I find it interesting that not until today, when I’m frantically trying to finish the Hemd to wear to Grub and Garb tomorrow, that I finally found both period and technical smocking resources. Here’s a good site on how to actually do it. Here’s a great SCA site and paper with details of portraits, discussion, and some technique. And here’s my first attempt.  Notice how it looks like the Ambrosus Holbein, 1518, in the paper?  Very pleased with myself. It’s much more elastic than I expected.  I wish I was done with this Photoshop project (it’s Parade of Homes this … Continue reading Smocking the Hemd

I was scheduled to teach a drop spindle class at Kingdom A&S, but no-one signed up for it, because it was originally scheduled in conflict with the Performing Arts competition, and frankly, I think most people are content to buy yarn and thread.  Fine. I set up my Fiber’s Not Just For Eating stuff anyway, to contribute to the general ambience of the class porch, and sat in on a storytelling class while I worked on my flax spinning, which I’ve been meaning to do.  Here’s the results of an hour spinning. I tried walking around a bit at the … Continue reading Spinning Flax with a drop spindle

I originally thought I’d use a piece of split black leather I got from Gulf Wars. But Lavena looked at it, and at the watch, and said, "Come with me."  She proceeded into a back bedroom and proceeded to throw incredibly soft leather pieces at me.  "This is deer" and "elk" and "here’s some partially done gloves" and "check out these shoes" (which happened to fit me, so of course I want to do them next).  Clearly the GW remnant wasn’t going to work. I took up her offer of the deer, and here’s the finished watch, with fingerbraided lanyard.  … Continue reading Daan’s watchcover

Here’s one finished pair, slightly fulled (felted): Cool, huh?  Well, actually, warm…I’m thinking about putting leather on the soles, to make them better dancing shoes. I have enough Lamb’s Pride Worsted to do another pair, so I’m going to – seeing as shoes wear out rather quickly. This pair will have pointed toes. Continue reading Eastern European Knitted Footlets

NEXT STEPS:Transfer large pic of flax and map to muslin.Compose captions for flax, cotton, camel – alpaca, and fiber, print out.Blanketstitch flax illustration and remaining captions.String together first fiber panel.Design illustrated versions of E-U-R-O-P-ATransfer EUROPA to mapStart embroidering map – look for embroidery references. Continue reading Fiber’s NJFE Illustrations on Muslin