@Fredatron@wandering.shop
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Fredatron

@Fredatron@wandering.shop

Writer, crafter, costumier, patchworker, hermit. Historical textile obsessive. I enjoy bad robots, Yog-Sothoth, and all flavours of undead, and am very much older than 21. Content will include profanity. She/they.

I write queer-normative SFF/horror and other cross genre fiction, plus non-fiction too. Got a doctorate in History of Art and am learning German.

Profile pic is a quilt I made. Banner image is Byland Abbey in Yorkshire.

https://ko-fi.com/fredatron

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Fredatron, to FiberArts
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You all know the famous medieval painting of a nun picking penises from a tree, right?

I embroidered it for @Rhube for Christmas. And now she's received it, I can post it everywhere!

The original is a piece of marginalia by Jeanne de Montbaston, nun and illuminator, and was made in the C14th.

I'll put a safe for work crop here, and full images downthread under a CW.

Fredatron, to random
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OK, this is a very niche question, but can anyone point me in the direction of a quality source that discusses the transport and storage of bulk quantities of salt in England between around 1200 and 1450.

I've mined google, and it's all pretty salt cellars for the table, and fluffy general articles about how salt was used in the past. I'm not looking for that.

As an architectural historian turned textile historian, this ain't my area.

Fredatron, to random
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This morning's 5am yelling was sponsored by the wish to sit down on a warm lap on the sofa.

Fredatron, to FiberArts
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Made a bit more progress. I'll do all the outlining for the vines later. I want to get the little dudes finished first.

#PearAndSnailCoif #embroidery

Fredatron, to FiberArts
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Now I'm now awake, I thought it might be fun to post some pics of the back.

It's nowhere near the mess I'd expected, and it's reassuringly similar to the backs of C17th speckled blackwork I've seen 😅

There's nothing like looking at actual historical sewing in detail to make me feel better about my own stuff. We get this impression that everyone in the past sewed perfectly all the time. They didn't.


Another detail of the back, this time focusing on the strawberry plant.
A view of the whole back. The pieces where I've only seen the speckling so far like fainter. It also looks like it could do with an iron. It could.

Fredatron, to random
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New WhatsApp message from Mum. She wants a knitting pattern for a gherkin. Whole, not sliced. I haven't asked her how big or what she wants it for. A woman's knitted gherkins are her own business.

(The answer will either be Christmas or something to do with fundraising for Guide Dogs).

Fredatron, to random
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Happy first of NaNoWriMo to everyone who's taking part 💜

Fredatron, to random
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This doesn't photograph well, and I've not ironed it. But here's the seasonally appropriate work-suitable skirt with enormous pockets I made yesterday.

And yep, I pleated the inside of the top of the pocket, because there was more fabric than I thought, and it didn't look right without that.

Detail of the pumpkin fabric, showing that they have subtle shading and cute little light green leaves scattered between them.

Fredatron, to random
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  1. If you and your MC swapped places for a day, who would have an easier time adjusting?

Me. I know everything there is to know about the characters and the setting and how everything works. I'd happily spend a day hanging out with the absolute disasters in this book.

I think Lin would be OK if she could just go for a nice long walk, do some fishing, and visit a dog shelter. Covered in hounds is her happy place.

Fredatron, to random
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  1. How do you convey your characters’ emotions?

The usual ways - through action, body-language, expression, psychic connection, abnormal weather events and the behaviour of local ghouls.

Fredatron, to random
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  1. What convictions or values guide your characters’ decisions?

Leuca became a priest to be in a better position to a) help people, and b) spy on Team Bad Guys, and he became a spy to free his country from a hostile takeover by the undead. At his core, he wants to relieve suffering, and he sees it as both a structural and an individual issue. Once Team Bad Guys are dealt with, he has a vague notion that he'll take on the Church.

Fredatron, to random
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  1. Secondary character POV: You can spend a whole day with the MC. What will you do?

Rangvard can take this one.

"Lin says we're having a quiet day in. I applaud her optimism, but we never have a quiet day in.

"Will I fall off a dragon? Will I get scaled by bathwater hot enough to boil eggs? Will I trip on the stairs because my senses are overtaken with visions, or be chased by angry ghosts, or be throttled by a wraith?

"I'm about to find out."

Fredatron, to food
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This year for Lent I'm going to try to vastly reduce my sugar consumption. I'm not daft enough to think I can give up free sugars altogether, they're in far too many things, plus I'll rebel. But I want to get my consumption down to under the WHO recommended level.

Thoughts and prayers very much appreciated on this one, because this is gonna be hard.

Fredatron, to FiberArts
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It's paper piecing time, let's go!

And yep, I did not iron all of these below starting. Who knows, I might iron it before putting the whole thing together. But I might not.

Fredatron, to random
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If anyone fancies £10 off a box of Who Gives a Crap loo roll - this code is active until the end of the 31st Oct: https://www.talkable.com/x/Apd5Nx

UK only, as far as I understand.

Fredatron, to random
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  1. If you were in a zombie apocalypse, which of your MCs would you want with you and why?

Nehu. He has epic level undead-management skills. Besides, it's probably his fault, and even if it's not he'll be trying his best to contain the problem and prevent it getting worse.

I'll also take Undead Assbutts #1 and #2. Depending how they're feeling, they might not bother trying to help fix the issue, but wherever they are will be the safest place no matter how bad it gets.

Fredatron, to random
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  1. Out of all your writing, what was the hardest scene for you to write? Why?

Many have been hard for various reasons.

I'm currently having a bastard of a time getting Plucky Protag and Sexy Bad Guy #3 to a Very Important party. I think it's because something else needs to happen in the meantime to make the emotional beats work properly. Good job this story has multiple POV characters and I can work on Innocenzo's disaster of a life in the meantime.

Fredatron, to random
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Up too early because that's my brain's stress response. So I unpacked the two very cheap laptop stands I got on eBay and rigged them up into a lap stand for my embroidery. Had a quick go. I can fit my hands easily through the gaps, and stitching is quicker than before. Looks like this might be a win.

Close up of one of the stands, which is cable tied on. It has a little loop at the bottom which is the perfect size and shape for supporting the bottom bar of the stand.

Fredatron, to random
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  1. Would you ever co-write a book? Why or why not?

Yep, done that. It was awesome fun, and with the right person I'd definitely do it again.

Fredatron, to FiberArts
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Finished the embroidered C18th-inspired buttons for a friend's birthday. Just need to pack them now.

She's not on here so I'm safe to post this!

A photograph of two of the buttons in my hand. One of the buttons shows the back of, which has a loop of thick green embroidery thread as a shank. The other button shows the front, with a twisted border of white silk and silver thread.

Fredatron, to random
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  1. Is there a story you’d like to write but aren’t sure you can?

Sexy Bad Guy #1's redemption arc. He'll realise far too late that he has appalling taste in husbands, and there will be consequences. I really want to write this one, but there's a lot of other stuff I need to write first. My concern is time.

Fredatron, to random
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Menstruation should be opt-in.

Fredatron, to random
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Finally got my act together, cleaned out my old Portal Bookshop work bag, and it's in the washing machine right now with a black Dylon pod. That bag was grubby as fuck, and no washing helped. It teaches me a valuable lesson about not buying white things.

The logo may or may not end up black, that's a risk I'm willing to take. My School of Historical Dress tote is falling apart (one of the straps shredded yesterday) so I need this bag for tomorrow.

Fredatron,
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So far, in A Dictionary of English Costume, I have learnt that, in the C16th, goose-turd was an acceptable colour name.

It's a yellowish green, which probably goes without saying.

Fredatron, to random
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If anyone knows where I put either of my sets of ceramic magnets, please let me know.

Fredatron,
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I had a set a while back, couldn't find it, bought another set, used a few in crafting, and now I can't find them again. I thought they were attached to my King Death magnetic pin dish, but... yeah, fucked if I know what I did with them.*

*I put them in a Safe Place. This is never a good idea.

Fredatron, to random
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In Lincoln, in the cathedral for now, about to go on the roof tour. It's been raining all day, but the sun just came out.

Fredatron,
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The roof tour was wonderful. It's got two things I really love: going up high and having enhanced access to medieval buildings.

It's the best £7 I've spent in a long time. Highly recommended to anyone who has the interest and the physical capacity (it's not as intense as, say, the central tower of Durham or York, but there are a lot of stairs and tight spaces).

Photograph of the triforium of the nave of Lincoln Cathedral from the inside. It's not a solid gallery, but has a wooden walkway running through it and access points to maintain the vault and arcade. It has a steeply sloping roof.
View of the interior of the nave of Lincoln Cathedral from the west end, from a gallery high on the wall just under a rose window. That part isn't pictured cause it's behind me, but was very pretty. The sense of height here is very cool.
View into the north transept of Lincoln Cathedral from the triforium. It looks like a very long way down, which it was.

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