I Went Camping For A Week (at Gulf War) and Sewed An Entire Hood

[@HouseHooligan]

There’s something so artsy about the way that hem finish makes the dags look outlined, like they’re drawn on. Delightful! I hope you had fun, friend-and thank you for being open about how your differences impact your experience of events. 💜

[@thecourtlyalchemist]

Beautiful job on your leafy-dagged hood! Deep forest green is a great color on you!

[@therewillbecatswithgwenhwyfar]

That tea sounds incredible!!! And I'm firmly in the NEVER TOO MANY MUGS, just inadequate storage!

[@skulleigh5867]

I laughed because the number of times I've said to myself "I don't need another turkish spindle" has been a lot lately :D

[@skulleigh5867]

and now that I finished watching, the hood looks great!

[@OpusElenae]

I’m getting very “I’d have two nickels which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice” vibes. I currently have three in my house right now…

[@skulleigh5867]

@@OpusElenae is three a lot? Because I currently have *looks up, counts on fingers* uh… six.

[@GrainneDhub-ll6vw]

Definition of "crazy Turkish spindler": someone who has three more Turkish spindles than you do. So you're safe, do it! Do it! Do it! Huh, how did you guess that my friends call me The Enabler?

[@dawnmoriarty9347]

I was mentally inserting a variety of tools in that space. Had to giggle when you got to the crappy scissors comment because I can't resist MORE scissors!

[@lilalicat32]

I love having little crafty projects at events. It helps ease my social anxiety to have something to do instead of focusing on my poor social skills. Thank you for the little peek at Gulf War shopping. I can't wait until I am able to go.

[@katwitanruna]

As long as it’s done before you hit the driveway, it counts.

[@pippaseaspirit4415]

That’s a very beautiful shade of green - and a very pretty leafy hood 😻

[@mandylavida]

I have a lovely little purse that hangs off my kirtle belt that contains my current blackwork collar/cuffs.....could not go anywhere without some kind of craft project tucked away. Medieval fayre this weekend so will get loads done!

[@cswetzel]

I do so regret not getting to the meet up. 😢 I stayed busy volunteering at transportation. Hopefully next year. Love the hood ❤

[@OpusElenae]

Next year definitely! And for sure if you see me outside my camp say hi!

[@lilykatmoon4508]

That green you chose for the hood is absolutely STUNNING 😍! I appreciate this video on so many levels! In the early 2000s I was briefly in the SCA. I went to a newcomer group and several events with my sister. Oh, we had an amazing time. I’m autistic and have severe social anxiety, and when she stoped going after she met the man she married, I quit going. 20+ years later, I am really dying to get involved again. I’m in the Houston area and was also in Onstarra (sp.?). The first thing I ever sewed was for an SCA event. Now that I’ve been following historical costuming/fashion for some years now, I know the materials I chose were all wrong. In 2021 I made a 13th century kirtle in the most fabulous green. Seeing this and hearing that you are able to attend these events and accommodate for your own neurodivergence really inspires me to find my local SCA group again. The hood you made is beautiful. I really love the leaf shaped daggets (?), they really make the look, especially with the purple hemming. Thank you so much for sharing this adventure with us! Take care!

[@FlybyStardancer]

Congrats on getting it done at war!! :D It looks awesome!! (And yes, finishing the hem on the car ride home 100% counts!!)

[@loverizzato9081]

Stunning color on you! Your sewing and creativity is always top-notch.

[@dawnmoriarty9347]

I really admire your tent since my memories of camping involve sleeping bags/bedrolls on the ground Seeing the rain, I'm now mulling over designs for clogs/pattens to cope with the inevitable mud

[@moonbasket]

What a lovely hood. I completely agree that long trips are hellish most of the time. It's so hard to carry routines with you, especially when camping.

[@katwitanruna]

And the hood is great!! Love the dagging and color.

[@vincentbriggs1780]

Magnificent leafy edges! If anything ever tempts me into doing some medieval sewing, it will be the dagging.

[@KathleenStidham]

❤ Thank you for the beautiful imagery and music. Hope partner recovered fast. LOVE the pretty leaf edge of the hood!

[@katwitanruna]

Love your tent!!

[@coreygilles847]

I LOVE the leaf shapes! So adorable ❤

[@candycoatedcactus]

Ansteorran saying hello! Cool to see familiar faces on youtube. Great video

[@susanpolastaples9688]

Leaf green hood is a good addition to your hood collection. Sorry Partner got ill. Is he ok now? And your crappy scissors should be christened the traveling falling apart scissors. You sound exhausted. Hope you had a good time and thanks for a tour of merchant row. Happy Easter if you celebrate

[@OpusElenae]

I actually had the best gulf war I’ve ever had, in spite of Partner getting sick (he is feeling better now) and having to do a lot of the camp breakdown solo.

[@susanpolastaples9688]

@@OpusElenae 5hanks for the comment and I'm glad that Partner is feeling better. Sorry you were stuck with teardown. But glad you had a good time. Did Partner get some fencing in or did he get ill early own? Did he try the well-known cure-all matzo ball soup?

[@cynthiadugan858]

❤ the hood❤❤❤. Is it silly that I would want you make 100 different hoods and still love it every time 🤣. I do have a request … maybe you have already done it and I missed it … can you do a short video just on how you insert your gores starting at the point? I know that somewhere in your videos there are awesome instructions on that but I can never find the right one when I want it.

[@OpusElenae]

@@cynthiadugan858 there is one! It’s linked in the cards in the video, but you can find it in the back catalog of videos on my channel too

[@OpusElenae]

@@susanpolastaples9688 he did get some rapier in, and had a great time fighting. And no, it was all I could do to get any food into him; he’s terrible about eating when he’s sick.

[@mandylavida]

Great hood, lovely reveal.

[@catherinejustcatherine1778]

What a great idea! It looks fantastic 😀🌟 The things I have made while in the environment I will use them in,or, just plain outdoors feel so different; more "right" somehow.

[@sElfmadecreations]

I'm working on a hood right now myself and seeing this new upload and you sewing a hood is just perfect. It makes for the perfect Saturday morning with tea and cozy sewing (to manage my own neurodivergent needs). I also absolutely love the pronoun patch you had on your bag (?). Such a wonderful idea to keep that visible and in style

[@belladonnabaggins3996]

Lovely video and hood! 🌿🥰 The things you mention with nd and long camping events are the things that worry me with trying out a long camping event myself, been wanting to go but oof does it frighten me.

[@therewillbecatswithgwenhwyfar]

This is SO aspirational for me!

[@lenabreijer1311]

Great video and lovely hood, though i felt queasy watching you sew in the car. I agree having some hand work at an event makes it much easier. I can just sit and watch and knit or sew. People will come up to me and ask about the project and i can handle that. The next event i will be helping in the kitchen, my daughter is doing the day board. I have already made the gluten free version of roman bread, all six of them, no we don't need that many but i know how hard it is to have to eat gf, and prepped the meatballs, also gluten free. I will be able to eat lunch at least.

[@catsandravens]

I truly miss Gulf Wars! One day I’ll be back!!!

[@tinytinalea]

I noticed your needle minder brooch!! So clever and much more period looking ❤

[@GrainneDhub-ll6vw]

Lovely hood! I've been noodling over making the Londinium hood with leaf dagging in green and this has convinced me. I really like the idea of finishing the edge with buttonhole stitching.

[@margolambert1018]

I’m finally in the video!!! (((I’m the background, but still!)))

[@cindigilbert2501]

Saw you on the way to a class then missed your meet up! Next year! Great work and quite inspiring 🎉

[@Angela-hn6mb]

You're making me miss going to Estrella War. Sigh, I live too far away now to go.

[@mandylavida]

So now I am making two london hoods from your pattern . I have encased aida fabric inside the linen lining so I can do a strip of blackwork around the inside of the face. If I could work out how to use instagram, I would post my progress. However.....! I love the dagged edge on this. When I can afford wool, I will be doing this.

[@OpusElenae]

Oh that sounds so interesting! Even if you don’t put it anywhere online, I’d love to see a pic; my email should be in the description: opuselenae at gmail

[@theplussizecostumer]

I love your work. Though I take it you don't get car sick. I'm envious about that. I can maybe do a craft or read for about 10 minutes before I start getting queasy. Been that way since I was very young. Though I did discover I can knit in a moving vehicle. I knitted a pair of socks and most of a hat while riding on a bus in the dark. I guess it's because I don't have to keep looking at it that makes it possible.

[@OpusElenae]

I’ve never gotten car sick, though Tornado does. We used to drive seven hours to visit family when I was young and I’d just read the whole way.

[@hannahmounser7786]

I like the stitching around the hem edge, such a lovely detail. Was that a sea shanty you & partner were singing on the way home (pay me my money down)?

[@OpusElenae]

Good catch, it was! We often sing shanties (among other things) to and from events.

[@rikuforever3]

can we get a tent set up and tour next time please

[@OpusElenae]

I’ll see what I can do; I tend to get pretty laser focused during setup so I often forget to film it

[@suzannecooke2055]

Hey - you're in my neighborhood.! Every time you say Gulf War I hear Pennsic. We moved from Pittsburgh to San Antonio. I stopped going to events so many years ago. I became increasingly disabled and events became too hard.

[@OpusElenae]

Fun fact: Pennsic was my first sca event!

[@vickielster3928]

Your hand stitching of the daggets (so?) is beautiful. What is the long strap in the back used for?

[@OpusElenae]

It’s called a liripipe and it’s for fashion lol, no real practical purpose. (And it’s “dags” ☺️)

[@katwitanruna]

Oh man. I went to GW in 2007 I think it was.

[@pinkpandamiranda]

Oh gosh, now you're making me want to go to the gulf war haha. Are you going to Pennsic this year?

[@OpusElenae]

Nope, Pennsic isn’t feasible for me, and probably won’t be for the foreseeable future. It was my first event though!

[@cassmacdonald-perfectlyimp2486]

I would love you know where you got the fabric from as the link is for a sock emporium. Keen to investigate whether they may post to the U.K…

[@OpusElenae]

They were selling the wool inside that shop; I don’t think they have fabric up on their site but you could email them

[@cassmacdonald-perfectlyimp2486]

@@OpusElenae cool thank you

[@ImmmaI]

You're neurodivergent too! no wonder I love your videos, neurospicy finding eachother everywhere!

[@OpusElenae]

Accurate! I can’t believe there was a time I thought I was NT

[@TealCheetah]

Why is it called Gulf War? Im assuming it has nothing to do with the 1990/91 Gulf War. If I were to tell someone Im going to a Gulf War reenactment this weekend, only the SCAers would think medieval.

[@OpusElenae]

It’s held on the gulf coast, between kingdoms that all border on the Gulf of Mexico. It actually predates the Middle East conflict by about a year.

[@TealCheetah]

@@OpusElenae Ah, it predating the Middle East conflict of the same name makes more sense