Inspiration

I arrived in 2002 in Drachenwald. Brimming with excitement, looking forward to a new adventure. I had no clue what lay in store. What happened next ... I let someone steal my sunshine. It happened slowly, and by the time I realized , damage was done. I used to sing and I used to love to sew. I was happy with Elizabethan, I had begun learning in the US before I left. I had confidence and skill, and one day I realised that the confidence was gone, that the spark was gone and worst of all I realised she had won, she had beaten me, taken from me something. I hated sewing.

I wore Landsknecht because he made it for me. I wore it because he wanted me to. I was never comfortable in it. The wool was too hot and heavy, and I always felt frumpy. It was hard to cook in so I wore a shift or shirt and my apron. Slowly I decided on what I wanted, what suited ME. I took my acquired skills and made a new pattern. I used paintings of Italian kitchens as inspiration. I was after functional. Something I could wear and have movement in. I was deep into researching Italian cooking and felt it was the way I wanted to go and when completed I found the garb comfortable.

Recently I found myself overcome with a strange feeling. I am going to a crown event, Coronation, and I'm not cooking. My kids are old enough that I don't worry about them puking on me, or that i'll get messy changing them, or that I need to chase... long list short.. I no longer worry that my kids will trash my garb. It also hit me, I want to be PRETTY damn it! I am still lacking in confidence but I am moving forward with #makeMaggiepretty anyway. I have the drive to do this, I'm terrified but forward and onward.

So far I know the look I am aiming for and the approximate materials I want to use. I am hunting Dupioni, schatung, or taffeta, all silk. I will need cotton canvas for my 'innards' and will look for silk lacing cord. No rings in this one. The style has a small gap in the front of the bodice and is ladder laced. I could do it with rings but will try a different technique.  Forward and onward!

#1 gold lacing, jewelry

#2  The trim and sleeve caps

 #3 sleeves, I'm looking to line mine with velvet not fur

Just in case

I'm talking about an 'In Case of Elevation' document or ICoE. If you are on a path, or suspect you are... If you have a peer or not... Prepping for a potential elevation is important. Weather you are starting the journey or are possibly nearing the end, preparation helps ensure your vision of your special day is realized (to the best of people's abilities) and it helps the loved one's around you prepare for the day. If you have a peer you should regularly update the document with them. If you have no peer make sure those closest to you have the document or access to it. I keep mine in a google drive and update it as necessary. It is open to not only my own peer but also to a good friend who is also a peer. I have shared the document also with a friend as a 'template' and that is what I want to do here. Provide a template for others to use to hopefully get them thinking about what they might want. This document is a living and breathing thing. Things will change as you move along. I can't tell you how many times I have changed my document. Rethought my choices of speakers, rethought many things. There was even a time when my document was 'angry' It was a place I could vent frustrations with things going on at the time. Remember that this day will be about you.

I want to take you step by step though my process and then leave a 'blank' copy at the end if you want to copy, paste, and play fill in the blanks. I am also open to suggestions and available for questions.

In Case of Elevation Template

Writ or surprise?

Do you want to know in advance or do you want to be surprised. Some people have strong feeling either way and others don't. I know some people, especially fiber artists, want to prepare the 'perfect' outfit etc...

Who would you like to speak for you? ( This is under ideal circumstances It could be someone far away and you can note if sent words spoken by proxy would be acceptable as well)

Laurel
Pelican
Knight
Rose
Master of Defence
Populace

Often, we ask people who we respect. It could be your closest friends but it could be someone you admire greatly even if you don't know them well.

For me, I have mostly listed people who I feel would be able to speak to the aspects they represent. Roses speak to grace and courtesy Knight's and MoD's speak to chivalry Laurel's speak on contribution of arts

Pelican's speak to your service Members of the populace tend to speak about character and growth

What do you want your vigil to be like?
Think about food, Order of Precedence or not? Time limit for the people who are talking with you? How late do you want to stay up if it is a Friday night? Do you want to try to speak with everyone or …? This is your party and you get a say in how it goes!

Scroll: is there a particular scribes style that you fancy? Or just a style in general? Do you love or hate anything in particular? The more details that can be given to the signet the more tailored the scroll can be. Do you have arms? Do you have a motto? These are elements that can also be included.

Title you would like to use. There are many more options than the Master/Mistress

About you/ your persona:
Some details that you feel are important for people to know about you. 

The ceremony:
Some people have distinct ideas on what they do or do not want to have for a ceremony. Is the ‘standard’ one from the DW book of ceremonies ok? Do you have something more personal and tailored in mind… Your input goes here!

Regalia:
Does the order you are aspiring to have special regalia where input from you would be necessary (Cap of maintenance for OP, Cloak for Laurel, Belt/Chain/Spurs for knights)

Other:
This is where you state preferences that might not have been covered above. People who you would like to have advance notice of the event so they might be able to be there. People outside the circle who you think would be able to help with organization or information. 

All the above is just supposed to inspire you to think. It may feel silly, or pretentious to sit and write these things down. 3 words... 'get over it'. It is not pretentious, it is not silly, it is important. So, give it some thought, write some things down, and share them. These discussions are important to have.

In Case of Elevation Template

Writ or surprise?

Who would you like to speak for you?

Laurel
Pelican
Knight
Rose
Master of Defence
Populace

What do you want your vigil to be like?

Scroll:.

Title:

About you/ your persona:
. 

The ceremony:


Regalia:

Other:

Someone else's rabbit hole

I had a friend reach out to look for a historical provenance  for a modern recipe. Normally I don't work backward that way but after looking up what it was she was looking for I knew I had read something similar already. So I started poking as to what others had to say. Found a redaction but no citation for the original. They cited another cookbook which I imagine supposedly has the referral to the original.

I knew I had seen something so I hit the books, my physical books and there it was. Normally I skip over recipes with nuts as the most common nut in our period is the almond which to me is deadly. I have seen places especially in Italian cooking the use of pine nuts.

I'm happy this hole is leading me cool places and will continue to pursue it. I am looking to see how far back I can go... I'm gonna need help as the earliest origin stories of it has it coming out of Turkey with the crusaders in 1250 or so.

More than just a recipe

Last year in October I made 3 dishes for feast. One of those dishes was more than just a recipe that would have been served to the table it was a preserving method as well. It was from the Danish cookbook and was a way of preserving meat.

After the event I was able to take a container home with me with both the meat and the liquid. Upon arriving home my idea was to try the meat every so often to see how well it held up as a preservative. At 1 year and 1 month I can state... The meat is still good. The liquid has greatly reduce but it is still edible. The meat itself is quite saturated with the vinegar but there is still good flavor. The texture is a bit soft but that is to be expected after all this time in liquid.

I have kept the 'specimen' in it's container in the fridge, that is to say in it's plastic box. The original recipe of course calls for the meat to be held in a ceramic container in a cool dark place. I don't have a cool dark place so my fridge was the next best thing. I will keep up the experiment but imaging that because the meat is no longer submerged and the container has been opened a few times that it may not last much longer. Though I am highly impressed with the length of time thus far.