SCA Projects

Violet Ruthvene's SCA DeviceIn the Society for Creative Anachronism, I have participated in a range of activities that started with costuming but are always based in my lifelong interest in the real lives of 16th-century women, particularly in England,  Scotland, and France. I dabble in other areas of costume and reenactment, but I always seem to come back to that focus.

This page is an index to all my SCA work, past, present, & maybe future too. For my complete SCA profile including awards, offices held, and some event photos, please see my entry in the frequently updated Who’s Who in the History of the West Kingdom — my SCA name is Baroness Violet Ruthvene. I live in Crosston Shire, Principality of the Mists, Kingdom of the West.

 

Articles & Classes

Teaching events are some of my very favorite types of events! Outside the SCA, I regularly teach at Costume College, & for decades I’ve been a panelist at science-fiction conventions and CostumeCon. I love attending classes as well, that always gives me new ideas of stuff to make. These are some classes I’ve taught for the Society:

 

16th-Century Clothing

While all my efforts in this genre could be, and usually are, worn at SCA events, some garments are more specifically intended for SCA tourneys or 12th Nights than others. Here are some outfits worth noting:

Violet Ruthvene’s wardrobe should be 1570s Scottish lowlands, meaning English with some French influence, moderately wealthy but not necessarily the highest of fashion. Of course, Trystan sews whatever I feel like at the moment or need for a certain type of event, whatever I find materials for, and what I have time for. Still, the things I wear over and over again at tourney events tend to fit with Violet’s persona, like the Jacobean jacket, loose gown, kirtles, and fitted gown.

 

Period Cooking

As part of my attempts to understand “what would a 16th-century woman know,” I’ve tried to learn some historical cooking. It should be noted that I hate cooking in my modern life, so this is quite a challenge. But I scour the Internet for period recipes and get advice from cooking Laurel friends. Some of my historical cookery attempts are listed here:

  • A Supper for Newe Cookes — A PDF booklet of my favorite recipes from these meals with notes.
  • Friday Fish Day Dinner — A Lenten meal for the Chateau Rose at Beltane 2014.
  • A Royal Supper — Dinner for the King and Queen of the West, the Prince and Princess of the Mists, and the Prince and Princess of Cynagua at March Crown 2014.
  • Documentable Dinner, Redux — Dinner at sunset for the Chateau Rose and guests at Purgatorio 2012.
  • A Documentatable Dinner — My first period dinner, for my SCA household, the Chateau Rose, and guests (about 10 people) at Beltane 2012.

Violet Ruthvene might not get her hands dirty with the cooking, as she is a gentlewoman, with staff to do such things. But she is a thrifty manager of the estate while her husband is away, and she would spend time in the kitchen instructing the cook, planning menus, ordering special ingredients, and keeping track of what’s in the pantry. And having a French background, Violet would want to keep up with the finer foods as well.

 

Other Historical Research

More things I’ve worked on related to the pre-1600 era. These projects or bits of research may not fit into a specific SCA project or event, but the content is relevant to the period and what I do in the SCA as a whole.

 

Largess

Early on, I realized that making largess — items for royalty to distribute as gifts — was a relatively easy and very rewarding project. I rather enjoy making lots of small things more than one big thing, so perfect for largess. Here are some of my largess submissions:

To help encourage largess-making, I created the unofficial West Kingdom Largess Makers Facebook group, which continues to be an active source of ideas and recruitment for court largess.

 

Arts & Sciences

I haven’t entered many A&S competitions in the SCA. I’m not a very competitive person by nature, so the idea doesn’t appeal to me much. Here is what I’ve entered:

  • A Sonnet for the SCA — A tongue-in-cheek sonnet about how and why people should submit documentation for their A&S entries. Entered into the Kingdom A&S competition at June Crown 2013.
  • Heuke — Called the “duck-billed hatapus” by the A&S minister. Entered into the Kingdom A&S competition at Purgatorio 2012.

I was one of the Queen’s Artisans in A.S. XLVIII (May to August 2013) and was charged with making an outfit for specific people who had contributed to the arts and serving the Kingdom. So I made a gown for my good friend Mistress Gianetta del Bene, who is a fabulous cooking Laurel (and has taught me all I know of period cooking, plus fed me :). She requested a Venetian gown from some beautiful silk she had.

 

SCA Offices

During my active days, I held various offices, including Arts & Sciences Minister for the Principality of the Mists (where I created the unofficial Mists Arts & Sciences Facebook group), and I was Collegium Chancellor for the Kingdom of the West. I also enjoyed running and helping with events such as feasts and investitures. My past offices are listed on the Who’s Who site.

 

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