Victorian Valkyrie

First a little mood music...

The valkyries of Norse mythology were the choosers of the slain, deciding life and death on the battle-field. They brought the dead to Valhalla to become einherjar, or to Freya's hall Folkvangr. Because Freya wasn't only goddess of beauty and fertility, she was also a goddess of war and had the right to half of those slain in battle, and why do people forget this, Freya is badass.

During the Victorian romanticism and national romantic movements the teutonic myths were brought into the spotlight again. Thanks to Wagner, most people associate opera with fat ladies in valkyrie costumes singing impossibly high in German. And that's sorta the kind of costume I want.

Source.

Source.

Bilde @ Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera. Source.

It's interesting to see how the classic design has changed during more than a hundred years. The original Victorian design is fantasy medieval-ish with some Greek influence and has very little to do with the Viking age, so I'm going down the same road without a care for anything period correct. At the same time I'm going to use some period construction and borrow a few things from my viking wardrobe.

This is costume doodle #3 but I'm sure I'll change my mind about the design.

I forgot I was going to add decorations and started painting it a bit early. Oops. 

I've made a few things already. The iron age shoes are finished, and a little while ago I started on a pauldron in foam because I had some foam lying and I desperately needed a pause from wrestling with a pink corset. Whenever I do a project in foam and hot glue, I'm quickly reminded of my love for sewing,

The tree is supposed to be Yggdrasil, but it's based on a design of Telperion of the Silmarillion. Tolkien borrowed a lot from Norse mythology, so it's okay to borrow some things back.

And since it's not supposed to be used until Banzaicon in April,
it's keeping Iron Man company on my chandelier.

Quilting, viking shirts and nalbinding, oh my

I might be a lousy blogger, but I'm great at making stuff. Lots of stuff. That I then forget to blog about because ugh, I have to take pics of stuff and then I probably forget to post the bloody pics I've taken. So, here have everything at once. 

Somewhere during my last moving shenanigans I realised the morning robe I started in December was one of the things that just wasn't going to be finished. But since I'd quilted the whole thing by hand I couldn't get myself to throw it away. So I made a big pillowcase instead.

It's a bit ironic that the very thing I had great plans of wearing when I had somehow miraculously crawled out of bed early, has been turned into something that will probably make me want to sleep in.

I had a nap and woke up with lines from the embroidery on my face...

My stash hasn't shrunk a lot despite a move, so I've set goals to use as much of it as possible. This vintage fabric came from a curtain. I had enough for a tiny dress I've put up for sale on the Norwegian equivalent of Etsy.

The viking shirt I made from scrap fabric needed decoration, so I did some embroidery in wool. It turned out too short for me (as I said, made from scraps) and now it's on its way to a new owner in Denmark. Hope she'll like it!

I've a participant at a few viking markets this summer, and I needed something to do while I was there (and something to do while travelling there - the Norwegian railway is not among the fastest...). It resulted in these beanies, a few socks that has already been given to their owners, and some unshapely arm warmers that look weird when they're laid flat, so no pic of that.

The grey beanies are made in a ridiculously soft alpaca. I don't use beanies (long hair, static, nooo), but I'm tempted to keep one of them for myself.

Elven robe

Elves like flowers, right?

Somewhere around new year I happened to win hellofeanor's giveaway on Tumblr, and a few days ago this robe showed up at my doorstep! The costume maker has a site here, with a lovely costume gallery and tutorials worth checking out, and a tumblr here.

Iron Age Shoes & Hela's Crown

Beetlewings glued onto foam, nothing fancy. 

I have updated Hela's crown. The old one turned out too small and barely showed on the pictures. Hela will be my Halloween costume this year, so I'll add to it. So far I have plans of a flowing sheer and tattered cloak along with more embellishment on the dress - she is a queen.

Made my second pair of iron age shoes based on this tutorial. They will go to a valkyrie costume that will be used at conventions, so they're not exactly period correct. They're made from recycled pleather, taken from an old suitcase that didn't survive travelling with me. 

Since there was no need for period correctness, I put in grommets in the lacing. Hopefully that it will prolong their life. 

Linen thread for reinforcement and because it added detail.

Also pictured: my new needlebound socks. Comfy as hell.

Finished short film: G

The short film I made costumes for in February has been released! I gotta say it was something special to see my own name in the credits.

Without further ado, G:

Summer raid so far

After being a member of a reenactment group for almost two years, I finally went to my first viking markets this summer. We went to Trondheim and Borre, and after this I might just never go back to conventions and cosplay. (Almost.)

The people I met were awesome and spending the night on the market site in a viking tent was beyond amazing. When walking around camp about after nightfall, with lights in every tent and people in period clothing still milling about, I was halfway convinced I was a thousand years back in time. (You will have to pardon my enthusiasm, I'm still reeling.)

And, best of all, I still have one market to go. I'm moving south in August, which means a much shorter distance to everything, and so I can go to Gjallarstadir in September.

I forgot to ask the seller where the pendant comes from. Tell me if you know?

Troll cross in steel. Protects the wearer from the supernatural and malevolent magic.

I got some fabric at Borre, a thin white wool (serk) and a striped thicker one (birka coat) that will be turned into winter clothes during fall. (In Trondheim I learnt that market in summer can get fucking cold.) Also got some assorted embroidery and sewing thread in linen, silk and wool, along with some silk that I might dye. Wanna try all the things! 

Anyone who has been anywhere near a viking-related blog the last weeks has probably seen it, but here is Wardrunas' Helvegen performed at the burial mounds at Borre.

Lofotr

Lofotr, a replica of Gokstad ship, visited the island where I live a few days ago. People were encouraged to dress up as vikings and come greet it, and naturally I seized the chance to do something viking-related. (I moved away from my viking group a week ago and I miss them a lot.)

Andøya is such a wonderful place in summer.

Dverberg church in the background.

Someone onboard sang Rolandskvadet when the ship sailed into the harbour. I talked to some of the vikings, introduced some local people to nalbinding and cardweaving, and one of the arrangers came up to me and asked if I had come with the ship (which I'll take as a compliment beyond flattering - maybe I'm starting to look like a proper viking).