Category: Guilds

Víkingr, Nov. 13th

Long ago when the Debatable Lands were newly settled, a group of Viking Age enthusiasts came together to discuss all things Viking. This Vikingr group lasted many years and even ran events, such as the fabled Vetr Things. Sadly, Vikingr faltered as its members passed into memory or out of the Society. However, interest in Viking Age Scandinavia is not gone. Now is the time for Norse of the next generation to restart Víkingr.

We will meet on Wednesday, November 13 from 7-9 pm at 3915 Riddile Street Pittsburgh PA in Brighton Heights.*

We will indulge in topics and activities related to Viking Age Scandinavia, such as:

  • the latest archeology
  • your Norse-themed recreations
  • your research rabbit holes
  • group museum trips
  • ideas for projects
  • ways to enhance your Norse persona
  • a book club for the Sagas
  • resource swaps
  • hnefatafl games
  • videos from museums and Viking Age reenactors around the world
  • North Sea cruises (longship not included)

Interested? Cool! Come join us in November 13 with your ideas and projects.

* Hrefna’s house is 3 minutes from where Route 65 meets the McKee’s Rocks Bridge. Also, this is the home of cats. Make whatever preparations you require

Fiber Guild Dye Day

The BMDL Fiber Arts Guild is having a fall dye day on October 6th, 2024.

We will meet from 11-3 PM at Tsvee’a’s House. It is a $10 suggested donation to help me cover the cost of dyes. Any extra goes to the next dye day.

In addition to the usual indigo, we will dye with seasonal fall dye sources, black walnut and kakishibu (persimmon tannin). Some synthetic cellulose dyes in red will also be available for those who want to make some fall purples. I will bring stencils and brushes for those who want to do indigo surizome again; I have learned some new tricks.

While the indigo and synthetic red baths will accept larger amounts of cloth and fiber, the kakishibu and walnut are limited in quantity. Please be courteous and bring smaller projects (=< 1 lb fiber) to dye for these dyes.

Please scour your fibers and wash any fabrics in a ph neutral detergent (like synthraprol) before coming so the dye will take. Message me if you need help with that. None of these dyes require mordants, and some will have color shifts if you do, so please don’t mordant unless you understand what you are doing and what the color change will be.

You are welcome to bring food to share if you like, but please eat a meal if you need to beforehand, as it is difficult to dye and eat at the same time.

Wear some clothes that you don’t mind messing up. I will have disposable gloves available, but you may want long rubber ones if you’re going to seriously dunk stuff in the indigo or red.

Finally, loose (unspun) fiber must be secured with a laundry mesh bag in the dye bath for the sake of the plumbing. Please bring a mesh bag or something to keep your loose fiber from floating freely in the bath and going down the drain.

Fall Dye Day

The BMDL Fiber Arts Guild is having a fall dye day on October 6th, 2024.

We will meet from 11-3 PM at our usual place, 5167 Rosecrest Drive. It is a $10 suggested donation to help me cover the cost of dyes. Any extra goes to the next dye day.

In addition to the usual indigo, we will dye with seasonal fall dye sources, black walnut and kakishibu (persimmon tannin). Some synthetic cellulose dyes in red will also be available for those who want to make some fall purples. I will bring stencils and brushes for those who want to do indigo surizome again; I have learned some new tricks.

While the indigo and synthetic red baths will accept larger amounts of cloth and fiber, the kakishibu and walnut are limited in quantity. Please be courteous and bring smaller projects (=< 1 lb fiber) to dye for these dyes.

Please scour your fibers and wash any fabrics in a ph neutral detergent (like synthraprol) before coming so the dye will take. Message me if you need help with that. None of these dyes require mordants, and some will have color shifts if you do, so please don’t mordant unless you understand what you are doing and what the color change will be.

You are welcome to bring food to share if you like, but please eat a meal if you need to beforehand, as it is difficult to dye and eat at the same time. Light refreshments will be available.

Wear some clothes that you don’t mind messing up. I will have disposable gloves available, but you may want long rubber ones if you’re going to seriously dunk stuff in the indigo or red.

Finally, loose (unspun) fiber must be secured with a laundry mesh bag in the dye bath for the sake of the plumbing. Please bring a mesh bag or something to keep your loose fiber from floating freely in the bath and going down the drain.

Fiber Guild July Meeting

Looking for some camaraderie while you prepare for Pennsic? The Fiber Guild is having a laid back July meet up to keep each other company while we work on our Pennsic projects. Please bring a fiber project if you have one, and your smiling face if you don’t. If you are already perfectly prepared or just prefer procrastinating, our Arts & Sciences minister has mentioned that the largesse gift basket for Pennsic needs to be filled.

Our meeting will be on July 15th at 7:30 PM at 5167 Rosecrest Dr, Pittsburgh, PA. This meeting will not be virtual, just this once (I will be out of town and so will my laptop), so please come in person.

Photo for the Algorithm – Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk
Zhang Xuan / 907

Gate Work Sunday

Turlough, Brandubh, and Ishiyama got a bunch of work done on the gate project last Sunday, but there is still plenty more to do. If we get enough of it done, we might be able to try first assembly and make sure this thing stands up! Towards that end, let’s meet at the Sunday practice (Washington Boulevard site unless it’s raining) again (April 28) and put in a few more hours. Ishiyama can’t bring the lumber until after lunchtime, so there is plenty of time in the morning for other stuff.

I know that some of you will still be at Blackstone Raids, and some of you are not able to help with woodworking, but there will be a least a few more work sessions (including probably at War Practice), and a few different kinds of work to do (including general finishing and painted lettering) so don’t worry about missing out.

Gate work Sunday

For those of you who don’t follow the minutes of the business meetings, the Woodworking Guild has been granted some funds to build a new entrance gate for the Baronial encampment at Pennsic.

Click to access proposal-gate-debatablelands.pdf

I have already purchased some lumber to get started, and will host the first work session this Sunday, April 21st at the Summer practice site (weather permitting).

I probably can’t get down there until after Lunch, so there is plenty of time in the morning for your other interests.

Woodworking Guild discussion

I have some preliminary sketches for a medium-sized project the Woodworking Guild could perform as a service to (and funded by) the Barony. This would be a project to improve the appearance of the Debatable Lands camp at Pennsic.

I’d like to discuss these plans with as many of you in the guild as I can before I submit them to the Financial Committee. I need your feedback on my proposed design, and any suggestions you might have for improvement.

I also hope that I can persuade the Guild to participate in the manufacture of the project parts and the assembly of the project at Pennsic. Actual work on the project probably will not happen until Spring.

I’ll be bringing my preliminary plans to Investiture on Saturday, and I will be attending Practice with them on Sunday. If enough of you are available, we can have a Guild meeting at Practice from 1pm to 3pm.

Thanks,
from Ishiyama Shonagon

Post Pennsic A&S Report

My report to the Kingdom is due on September first and I need your help!

  • Did you teach any classes at Pennsic?
  • Did you complete any projects for or at Pennsic?
  • Did you participate in the Pennsic A&S Display?
  • Did you participate in any competitions at Pennsic?
  • Did you participate in any demos at Pennsic?
  • Did you personally or as part of a group perform someplace at Pennsic, either in the Performing Arts tent or anywhere else?
  • Were any scrolls you worked on (for Barony or Kingdom) given out at Pennsic?
  • Did any guild in which you participate (Brewers? Scribal? Food?) have any activity at Pennsic?
  • Did you provide any artwork or writing for the Pennsic Independent?
  • Did you see any of your Debatable Lands neighbors do something so awesome (Can’t spell “AweSome” without A and S!) for or at Pennsic that you thought, “That wonderful person deserves an award”?

Well this is your chance to make sure that that information about your awesome self and your awesome neighbors makes it into this report!

Send any and all awesome A&S information to your humble A&S Minister at ansminister(at)debatablelands.org, please if you can before the end of next week (September 1st). Please! Your friends and I are counting on you.

Fiber Guild Online Meeting

There is an online meeting for the Debatable Lands Fiber Guild tonight (Tuesday, December 20, 2022), at 6pm.

Come hang out, work on projects, show off your stuff and exchange wisdom!

The meeting is being run through Google Meet, at this URL-
https://meet.google.com/fch-bdsu-zbd
(On desktops, no client is needed, runs in browser!).