I figured I should write something up about this. Particularly as it has taken up so very much of my focus this year and has been very fun!
Briefly - the Barony has a internal A&S competition this year. At the start of the year, groups of 5 individuals chose 4 random items each and all groups were given a single universal item (Bone). Each group is tasked with presenting items from the 5 given at 5 points throughout the year.Each presentation is judged and at the end of the year the group with the highest score wins.
My group is Sew & Swear. This group is a A&S regular gathering which I host weekly. We're all friends and it made sense to put in together. Our random items were Sugar, Honeycomb, Milk and Flax. So far we have done presentations on two of these items, Sugar and Honeycomb.
My personal accomplishments have been: I tracked the process of making a sugar cone from cane and then brewed some mead (first time I had brewed anything!). I did have bigger plans for the Honeycomb phase but got my call up for surgery before I could implement them and was out for 6-weeks.
But I also helped with many of the other things that others led. All in all we did:
Sugar cone (with history of sugar and sugar production)
Macaroons
Sugar Cakes (served with honey-whipped cream)
Payn Ragoun (fudge)
Sry Michael of Yorks Mead
Saville Mead
Claree
Ypocras
Oxyporum (salad and medicinal)
Wood, Leather and Metal treatments
How to grey hair dark
Baldness cure
We've had a heap of fun doing all these things. I have been very obsessed with the sugar side of things and I planning to run a demonstration later this year. I have also been preemptively experimenting with the flax side of things and did a small attempt to process some linseed oil from seed (following Theopholis sp?) in March this year. I will do up a little specific thing on the sugar production and the linseed oil a little later.
Bone is next on our list. With Milk and then Flax to follow. So more to come later.
Sunday 26 May 2013
Thursday 9 May 2013
Playing - Russian Bead Embroidery
Russian Bead Embroidery
Began playing with doing some of this last night. Made it up with leftover bits and pieces randomly in my collection, but it was surprisingly quick and 'easy'.
Did a simple straight piece, about 8cm long. I used some white wool for the base, glass pearls couched on top and some random braid for edging. Took about 1.5 hrs, with figuring out how to do anything because I have never couched before! lol
Couple of things I learned.
Firstly use a little less of the wool padding or at least have the braid your using before you start a project and get enough padding to suit. Whilst the 'lumpy crap' I was using actually turned out fine, it sat a little too high with the braid.
Secondly. I will need some practice with hiding the ends of the braid. That was a bit fail.
Thirdly. A certain amount of tension is needed with keeping the pearls in place whilst couching them down. You need three hands to do this effectively. Or you need a bulldog clip :)
I used yellow (hideous hideous yellow) thread so that I could see all my work and learn from what I did. That worked pretty well. I was surprised at how many stitches you see underneath the piece.
What I did was quite a simple piece. Whilst doing it I had thoughts of how to manage longer lengths of wadding for the pattern, using a cotton crochet thread instead of the wool (as I see others do on occasions), how to fit larger patterns onto a single frame (you DEF need a frame), where to get more appropriate braid from (and checked out some examples where they used more seed beads couched to the sides).
All in all I enjoyed this. I surprised myself with an ability to couch quite effectively (to my complete novice eyes at least). And it looks very pretty too :)
Began playing with doing some of this last night. Made it up with leftover bits and pieces randomly in my collection, but it was surprisingly quick and 'easy'.
Did a simple straight piece, about 8cm long. I used some white wool for the base, glass pearls couched on top and some random braid for edging. Took about 1.5 hrs, with figuring out how to do anything because I have never couched before! lol
Couple of things I learned.
Firstly use a little less of the wool padding or at least have the braid your using before you start a project and get enough padding to suit. Whilst the 'lumpy crap' I was using actually turned out fine, it sat a little too high with the braid.
Secondly. I will need some practice with hiding the ends of the braid. That was a bit fail.
Thirdly. A certain amount of tension is needed with keeping the pearls in place whilst couching them down. You need three hands to do this effectively. Or you need a bulldog clip :)
I used yellow (hideous hideous yellow) thread so that I could see all my work and learn from what I did. That worked pretty well. I was surprised at how many stitches you see underneath the piece.
What I did was quite a simple piece. Whilst doing it I had thoughts of how to manage longer lengths of wadding for the pattern, using a cotton crochet thread instead of the wool (as I see others do on occasions), how to fit larger patterns onto a single frame (you DEF need a frame), where to get more appropriate braid from (and checked out some examples where they used more seed beads couched to the sides).
All in all I enjoyed this. I surprised myself with an ability to couch quite effectively (to my complete novice eyes at least). And it looks very pretty too :)
Small bits and pieces
Over the last year or so I have done a couple of very small beading things. Mostly for Master Owain's garb!
I did two sets of silk garters for his new garb. With some beading decoration on both.
Did some decoration on a new set of pants, again for Master Owain!
As well as finally getting around to doing a beaded edging on my Italian. (not a great pic of it however)
I did two sets of silk garters for his new garb. With some beading decoration on both.
Did some decoration on a new set of pants, again for Master Owain!
As well as finally getting around to doing a beaded edging on my Italian. (not a great pic of it however)
Completed Work - But Wait, More Spirals!
Laurelling cloak for Ffride
Straight after the Viking Apron project, I helped with the decoration on a friends cloak for her laurelling. Again sucked down the rabbit hole by Mistress Portia!
I did the spiral decoration on the ends of the cloak for (now) Mistress Ffride.
We ordered a gorgeous piece of tablet weaving from overseas (neither of us have the skills to do this awesome a job). Ffride gave us a shawl which we trimmed down into the cloak. I used some of my unused wire for the spirals. The leaf decoratives are from a bracelet from a random junk jewellery store.
For my part, I wove the spirals onto the ends of the tablet woven piece. The wool that that was used was exceptionally springy so I ended up using a 'flugalbinder' approach, which worked really quite well. We had some difficulties and some successes.
As for timeframes, I honestly can't remember. Vaguely I remember working on it for several hours over a few of days, so maybe around the 24-30 hr mark all up.
I think we both enjoyed doing it too. :) Ffride seemed pleased with the results ("Oh my, Lord!" was her very loud exclamation in the middle of her ceremony hehe). So again, total WIN!
Straight after the Viking Apron project, I helped with the decoration on a friends cloak for her laurelling. Again sucked down the rabbit hole by Mistress Portia!
I did the spiral decoration on the ends of the cloak for (now) Mistress Ffride.
We ordered a gorgeous piece of tablet weaving from overseas (neither of us have the skills to do this awesome a job). Ffride gave us a shawl which we trimmed down into the cloak. I used some of my unused wire for the spirals. The leaf decoratives are from a bracelet from a random junk jewellery store.
For my part, I wove the spirals onto the ends of the tablet woven piece. The wool that that was used was exceptionally springy so I ended up using a 'flugalbinder' approach, which worked really quite well. We had some difficulties and some successes.
As for timeframes, I honestly can't remember. Vaguely I remember working on it for several hours over a few of days, so maybe around the 24-30 hr mark all up.
I think we both enjoyed doing it too. :) Ffride seemed pleased with the results ("Oh my, Lord!" was her very loud exclamation in the middle of her ceremony hehe). So again, total WIN!
Completed Stuff - Viking apron wire work
Apron for Her Majesty Queen Beatrice!
Late last year I was sucked down the rabbit hole by Mistress Portia as a helper for some garb for Her Majesty. The part we took on was the apron and head scarf for Her Majesty's 11thC Finnish viking garb based on the Eura find.
http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/FTP_Files/Ancient_Finnish_Costumes.PDF
Now being a person who really does much later or much earlier period than this, this was kinda cool. What I was asked to do was the spiral work apron decorations as well as the spiral fringing on the apron.
With my partner, Master Owain, help we turned up massive lengths of spirals which I then turned into short pieces (5 ring lengths) for the fringing and pulled apart longer lengths for the decorations. All done by hand as there was no other possible way. My hands were sore for a month!
I'll do a 'montage' of pics below. But we used bronze wire for all spirals and red wool as the thread for making the decorative pieces. Lovely piece of wool was supplied to use for the actual apron. We had to hand fray and attach the extra thread for all the fringing.
At the end of the project all helpers were asked to do a 'work assessment' to add to the documentation which reads as follows:
"Apron:
Coils made from 175m of bronze wire inc the 75m that was sent to Heilwich for the shawl. Cost was $15 per 25 m roll.
Time to make coils was around 10 hours (2 evenings and a little here and there), 95% Alex, 5% Owain.
Fringing took around 27 hrs.
3 row at bottom - coils all Alex, with Alex & Portia tag teaming on the additional fringing threading.
Top flap Alex & Portia both coils and threading.
Decorations took about 3 hrs a piece inc attachment. Alex made, Portia attached.
Red wool was supplied by me for the decoration internals, around 3 hours to make the needed lengths (plaited). Portia
Portia did all the edging up the side of the apron and coil attachment there, not sure on the hours.
Hemming the veil was all Portia, no idea on exact time taken.
Belt fans took around 1.5 hrs for making and threading (Alex) and then weaving the ends into the tablet weaving was another hourish (Portia)."
And now for a montage!
Making Spirals
Fringing and Spiral Trim
Making the Decorations
Final Stuff!
All in all, I had fun, it looked awesome so total win!
Late last year I was sucked down the rabbit hole by Mistress Portia as a helper for some garb for Her Majesty. The part we took on was the apron and head scarf for Her Majesty's 11thC Finnish viking garb based on the Eura find.
http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/FTP_Files/Ancient_Finnish_Costumes.PDF
Now being a person who really does much later or much earlier period than this, this was kinda cool. What I was asked to do was the spiral work apron decorations as well as the spiral fringing on the apron.
With my partner, Master Owain, help we turned up massive lengths of spirals which I then turned into short pieces (5 ring lengths) for the fringing and pulled apart longer lengths for the decorations. All done by hand as there was no other possible way. My hands were sore for a month!
I'll do a 'montage' of pics below. But we used bronze wire for all spirals and red wool as the thread for making the decorative pieces. Lovely piece of wool was supplied to use for the actual apron. We had to hand fray and attach the extra thread for all the fringing.
At the end of the project all helpers were asked to do a 'work assessment' to add to the documentation which reads as follows:
"Apron:
Coils made from 175m of bronze wire inc the 75m that was sent to Heilwich for the shawl. Cost was $15 per 25 m roll.
Time to make coils was around 10 hours (2 evenings and a little here and there), 95% Alex, 5% Owain.
Fringing took around 27 hrs.
3 row at bottom - coils all Alex, with Alex & Portia tag teaming on the additional fringing threading.
Top flap Alex & Portia both coils and threading.
Decorations took about 3 hrs a piece inc attachment. Alex made, Portia attached.
Red wool was supplied by me for the decoration internals, around 3 hours to make the needed lengths (plaited). Portia
Portia did all the edging up the side of the apron and coil attachment there, not sure on the hours.
Hemming the veil was all Portia, no idea on exact time taken.
Belt fans took around 1.5 hrs for making and threading (Alex) and then weaving the ends into the tablet weaving was another hourish (Portia)."
And now for a montage!
Making Spirals
Fringing and Spiral Trim
Making the Decorations
Final Stuff!
All in all, I had fun, it looked awesome so total win!
Project 3 - Beaded banner
Beaded Banner
A little while ago I came across some random offcuts of fabric for a $1 each. Not really enough to anything 'big' with one piece called out to me for bannering!
The Planning
This one piece has a lovely diamond shaped geometric pattern. I am pretty sure it is synthetic. But fairly heavy and will hang nice a flat. About 80cm x 1.2m piece.
Given I am going to line the back of this once done and how heavy the fabric is I decided to draw my intended pattern in pencil on the back. Made it much easier to visualize and plan!!
Very geometric (which appeals to me) and therefore very rinse and repeat.
All following a simple base design. I've seen this motif used across a number of periods, with the earliest being a viking weaving example. So pretty comfy with the pattern holding up to some scrutiny ;-)
Once I'd mapped out what I intended to do I started playing around with design of the actual beading. I have done the beading in 'sections' rather than as a whole for the most part, ie the centre motif was first, followed by the small two square separators. So far I've decided what will be done for each of those sections, with the rest to come.
Completed Areas
I've been keeping a basic track of time its been taking me to do this. So far I have completed the centre motif and am about to start on the two-square pieces.
The centre motif outline has taken around 15 working hours. It does look awesome though!
Next step is to do the two-square parts and I will start on that probably this weekend. Very exciting.
A little while ago I came across some random offcuts of fabric for a $1 each. Not really enough to anything 'big' with one piece called out to me for bannering!
The Planning
This one piece has a lovely diamond shaped geometric pattern. I am pretty sure it is synthetic. But fairly heavy and will hang nice a flat. About 80cm x 1.2m piece.
Given I am going to line the back of this once done and how heavy the fabric is I decided to draw my intended pattern in pencil on the back. Made it much easier to visualize and plan!!
Very geometric (which appeals to me) and therefore very rinse and repeat.
All following a simple base design. I've seen this motif used across a number of periods, with the earliest being a viking weaving example. So pretty comfy with the pattern holding up to some scrutiny ;-)
Once I'd mapped out what I intended to do I started playing around with design of the actual beading. I have done the beading in 'sections' rather than as a whole for the most part, ie the centre motif was first, followed by the small two square separators. So far I've decided what will be done for each of those sections, with the rest to come.
Completed Areas
I've been keeping a basic track of time its been taking me to do this. So far I have completed the centre motif and am about to start on the two-square pieces.
The centre motif outline has taken around 15 working hours. It does look awesome though!
Next step is to do the two-square parts and I will start on that probably this weekend. Very exciting.
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