Category: Clothing and Equipment

A place to document my kit – things I’ve made or found

Clothing and Equipment, Research1 Comment

Mailbag – About my Dorset loom

Greet Gijsberts

(not my pic, but the seller's) My little Dorset loom gets the vast majority of email questions, and I'm going to start answering them here also, in the hopes that the surprising number of loom researchers and hopeful weavers can find what they're looking for more easily. The latest asks particularly (I paraphrase, the reference is to the blog post where I got to try out an Oxaback loom):  Did you ever go to Vavstuga for a weaving workshop? I am getting interested in learning to weave, and still choosing a loom.  Many people want me to get a jack … Continue reading Mailbag – About my Dorset loom

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Tent progress – Punch list progresses

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(the clamps on the ends are to help keep the tension along the ridge – when the ear ends are sewn shut, they won't be needed)(that's green tarp remnants) It's coming, it's coming…(happy dance) Put tent up in yard, so I can easily fool with details. Check performance against dew. Pin on ties Fix tension/geometry of end panels by trimming bottom of triangles Determine final length of ears Trim tarp Baste on ties Adjust tarp fit – LABEL Measure and cut mudflaps Baste on mudflaps Check performance against rain (rain predicted for Friday) Machine-sew ties and mudflaps Get tarp cover … Continue reading Tent progress – Punch list progresses

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Tent progress – Frame now works!

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The tent frame now works.  (Thanks as always for snapping pics, Mike.)  I'd gotten another joint suggestion from GMA fan Carl Smart (thank you!), and we used part of it, to great success. We ended up dropping the height of the ridgepole a total of 7" from where it had been.  I notched the short bits of the uprights to carry the ridge directly, which places the uprights at good section-modulus orientation* when you're pushing the assembled frame up underneath the fabric.  Ridge is now at approximately 8'-9". *This means a rectangular section vertical, rather than horizontal.  Much stronger shape. … Continue reading Tent progress – Frame now works!

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Tent progress – I’ve sewn a house!

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I spent a lot of time in the past week sewing on my tent. Yes, I do all my sewing currently on a 30" x 48" table squirreled away in here.  No pics of the folding required to lay out pieces in a room smaller than they are. In case I haven't said so already, this fabric is Odd.  It's a wool/Something Plastic blend, as determined by a burn test.  Except that I can't keep it on fire.  I can't help thinking this isn't a bad thing in a tent.  I just hope it doesn't turn out to be a sweatbox…but … Continue reading Tent progress – I’ve sewn a house!

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Sable Sword cloak patterns

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As part of my job as Special Projects Deputy to the Costumer's Guild of Meridies, I've been trying to capture the projects that are being done.  Numerous people have been making Sable Sword cloaks, which are regalia for those individuals who have been named to the Order of the Sable Sword.   They are large hooded black cloaks, with a white center black panel, to show off the appliqued black sword at center spine, hilt up. Maudey made up eight kits, and put assembly instructions in them, but if we ever want any more, I thought it'd be good to … Continue reading Sable Sword cloak patterns

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Tent stakes and puller and hardware

Greet Gijsberts

The other half of my weekend was consumed with making tent stakes, a stake puller, hardware, buying wood for ridgepole and uprights, and being shown about a pretty good flea market in Dothan. Stake puller and tent stakes.  They need painting next. Red iron is fun. First we cut 10′ long square rod (10-45 steel?) into 20″ long pieces, with angle cuts on the ends.  12 of these.  So long because of sites like Gatalop, which have sand for dirt, and occur at shoulder parts of the year, with unpredictable and windy weather.  Each stake got a notch mark at … Continue reading Tent stakes and puller and hardware

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Trade: Viking Rus tunics for a trunk

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Just for my A&S record:  I made Gregg a couple of tunics, according to what I learned in the early Rus class at Pennsic… Both tunics are linen – the under one is quite light, with red flat-felled seams, and the decorative hemstitching at neck and cuffs and shoulders.  The over one has dark green flat-fell stitches, and white giant herringbone.  I left the blue tunic's cuffs undecorated – they really should have something quite fancy on, but Gregg is unsure of what he wants.  Refinement for later. The blip at the neck is the reverse side of a maker's … Continue reading Trade: Viking Rus tunics for a trunk

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Kit details

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I've been talking with Brenna today, and she was full of questions about kit details, so I thought I'd share. The belt I've got is not a C-belt.  Here it is laying out flat: Here's how to make one, sacrificing a t-shirt and using lots of duct tape (heh – this sport runs on duct tape, it seems). I need one of these soon.  I'm sitting in the legs now, and the leg straps on this belt are being pulled out by the legs…they don't run straight up like they ought.    The leg buckles seem to want to extend … Continue reading Kit details

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Armor debut – It’s a whole new world, and I’m way behind again.

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I have to admit that I *like* being way behind.  Learning stuff is fun.  Though I need to learn how to get more sleep.  The cough is back. More pics of me being shiny and beat upon are here.  Also a fair amount of pics of me with strange expressions.  I utterly fail as a photography model – eh, it's more interesting to see personality, right?  Things that happened at Daggers & Hemlock: The hug-a-Greet line that formed at troll.  I miss my Gladians already. Stayed with Cordial/Raven/Angel/Daniel – had a great time listening to Malcolm and Lex's stories.  Shared my cemetery report with … Continue reading Armor debut – It’s a whole new world, and I’m way behind again.

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5th century Irish Tuam (a camp chair)

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I've been wanting a camp chair that was strong enough for anybody to sit in, and for me to sit in someone's lap in.  And, since it's mine, it needed some "in the range of" documentation, even though it's a camp chair.  And it had to fold up or break down nicely.  And I wanted it to be more comfortable than a plywood chair. Here's the one Michael Moulton and I worked on this weekend: 5thc Irish Tuam; I haven't seen the book that this guy's instructions are based on yet, and I'd really like to see the original information there, but I figured … Continue reading 5th century Irish Tuam (a camp chair)