Arts & Sciences
Ottoman costume, cooking, and performance: the things I have made, the classes I teach, and the research behind both.
Nothing tagged that way yet.
Projects
Entries made for competition and display, each documented with sources.
-
Ottoman Spiced Şerbat
A spiced pomegranate şerbet syrup built from a 13th-century Andalusian recipe and 16th-century eyewitness accounts of what Ottomans were actually drinking.
-
Halloum with Tatbila
Home-made halloumi cheese aged two months, finished with a 14th-century seasoned paste of garlic, lime, walnuts, and herbs from al-Warraq.
-
Karagöz & Hacivat Play
An original shadow play in the Ottoman Karagöz tradition — hand-painted goat skin puppets, a backlit screen, and a script that sends Karagöz volunteering at Great Western War.
-
Karagöz & Hacivat Puppets
Hand-painted goat skin shadow puppets with jointed limbs, redrawn from an 18th-century template to reflect 16th-century Ottoman costume.
-
Ottoman Style Chatelaine Badge
An SCA Chatelaine officer badge in 16th-century Ottoman embroidery techniques — diagonal surface darning, chain stitch, and goldwork — finished as a working sling bag.
-
Ottoman Style Tarpuş
A 16th-century Ottoman woman's hat in red cotton velveteen over a handmade pasteboard foundation — the base of the whole Ottoman headdress system.
-
16th c. Ottoman Turkish Hat ("The Crab Hat")
A red wool reconstruction of the distinctive hat seen on courtiers and attendants throughout 16th-century Ottoman miniatures.
-
Block Printed Sleeves
A project recreating detachable Ottoman caftan sleeves, block printed with the chintamani motif.
-
Kaşbastı: Ottoman Diadem
An embroidered Ottoman court headband in silk and goldwork, reconstructed from an extant tomb find associated with a daughter of Ahmed I.
-
Ottoman Gazel: Ey vücûd-i kâmilin esrâr-i hikmet masdarı
A dramatic interpretation of a 1562 gazel by Fuzuli, with analysis of the qasida meter, chain-verse structure, and Gibb's 1901 translation.
-
Peçe: Ottoman Face Veil
A handwoven wool-and-horsehair reconstruction of the stiff late 16th-century Ottoman eye veil, worn for only about fifty years.
-
Sabuniyya: Egyptian Nougat Candy
A sesame and rosewater nougat redacted from three medieval Arabic cookbooks — al-Baghdadi, Familiar Foods, and the Kanz.
-
Ottoman Miniatures from The Habits of the Grand Signor's Court
Gouache and ink reproductions of four miniatures from a c. 1620 folio of the Ottoman court held at The British Museum.
Class Handouts
The take-home version of classes I teach. Built to print.
-
Ottoman Costuming Basics
A layer-by-layer introduction to 16th-century Ottoman garb for men and women, with fabric guidance and recreation notes.
-
Guide to Making Turkish Pants (Şalvar)
Pattern drafting and construction for şalvar, the essential Ottoman lower layer, using rectangular construction.
-
Accessible A&S: A Parent's Guide to Youth Pentathlon
How I helped my third-grader enter and win the full Caid Pentathlon — a practical guide to supporting young artisans through big A&S projects, with a kid-friendly documentation template.
Research & How-To
Period evidence, garment surveys, and construction guides.
-
Ottoman Garb Layers - Gomlek
The gomlek, the innermost chemise layer of Ottoman garb: what we know and how to pattern one.
-
The Ottoman Caftan
The defining features of the Ottoman caftan — sleeves, closures, and cut — for recreating one in the SCA.
-
Turban and Hat Adornments
Sorguç and other feathered ornaments worn on turbans and hats, with extant examples and period art.
-
The Yashmak, Lisam, and Peche; Ottoman Face coverings
A look at the yashmak, lisam, and peche — Ottoman face coverings — with period images.