Working on Garb Embellishments

Recently, thanks to the generous nature of Mistress Afra, I had the opportunity to help with a garb project. It is important to note that I enthusiastically asked to help. I mention this because I eventually reached a point in the project that was so frustrating and disappointing that it drove me to tears.

Here's the final project, which I feel comfortable sharing because it has already been posted to Facebook with attribution.

The process of getting there was full of very high highs and very low lows. The short version: I learned a great deal about reaching out and not working in isolation.

When we first spoke about the garb, Afra had been given some details about the style and a reference photo of similar clothing. She handled all of the fitting and sewing, as well as the embellishment around the neckline. My part was to create white appliqué stars on a Tir Righ blue band around the bottom, along with matching cuffs on the same linen.

I spent a great deal of time joyfully planning what I wanted to do. By the time I finally sat down to begin, however, my vision did not match my skill level. I confidently started sewing, only to discover that the lovely wool I was using behaved very differently from the inexpensive felt I had used on previous projects. The edges began to fray and look like eyelashes. Nothing was working, and I started to panic.

I was so frustrated that I cried. I called my Pel in despair, because it felt like I was not only failing myself, but failing Afra as well, who would be the public face of this garment. Failure felt like it was not an option.

Maminka drove down at something like 9:00 p.m., in her pajamas, and brought me something to treat the wool edges so they would stop falling apart. I then used a blanket stitch around everything in an attempt to make it look at least somewhat consistent.

By that point, I had lost so much time that the original vision had to be scaled back to fit both my skill level and the time remaining. I knew I wanted twelve stars, one for each branch of Tir Righ, but I had originally imagined additional embellishment between them: smaller stars, perhaps outline stars, something a little more elaborate and playful.

Instead, those ideas became pearl-like beads placed between the larger stars to echo the beading Afra was already doing around the neckline and other seams. In the end, it worked. I tend to believe that sometimes, less is more.

Here's a close up of the blanket stitch...

And here's the band with beads. It looked really nice, compared to where it was headed.

Rather than creating appliqué for the wristbands, I chose to embroider a large star with some embellishment, then added a few more pearl beads. There's the finished project, along with the hole punch guide I used to smear chalk dots onto the fabric for embroidering. I had chalk everywhere for a few days.

In the end, I was happy enough with my contribution to the outfits, although I still feel a bit underwhelmed, feeling like I should have done better. Their Highnesses told Afra how much they liked the outfits. Ultimately, that is what matters and has helped heal my heart.

What did I learn?

• Do a test piece immediately to make sure the materials and skill level match the vision. If I had done this, I would have discovered how the wool behaved before committing to the final pieces, even though I had fulled it before cutting.
• Do not assume my knowledge level is enough for a new material or technique.
• Communication is essential when working on a project together. As difficult as it was to tell Afra what was happening, I did, and she was incredibly gracious. That conversation was easier because I trust and admire her, but it still hurt to admit that my original vision had failed.
• Packages do not leave the coast on the weekend.

Since this breakdown, I have shared the experience of my crash out/tantrum/despair with a few trusted people. It has been met with knowing chuckles and kind eyes. It has been reassuring to hear that when learning new things, others have gone through these same feelings and experiences.

In the future, I will reach out earlier to one of the many people in my extended SCA family. When people offer their help, they mean it.

If I were rating the final result against my original vision, I would give it a 7.5 out of 10. I would have liked to come closer to the original idea and execute it with a little more refinement, but I am still proud of what I learned and what we created.