About Me

Gareth at Pennsic 2008

Greetings, in the SCA I’m known as Baron Gareth Somerset, from the kingdom of Caid.  I’ve been sewing almost as long as I’ve been in the SCA, which is approaching my third decade.  I’ll get to the sewing part in a bit, I guess I could tell you a bit about me.

I started in the SCA at the tender age of 12, after reading about it from a D&D magazine.  My first event was amazing!  There was fighting, costumes and chivalric ideals in real life!  I was hooked on the spot and it changed my life.

I went on to hold local offices in my shire, Isles.  Later I  became Kingdom Seneschal for Caid, and have autocratted several events.  I also went on to get a degree in history and later to get a teaching credential for Social Studies.  Currently I teach Technology (shop class) and live in southern California.

I was briefly apprenticed to Master Giles Hill of Sweetwater, a Laurel of excessive skill at both dance and costuming.  Sadly my time under his tutelage was cut short by my elevation to the Order of the Pelican, neither he nor I believing in subinfeudation.   But I continued to work on my sewing, and was later elevated to the Order of the Laurel, in part for my costuming, which was about the time I was developing the gambeson pattern that this site is for.

I was later graciously elevated to the Chivalry of Caid, which only goes to prove that I’m a slow learner, having been fighting for 25 years before receiving the accolade.

Since Pennsic XXVI or XXVII I’ve been fortunate enough to sell gambesons at the Anshelm Arms booth.  In 1999, Pennsic XXVIII Sir Luther Anshelm asked me to help him build a more permanent structure and after five weeks of working in the Southern CA sun, we designed, built, tore down, packed up and brought his creation to life in a two story house that now lives on site at Cooper’s Lake in Western PA.

In all that time I’ve had the good fortune to travel not only to Pennsic, but to Lochac, Meridies and Outlands, as well as Atenveldt and the West.   I have dabbled in costuming, woodworking, leatherwork, dance, and vocal music among my interests and have been a member of the Company of St. George in Caid, for some time.

Sir Eronric, Sir Gareth and Sir Dante in Landsknecht style clothing done by the three.