Tuesday night fighter practice

I attended the Shire of Stormvale’s Fighter practice this last Tuesday. There were three authorized fighters and one in training. I need to attend practice more often and will be trying to make it as many Tuesdays practices as work will allow.

I had to stop earlier than I wanted when the leather ties keeping my legs attached to the C-Belt snapped. So last night I changed the leather cord out for a nylon that that should work better in the long run. Its hidden under a couple layers of padding and armor, so it should be fine.

In addition I was testing out a new padding system for my helmet. I had been getting headaches when wearing the helmet for more than an hour, so I completely stripped out the padding and liner and reworked it all. After a wearing it for well over an hour, I did not get a headache . I hope the problem is fixed but will find out more after a longer time in helmet.

Badge Update

This is going slower than I had expected. I am learning how to do this beading, mostly making it up as I go. This is a little smaller than the original, but I think this size will be better. I may end up putting this on a livery collar, which is my current plan. I started backing it today and hope to finish tomorrow.

Many years ago, when I was awarded the Dragons Heart, the award came with a beaded representation of the badge. I liked it so much that one of my friends bought me a similar badge for the Purple Fret that I had previously been awarded. Those two badges became some of my most cherished SCA belongings. A few years ago both these badges went missing. I do not know if they got left at an event or simply misplaced at home, but I have not been able to find them.

I think I will try to reconstruct them, I know it will not be the same, but I have given up on them turning up around the house.

I tried to do the Purple Fret badge by freehand but was not satisfied with the results, so I set up a loom. This is a little smaller from what I remember the old one being but its as big as the loom will allow. After this is done I will sew it down onto fabric and make a pendant or I may make a heraldic mantle and put this and my own badge on it.

Well it took 4 coats of paint but my banner is now correct for my registered Arms!!!

I was so convinced that my first change of my Arms would go through that I had a Banner made. I should have known better, but I was positive it would pass. First it was lost and then when it was resubmitted it did not pass. It was too close to a couple other designs.

After it failed, I made a list of all the possible permutations of the device I had originally submitted and double checked every possible conflict. As I found conflicts, I crossed them off the list. When I was finished I had a small a very small list left over. After looking at them for a couple weeks I picked the one I though looked best and resubmitted it.

This time the work paid off and the device was passed. I now have to repaint part of the original Banner. After two coats of paint the blue is still coming through so it looks like it will take several more. I will try to finish tonight, if the paint will dry fast enough.

Well I won’t go into all the details but I have been semi retired from the SCA for most of 2011. I was able to keep up with the paperwork for the Regional Seneschal job but only ended up attending a handful of events. I think I have only been in armor twice this year.

In August I was able to hand off the office to Baroness Giovanni from Cynnabar. I am glad the office will be going to someone who can devote the time needed for it. I was really a little two pinched for time for the last few months of the job.
It’s been getting slowly better since October, I have had some time to look over my SCA kit and start making improvements. I should be able to get back in the swing of things with the new year.

One noteworthy item from this fall, the design for changing my Coat of Arms passed the College of Heralds and my old arms were released. I kept my old badge but now my Arms are: Quarterly Argent and Gules, A mullet quarterly Azure and Or.

Since I am not a great artist, this will be far easier to paint on my shield and make clothes with my Arms on them than the old one. Since I retained the Panther as a Fieldless Badge, I can still use it when I want.