This upcoming year (2005) will be our first Pennsic, and we wanted to arrive in class (or a cheap but convincing approximation thereof). We wanted a period tent but they are beyond our price range-- especially for a two-girl pavilion where we could sleep, store stuff and entertain too! We also wanted a tent we could upgrade over the next few years, replacing the more mundane elements one by one.

There are many excellent tent making pages out there, but they refer to 'screen- house- to- pavilion' construction only in passing. This is our humble timetable attempt to guide you, step-by-step, through the dragqueen-ish transformation of a suburban screened patio house into a majestic portable manor fit for two Pennsic neophytes!

With nine months and counting to Pennsic, tune in periodically for our updates...and please stop by the Revelwood Artist's Guild camp --usually by the classic swimming hole-- at Pennsic 2005 to see the final product. As we start we thank the artisans of Revelwood for being a never-ending source of creative inspiration--you're welcome in our tent anytime!

Liz and Kathy

 

September 2004

I've been an on-and-off member of Revelwood for over ten (??!!) years. I've heard all the stories, been to many of the parties, and have found "The Barn" a place of refuge when the world has gotten a bit too crazy (PS> Having a nervous breakdown? A little barn decorating beats psychotherapy and it's free!), but I've never been to Pennsic. Too busy, too much to do in NYC, too many respnsibilities...the excuse list goes on and on. And that's just what they are...excuses.

This year I made my mind up to go...and so did my friend Kathy. We've heard abour it for years -- the battles, the bardic circles, the parties, the incredible adventures...how can we go to our respective graves without once going to the War?

THEN the practical aspects kicked in.

First of all, where do you sleep? Getting dressed in our finest garb in a FLOURECENT LIME SEARS DOME TENT? Girl, you must be out 'cha head.

If we're going to Pennsic we're going in style, in a period tent.And they cost so much we may as well make our own! Not to put down the mundane tent-dwellers (hell, I'm not even in the SCA!), but I know it adds to the atmosphere of it all to be housed in your own hand-constructed, hand-painted tent.

Kathy and I are both hard-core costume mavens from our punk roots in 80's DC, but basically sewing up a whole house??? Yikes! It's our biggest project yet. Some research is in order, and this looks like a job for Google...

I went to Mira Silverlock's MEDIEVAL PAVILLION RESOURCES and STEFAN'S FLOREGILIUM for more info. Both sites are outstanding in outlining the practical aspects of tent construction, and I doff my hat to both gentles. After research I decided a wall tent would be the roomiest, and converting a screen house by adding canvas walls to an existing structure would be the most cost-effective. No, the metal frame would not be period-- but it would be acceptable from a distance. Because there is documentation of a few wall tents among the lovely round pavillions, we'd be within the realm of 'realness'.

If there's one thing Revelwood has taught me, it's this -- a person with a roll of duct tape and a dream CAN change the world.

I settled on the Texport brand screen house. It has dags, it's big enough for two (more on that later!) and it looks substantial. I found a used one up for bud on Ebay Canada and approached Kathy about investing in it. We'll do 50-50 -- she'll buy the pavilion and have it shipped here, and I'll buy the canvas and make the walls.

October 2004

Kathy just scored the tent on Ebay Canada last night!The Texsport screen house that sells new for $100.00 was aquired for under 40 bucks...used only once, it claimed in the ad (but we'll see when it gets here)! Shipping was $35, but it's still less than new with shipping.it's being shipped here, I can't wait to set it up and scope it out!

SIZE -- 10 x 13 feet, large but not hoggish on space at the war. Plenty of room for two girls and all their garb, cots, etc.

ROOF -- it has dags (NOT suburban scallops) and two points that could accomodate poles with banners in the future. It's waterproof and not made of plastic, but it could be replaced with canvas next year.

I'm looking for canvas for walls now -- heavyweight tarps will do just fine. I'll need 4 9x12 tarps, and some canvas for the door. It will also have two windows made of no-see-um screening for ventilation. I think how great it will be to lie in my bed at Pennsic and look out the window in the evening at the fading campfires and hear the pipes in the distance. Ahh...

November 2004

Some quick calculations on fabric requirements --

8 ft. wide ~~ 96" ~~ 15 yds.

7 ft. wide ~~ 84" ~~ 18 yds.

6 ft. wide ~~ 72" ~~ 20 yds.

5 ft. wide ~~ 60" ~~ 25 yds.

3ft. wide ~~ 36" ~~ 40 yds.

9x12 canvas tarps ~~ 4 tarps...too expensive. For 4 or 5 heavy, good quality tarps my budget would have to double...and canvas drop cloths are too flimsy and full of pieced-together seams.The much-discussed Hamilton Dry Goods has great prices on Sunforger, but remnants get snapped up QUICK by other tentmakers. Just sent for canvas and cotton duck samples from Dharma Trading Company.

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The samples from Dharma have arrived! 10 oz. & 7 oz. cotton duck and 8 oz.'scenery canvas'.

I love the 10 oz., but wonder if it would be too heavy when wet for the screen house's 3/4" metal tube frame. I could reinforce the tubes with long wooden dowels --or, add additional supports as shown below.

The scenery canvas is great -- a nice middle weight -- but it's quite porous, with an almost rattan-like woven texture...even the best waterproofing may not be enough.

Dragonwing Pavillions has pages of great practical advice on both tent-buying and tent making. They recommend a fabric weight 6 oz or over. 'll go with the 7 oz. weight --it's tightly woven, won't weigh down my frame and will be an ounce or two heavier per yard after waterproofing. With a 30 yd. bolt for about $75.00 there will be a little extra to slant the walls out a bit to repel rain. Sending the samples to Kathy for her approval.

We attended the Revelwood Pipe and Pint this weekend in the NJ Pine Barrens and it was fantastic! The barn has expanded to twice its size, enclosing the stage area, and an an outdoor bar for those who like to drink AND firewalk (don't ask). Hurray! There were period tents to check out - screw the kilt check, I'm peeking under dags! Court convened to the strains of Star Wars and ended with the theme from Pinky and the Brain...that's what I love about Revelwood. Some helpful Rescue Rangers at fireside shared their experience with screen pavilions -- namely, they warp. Uh-oh. I think I'll get the forge up the way to make metal pipe joins to replace the PVC ones in our screen house. By the way, where is the dang thing? Lost in 4th class mail?

November 19th The screen house arrived today. Hurray!I It arrived with minimal damage (one foot support was broken a little bit, but it happened in transit). I'll put it together on Saturday.

Saturday morning...working from old, rumpled,torn confusing directions I'm putting it together. One ceiling piece is a little bit bent. After straightening it out I continue. Gee, this roof seems a bit tight...After some minutes of roof yanking and tugging the bent-in-place roof support breaks, which in turn busts out the corner bracket. All of a sudden this is not much fun.

My husband Mike expresses his opinion on the project...:)

BUT WAIT! Everything will be OK. I'll trim down a couple supports a tiny bit with a pipe cutter and make the roof fit a bit looser.

Then I'll replace the broken piece with a piece of 3/4" conduit, and the busted corner joint. The fewer joints the better, I think!