In the SCA, I am Her Ladyship Caitlin nic Raighne, Companion of the Order of the Calon Lily for costuming and quilting. I have been playing in the SCA for 14 years. I am a member of the Shire of Dun Ard in the Kingdom of Calontir. In persona, I am the wife of Lord Anlon MacMatha, a merchant of Inverness, Scotland in the year 1146. I am primarily a seamstress, but love all things related to the fiber arts. Although my persona is 12th century, my goal is to create the clothing worn at each significant fashion change. I have concentrated on Scotland and Northern England, but have made a few side ventures into other cultures! I have attempted to make simple, easy to follow directions than anyone can follow. I am apprenticed to Master Gerald of Ipsley. This worthy peer has the task of trying to keep me out of trouble.
Martha Rice lives in Kansas with her husband and two cats, Gwynhyvar and Galahad. She teaches English and Developmental Reading at Kansas City Kansas Community College. She collects books, enjoys sewing, quilting, embroidery, woodcarving, and watching the glow of understanding come into students' eyes as they master their native language - English.
The one thing I like the best about the Society for Creative Anachronism is the fact that it is a "hands-on" way to learn history. Each person is encouraged to choose a persona, country, time period, and then study history using that information as a focus. Being the individualist that I am, I of course must do things a little differently. Therefore I have decided to study fashion and how history has affected it. This web site is meant as an aid to help new costumers as they create their clothing.
Thank you goes to Master Gerald of Ipsley, my Laurel. He was instrumental in encouraging me as I worked my way through the centuries. He kept saying things such as, "Yes, but how was it made in period?" Her Grace, Duchess Alathea Charle is the person who probably was most influential in helping me. It was her "Cotehardie" class and handout that gave me the idea to create this web site. Her handout has been reproduced in total in the chapter "1330 AD Cotehardie". My thanks to her for allowing me to use that handout and stretch to create others in that style.
I wish to thank all the wonderful people who taught costuming classes during the past years.
There is no way I can list, or even remember, them all. However, each and every one of them
was influential and helped me gain skills. I am also very indebted to several of the exceptional
web pages that are available. Three of them that come immediately to mind are
Reconstructing History, Medieval Clothing Pages: Articles and essays of interest
to costumers and The Elizabethan Costuming Page