For one thing, you're in for people like me pointing and laughing at the lot of you so earnestly hitting each other with foam sticks in the local park on weekends.

uh, I'm a goth. a fat goth, no less. I use a parasol. like, on a regular basis and in public. I can deal.

I've definitely been tempted, but beyond attending a few Medieval and Ren Fayres haven't taken it any further. That may well be due to the Queensland factor though - petticoats and big skirts are not fun outdoors when it's 32C and 90% humidity. That shouldn't be an issue in Buffalo, of course.

Can you go along to a few (meetings? jousts?) and see what it and the people are like before committing?

Goo, that's the general plan, I just wanted to know if they're all full of "you mean you USED A SEWING MACHINE FOR THE INTERNAL SEAMS? MONSTER!" types.

The only thing I will say, as I have no direct experience with SCA, is that there are several groups I won't join because of the people. I've been at meetings or just folks chatting and what strikes me most of all is: I don't want to be one of them.

Oh there are hardcorers in every group, but I bet most people couldn't give a hoot about you using a machine.

Any chance of pics of the Italian gown :) ? Sounds awesome, and from what I've seen you have mad sewing skillz and are gorgeous to boot.

Foam? We used wood wrapped in duct tape.

What am I in for?

Smarm. The SCA is the only time I've ever been uncomfortable with flirting. Mostly, it was older people of both genders hitting on people half and a third of their age, and watching people who have no business making out in public* making out in public.

* I'm against really nasty public makeouts and terrible amounts of face-sucking regardless of the comeliness of one or both of the participants. But some people don't make it any easier on the eyes. And I consider myself to have a high threshhold of ugly. YMMV.

Seconding Eideteker. I wasn't a member but my sister was, and some folks could really be odd.

You can make and keep some good friendships if you keep up with people who keep at least a toe in the real world - and can make the switch to and from without a lot of fuss.

It can be a money sink if you're not careful and worry too much about authenticity. I basically got my stuff from the thrift stores and added a swatch of cloth here and there. Friend sewed her own stuff, but she was a SAHM, so she had the time and materials.

I went camping/to a festival with said friend in the mountains of New Mexico one year. We had a blast, and saw a lot of folks who'd turned it into their lives. They can be interesting in small doses. You can learn a whole lot of esoteric stuff.

You may achieve broader recognition than you imagine.

Stay away. Far away. I knew actors in Seattle who could bore the clouds out of the sky and the minerals from the earth with their SCA-ness.

I've never met more self-absorbed, arrogant and utterly creepy people. And then there's the whole sublimated sex thing.

Of course, YMMV.

I was involved in the local SCA when I was a teen. I had a blast; met a lot of fun people; got involved with some get-togethers. Years go by, and I met the fiancee (now wife) of a long time friend who was involved with the SCA until after their second son was born. Some of her SCA friends would come to their New Year's parties, and yeah, they could bore you with their weirdness. I say try it, enjoy it, and see if you want to continue. Plus, I'd love to see pictures of the dress!

I basically see it as, I sew anyways, I like historical stuff way more than modern, so it would be nice to have someplace to wear them.

and I have zero pics of my italian gown, on me at least. Which is so bizarre. it's not that great, though. the trim is inaccurate to an almost humorous degree. Like, not as bad as if I'd made it all gingham or something, but damn close. There's one on my flickr of a friend wearing it last halloween, but, well, I'm like eight sizes bigger than her, so it's not the best fit.

Hi everyone, I'm Paul.

(*hi Paul!*)

and I wear funny clothes...

≡ Click to see image ≡

That's awesome. see, and you're from buffalo, and you're not a raging egotist nightmare-person, so I think my theory that the general laidbackness of people here would translate to non-pyschos at the sca may hold up.

I wore garb to the local Ren Faire in August. It was my first time and I was really nervous, but had a blast (there are photos but they're still in the camera).

This site is aimed at Ren Faire people, BUT I found it a great group of people that helped a lot with the wearing and sewing aspects of garb (bought my stuff, but am working up to trying to sew). There are a couple members who are also SCA'ers (and have talked about SCA) and seem to be really nice, regular people.

I haunt the garb section of the forum (but haven't been there in a while) and post under Silverbee.

oooh, great link, thanks! (I've been wanting a sewing group for that era, I really would like to use reeds in my bodies since I don't care for 1/4" flat steels, and wanted opinions.)