I Challenge You!

Hail and well met! I am Lady Eadaoin inghean Chionoidha of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA).

I have been fascinated with historical dress since I was a little girl. Sadly, I had few outlets for it in a small town and didn't know how to express this love to my parents. I didn't even realize that I could make it myself! It was during my senior year of high school that I happened to stumble across the SCA. I didn't think I could ask my parents to drive me up to fighter practice after working all day, so I checked to see if there was one in the college town I would be going to in the fall.

Low and behold, there was! I eagerly counted down the days to the dorm move in date. When it finally arrived, I started counting down the days to the campus club demo day. I was extatic when I found the Canton of Axed Root. They became my family and taught me so much about historical dress. I attempted making my first piece of garb, a fighter's tunic, that turned out atrocious.

I was disheartened by the failure, but vowed never to make those mistakes again. I practiced sewing on hems of loaner garb until I felt confident enough to try a fitted bodice.

It did not turn out well.

But I kept trying, learning a little more with every failure, until finally, I joined a theatre apprenticeship program, specializing in costumes. My eyes were opened to a new realm of knowledge. When I finished the program, I enrolled in a local college to try to finish out my bachelor's degree in theatre. Unfortunately, college is expensive and the funding ran out three classes shy of earning my degree.

I had to enter the work force full time until I got pregnant with my son. It wasn't an easy pregnancy, but it also wasn't as bad as it could have been. My son was born eight weeks early and had to spend time in the NICU. If it wasn't for hand sewing and embroidery, I think I would have broken down more often.

I took time away from the SCA to raise my son, though I did take him to a few fighter practices. Finally, in 2018, I realized that I was loosing myself. I had hardly done any sewing since he left the hospital and it was chipping away at me.

So I started my business, at first called The Cedar Wardrobe and recently changed to Raven's Wing Clothing. I started making garb again, and it as an instant mood lift. I tried making some for my son, but he outgrows it rather quickly. I've learned to make things closer to when I need them for him.

Now that you have some background on me, on to the challenge!

The pandemic was in full swing, I was isolating partially because my day job didn't have any work for me and partially because I wanted one less vector for Covid to come into the house. I was perusing Facebook, like you do when you have nothing else to do, and saw the post from the Calontir Minister of Arts and Sciences (MoAS). She was issuing a challenge to create a complete outfit within three months, the Calontir Clothing Challenge (C3).

I lit up. A reason to make something other than face masks! I had most of the things I needed: linen for a smock, wool for a kirtle, and fabric for an over gown. I just needed some lining fabrics and yarn to weave the belt.

I started planning and patterning right away, eagerly awaiting November 1st so I could start cutting. The smock went together far faster than I thought it would, especially since I was hand sewing everything. I had it almost done in about a week. All that was left was the neck line, which I couldn't do until the kirtle was done.

I got the kirtle bodice cut and start construction. Once I had attached the interlining on the back, however, I decided to embroider my coat of arms on it. If I had realized that I would still be working on that 7 months later, I still would have done it because it looks phenomenal.

So the kirtle is still in progress as I slowly and sporadically work on the embroidery that is taking far longer than I thought it would. But it just looks so good! I'll post an update once I get the kirtle further along. That should be sometime next year. ;)