Joke of All Trades

  It feels good to finish this project for a dear friend! This is the Mammen band, which I've posted before, based upon the 10th c find from Mammen, Denmark. Because of the color combination, I've been affectionately calling this one "watermammen." it looks delicious! 🍉 This band is 100% worsted wool, all of which was hand dyed by myself and the person to whom the band is going using period-appropriate materials and techniques. The blue-grey was overdyed in woad then saddened in an iron bath; the rose red was dyed with madder roots; the lime green was dyed with woad then overdyed in weld. It is just under two yards in length, and because it is going to be used as a belt, I finished the ends in braids then sewed in the ends for strength. The band has been wet-set and is ready to wear! I wanted to do my very best work for her, and with this band I feel like I have. 🤗 A bit of history: First excavated in 1868, when the state of this field was different, the Mammen text...

  I love getting photos from a happy customer! This is the tunic and trousers set I made recently, and they seem to fit great. What a great collection of pictures! Thank you to Michael for the confidence in my work, and to Hannah at Folke Photography for shooting and sending me these fantastic photos. Can't wait to see them when they're dyed! Check out the full gallery below and be sure to check out her other stuff too! https://folkephotography.passgallery.com/-jokeofalltrades

New mallet, who dis? Dropped by this afternoon to visit Justin at Renwood Crafts-- in kit, of course-- to shoot some video for his new YouTube channel, and he presented me with the end product of his "Making a Medieval Mallet" videos. This will be a very handy camp tool and a useful addition to my gear! I promise to use it as irresponsibly as possible. Be sure to find his series on YouTube to see the video, where we discuss traditional woodworking tools and the construction of his shaving horse-- and check out his first video in the Mallet series to watch the process from start to finish. And while you're at it, find my new channel as well for all the steel combat and living history shenanigans you could want. Thanks again, buddy!

This next project is for a dear friend, someone who has inspired me and shaped my progress as a living historian. As such, it is being done with only the very best materials to which I have access. This is 100% worsted wool, hand dyed by us last year as part of this collaborative project using woad, madder, and weld dyeing and overdyeing techniques. These were mordanted with alum. Some products were also saddened using iron oxide baths and others were not. All of the materials and techniques we used were appropriate to Viking Age dyeing standards. While she was the brain behind the dying process, it is now my turn. This will eventually be a belt, and certainly the most exquisite thing I have ever put my tablets to. I am honored to have been asked to make something for this person, and so I will ensure it is woven to the finest standards. Here goes nothing! This next project is for a dear friend, someone who has inspired me and shaped my progress as a living historian. As such, it is be...

This 10th century Swedish-pattern set, consisting of a Birka tunic and Gokstad pants, are going out today to a customer who has been a pleasure to work with. He specifically requested undyed linen so that he may dye them himself with period materials-- I cannot wait to see the results! I spent a few hours over the weekend at Kelley Castle finishing the hand sewing on the pants, so it even comes with a little event magic, free of charge! 😄 And of course, nothing leaves the workshop without the blessings of our little guardians. Here is our newest little mascot, who is still trying to work out the difference between sewing project and cat toy. It ain't east being smol! This 10th century Swedish-pattern set, consisting of a Birka tunic and Gokstad pants, are going out today to a customer who has been a pleasure to work with. He specifically requested undyed linen so that he may dye them himself with period materials-- I cannot wait to see the results! I spent a few hours over the wee...

What a weekend! Kelley Castle 2020 was a resounding success. But the most important thing-- the tent worked, stayed up, and looked great! The tent frame is definitely laborious. At 10 feet tall, this thing cuts an imposing form in the tentgrounds. After having used it, I think i will modify the canvas to make the tent shorter-- perhaps 8 feet tall-- and use that extra fabric to make sleeves for the ground beams, rather than simply staking the tent over them. Hopefully this will also make it easier to set up-- it took five people and a ladder to set up and tear down! I'm also not satisfied with the beam sleeves from Blockade Runner tents that I used on these, and will be replacing them. The tent itself from Midwest Tents is fantastic. I'm blown away by the quality for what I paid for it. If you are looking for a tent and don't want to close down your bank, check them out. Overall, very happy with it for the trial run, and it functioned like a champ for the weekend! Special t...

  The Summer of Tent Construction! This is the beginning of my 48 hour tent frame buildathon! By Thursday, this will be a fully constructed 10x15 Oseberg A-frame tent. The tent itself is from Midwest Tents and is of high quality, but needs some tweaking for my purposes. It will see its first event, and likely only event of 2020, at Kelley Castle in Tomahawk, WI this weekend. If I can get it done, that is! The frame itself is complete! The lateral and ridge beams are 8' a piece and when connected with the sleeve, stretch 16' long. The front and back boards are 12'. The last 6" of each lateral beam is cut down and rounded to a 1.5" peg which will slot into the holes at the front and back of the tent. Only one thing left to do now... see if it fits together! 😬 Well the buildathon is over! There's good news and bad news. The good news: Everything fits together! The boards line up perfectly and I think it will be a sturdy structure. The bad news: Due to the sheer ...