Category Archives: General

My Laurel Scroll by Lady Godaeth and Lady Aeffe Based on a 16th c. Flemish Manuscript

When I was placed on vigil to join the Order of the Laurel, I thought carefully about who I would ask to make this important scroll. I am fortunate to know many, many talented and well-recognized scribes. After some deliberation, I decided to start off as I intend to go on in my career as a Laurel, during which time… (more…)

Stickelchen Cap (Worn by Anne of Cleves and other North Rhine Women in the 16th Century)

The cap is a “Stickelchen.” We get this name from Albrecht Durer, who labeled one of his drawings with it. Also,  the inventories of the area around Cologne (in North Rhine-Westphalia) list them by this name. The Stickelchen appears to be made of several layers, as follows: A forehead cloth. This is likely a wide band of silk that wraps around… (more…)

On the Vigil Table: German Treats by Hannah Schrieber, Ilse Strauss, Uillec MacLamont, Helena Sibylla, and Alexander von Lübeck

At my vigil* this weekend, we were all treated to a table full of delicious German foods prepared by my good friends Hannah, Ilse, Uillec, Helena, and Katherine. It was such a delightful culinary experience that I feel it deserves a post all of its own. And perhaps this will inspire those of you to laden your own table with Germanic… (more…)

German Renaissance Costume Re-creations

I’ve been very busy with work lately but I’m itching to blog, so a short blog post must suffice. Thus, I am sharing some of my favorite photos of 16th c. German costume re-creations with you, as I’ve lately been working with others to help them make their own costumes. These are all photos taken by me over the years.… (more…)

My Pleatwork Frame: An Exercise in Experimental Archaeology

Necessity really is the mother of invention. Or in this case, maybe a re-invention. When I was working on the Dorothea Meyer hemd earlier this year, I reached a point where I was pinning the pleated linen to a board, like this: Pinning it allowed me to position each set of pleats the proper distance from each other, which was… (more…)

Butter and Snow: My Son’s 16th c. German Cooking Entry at Kingdom A&S

My son Alexander (9) is a very creative kid who really enjoys the arts and sciences aspect of the SCA. He adores teaching, but also likes making things for A&S displays. Last year he displayed his wax candle clock at It Takes My Child to Raze a Village and became the Youth A&S Champion. That sparked him to ask about… (more…)

Pink and Brown 1515 Swabian Dekollete Gown

Several years ago I purchased 8 yards of beautiful pink damask fabric in 100% cotton. On a separate fabric buying trip, I found a lovely shade of brown velveteen, also 100% cotton. I held onto both, waiting for just the right way to use these yummy fabrics. Little did I know I’d wake up one morning with the bright idea… (more…)

Did the Christmas Tree originate in Renaissance Germany?

Recently I set out to find the truth (or lack thereof) behind the infamous German Christmas pickle (Weihnachtsgurke) tradition. Never heard of it? Well, the story goes that Germans liked to hide a pickle in their Christmas tree and the first person to find it on Christmas morning would receive an extra present or good fortune in the new year.… (more…)

When I Don’t Know the Answer… (Or, The Case of the Pearl Necklace)

I usually blog about my projects, but today I want to discuss KNOWLEDGE and lack thereof. On three separate occasions this weekend — one in person, two online — I was asked a question for which I did not have an answer. I notice this is happening more and more frequently. I don’t think it’s my swiss-cheese memory coming into… (more…)

Honeycomb Pleatwork Apron Giveaway!

It’s my birthday! To celebrate, I am giving away a honeycomb pleatwork linen apron, in your choice of colors (white, gold, red, etc.) and your choice of sizes. I’ll make it just for you and ship it to you anywhere in the world. Anyone can enter. To be in the running, go to the GermanRenaissance page on Facebook and comment… (more…)