Tag: Tanka

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No Stress Side Seams

As I write this, I have yet to put needle to fabric and it’s almost 8pm. I had an errand today that zapped my energy. I have the silk folded and ready for it’s next stitches and couldn’t manage to thread a needle.

How to keep going When motivation falters And you want to stop?

Return to the beginning Find or rekindle the spark.

So I opened up my documentation. I polished the text. Moved images from the bibliography to the body to make it easier to read. Added an extra source for comparison. Reformatted the entire bibliography to Turabian. And I’m still not feeling the spark of joy in it.

I’d hoped writing it out would knock whatever this ennui-inducing nonsense is right out.

No such luck.

Am I procrastinating because I realize I have to finish the edges of this at least a little so it doesn’t fray too badly even though no one will ever see it? Maybe. <Groan> Fine. Time to stab fabric with a needle repeatedly. After dinner. I may have forgotten to eat today. Maybe that’s the problem?

No, food wasn’t the issue. Just a general lack of motivation. Boo.

The second side seam is finished. Now I’m moving on to finishing the raw edge. I’m just folding the edge over by 1/8 inch or less and securing it with a running stitch at about 10 stitches per inch. It’s taking a little bit of time. I’m definitely finishing the brocade by machine – it’ll be faster and the machine will do a better job of it, especially if my serger cooperates.

Maybe I’ll actually get to the okumi tomorrow?

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Onward to the Uwagi

I can tell that my documentation is getting into the shape it needs to. It’s happened at least twice now that I wanted to make sure I articulated a particular concept only to find I had already satisfied the point. Maybe I’m just forgetting what I’ve already edited…either way, the information is included and I’m pleased with how it’s communicated.

I’m also pleased with my progress today.

And my floor is clean.

So after I mopped the floor, I laid out the silk and had an easier time marking it than the previous two times. I think it being silk taffeta helped. The marking pencil drew on the fabric better than the other two weaves of silk, more easily? And I somehow managed to cut it out in a supremely tidy fashion. And you better believe that I immediately cut the angles in the okumi (overlap panels) so there was no chance of messing that up again.

I did stray from the pattern slightly. I cut the sleeves longer. I don’t know if the garment I’m working from isn’t actually an uwagi and is some other upper layer or if it simply isn’t made to be worn with the hitoe. The pattern calls for the uwagi sleeves to be shorter than the hitoe sleeves which would cause the hitoe sleeve to bunch up in the uwagi sleeve. The sleeves are meant to nest neatly inside one another, they lay flat, see the sleeves on the court ensemble worn by Empress Michiko in November 1990:

Photo Source: Their Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan  , Attribution:  Website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

Nice and flat. Nobunching from a layer being bigger than the one above it.

But it will be a day or two before I work on the sleeves. After getting all the pieces completely cut out, I marked out the body. It probably would have been a good idea to mark the okumi stitch lines too, but I didn’t. I raced ahead to sewing and have a completed back seam and one side seam to show for it so far. My goal was to have the uwagi cut out and the back seam finished, so total win!

Tomorrow’s goal is to have the okumi attached.

The pressure is on To perform at top level And beat the deadline

Competing against myself, Success lies in finishing.

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A Festive Finish

The very last step My needle races through silk Sleeves pulled into place

This small pool of blue-green silk No longer shapeless. Complete.

I’ve finished the hitoe! It feels like getting an extra Yule gift!

Tomorrow work on the final garment, the uwagi, begins. I have 3 weeks. Machine stitching is a back-up, and I will do it if I have to. But I really don’t want to. So I have to sew fast and work really hard and get this garment done twice as fast as the other two.

The first step is to clear my dining room and mop the floor so I can throw silk into it again.

Fun times. At least the lining is silk. It’ll fray but not awfully. When I start cutting the brocade…yikes. I’m actually going to spend an hour or so and attempt to get my serger functioning so I can edge those pieces with it. At the very least, I will be zig-zagging/overcasting with my machine before sewing it together. But that’s a problem for *fingers crossed* next week.

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A Little Off

I’ve felt a little puny today and haven’t accomplished very much. As it moves on to evening, I’m feeling slightly better, and hope to get a bit done before the day is gone, though standing still makes me feel a bit off. I may be better suited to doing the last technical edits (formatting my bibliography) for the time being.

It feels unceasing, Relentless, this great dark dread Weighing down my heart.

I’ll never be rid of it – I must learn to fly with it.

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Mistakes

I’ve certainly had my fill of them with the hitoe and the project in general. Currently I’m still a bit upset with myself for managing to not publish yesterday’s post. I thought I did, but, apparently not. I didn’t publish poems either. I must have been really tired.

Mistakes are only worth it if you learn something, so I’m reaching for lessons today. Like, I have an easier time getting everything published at night if I start the post earlier in the day so it’s just editing and publishing instead of writing out the whole thing on top of that. Ooh, that sounds like breaking things down into smaller tasks, also a valuable lesson.

Silver linings are Lovely but there are still clouds Darkening the day

Hard learned lessons have the sting Of consequences in them.

I set a goal of finishing the hitoe for today (collar tuck and sleeves), but I’m finding myself drawn back to my documentation. I hope to accomplish something with both as I have learned not to turn down inspiration when it comes. And I had an idea that may clean up the flow of the documentation, so that’s what I’m chasing in my edits today.

The documentation edits were mostly technical, cleaning up footnotes and working on their formatting and rereading how to format the bibliography, how to cite a webpage, that kind of thing. The flow was pretty much already there as I had wanted it, so I did a streamlining edit. I like the way it’s shaping up.

I did manage to get the tuck put in and top stitched. It was trickier than I expected to get the folds in just the right places so that it matched up with the diagrams. I actually thread marked the tuck so I could press it in. I haven’t thread marked anything, ever. Of course I knew how to, it’s just stitching through the fabric so it’s not hard, but it made the task infinitely easier and I didn’t end up with chalk lines on the right side of the fabric. Bonus that I was able to pull the thread marking and then reuse the thread for the tuck stay stitching.

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Attached Collar

That’s right. It’s finally attached. I have about a day’s work left on the hitoe, attaching the sleeves and putting the tuck in the collar.

And then we move on to the uwagi. Which means mopping the floor again so I can cut silk out on it.

I wrote three poems today, all inspired by the same sunbeam. All three used the word afternoon, which I find quite funny.

Sitting in the sun The afternoon slips away And so does the light

Each day a little longer Winter Solstice come and gone.

*Edit to add* I have no idea why this post didn’t publish last night.*

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What’s in a Name?

I’ve had 3 names in the SCA.

For my first little while I tried out Catalina Marie Ordones de la Vega. Late SCA period Spanish. And then I discovered that I could do Japanese.

My first attempt at a Japanese name was Sugihara Naome. This name lasted years longer than the first Spanish name. And there are still a few people who refer to me as “Sugi”. In 2010 I got access to a book (which I now own) Name Construction in Medieval Japan and selected a name that was accurate for a noblewoman of the Heian period and close to my previous name. And it has a pun. And a tie to a god. Yeah.

And I’ve (finally) begun the process of getting it registered. For you non-SCAdians, this means no one else can use that name in the SCA without my permission and it goes through vetting to make sure it is period. There is a small one time cost associated.

Sugawara no Naeme was the closest I could come to a period version of Sugihara Naome.

The most famous Sugawara of the Heian period is Sugawara no Michizane, poet, scholar and one time provincial governor who died in exile and was deified after death to appease his vengeful spirit. He is now known as Tenjin-sama, the kami of scholarship. He’s also the reason Japan cut ties with crumbling T’ang China. He was appointed ambassador and convinced the Emperor to discontinue sending embassies to China on the premise that it was no longer safe (he was probably right). Sugawara means “sedge field” an can even be voiced as “Sugahara” though I don’t.

The “no” is a little place holder, like “of” and is not voiced, only written. And only used by ancient “uji” or clans/families. It falls out of favor after the Heian period.

Naeme is incredibly close to Naome (which isn’t even a modern Japanese name). One letter makes all the difference. “Nao” is part of male naming practice and not appropriate. “Nae” means sprouting and “me” is woman. Naeme is pronounced Nay-meh.

And the joke is it looks like my name is Sugawara no Name. As women were not called by their actual names in the Heian period, rather referred to by the title of a close male relative or their own title if they had a position, I find this “no name” bit hilarious. As pun loving people, I think the Heian aristocracy would find it droll.

To me, my SCA name means a woman who is growing in scholarship. The Sugawara family is known for poets and scholars. I wanted some of that magic and something to aspire to within the SCA.

Winter wind whispers At the frozen window sill Trying to get in.

Set the kettle on the fire A pot of tea will warm us.

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Continuing Work on the Collar

Frequently, ladies Rush the seasonal colors Ever so slightly.

Then why this disappointment That winter has hurried so?

Late this afternoon I finished that project and delivered it. The recipients were ecstatic. I promptly celebrated by cleaning. And there will be more cleaning tomorrow, but for today, everything is tidy enough.

Now back to that collar…

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Time Management

Time management is something I struggle with. I frequently lose. I’m feeling a lot of pressure right now, and I doubt it will let up until everything is done or the competitions are over or both.

I took on what I thought was a small, fun (paid) project. It’s eaten incredible amounts of time and I may never take on another project like it. And there’s still the chance that all the money, time and work I’ve put into it could be for naught if it fails during assembly tomorrow. Ugh. I definitely did not set the price right.

I certainly didn’t have the time to take that project on. It’s a hard lesson.

Progress update: stitching has begun on the collar.

Today has been another day of multiple poems. A pair on the same subject. I think they read better opposite the order they were written:

Emotions drawn out By an unexpected glance At an old photo

Suddenly drawn back in time Wishing you were with me now

***

Several years have passed And your picture still brings tears My quiet daughter

I miss your big soft brown eyes The sound of paws on the floor

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Collar Conundrum

I’ll openly admit that it took approximately two and a half years to make the two small cuts into the silk to open the garment so the collar can be attached. It felt that way at least.

I’m also having a beast of a time getting the collar pinned on. I haven’t gotten so frustrated I’ve flung it in the floor, but I’m seriously considering turning the light out in the room it’s in.

…grumble…

The poems are coming along nicely. I’ve had multiple days with multiple poems in the past week. It’s definitely becoming easier to write them. Not that they’re all gold or even close, but I’m enjoying the mental exercise.

Some days words tumble And splash across the blank page Like so much spilled ink

I stand transfixed by the speed Of my completed poems.

Ok. Half pinned in. Specifically the right side is pinned. Bending over the table is unpleasant after all the snow shoveling yesterday, so I’m having to take breaks, and the process is taking forever. Plus it’s fiddly. Super fiddly.

Left side pinned. It may not look like much but it was more than three hours work.

Tomorrow I’ll stitch it on.

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