Viking Coat

As many stories start,
Once Upon a Time, Fortune St. Keyne asked me to do a thing.

Actually, back up, that's not -entirely- true.
This time.

At Crown Tourney I heard that Fortune had recently bartered with a mutual friend in exchange for making her garb. 

And I wanted in on that. So I asked her about it and she said 'Funny you say that, I've just agreed to make their new Highnesses' viking garb for Birka.' and after hammering out a few details, I agreed to do what I can only describe as:

THE CHAPTER IN WHICH KIAYA DOES A CRAP TON OF HERRINGBONE STITCH:

In January (Yes, January. End of the first week of January.) I drive down to see Fortune and she hands me this beautiful wool coat, in the most lovely shade of teal.

And I began my long work of embroidering all the seams and hems.

Oh yes, it was double herringbone my friends. I did everything -twice- and then I slashed the top with a beautiful red cranberry color. 

And then we began stage two:

THE CHAPTER IN WHICH KIAYA APPLIQUES

(Blanket stitch for miles)

Oh yes, every edge on those peacocks. Every color, is outlines in blanket stitch. Now, I will admit, there was learning on this sucker. And the heat-bond stuff DID NOT STICK for long, so I ended up pinning at least half of it down anyway. My stitches could definitely have been more even. However, now? Now my stitches are crazy good. Practice will do that for you.

Remember when I said it was the end of the first week of January? Now it was somewhere in the last stretch of the month. Birka is the last weekend in January. So there wasn't a lot of time.

Oh but then she handed me the apron dress.

And we went back to Herringbone stitch. So much Herringbone stitch. 

And it all got done. I think we'd wanted to do more embroidery on the underdress proper, but when all was said and done, it was done. The coat looked marvelous and their Highnesses were fantastic. (Fortune was so great. She was working on his Highness' coat THAT day (I know, I helped in the hotel room.) and it looked amazing.)

Someone else took this photo and I can't find the source now. I apologize for that oversight. However, it's one of the better ones I was able to find of that weekend and Princess Honig in the teal coat. I'm stupidly proud of that thing and am so thankful that Fortune included me in that project.

Although, hang on, I haven't gotten that garb in payment yet...