Mi Contra Fa

Holiday Fun

I did a few projects this winter that were just for fun.

For the Palio races at Twelfth Night, a Thoroughly Authentic Hobby Horse:

I named him "Grani" after Sigurd's horse

The coloring was based on the Bayeux Tapestry.  It's blue linen and white acrylic yarn.  The bridge ornaments are inspired by the finds in Sutton Hoo Mound 17.  They are gelt wrappers that I rubbed down overtop of a Celtic knotwork pin.  The decoration only barely showed, but at least it pretty well erased the American money designs.

Little-known Norman blue-and-yellow coat color

                        I call him "Sutton Horse"

Then, Lochmere's Midwinter's Revel had a Diwali theme and a mandala competition.  All I know about mandalas, I learned on a quick trip to Wikipedia.  Symmetric, intended to represent the structure of the universe.  I briefly got confused and thought Buddism had a Ninefold Path, then said, "Hey, there were nine worlds in Norse mythology!" and then went on from there.

Laying out the mandala with a compass was really fun!  It was kind of too bad that the set screw that held the lead was missing, so eventually I couldn't use it anymore.  I labeled the worlds and the wells with a fine-tipped calligraphy marker, because European charts of the world/cosmos often did that sort of thing, too. (No reference, just my memory of looking at such things.)

And there's a little Midgard Serpent swimming through the seas of Midgard

Here's the documentation:

According to Wikipedia, a mandala is a symbol that represents the universe. I was inspired to represent the Norse concept of the universe, as presented in the Prose and Poetic Eddas.

Norse Cosmology

Yggdrasil, the world tree, has its roots in the wells Mimir, Udur, and Hvergelmir. The serpent or dragon Níðhöggr gnaws at its roots. In its branches are the nine worlds:

• Asgard, home of the great gods

• Vanaheimr, home of the gods conquered by the Aesir

• Alfheimr, home of the elves

• Svartalfaheimr, home of the dark elves or dwarves

• Midgard, home of the humans

• Jotunheimr, home of the giants

• Muspelheimr, land of fire

• Niflheim, land of ice and snow

• Hel, home of the dishonorable dead

Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, connects Asgard and Midgard.

Mandala Construction

Rather than show the Yggdrasil in a natural fashion, it has been rendered in the nested, symmetric fashion of the mandalas. The three wells are contained in a center circle. A row of 'petals' are the roots of Yggdrasil, and Níðhöggr gnaws at them. A green zone with rounded edges represents the branches and leaves of the great ash tree. The worlds are shown in the outer ring, all connected by the rainbow of Bifrost. (Technically, Bifrost only connects Midgard and Asgard, but it was most symmetric to link all the worlds.)

Compass and ruler were used for most of the layout and some of the drawing.

Materials

Copy paper; acrylic paint; 1 mm felt-tip calligraphy pen

Sources

Norse Cosmology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_cosmology

(I used Wikipedia to check my memory on Norse cosmology. I have read the Eddas, but I can't honestly say I referenced them for this.)

Mandala. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandala

 

KASF 2016: Documentation

My KASF 2016 Persona Pentathalon Display

Wulfstan Goes to War: Items belonging to an 11th century Anglo-Saxon thegn

It is time.

The bishop and the notable men of the county have assembled.  Wulfstan charters a nunnery, something his daughter has been petitioning him for, and presses his seal to it.  The bishop and the others witness it.

“As long as they are here,” he thinks to himself, and declares his intentions for the disposition of his worldly goods after his death. The bishop takes up a quill and writes what he says.  He reads it back, and the men agree it is a fair record of what they heard.

He had sent for a wandering scop to come this evening, to provide song and story for his distinguished guests.  He requests the old tale of Beowulf, the mighty hero who conquered an unbeatable monster.  A monster is coming to England, and he will need a hero's strength to fight it alongside his king.

In the morning, he departs.  His wife presses a small banner into his hands.  All made of gold and silk, it is a rich token.  “I am going to war,” he protests.  “A plain ensign is all I need.”

“Well, you know what this is worth,” she says.  “I will need for you to bring it back.”  Her eyes convey the gravity of this task.

“If God wills it,” he replies, and smiles for her sake.

 

KASF 2016 Report

There is just never enough time to see all the things!  It is always so inspiring and humbling to see the beautiful things the artisans of Atlantia can do.  His Majesty even admitted that they may have convinced 'this old stick jock' to take up some art as well.  

Performing Arts Demo

Lady Sophia the Orange arranged a PA demo to highlight all the various kinds of performance that happen in Atlantia.  I had been signed up for poetry (Beowulf + an original piece).  I whittled and trimmed my intro stuff to get down into my ten-minute slot.

Minutes before I was to go on, Lady Sophia quietly asked me if, perhaps, I might have something in the 'voice and instrument' category, as her performer for that had needed to cancel.  O.o   But the show must go on!  I dug 'Yo Me Soy la Morenica' out of memory, figured out where the notes were again, and led with that.  Considering that I have not practiced it in years, it came out okay!  (Objectively speaking, it was uneven and my accompaniment blew chunks, but I can't be too hard on myself as I had literally just minutes to practice it.)

Beowulf went well. So, so well.  The audience even laughed at my little ending ("...the distinguished one delivered this response... And we will have to hear Beowulf's reply at another time, perhaps after I have been given a drink!")  Feedback from the Penathalon judges in the audience was mostly on my vocal control, breathing and projection, and that was totally fair and dead-on.  I really feel like in the past year or two, I've finally discovered how to use my singing muscles correctly - but it takes conscious effort, and I hadn't been doing it for that performance.

And that was it, out of time!  So 'To Put the Devil into Hell' went unperformed, which considering that I think there were children in the audience, was probably just as well.

Persona Pentathalon

Beowulf - By far the best scores, as it should have been. It was  by far the best piece among my display.  Aside from the breath control, a third judge said that if I'd only included some work in Old English, she'd have awarded me all 10s.  I'd come to a similar conclusion in my documentation (which I will post later) - I need to understand how the Sievers types actually work in the original context before I can judge how to set them to music in translation.

Banner - Not too shabby!  The major objections seemed to focus on the high/low contrasts of humble linen and gold and silk.  The Maaseik embroideries were on a linen ground, but they also covered the linen ground, and I had exposed fabric.  So, legit.  One of the judges gave me contact information - she has resources for Carolingian goldwork she can share, and I want to take her up on that.

Will - I think two out of the three judges were far too generous on the quality of this one. It wasn't bad, but I don't think it was anywhere close to journeyman work.  Advanced beginner, maybe.

Seal - I got some very good advice from one of the judges.  He had some critiques on my docs - too many examples not directly related to my item.  Friday night, I'd even said to myself, "That should probably be an appendix," but I elected to sleep instead.  So, he was right on.  Also, good advice for future casting endeavors.

Quills - I had to laugh - one judge gave me a complexity score of 2, with a note hastening to add that this wasn't a reflection on me, it was just that quills aren't very complex items.  Totally true, and I appreciated the thoughtfulness of that little note.

Overall Reflections - Considering that I waited until a month before KASF to start, and that I did not want to stress myself out over it, I'm pretty happy with the results.  My display was much better this time, although I am questioning my decision to put my documentation in a folder rather than on the table with each item.  If I want to be 'in it to win it', I need to start much earlier and select categories that play to my strengths.  (Such as, do two performances.)

Speaking of performances - my Beowulf ended up being not in Category 5, Performance, but Category 7, Miscellaneous!  It turns out that the new judging forms just didn't fit it.  Vocal Song looked for elaborate melody - I didn't have that.  Instrumental Performance looked for complex tune - I didn't have that. Dramatic Performance assumed an ensemble, with costumes and props. Nope. Poetry was for original compositions - no.  I expect Storytelling would have assumed a complete story, rather than an excerpt.  Mistress Jessamyn was very sympathetic to my dilemma and suggested the Cat 7 solution.  

KASF: The final week

Banner, quills, and will are 98% done.  All I need to do is figure out how I'll be displaying them.  (Like, I should make some index cards with samples of the writing from each quill, and probably bring ink so judges can try them if they like.)

A trip to the library tomorrow morning, a batch of sealing wax, and a final revision to the documentation puts the seal to bed.

Beowulf lags.  I need to practice it with the harp and the chanting, and decide exactly how much of it I'm going to do.  And then, the documentation. I started it yesterday, and... oy.  Little hard to summarize ten years of learning into a short article.

Writing Display - which will be a PSA in support of A&S/Chronicler teaming - has a sketch, but I have to actually generate content, print it out, and slap it on the foamcore.  Should happen this weekend.

I've had a great time doing this.  As in 2014, I found Pentathalon to be a great motivator.  I got more done in a month than I generally get done in several. It gives me a reason to do the things I've been meaning to get around to doing, like the calligraphy, and a reason to try things way outside of my usual practice, like the casting.  IMO, I've already won.

KASF: Pewter casting setback, calligraphy done

Petrosand sticks to beeswax.  My original came out of the casting sand with clumps stuck to it and its impression utterly obliterated.

I'm trying Play-Doh now.  I wonder if bone might have been used originally?

Will and quills are done, including documentation.

KASF: Bumpy bits

Bone Flute: Not working.  I got the soundhole shaped pretty well, but maybe too small.  Put in a wax fipple.  Goes 'fffffp.'  I don't know what's wrong, and the cow bone is really thick and takes forever to shape.  Maybe sheep would be better (but then I have to clean it and saw the joints off).

Quill: After two turkey quills going great, the goose quill goes all splintery and crappy.  Meh.  Using a turkey quill to do the will.

Will: About half done and going okay.  My calligraphy is not the best.  Accidentally put the wrong name down, but I may be able to scrape off some letters and redo.  (I've already scraped off one mistake and done over, so that works.)  I used my bone folder, a compass and straight edge to blind rule the pergamenata.  

Seal: I have all the parts, now just waiting for the weather to be slightly warmer and not raining/snowing.

Banner: Documentation updated.

Beowulf: Documentation update in progress. Need to review the material itself.

KASF: Calligraphy, quills

I spent time yesterday testing out variously sized metal nibs, first with Calli ink and then with the iron gall stuff I bought.  Re-learned that capillary action is effective, but works better with a gravity assist (that is, I need to watch the angle of the pen wrt the gravity vector).  The Speedball nibs gave me some of the best results, but inconsistently. Other times, they felt gritty or uneven in some way.  (I could try sanding them? Whetstone?)  A tiny nib I inherited from a downsizing scribe also worked pretty well.  I trimmed the nib on the quill I have (one of those Colonial Williamsburg souvenir jobs) and tried it - could be worse? Ink flow control problems.

Thinking ahead to how I'd document a mini-manuscript of songs or poetry (which as far as I know survive only in ecclesiastical, not secular, contexts), I found myself looking at information on Anglo-Saxon wills, and thought - why don't I just do a will instead?  Much more appropriate for this persona (whom I have named 'Wulfstan' on his seal). A book on Anglo-Saxon wills is now incoming. I hope it has some information on their physical appearance - the internet is letting me down a little here.  There's an 11th cen copy of King Alfred's will online, and I've found one picture of a thegn's will, but that picture is very tiny and possibly not showing the entire will.

I've got two turkey feathers soaking for quill-making.  After cutting them open, I tried to trim the long pointy bit on the first - and it promptly cracked, in a very nib-like way.  Not sure if that's going to exclude it from being a practice quill, although the Calligrapher's Handbook recommends just doing some practice work on a spare feather first anyway. I can use that one.  I don't know if I want to use any quills I cut - my calligraphy isn't so great, so using a newbie-cut quill will probably just make it worse. 

It was actually pretty cool - I was Googling around, looking for information on cutting quills, and came across a reference to the Calligrapher's Handbook.  "Hm, sounds useful," I thought. "Maybe I should go look for that."  When I went to get my Marc Drogin off the bookshelf for scribal testing, above, I found that I already had a copy!  I don't even remember picking it up...

Final reminisce: My earliest memories of the SCA are fuzzy now, but one event I attended in I think my first year was a Schola in Settmour Swamp.  I know I took a class on blackworking (of which I remember nothing) and one on quill-cutting (I remember only that the instructor had a coffee can of sand on a hot plate, to temper the quills). 

 

UPDATE: Two turkey quill pens, done and functional!  They are not flawless by any stretch, but my calligraphy isn't so great that I can even tell.  I got one down to about a 1mm nib, and the other is still at 2mm.  They work just fine - smoother contact with the page than the Speedball nibs, even. Tried them with the Calli ink and the iron gall ink, and they're good.  Turns out pen-making isn't rocket science.

Information on wills and seals, and why I should not put the one on the other. From Peter Tiersma, Parchment, Paper, Pixels: Law and the Technologies of Communication. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010.

From our perspective, there is a more significant way in which the documents called Anglo-Saxon wills differ from their modern equivalents. Most or all of these legal texts were not what lawyers today would call dispositive or operative or what linguists might call a performantive document. Rather, they are written records of spoken legal transactions. While in some respects they have the look and feel of a modern will, they actually perform a radically different function.

There are a number of indications that Anglo-Saxon wills were merely records of oral transactions. Once piece of evidence is that the Old English word for a will, cwide, or cwid(th)e, derives from the verb cwed(th)and, whose primary meaning is "to speak." An archaic remnant of the verb is quoth, as in Edgar Allen Poe's famous line "quoth the raven 'nevermore'."  It is also related to the verb bequeath.

Further evidence that Anglo-Saxon wills were not operative or performative documents is that they generally have no signature or seal or other type of authentication. This suggests that what really mattered was the words that came from the testator's mouth, not what was written on parchment afterwards. The names of witnesses were typically included in the document, but they likewise did not normally sign or place a seal on the document. Their function was to remember the contents of the testator's will, on the basis of what the testator said. (52)

 UPDATE 2: Online copy of Select English Documents of the Ninth and Tenth Centuries, if I decide to go writ instead of will.  Gee, wonder if the AS Wills book is free online too?  No, it isn't, but this older one is.

Calligraphy: Page layout

Canons of page construction.

Simple enough. Just need a refresher on how to construct a parallel line through a point.  Here we go.

Pennsic Report

It was a good war.  A bit odd for me - not one class given or taken!  But a good war.

Food Experiments Report

Bread: There are beehive ovens popping up all over Pennsic!  I was aware of at least three.  I did not get to the open Bread Day at Aethelmarc Royal, alas.  My own bread went fairly well.  I brought King Arthur bread flour, and it made a huge difference.  The loaves baked up much higher.  Loaf One sat directly on the coals and the bottom burnt to a crisp.  However, it was easy enough to cut pieces off, and it was tasty.  

Fresh baked bread at Pennsic

Loaf Two used foil balls inside the Dutch oven to elevate the springform bottom.  It rose so high it touched the lid, burning the top slightly.  The bottom only had a few scorch marks and was largely edible. Morgan felt this one was not as good as the first, although  I couldn't tell a difference.  Loaf Three used large (2") foil balls to support the oven above the coals, and this seemed to work the best of all.

I learned from Meisterin Johanna that when you thump bread, it should be on the bottom of the loaf.

In all cases, I used more coals than the recipe book called for - essentially, ALL the coals I used for the preheat.  I did arrange them in open circles, to prevent a central hot spot, but I did have ~15 on the bottom and ~30 on the top.

One-Pot Stews: My Eadric the Potter bowls worked great!  I did a (canned) chicken stew with fresh onion, carrot, potato, sage and parsley, and it was super-delicious.  Also surprisingly good was the bean dish - cannelloni beans, tomato paste thinned with enough chicken stock, onion, garlic, chopped summer sausage, and I think more parsley.  The Italian-accented shrimp and grits was the least good, but I still ate most of it - canned shrimp with lots of garlic, onion and some summer sausage (standing in for bacon) sauted in a lot of olive oil in one pot (on the Coleman stove - the others were done on coals) and then polenta cooked up and grated Parmesan cheese stirred in.  Put shrimp on top of polenta, stir in and serve.  The canned shrimp sort of shredded into a onion-y, garlicky protein gloop with occasional grits of sand.  There was too much polenta.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly good, either.

Espresso: I am currently of the opinion that a 2-cup espresso maker is the ideal camp coffee maker for one.  Strong coffee, fast!  Not so good if one were brewing for an entire camp.

Lunch Salads: Several days, I made salads of cold chopped stuff.  I brought a jar of "Sun of Italy" marinated mushrooms, and one of kalamata olives, and they were worth three times what I paid for them.  'Shrooms, olives, cannelloni beans, sausage, sharp cheese, and basil made a filling lunch.

Ice: For future reference: When it was warm-to-hot, the little cooler needs one 7-lb bag of ice per day. It was just big enough to hold a quart of milk, some bits of cheese, my yeast, and some leftovers (unused onion, beans, sausage).

Eaten/Uneaten:
Used up: 4-6 oz cheese, 1 summer sausage, 1 jar each mushrooms and olives, 1 can beans, 1/2 small can tomato paste, 1 onion, several carrots, 2 cans chicken, 1 can shrimp, ~6 garlic cloves, 1 'juice box' chicken broth, 1 quart milk, 1 lb. hazelnuts, 1/2 bag Post Shredded Wheat, 1/3 can Melitta coffee, most of a 5-lb bag of flour, yeast, salt, pepper, fresh herbs, 1/2 c. oats, cinnamon, 1/2 c. polenta, 3 snack bags of Cheez-Its.  Plus assorted snacks from Cooper Store.  1 32-pack of water.

Brought home: 1 can black beans, 1 can corned beef hash, 1 'juice box' vegetable stock, all the bulgur wheat, the rest of the oats, polenta, and bread flour, all the lentils, all the canned fish (sardines and anchovies - not brave enough to try them), unused coffee, cereal, extra lb. hazelnuts.  The other 32-pack of water.

Verdict: Overpacked on grains, but all told - not bad! Particularly pleased the cheese - which was carefully measured out as "whatever is in the fridge the day we leave" - lasted.

Special note: I never used the honey, and the ants found it.  Ziploc!

Camp Life Experiments Report

Bowl and Pitcher: THIS WAS THE BEST.  Simple, effective, not messy.  The sump was close enough that I just emptied the bowl each time, didn't use the slops bucket.  For modern hygiene purposes (e.g., hand washing after every bathroom trip), the sink with running water was easier/better.  But this worked well for morning/evening wash-ups in my own space.  Also good for washing the veggies!

Camping Pad: The Exped MegaMat 10 LXW only needed topping off once - the patch held all war.  (Huh, I didn't realize they had a 25" wide version.  That would have probably been enough for me.)  It does need a natural fiber layer between mat and me - a sheet did not cut it, so I used a folded-over length of wool.  One layer of Army blanket would do it.  The fitted sheet didn't really stay well-tucked, and the top sheet kept pulling up.  I think I should make some items with elastics to secure them, and/or which are sewn to each other.

Sleeping on the floor still works, but it is starting to get old.  A cot or rope bed might be something to look into.

Washing:  The microwave bacon tray made a reasonable washboard.  I only did a load of small items; this War wasn't sweltering, so I was able to re-wear big garments without stink.  Bras, I rinsed out in the shower each day, and that seemed to work.  It wasn't that much work, and I would do this again as a way to pack smaller.

Cooler Covers: Reed mats were meh.  Wooden hidey-boxes would look the best, but fabric covers (with that shiny insulation stuff?) would pack the best.  Or go Full Cariadoc and go without.

Stuff!: I could have left at home: mazers, glass drinking horn, cow drinking horn, 1 cloth drape (of 4 brought), RenFest chemise, violet tunic that doesn't quite fit, 1 or 2 fewer small baskets, most of the veils, some of the kitchen utensils

The pop-up and zero-g chair took the most space in the car, along with clothes; however, they contributed greatly to my comfort at War, and I am glad I brought them.  Kitchen stuff and fire stuff took the next most space; I can probably skinny that down, but not by more than 10-20%?  (Linkage to single-burner butane stoves and single-burner propane stoves. Only one burner on the ancient Coleman really works anyway - the other's more of a warmer.)

I am having vague ideas of multiple smallish A-frame canvas tents - one for adults, one for kids, one for gear? - and a tarp.  Have to see what can fit in a reasonable footprint.  Then we have a camp that's modular for our family - just me (one tent), me and Husband (sleeping tent + gear shelter), entire family (+ kid tent).

A&S Report

I was pressed into service to calligraph a poem for a young lady being taken as a squire.   First time I've actually used calligraphy for anything other than practice! (Or a really short dedication.)

Bardic Report

Beowulf: Crammed it all back into my head in time for performance on Wednesday at the Harp Symposium.  I felt it went really well!  I also did it, in parts, at the Atlantian Royal Bardic, and for Master Dolan Madoc of Calontir, in camp.  He had participated in other readings of Beowulf in the SCA, so one of my camp-mates brought him over to hear me.  In return, he told a wonderful story of William Marshall.  We really need more tales of history, and of the big period legends.

Southwind Bardic: We had a really great bardic in camp.  Yaakov kicked it off with his long-form story, which was very well-told and a lot of fun.  Then around and around we went.  We had everything from tales of Ye Olden Days in the SCA to some filks to period stuff to original compositions.  I got to take... 4 turns?  Which was enough that I didn't feel stifled, and not so much that I felt like I was running roughshod over it.  

Atlantian Royal Bardic: Great performers!  Most splendiferous site at War!  (See 'Their Majesties' New Camp,' below.)

Known World Poetry Competition: I got the days confused and thought this was on Tuesday, not Monday, and so missed it.  Master James informed me that he really liked my entry, but it lost by 4 points.  Considering how lousy my documentation was, I think that's fair!  Poeta got 4 entries, which sounds like a number similar to what I got when I did it, back in 2009ish.  Why can't poetry get more traction?

Known World Harp Symposium: Enjoyable as always.  Mistress Linette did a great job of wrangling the scheduled performers and the ad hoc sign-ups.  We had pure instrumental music, accompanied song, wire and nylon harps - and one great carbon-fiber harp! - and my recitation.  Some of the performers snuck in a bit of education/lecture, too.  Mistress Fevronia did 'Queen of Air and Darkness,' which I remember hearing at my first Pennsic.  Still gives me shivers.

UnLove Songs: At the Southwind Bardic, one storyteller commented that "the theme of the evening seems to be love."  And I thought about it, and no, it wasn't.  It was "Women as Reward" pieces - women who marry a man so he doesn't die of love, women handed out as prizes by their fathers.  (And I don't except myself from this theme, as I did 'The Perilous Bed,' wherein  the maiden is given to Sir Gawain by her father.)  So I think I want to write something poking at this.

Their Majesties' New Camp: We camped across from Atlantian Royal, the most glamorous and ornate encampment at War.  Knights in full regalia guarded the gate, which stood, turreted and tall, with archers upon it for defense.  Within lay carefully planned paths through a garden sprung up as if by magic, with picture-perfect pavilions flanking it.  An enormous camp kitchen housed a long trench of a fire, over which entire hogs and legs of beef turned on spits, while six Laurels prepared subtleties to amuse the eye and the tongue.  A full staff of heralds, trumpets in hand, announced each visitor flawlessly, with their complete and most accurate title and name, no matter where in the Known World they hailed from.  Before the thrones, perfectly well-behaved children, adorable in their tiny garb, played merry games while a consort of musicians played the songs of long ago.  Wandering minstrels recited poems and told stories, each a masterwork, neither too short nor too long, neither too dull nor too unseemly.  All this, and more!

You saw it too, didn't you?  Of course you did.  They say that such wonders could only be beheld by those true to the spirit of the Society, so I am sure a fine gentle such as yourself looked upon these marvels with a glad heart.

Oh yeah. This is gonna be a song.

Personal News

For my work as Storvik Chronicler, I was recognized with the Opal at Royal Court.

More importantly, on Tuesday evening, Meisterin Johanna accepted me as her protege.  

This might seem somewhat odd, as it did to me when she first suggested it.  After all, I do more art than service, I think.  But I am not looking for a Laurel.  Not because I think I have nothing left to learn - far from it! - but because I feel confident charting my own path on the voyage of learning it.  She proposed a more general mentoring relationship, and as I find much admirable about her, I thought it best to accept.  

I deeply, deeply hope this does not bother any of the other Peers whom I respect and admire.

 

Three Bard Books

I have made a grand total of three books so far.  Here's the retrospective.

Left to right: Book I (2010), Book II (2013), Book III (2015)

Book I: Poetry Written as Poeta Atlantiae

I attended KASF 2010 with a Persona Pentathalon entry.  I'm a little fuzzy on the dates, but I either was, or had just stepped down as, Poeta Atlantiae.  I thought I ought to represent poetry at the Festival, so I printed out all the poetry I had written as Atlantia's poet. I didn't use special paper or fonts, just Times New Roman on whatever was in the printer.

Computer-printed poetry on standard copy paper

I read a few webpages on modern bookbinding, and sewed all of the pages into a single quire.  I did use one piece of cardstock on the outside of the quire, which would serve as the endpapers.  Since I didn't have any idea how to actually sew a binding, this is what held the book together.

A single multi-page quire, whose outer, thickest foila are glued to the bookboards as endpapers.

The whole project was more arts and crafts than Arts & Sciences, but it was fun.  I used a thick boiled wool (scraps from my Order of the Owl cloak) as the cover, since it needed to stand up to the Elmer's Glue.  I made some ornaments of twisted wire - a golden frame, and a compass star (my primary charge). Bookboards were scavenged from an old book. Trim the corners of the wool, fold over, and glue.

Boiled navy wool cover with twisted wire embellishments sewn on

I calligraphed my name and the date on the first page.  I aspire to a mediocre hand.

Calligraphed title page

Here endeth the tale of Book I.

Book II: Bardic Performance Repertoire

I used to memorize all my repertoire.  Then I had kids, went to fewer events, and found that if I wanted to perform at all, I should probably have a crib sheet nearby.  I wanted something more discreet and easier to carry than a big binder, so I thought I could make a book.  This time, I learned a bit about Coptic bookbinding before proceeding. [Posts on the goal-setting, information seach and development, further development, and results for this project.]

The pages were copy paper again.  They mostly have my original work on them, but there's also some stuff that's not mine.  There's a few entire pieces, some titles, or first lines to jog my memory.  I also left blank pages on purpose, and I've written in new stuff on them.  I've tried to do some large initials and other medieval techniques for distinguishing the start of a new piece.

Typewritten original poetry

 

A handwritten golliardic verse (not mine) and a handwritten original song

 

Abstract crayon illumination provided by my younger son

This one had multiple quires of a few sheets each, and the text block was stitched with waxed linen thread in kettle stitches.  The book boards were scavenged again, and they already had a nice red cover and nice white endpapers. I didn't put a cover over the boards, because I liked the red.

Ten (?) quires of two bifolia each. With copy paper, I could have had a lot more pages per quire.

Kettle stitches worked in waxed linen thread

I tore one of the quires while stitching on the front cover. Otherwise, it came out really nicely, and has been very useful for me.

The Red Book of Canterbury

Book III: For Hand-Writing

The Storvik Early Northern European Adhocracy did bookbinding this spring.  I led the group, based entirely on my work on the Red Book.  For paper, we used heavy cardstock in a cream color, which I found recommended somewhere on the Web as a reasonable cheap substitute for parchment (as far as weight goes; texture and curl are not accurately modeled).  I bought book boards for the group, and a big spool of waxed linen thread, and curved needles.  I'd used an S-curved needle for the Red Book, and really wanted plain curved ones for this.

We made quires of two bifolia each, which was more reasonable with the cardstock.  We did something like 10-12 quires and stitched them up.  I'd learned about endbands in the meanwhile, so we put those on, too.

Eleven (?) quires with endband visible.

The covers were stitched on.  I used some garment leather I bought in... 2013? as a cover.  (I had the vague idea of making a Swallowcliffe Down belt pouch with the leather, but it's the wrong type and weight.)  If this had been real parchment, oak book boards, and veg-tanned red goat hide, I'd have gotten hide glue, but it wasn't, so it was back to Elmer's.  I cut a piece of cardstock in half and used that for endpapers, glued on last of all.

Book III open to first page. Book board is visible between endpaper and textblock.

There are no cords - I think that's more Carolingian binding and less Coptic.  I do remember seeing Carolingian book reconstructions with leather tabs sticking up at the top and bottom, so I snipped the leather cover to let me fold the leather over each book board separately.  Worked pretty well! (Except where I snipped in the wrong place, so now the bottom tail is in two parts.)

All the pages are blank, and my plan is to prick them and blind rule them.  I go back and forth on using plain handwriting and calligraphing whatever goes in here.  If I do use calligraphy, I think it'll be a modified hand, with modern-looking 's,' 'g,' 'v', etc.

A small and modest book