I finished that up and tried it on so I could confirm things were on track and still lining up well even with the edges turned. To do this, I pinned together the extra fabric I left on each edge at the center front. This excess will be turned in when the lining and boning panel are attached, but for now it made this stage easier.

    I’ve also included a bonus picture of the support layers I have on under the bodice that make it possible to make up a lightweight gown without building in heavy support structures. I will be publishing my write up on that soon – life just got in the way for a while.

    Let me know if you have questions!

  • Mourning gown – mock up and other progress

    Today started with a successful mock up, so I cut the wool outer fabric and the linen lining, thinking I can skip interlining in hopes the resulting gown is at least a little less warm. I also got the boning cut to size and sanded and the cotton coutil pieces cut that I plan to sandwich the bones between inside both front edges of the bodice to help keep things smooth when laced.

    You may notice a different pattern in the last picture. That’s the one that had been misplaced and I spent time recreating yesterday! It had been “safely” stored with the ‘bodies’ supplies… I suppose it’ll be good to have a back up!

  • Gambeson #2

    Here’s Rollo’s new gambeson I finished last week. Fairly similar to the original I made about four years ago, though I believe I did more by hand this time, and per his request, the arms are attached at the shoulder instead of being tied on. It’s ready for him to add the closures, arming points, and some leather coverage where his armor bit into the last one.