Seppa - Little Things

All those little touches to help bring a character to life.

Ring:

I find myself uncomfortable when I don't have a ring on a certain finger, but I also don't want to lose the special ring off my hand in a forest or field, so a substitute ring is needed.

Behold, Seppa's ring. I tried to be simple, yet just a little bit interesting, and tried to keep with the prescribed colour palette. Unlike Ieri's ring, which has an out-of-character history to it, I found this ring today in a Sainsbury's store.

Pearlescent 'gem' in a silver band.

The torso-warmer or waistcoat:

The camel-coloured boiled wool jersey fabric that will help me stay warm. I got it cut out last week. It needs a little bit of trimming at the sides, but otherwise, it's ready to sew. I picked up some potential clasps and buttons for it. I still haven't decided how I'm going to close it, but I want to try to avoid buttonholes, and go with ties or toggles.

It will need embellishment, I will probably end up using size 3 crochet thread or some sock-weight wool yarn. I'm not expecting it to be on display, it's a middle layer to help me stay warm at night or when the day is colder than usual.

You may have guessed, but yes, I did reuse the top portion of the Simplicity Nativity gilet pattern.

100% wool, boiled jersey fabric.

Neck gaiters:

Instead of wrapping scarves that could come loose and be a hassle; I'm making a few other items to hide the mask's edge.

Crochet neck gaiter

The first is in crochet and I had a pattern, and then went off-pattern to add some visual appeal and to make the stitch pattern obvious. The stitch pattern is a V made of (UK) tr. Where I went off-pattern: I did only thirteen rows of V-stitch, I didn't make it as wide. I added to the pattern at the top and bottom of the tube with single row of (UK) dc, which helped give the V-stitch definition.

I made it in aran-weight cotton yarn.

Crochet neck gaiter, front view

Crochet neck gaiter, back view

Knitted neck gaiter

This one's a freeform thing. I tried to limit the palette of colours and yarns; colours: white, cream, beige, brown, with some blue, there is no black; yarns: mostly cotton, but there is some flax linen, and bamboo-derived viscose in the piece. I mostly stuck to knit and purl stitches, but there are a few yarn overs and attempts to k2tog. It's still in progress. Most of it is knitted flat, but there are occasions where I knit-in-the-round. The 12mm needles are too large for any yarn on its own, so much of it has anywhere from two to four yarns held together. I was aiming for a rustic flavour to it. Maybe Sister Elspeth of Pickham Monastery of the Marchers taught Seppa to knit and this is the result; I'll have to ask the player if they're up for that. She has agreed, huzzah!

Doing this one has been fun; I don't have to panic over pattern, I am free to play, and mistakes are acceptable.

Sometimes flat, sometimes in the round. I haven't settled on the wooden toggles.

Hypothetically the front.

A close up of the various yarns. Cotton-linen bouclé, smooth cotton plaited, and fuzzy bamboo-derived viscose yarns.

Another section. And a hole where I fluffed the yarn over.

These two neck gaiters have been good stash-busting projects; I'll have to do more of them, and maybe a few calf and knee warmers to peek over the tops of the planned leather boot gaiters.

Another step forward and a cutting schedule

Finally finished cutting the straps for the fabric warskirt portion. I'll have to take a photo later, once the item's actually put together; it's a pattern that I drafted, so will be interesting to see if it works.

Other thing I cut out was the waistcoat/torso warmer in the boiled wool jersey fabric. The suggestion was to use the overlocker/serger to do the sewing, then roll the hems and hand-stitch those with embroidery floss or topstitch thread. I just had a thought that maybe I could use some other coloured wool yarn to do a running stitch to catch the hems, then the topstitch or floss over the wool yarn to add some visual and tactile texture. But I need to do the machine stitching first, and before next Monday, as I want to get a coat cut out next.

Cutting schedule:

• Coat - canvas or another thick fabric. Order heavyweight cotton canvas? Might take several thinner fabrics or different weaves and patchwork to build density, sturdiness, and warmth. Inspirations: Japanese boro and Indian kantha.
• Coat (because it might take more than one class to get it all cut out).
• Shirt - Simplicity "Nativity" in plain muslin/lightweight calico.
• Draft pattern for a shirt from the book of how to make simple clothes.
• Continue previous week.
• Cut said shirt, maybe from the cotton-linen duck-egg and beige stripe, it's a subtle visual texture.

It will probably be coming up to the Wassail event by this point, so I will probably miss a week.

• Trousers - brown linen stripe; from the Folkwear "Sarouelles" pattern.
• Lightweight coat for hot weather, probably another canvas, but with less layers.
• Maybe the Jedi tunic? Short sleeves, rather than long sleeves, or maybe sleeveless. Canvas?

December, I might get one last cutting session before January and the Sentinels' Repose, assuming that I can get in for the Sentinels' Repose.

• Coat or shirt or whatever I didn't manage, get on with it.
• Maybe finally cut the Tibetan Panel Coat. I can see a hodgepodge of fabrics working well for it.

Seppa first attempt at putting it all together.

The other day, I put together the rough idea of the components that I did already have (currently lacking any quality embellishments) for the Seppa character and here are the pictures I took of the ensemble as placed on my dressmaker's form.

Regrettably, it presently reads feminine to me, and as I'm non-binary, this is generating some 'bleh' that I'll need to remedy before April 2020/E1. Gender pronoun badges notwithstanding.

On to the descriptions and explanations...

The Front view:

Some of the elements need editing, such as the metal dangles necklace, it's currently too short to wear over the scarf, so I'll need to lengthen that.

I didn't include the off-white cotton boxing arm wraps or the grey wool felt leg wraps, because there's nothing for them to cling to.

I also need to make the camel-brown boiled wool waistcoat that will go between the off-white-almost-ankle-length-scapular and the long-sleeved hippy granddad shirt. The shirt's chest pocket isn't visible, but I have now removed said pocket and the neck label tags, because when I wore it camping on a very hot (for England) day, the labels were scratchy and irritating.

The circles panel is a strip of curtain fabric remnant that I liked the printed pattern circles. I will probably fix it to the fabric portion of the warskirt, and add some embroidery/stitching to it to give the circles extra texture and visual interest. I don't know if this will become an item-of-worth, or it's just a decorative feature that helps busy hands when waiting, or when sitting in conclave. Another thought's just come to me, that I could stitch the panel onto the scapular after the remnant's embellished, and that would protect the back of the remnant from wear-damage.

Skywise Seppa - idea for the front

The Right-side view:

The metal plates belt and the peacock beaded brown shawl came from Quercus' Emporium. I haven't yet decided how I'll attach or place the metal plates belt, which is too short for me to wear around the waist, so it was just hung to the belt as a 'thing' (ie tat).

The wooden beads looped on the belt is a curtain tie-back. I've used detachable rings to allow me to move and adjust. I think when I've settled on placement that isn't a nuisance, I'll give it a permanent attachment to the future warkskirt.

Speaking of the warskirt, the red base the pigskins and deerskins are attached to is the wrong colour for the Skywise brief, and this warskirt will be dismantled. The red base will recycle for NPC/barbarian/slave kit.

Also, recognising that I'll probably sweat/freeze, there is a wooden cup on my belt to remind me to drink water. Relatedly, I need to test to see how difficult/easy it is to use the tiny loo cubicles with the kit on. From my observations, Imperial Orcs are never seen half-dressed.

Skywise Seppa - idea for the right side

The Back View:

Recycled from my Freeborn character, Ieri, is the large brown leather belt pouch. I have tried crushing it a bit and twisting it some to help soften the leather as it has been quite stiff. I use this pouch for my mobile phone, my character notebook, and rustic pencils.

One will see there's a second grey-sand mesh scarf. I bought this in H&M several years ago and it was another that I was going to discard due to disuse... but dammit, I like it, so I kept it. The scarf will get purpose amongst Seppa's kit.

Skywise Seppa - idea for the back

The Left-side view:

The smaller brown pouch and the stoppered wooden bottle on a thong are reused from Freeborn Ieri's kit. The smaller brown pouch has also had some crushing and twisting to help loosen the leather some; it also came with a flaw of the buckle-tongue was about 3mm too long and it was skin-lacerating sharp, so the Dremmel came out to cut off the too-long tongue and then grind the edges to remove the burrs and blunt sharpness. The purpose of the smaller pouch might be anything from pocket-watch to car keys to meal and drink tickets.

The wooden bottle is another of those 'I bought it years ago and I don't remember where' but it is lined to make it drink-safe and watertight, and the cork fits well. I use it to physrep potion bottles. It rides on a popper-strap to make it easy to take off and use for play.

Like the off-white scapular, the cotton satchel comes from Burgschneider, and the strap is far too long for my too-short torso, and during the Long Dark, I will be shortening the strap and probably adding some blue stitches to embellish the satchel and its strap. I have another satchel of the same company make and model, but in green that I've used for Ieri. Similarly, this satchel will probably get songbooks, an OOC-bag to contain touch-up makeup for hands and face.

Skywise Seppa - idea for the left side

Other notes:

The white martial arts trousers have taken some work to stain with the likes of grass and dyes that bled onto the fabric so it's not so discordantly white. I will look at taking some abrasion tools and rubbing the knees and then finding some different-stained canvas to patch the knees to give them some character. I'll have to see about finding something rusty and mud-staining to rub into the knee areas.

Orcs in general tend to have well-worn and rustically patched, mended, and embellished garments; everything shows signs of wear, but they value things that have a history of use.

I will add that I have several more beige, stone, sand, and the like coloured scarves. I might take one or two and turn them into a möbius head-shawl to give my head a respite from a hot sun or a cold wind.

To-do list:

• Warskirt onto blue/beige/brown belt panel
• White Raptor Wing motif painted into a brown fabric panel to attach to the warskirt in a prominent placement
• Metal plates belt and the wooden bead curtain tie-back turned into permanent warskirt features
• Add the horse motif for ancestor item-of-worth
• Add the antique brass ring and battered hawk bells for ancestor item-of-worth
• Find more tat in the bronze palette
• Decorate and personalise the orc mask
• Scarves turned into a möbius head-shawl
• Metal dangles necklace - lengthen strap
• Make the boiled wool waistcoat for a torso-warmer
• Embellish and attach the circles remnant to the scapular
• Abraid and stain the white trousers' knees
• Shorten the satchel strap and embellish the strap and bag with blue and brown threads/floss
• Test going to the loo with all the kit on

More about those summer fabrics and alterations of new clothes

Alright, here's a better image of the orange-yellow seersucker, it's actually got cerise in it as well, which is clearly visible in this shot. It's still cheerful and I think it'd be great turned into a skirt, shorts or pantaloons.

A better representation of the flower-sun turquoise batik. I'd like to find something suitable for this that makes use of the flower-suns that is still clothing-tied. I just had the idea of putting it on the back of a waistcoat and maybe highlighting the pattern with selective machine stitching... hmm.

As to the turquoise seersucker, it's washed, it's dried and the colour value hasn't changed to any noticeable degree. Course, I did wash it in cold water instead of 30C temps.

Below are two new items that arrived today from Nepal and elsewhere via the USA. The first one is an A-line skirt and I'd hate to see what their smaller sizes are like because the XL is more like an XS. I'm going to have to unpick the stitching at either side of the hips, remove the useless elastic and install two tapes at the waistband and then sew the side seams into Y rather than sewing them together because there's no way I can get the skirt over my hips. Pity, it's a lovely and very colourful and playful skirt. It's also very long, if I could get it over my hips, it's nearly floor length.

The patchwork wrap-around skirt (not pictured) arrived with it and fits just fine, it's almost ankle-length and I'm looking forward to wearing it.

Below is the shawl that came with it and has the lovely machine-embroidery with cup sequins add sparkle to it. I bought the shawl with the intent to use it for belly dance or general clothing spruce up. Most shawls you can use for a neck scarf, but this one? It'd be a shame to hide the wonderful decoration on it, so, shawl or hip scarf will be its destiny.

score! pt 3

(really, almost finished...!)

I'm smitten with this waistcoat. I had to make a deal with the shop as it was missing one of the brass buttons at the waist. I received a discount but it is non-returnable; to which, I have no problem with as I finally have a waistcoat that has enough room in the armholes. The armholes being a frequent issue for me with store-bought garments. A size up was too big in the chest, a size down was too small in the waist for the waistcoat to button.

Somewhat masculine while cut for a female form, excellent. Cotton fabric with grosgrain ribbon and brass button trim and fastenings. The lining is a synthetic fabric. The pockets are just large enough for a pocketwatch. Superb.



Some of the details of the lower front:



Details of the upper half:



Waistcoat back:



Some of the nice little finds from the men's section of H&M:

Bracelets - in reclaimed leather and pewter hardware.



Stud-belt - in deep red-brown leather with brass hardware.



Black knitted armwarmers of mostly synthetic with about 20% wool.



Black viscose scarf that is about two metres long and close to a metre wide.