The Sinister Scribe

Since Bob has promised our presence at Estrella next year, the planning has begun.

I’ve worked up a beginning budget and it seems doable. If we can save $200/mo starting with July, we can do it. We can save that much IF we don’t eat out and IF we adhere to a strict grocery budget. I’m thinking of putting one of those thermometer icons on the fridge showing our goal and how much we’ve saved. LOL!

One of the things included in the budget is a tent. Midwest Tent has a Norman wedge for a doable price. We’d still have to do the supports ourselves but buying the tent from them is about as much as it would cost for the treated canvas. MTs tent won’t be available for order until September though. I also need to ask them if it can be set up like the viking tent here.

I keep seeing reference to experienced folk saying it is cheaper to make the tent cloth yourself but I am just not seeing that. The Sunforger treated canvas is $5 - $7 per yard and the place I found it at $5/yard had a 50 yard minimum. If I calculated correctly (12.5 oz per yard times 50 yards is 625 ounces) it should weight about 30 pounds. So say $50 for shipping and $250 for fabric. $300-ish. The Viking/Norman wedge at Midwest tent is $370. Hmmm… $70 more and someone else does the sewing with two colors of fabric no less. Me likey! There is however, Highland Tents, that is having a sale on SF flame-retardant canvas for $5.85/yard. Twenty yards of that with shipping should be around $200 but then I’d have to sew it. *sigh* Much to think about…

And much to do. Bob and I need more garb. Hmmm… need to add some money to the budget for fabric. Sam will need garb too. Jessie is set thanks to a good friend with a daughter a little older than she is.
Then there is shoes. For Bob and I at least. Maybe the kids. This could wait if budget demands but it would be nice to be able to make them. I found a medieval shoe list and am waiting for my first post to be approved.
Last, but not least, there is Eilidh’s AoA scroll and a few other scribey things. I need to get them done so that they can be delivered at Estrella. I’m going to have to alternate sewing with scribing I think. ‘Course all this means that Queen’s Prize and the Beekeeping classes will have to wait until 2009.

Yawn. Back to the present. I need to finish packing Bob’s lunch and get to bed. Sam has packed his since he goes to a day camp for the next 2 weeks. It starts at 8:30 a.m. so he’ll be getting up earlier which is good. Right after camp we go back to our serious homeschooling schedule.