The Arts and Sciences in the SCA consist basically of the physical crafts that help us to achieve a more medieval atmosphere at our events. However they also consist of: reasearch, performance, and the actual recreation itself. There are many arts and sciences that are a part of the Society too numerous to list here. Some of the most comon include; sewing and fiber arts, armouring, bardic arts, woodworking, reasearch, illuminating and caligraphy, Brewing and Vinting and leather working.
Here are some valuable links to SCA A & S resources.
Sewing--T-Tunics
To sew a basic T-Tunic, all you need is a sewing machine (or needle and thread) and a flat sheet (or about 2-4 yards of fabric). The fabric should be mostly if not entirely natural fibers (little or no polyester or rayon) of a dull (not shiny) color. They did use bright colors, just not shiny ones (shiny usually means synthetic). Remember, our point is to recreate our time period, not redefine it. You will also need a flat piece of floor to lay out your fabric and some sharp scissors.
Lay out the fabric so that the face is up. The face is the side of the fabic that you want on the outside (some material is obvious, others with take a minute, and still others, it just doesn't matter). Fold your fabric widthwise. You need to decide how long you want your tunic to be: here is a very GENERAL guide.......
500AD thru 1066 you will want your tunic to end above or at the knees.
1066 thru 1325 your tunic will get longer the later in the range that you go.
1325 thru 1400 your tunic will either just cover your groin, or it will reach the floor.
1400 thru 1599 you probibly wounldn't wear a T-Tunic, and you should get assistance!
Now that you have your length, fold your fabric lengthwise (opposite the fold you just made). Now you will need your scissors. BUT, don't cut yet, keep reading. Decide how much room you want in your tunic. This will determine how far you will cut. If you want a good guideline, take a shirt that feels comfortable on you, and fold it lengthwise and lay it on your fabric. Mark where the armpit of the shirt is on your fabric. Now, move to the open length side of the fabric, determine how much room you need for your arms, usually about 6-9 inches, and cut until you almost reach the mark for your armpit. Start to curve your cut downward (almost a u-turn), and keep cutting, at an angle, until you reach the bottom open widthwise edge.
Now you will need to cut the neck. Start at the top closed widthwise point, and measure no more than three inches in both directions! Three inches will give you a 12" hole, do not exceed three inches. Now cut from mark to mark in a nice even curve. Keep this piece of fabric you just cut out! Keep it folded. We'll refer to this as the neck-piece in a moment.
Now, take a piece of fabric you cut out from the underarm and fold it the same as you folded your original piece. Place the neck-piece on the newly folded piece matching folded corners to each other. Cut around the neck-piece. Discard the two neck-pieces. On the piece you just cut, measure two inches or so out each edge, and cut following the same curve as the inside cut. You should now have an "O" of fabric. Sew this into the original neck hole you cut into your tunic, matching inside edges to each other.
You are now ready to sew up the rest of the open edges (except the bottom of course). You should now have a T-Tunic. If you want, you can finish the ends of the sleeves and the hem (bottom) of the tunic.
Remember: ZigZag, and other neat stitches the sewing machine can do were not period. If you want to use these, make sure they are not visible when the garment is worn. To make a plain tunic look incredible, add Calontir Trim from Drx!
You are now ready to start playing, have fun, be safe, play nice.
Wisby "Coat of Plates"
A coat of Wisby plate armor is very period for any fighter from the mid-1200s to the mid-1400s.
Simply cut out ample leather to create the jacket. Get a plastic barrel, and cut out the lames.
Lames should overlap like the picture. The chest is done in three sections. Rivet all to leather.
I made my Wisby out of thick "white barrel," but looking back, I should have used thin "blue."
This set of Wisby has metal sides to protect the ribs, which I discovered really isn't needed.
Bardic Arts
Woodworking
A First Carving Lesson.. Carve your Device (low relief)
by Ognyen Fenlander, C.C.S., C.L.M.
This is a very basic lesson in low relief carving. Low relief is just a fancy way of saying shallow carving. The first things you need, after a desire to try it, are the basic tools. These
are a hobby knife, pencil and something on which to carve. A flat wood surface is recommended for beginners. Fine grained wood is easiest and safest to carve. Hobby knives can be bought inexpensively from the great merchant Samuel Walton's market (Wal-Mart). I normally choose a gently tapered double-edged blade. Whatever you choose, insure it is sharp. Don't use a folding knife; it's not consistently safe. Use a soft pencil so the wood is marked visibly without deeply denting it.
Transfer your design to the surface to be carved -4reehand with pencil or use carbon paper. (1) Hold your knife like a pencil, angled to cut under the area you wish to remove. Carving is similar to writing, but it takes a little more pressure. (2) Slowly cut one side of the removal area. (3) Reverse your knife angle and cut the other side of the removal area. (4) When finished, you should have a "V" groove. Carve like this to remove thin lines. (Dl) To cut deeply or remove large areas, you'll need to repeat the process until you're happy with your results. Make a set of "V" cuts, and repeat (D2) as necessary. (D3) Smooth the bottom, if desired, with smaller cuts, sandpaper or scraping.
The most difficult step in any craft is getting over the "I could never do that" mindset. Once you seriously try anything, that obstacle is passed.
TIPS:
- Don't just read this. Try it yourself!
- Straight cuts are easier than curved.
- Shallow cuts are easier than deep.
- Several shallow cuts are better than one deep one.
- Avoid carving against the grain of the wood.
- Soft woods carve faster than hard.
- Keep your blades sharp.
- Experiment with different material.
- Small detailed work takes patience.
- Criss-crossing cuts can make large areas easier to clean.
- Have fun carving. Don't let it frustrate you. Be patient, nobody's an expert at first!
Persona Research
One of the most basic principles behind the SCA is that of the persona. Personas are an important part of the game we play. Without a persona you have nothing to base your SCA lifestyle on. Persona research can be very difficult and time consuming if you want a highly detailed background. Not everyone, however, needs a complicated background. For those people it is only important to know these few thing. Who, what, when, and where. Sound familiar? This is important information for any persona no matter how complex and what I consider the bare essentials for anyone in the SCA.
Many people would naturally start with who they are and this is often where they make a mistake. By who I am referring to the name of your persona. Names are highly subject to when and where your persona lived. Many new members mistake this element for the most important part of the persona. It is probably the least important. This problem usually results from other members who push new people into coming up with a period name and worrying about that persona stuff later. Think about it this way: suppose you decide you really like 15th century Italy but haven't come up with a name. You decide to go by your modern name until you come up with a suitable one. Now suppose instead you decide to call yourself William because it seems like a good period name even though you don't have a persona. Later you decide that without a doubt you want to be a 13th century Mongol. The problem is everyone is use to calling you William. Bob "the Mongol" is much easier to change than William of Lincolnshire "The Mongol" So the best advice I can offer is to wait on a name until you have your other parameters set.
I think the best place to start is with the time period of your persona. While the cultures of medieval Europe were very different at any one time period there were often strong international trends especially in the areas of: fashion, arms and armour, and religion. Also international events such as the Crusades or the early Reformation effected even the most remote and isolated cultures. If your primary interest is costuming then this is definitely the place to start. Just as today much of the fashion of the medieval world was based on international trends. If you decide you like the costume of a certain time period then this can be an easy way to determine your time period.
Where your persona is from is also very important and will have a great impact on your name. A word of warning here is that you could have a hard time getting good information about the culture you are looking for especially if it's very exotic. One problem many people have is that they come up with a time period and culture they like only to find out that there is little recorded history for that particular culture during the time period they have chosen. This could be due to the literacy rate of the culture in question (particalarly bad for early period) or it could be due to the fact that little was happening in that particular time period and culture that warranted recording.
What your persona's occupation is important to an extent. It is important to have some idea of what social class your persona is a part of before choosing an occupation. Occupations also very form time to time and culture to culture.Usually occupations get more varied the later the time period. Occupations can have some bearing on name as well but this is entirely up to you. Occupations help flesh out a persona and give it a purpose. I have heard more than one
lengthy persona background that omitted this important bit of information. Occupation can give even the most basic persona background more credibility than a complicated background that doesn't have one.
Persona research can be as complicated as you choose but even the most in depth background needs the basic principals of: who, what, when, and where. Your persona can be as simple as that or very complex but it should include those elements.
Here is an example of my own persona in brief form. I hope this helps you get more out of your persona and the SCA.
Lord Duncan MacIntyre
EXAMPLE
Persona's Name:Duncan MacIntyre
Persona's Home: Isle of Skye, Scottland
Persona's Current Period Residence: Milan, Itlay
Persona's Time Period: About 1419
Persona's Social Status: Son of a free farmer.
Persona's Occupation: Mercenary in one of the Italian companies
Brief Persona Background and History: Duncan left Scotland for France in 1414 to fight against the English. After the battle of Ashingcourt he left France for work in Italy under the Duke of Milan. Duncan now resides in Italy serving under various captains.
Other Information About The Persona: Like many of the soldiers in his company Duncan is trained in several weapons but is most usually considered one of the companies archers.
Plaque Belt
Plaque belts are VERY 14th century chic. Everyone who was anyone had a plaque belt in the 14th century. So you ask, where can I get one? There are a few places on the internet that will make them for you, at about $10 a plaque. That gets expensive quickly. So why not make one? They are actually quite easy to make. All you need is some
leather 
,
some jiffy rivets 
,
tin snips 
,
a hammer 
,
an exacto knife 
,
a drill or Wizard or Dremel 
,
and some shiny metal 
.
Where to get all this, you ask? Easy. Tandy's Leather Online can get most of the items for you, or if you have a Hobby Lobby in your area, or maybe just a leather shop and a metal supply shop. . .
First, cut the leather into the size belt that you want. Cut your metal into equal sided squares no bigger than your belt is wide. These will be your plaques. You'll need about 15. Drill a hole in each corner of the plaques. Devide the total length of the belt by the number of plaques you made. Then subtract the width of your belt, and that will be the spacing between plaques 
. I usually cut a spacer out of a scrap piece of leather, that way all plaques are spaced exactly the same. Next, put a plaque on the belt and mark the position of the holes. Punch or drill out the holes on the leather, insert the rivets and hammer them closed. To hold the belt shut, I just punch holes through both ends and use a piece of lacing to tie it 
.
Go on and try one yourself. It looks much more impressive than it is difficult.
Links To Valuable SCA Resources
Calontir Arts and Sciences
Some Misc. Arts and Sciences
Medieval Brewers' Home Page
Our Library (links page)
