Eva's journal

 It's raining cats and dogs. I should probably be grateful for the lovely days we've had recently, and accept the rain. But my arthritis gets mucgh worse when it's raining and I also have to go outside later, to get to the annual book fair, where I am part of a panel discussion on clothing, gender and class.

I was at the book fair yesterday too and bought some old Swedish films (30s-40s) on DVD and a new Swedish fantasy book that I am looking forward to reading. I also had some beer and wine with my friend Caroline and some peopel that she knows. That was ncie, but then I got so tired that I went home around nine, when they went on to other publishers' parties.
Probably a good idea, since I have to to do a lot of things before my own appearance at the book fair today; like comment on peoples' papers in the pedagogical development course I am taking (because I have to). I also need to finish packing for the SCA event that I am going to this evening. It's called "Boar Hunt" and is an archery event so I really hope it doesn't rain tomorrow. Or at least not too much. I have actually not used my bow that I got as a 50 years' present from my family. Partly because I haven't made arrows yet, partly because of my surgery last autumn. For this weekend I will borrow Rickard's arrows and I will also make an appointment with a guy to make my own.

Well, if it rains too much I can always socialize and work on my event embroidery (= the embroidery that gets brought along on events and when I'm flying, but that I never work on at other times)

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.

As you probably know I use my blogger-blog as a sort of web site. Because it was too much work to update my old web site. And lately I have been busy, endign up with pages for my:

a) late 18th century open robe

b) somewhat insane Italian 1330s outfit from striped brocade

c) brand new summer working outfit from 1370s Italy. With short sleeves!

d) Italian 16th century sottana from 2008-2009

c) mi-parti early 14th century Italian brocade gown.

I may even have a go at another "backlog" costume page today, we'll see.

I have , however, given 7 two hour long lectures as well as planning calsses and grading tests this week, so I am rather tired.

 Today the various university departments here in Gothenburg had a chance to present themselves to high school students and I had been asked my my department, the Department of Historical Studies, to represent history - and to dress up for it. Since the archaeologist showed a 12th century skull we decided that it was better with another time period than medieval. So I put on one of my regency outfits. It was a bit tricky, since hubby wasn't at home to help me with the ties in the back of the gown. I managed, but couldn't really hide the ties properly by myself. Luckily I ran into hubby downtown who not only took a photo of me, but also helped my with the ties.After the presentation I met Valeria and when we got home I made hummus and then went to the gym for 45 minutes before getting back and making the rest of our dinner consisting of salad, hummus, bread and falafel.

 I don't seem to be able to lose those kilos I gained over christmas, it's still around 60.5-61.5 kilos, which isn't bad as such, but I would prefer 58-59.

However, since I'm going ot the gym every other day now, some of it may be due to getting more muscle, so I have decided to start measuring myself. It would have been nice to know what my measurements were when I weighed under 60 kilos, but the only measurement that I can remember is my waist measurement from when I last visited the research project for the arthritic study. That was 81 cm.  So I'll have that as a starting point, though the large scar hernia that I have around the natural waist makes that one a little off if I would like to compare with other people. Comparing with myself should work though, until (if) I get surgery. I am going to see a doctor about this on the 28th of February and hope that they decide to take it away. A round ball with the diameter of 9-19 centimeters is no fun to have in your abdomen.

Anyway, since I keep all notes about weight and health here I will from now on keep track of my measurements on Dreamwidth, though probably not always public.

weight today: 61.5 kilos  (c. 135.5 pounds)
Chest (without bra): 97 cm (c. 38 inches)
natural waist: 81 cm (c. 32 inches)
hips, widest point: 99 cm (c 39 inches)

I will be going to the gym later today. First I will work on my presentation for the conference in New York that I'm going to in March and then I have been asked to write a blog post for a museum that I really ought to start on.

After 4 pm. there's Gotvik's sewing meeting at my place.

 Today I'm going to the hospital to see the dietitian and make a DEXA scan, presumably to see if the diet and weight loss has had an adverse effect on my bone density .I am a bit nervous about the weigh-in, because lately there has been the medieval yule party, and me baking gingerbread and saffron buns - and you really can't avoid eating cookie dough, or warm saffron buns when doing that. And then Sunday, AND yesterday we made almond past candy, and I love almond paste, and yesterday I also made Knäck, Swedish christmas toffee.

Burt we'll see.

After that I have the last lecture before christmas.

My ankle still hurts a lot if I walk on it too much, so I am using my crutches more again. Today I had to get to the university since I teach a class, but I relaxed at home before lunch, working on my soon finished regency redingote, and listening to an audio book together with Rickard.

I look forward to going home and finish the very last hand sewing. Or at least the hand sewing that I can finish, I need to get either buttons or some other closure for it, but my foot is not well enough to get me down town to buy supplies.

So, next project ought to be one of these:

* Santa skater dress from stretch velour for me

* regency dresses for the dolls

* Winter bonnet to match the redingote. This will require some notions to finish, but I think that I could start it with what I have at home.

A group that I've never met has this meet up in 19th century clothing to go to the Christmas market at the nearby (extremely nearby, I see it from my kitchen window) amusement park on Sunday the 10th, and I'm hoping that I will be well enough for that by then, but then I would like to have a bonnet. And actually I wouldn't mind having a wool dress to wear under the redingote too, though so many layers of linen and cotton (shift, stays, petticoat, gown) may be warm enough.


 

 More (and larger) photos and info in my costuming blog, but here's one photo of the finished hem.



I then did 20 minutes on my exercise bike and now I really ought to go to work. Still feeling slightly sick from the methotrexate, but that won't stop me lecturing of course.

The lack of updates is mainly because I spent Wednesday to Sunday last week in London, going ot a conference and hanging out with the wonderful clothsprogs (Teddy) and his husband Tom, as well as a drunken Satuday night with my friends Billy and Turk.


And, much to my surprise I also got to meet sarahbellem for the first time in 12 years, since she, and trystan and Kendra surpisingly (to me at least) showed up at the Association of Dress Historians' conference. The surprising part being that they had travelled all the way to Englnad, not that they were at a dress conference of course. I was standing there after gettign soem tea in the first break and thinking: "That looks a lot like Sarah", and then she came up to me and it was Sarah! You can imagine the enthusiasm.
Unfortunately she and Kendra both got sick, so I didn't get to chat with them much, I did get to hang a bit more with Trystan though.

There usually isn't much overlap in the attendants between British conferences and other international conferences on dress unfortunately, so I didn't meet that many old friends, but I got to meet Jola Pellumbi, one of the organizers of the "Dressing the Early Modern" network, a few Swedish PhD students that I don't meet often, and Lena, another Swede, who I do meet frequently, and who is great fun to be with. And a lot of other people of course. The Art Worker's Guild where the conference is held is a very handsome house, and it's nice to be there.

The conference was Friday and Saturday, but I arrived already on Wednesday to get some extra time in London. At the airport I met fellow historian Henric Bagerius, who had come on the same plane. We has scheduled a meeting on Thursday to film a discussion about late 19th and early 20th century fashion for his blog about the reform dress movement in Sweden, but it was nice to meet already on Wednesday, and have some company on the tube from Heathrow.

I got off at Hammersmith and took the tube to Goldhawk road for some fabric shopping at, and around Shepherds Bush market.

I got these, both for regency outfits, from Classic Textiles, £3/metre for the white, which there unfortunately was only 2 metres left of, and £2 for the green fabric, which has a narrow silver thread in it too. I got 8 metres of that and gave half of it to my friend Alfhild as a present.







The weather was really nice, especially compared to Sweden, so I spent quite a lot of time lying in the grass on Shepherds Bush green, reading the abstracts for the conference. This time I had been smart enough to wear a jacket slightly too cold for Sweden, so that I wouldn't over heat. Though on Wednesday it was really shirt weather.






I also bought trim for £ 1/metre, and a nightie, since I love traditional nighties and those are very hard to find in Sweden.






The last photo is taken at Teddy's and Tom's place in Wimbledon, where I went later in the afternoon. I got to sit in their sofa, watch telly, drink tea, play with dolls, pet the cats and do some knitting and embroidery; it was wonderful.

Here's Malfie, one of the cats:




Thursday I got up early-ish and met up with Henric for our filming. There were some trouble shooting at the V&A, despite his having been told it would be possible, so we ended up filming at his hotel. or, as it were: not filming, since his phone for no apparent reasons turned off after half the interview. We will have to re-do it back here in Gothenburg.


Wimbledon in the morning:


After that I went back to the V&A and looked at historical clothing for a couple of hours, before heading to one of the circles of hell: Primark on Oxford street.

The secret to survival is to go into a state of meditation: not think about how long the queues are, or how much people there is there, just accept it, and let it pass. I got some wardrobe staples, such as basic cotton/elasthane tops in a variety of colours, knickers, leggings for working out in, and mittens. I also got a Hufflepuff sweatshirt for Maja, and what I thought was a Ravenclaw sweatshirt for me. Unfortunately somebody had hung a Mickey mouse sweatshirts in the middle of the Ravenclaw sweatshirts, which I didn't notice until I got home to Teddys' place. This meant going back to Primark on Friday evening, after the conference and try to exchange it. The actual exchange process was no trouble, but when I got there, there were no Ravenclaw sweatshirt to be found, they were all sold out. After desperately looking one final time I found one, in a kids' size, but luckily big enough for the new me (though I would have preferred one size larger).

I've been wearing it to work this week.


Saturday meant more conference, and I had my presentation, which went really well, and so did Lovisa's on cross dressing in 18th century Sweden and Anna's on Norwich wool fabrics in 18th century Sweden. There were lots of interesting presentations, but I was rather tired by the end of the day, so when we had finished I was happy to get to Russell square and get on the (really full) tube to King's Cross to change for the blissfully less full Circle Line to Ladbroke Grove to meet Billy and Turk, since I was spending my last evening with them, at Billy's place.


Lots of beer was drunk, and good music listened to, and everything from music to politics, to the Arthurian legends were discussed.




Sunday I was slightly hung over, so we just took a stroll down Portobello market, read some, and then I got on the tube to Heathrow and home again.
I was of course very happy to meet my family again, Rickard and I did some rather enthusiastic kissing at the bus stop where he met me, but I really want to be back in London again.


Since then I've been busy with work and visits to the hospital, for scheduled tests, and accompanying one of my daughers when she got an IUD.


Today I have to work on turning my presentation from the conference into an article for the Journal of Dress History, since the deadline is on Sunday.

I got accepted to the "Inside out: Dress and Identity in the Middle Ages" conference at Fordham University next March!

This creates all sort of trouble, since we had planned, and announced that we would have the SCA event St.Egon's feast that weekend and I really have to be there because a)I'm stepping down as baroness, and b) I'm the feastocrat.

So now I've dumped this problem in the lap of my poor friend Alfhild, who's the seneschal, and also autocrat for the event.

It makes me sad and stresses me - but still: New York!

I am very excited, since I've never been in the US before.