Eva's journal

I am continuing to enjoy havinng no pressure to socialize. I take really long waks, in fact I am just about to go out on another one, to a local nature reserve. Then I will make dinner for me and Maja and then bake cookies, so-called "bondkakor", here's a link to te recipe in English.

On Friday I dared to take an almost empty bus to Delsjön, a favourite nature area of mine. You can see a few photos here on instagram.

I went there partly to celebrate the Spring equinox, with a solitary ritual. Since both Inger and I belong to risk groups we had decided to cancel the coven's celebration and celbrate separately.
Saturday I first took a walk downtown with Rickard, Swedes are very good at keeping their distance even in town, and then after he had gone to work i took a walk to a nature reserve about a mile away. That's where I'm going now too. Photos here on instagram.

Yesterday, Ricard and I walked around in a residential area from c 1900, and then, again after he had gone to work I went to a small oak forest that I see from my kitchen window, but which is on the other side of the motorway, so I don't go there often. Photos here and here.

Otherwise I am gettign some sewign inpiration back, but mostly non-historical stuff. I have just adjusted my effigy bodies pattern to fit my current shape and while that is useful for 16th century costuming, my plan right now is to make a fantasy costume, sort of wood elf-y. Photo of them here. I have now glued fabric leaves to it.

And now I'm off to the woods! Take care!

Now I've been to the International medieval congress in Leeds. It was a strange conference for me, because I either go to textile/fashion related conferences or conferences for historians, and this one, like the 18th century congress I went to in 2015 is so wide in its scope - there were sessions on specific manuscripts, or on literary works, and philospohy. Just like the 18th century congress there was precious little about agriculture, social and political history, and more focus on the history of ideas.

I still had a good time though - hanging with SCA friends Mistress Celemon and Mistress aryanhwy , re-enactment friends and a few colleagues. It was, however, hard to talk to people you didn't know before, people tended to be in closed groups most of the time, not opening up to new people.

I liked the campus which was all accessible, and the conference had great vegetarian food and some good markets: Antiquarian book fair, new book fair and a medieval crafts fair. I think I want to go again, despite the fact that it really cuts up your holiday time.

After the congress I took the train to London on Friday morning and met up with Billy and Turk for dinner and beers, before I took the train out to Wimbledon and the lovely clothsprogsand husband Tom. It always feels like home to come there. And the cats have grown so much, they're enormous.

Saturday I went to the V&A to see the Mary Quant exhibition. I wanted to see the Dior exhibition too, but it was sold out. Then on to Bravissimo on Margaret street to get some more bras. This means getting off at Oxford Circus, which was a little different this time thanks to the Pride parade. Two nice girls noted my rainbow socks on the tube and gave me a paper pride flag (that I gave to a kid at the parade later). When we were getting off the train it was literally impossible to even get off the platform, the tunnels were so packed with people. It took a while to get out, but everybody was in a good mood, and a group of young men and women were playing "Dancing Queen", "I will survive" and other classics. And people were dancing, and singing and smiling in the tunnels. I tried to have a look at the parade when I got out on the street, but being only 5'6 I could only see groups which were on floats, so after dancing a little more I went and got my bras.

Then I got in to the really packed tube station again and went to Shepherds Bush for fabric shopping. I was mainly looking for red silk to make a cloak, inspired by a cloak in one of the courtly romances that I talked about at the conference, but I didn't really find any silk that I liked at a reasonable price. Instead I bought the one thing I was not going to buy: wool. We have that in Sweden, but this really was a wonderful, red, thin fulled wool, and I just had to have it. I got the last three metres. And I did buy some African wax prints which was my other goal. I love those fabrics so much, and they're hard to get in Sweden.

I bought a 5 metre piece, which is dominantly pale yellow and strong green and blue, and two metres with a blue background, which I promptly made into this dress.


 

I got home on Monday the 8th and I have been pretty busy since then, but today I FINALLY sent in a revised version of an article that I have written so now I may be able to relax a little. 
Tomorrow I wil be extremely relaxed - because I'm having a coloscopy, and the stuff they give you to relax is rather nice ;) Today has not been so nice, with the preparations needed for that. But before I started drinkign the laxatives I went to a thrift store where I bought two curtains from  dark raspeberry red, slightly ribbed rayon or viscose. I was hoping that it would be, it felt like it, so I took a chance, since they were pretty cheap (40 SEK, which is about 3 pounds), and when I made the burn test at home they sure smelt like wood. The might become a 1930s evening gown, the drape is lovely. Or something medieval, because I don't frown upon regenerated cellulose as long as it looks and drapes as silk.

After I had been to the gym, to the library to work, and after that walking in the sun and meeting up with my friend Alfhild and her husband Mattias for a Pokemon X-raid I got home, put on my new dress and made Rickard take photos. I'm wearing a wig that I bought on an impulse when I bought fake hair last time. I haven't worn it outside the house yet, but it wasn't expensive, at least.

Pinterest has rekindled my obsession with 1970s Sindy dolls.

In other news I can still not use my left hand for anything useful. I can however do a little machine sewing, so I have started on a dress from the tie-dyed jersey.

I started working on taking in two of my many too large skirts on Saturday night. Unfortunately I was rather tired and stupid, so while I removed the right amount in the side of one skirt, I removed the same amount on both sides of the other one!
I can close it, but it's not comfortable, so I will have to add small gussets at the sides. Very irritating. But at least I know that I am the kind of person who will actually do it, and soon (probably this afternoon), not just put the skirt away.

The semester starts in a week and I need to have some more professional looking clothes to wear.

In other news I've re-made my net and lace regency cap cap, made a triangular fichu from spotted net with a lace edge, started the embroidery on Valeria's new 16th century smock and also sewn the skirt of a white muslin 1790s round gown.

Add to this that I have had family over to celebrate the twins' birthday, been to a football game, and to a manifestation for Afghan refugees - I think we can without doubt say that my weekend has been productive.

Now I just have to be productive at work too. Today the plan is to finish my presentation for the Dressing the Early Modern Network conference in Berlin on the 15th of September, and to unpack books at my new work place. Tomorrow I will have to start on a new class on written sources to dress history that I'm giving on the 5th of September.

 So, Friday until late afternoon was spent being hung over, which enforced a feeling that has being growing for years: that I actually don't like alcohol much (I do like the taste of beer though). I am very much a person who wants to be in control, and alcohol helps me to relax in social situations, but while it's fun while you're drinking I'm not sure it's worth it. It's not only the hangover, but actually also the feeling of being relaxed and drunk that I'm not sure if I like. I will have think about this.

Anyway, after I got better again and after dinner Valeria, Maja and I went downtown to the Pride festival. Maja bought Pride striped socks and a Pride flag for her own money and I bought Women's lib pins for her and Valeria. And ice-cream. Valeria bought matching socks, but since I already have a pair of Pride overknee socks I didn't think I needed more, and just bought ribbon to have in our hair.
I got to hang with Atalanta, a woman from the local trans group who I met six years ago or something, when I was giving a lecture  at the Pride festival. There was also some excellent entertainment: A burlesque performer who was also a classical dancer doing a beautiful and fun performance en pointe, and, which was the best, A guy in a 1900-1920 suit doing a strip routine to "Pomp and circumstance" ending wearing just a small pink brief, shoes, socks and sock suspenders.
Weather wise it was a lovely evening and we walked home too. Then Anna came over for tea and I did some more sewing on Valeria's Eleonora di Toledo gown.

Saturday I went to Caroline, who has moved south, ca 2 hours by train. This meant that I missed the Pride parade/march, so Valeria and Maja represented the family :) This was my first visit both to Caroline and martin's new flat and to their ritual place and we had a lovely time. The weather was nicer in Helsingborg than in Gothenburg and we sat on the balcony and had tea and I got more both tan and freckles in my face. The ritual was really good and after we got home again we just sat talking until three am. As a consequence of my dieting and my new-found insights about alcohol I didn't have any except a few sips from the ritual cup, so while I was sleepy on Sunday morning I wasn't hung over. And it was really nice to find that I could be awake that late without drinking - normally I gets very sleepy if I'm sober at parties.

I took the train home just before noon and started on a small sewing project, making a top with peasant blouse top and a jersey midriff. These are really popular among people who do rockabilly or 50s looks and I like them a lot. I have made one before and it was nice finding out that they are really easy to make, so that I don't have to pay lots of money for something partly (or wholly) synthetic, but can make them myself.
I made dinner and Anna came over for tea. We watched two Miss Marple episodes while she hemmed a medieval tunic for her son and I continued sewing around all the edges of the trim on Valeria's gown. There's lots of it, but I am making progress

Today I plan to grade tests, go to a meeting at work and then go and get an X-ray of my feet - I hope to get some help for my bunions. Then more sewing I presume. Which reminds me that I have to go downtown to get some bias tape and some piping, The former is for a dress that I have remade and the latter for another pair of shorts; I found a piece of of dark blue twill and I plan to add red piping to it.

So. I have gained enough weight not to be able to wear my folk costume tomorrow on Midsummer's Eve. it is annoying. And how do we deal with annoying stuff? We sew somethign! So now I'm going to make me a new dress. I just how to decide which model.