What's everyone working on?

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Eofor
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What's everyone working on?

Post by Eofor »

With some new faces around and I was wondering what everyone's working toward at the moment?

Personally I waiting on several commissions, belt, shield mounts, leather backpack, and am about to start woodworking several new chests (one of which is to hold my new sword)

I'm considering reworking the old heirloom ranger sword I got from Greg a while back but am torn between refurbishing it in it's current state or turning it into some sort of Rohan-Bristol.

Trying to find time to read a certain book while doing my own writing and poetry. Oh I also have a few Yule gifts on the go so that I'm ready to go and not crippled by international post restrictions this year.
What about everyone else? Bonus points for pics of work in progress.
But the white fury of the Northmen burned the hotter, and more skilled was their knighthood with long spears and bitter. Fewer were they but they clove through the Southrons like a fire-bolt in a forest.
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Elleth
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Re: What's everyone working on?

Post by Elleth »

Mostly I've laid medieval-rangery stuff aside for a few weeks to clear my brain and come fresh back to a couple projects in a month or two. So this summer I'm mostly doing house decor, gardening, and the very occasional trek up the back hill to plant wildflowers and keep the invasive bittersweet from strangling the trees.

BUT.. let's see... I'm still as I have time stitching on some of my "historical bags" project. I'm up to the New Invented haversack/knapsack, which just needs the ties for the top opening to be cut, dyed, and stitched into place.

And lastly, I had a lovely little Birka wallet I was working on as a very belated Yule gift... but I think the new puppy somehow managed to sneak it out of my sewing bag when my back was turned. For night after night I'd swear I had it high enough or the bag cinched tight - and still every time I turned around she somehow had managed to sneak it away. I think she finally won. :(

... gotta start over I suppose. Probably with something less tasty than greased calfskin. :mrgreen:

Oh! Also I finally got the neck of that ruana project done. I'll post pictures soon - stitching tweed with wool thread is an astounding difference from how I'd worked before. And this weekend I hope to have time enough to work out exactly where to cut the front and back hems.
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Re: What's everyone working on?

Post by jasonofthehill »

I have a problem with starting too many projects, then the old "I'll get back to this" turns from days to weeks and inevitably to a box of partially completed stuff that's been sitting around way too long. So right now I'm trying to focus on a water skin and sword baldric.

I read a lot of reviews on cheap botas with the latex lining leaking so I ordered a HDPE one from Botapro, it won't move quite the same as a real one but a sawyer water filter seems to fit the treads. Still have to wrap it in leather and do some testing.

Decided on going with a baldric for my sword, because I ordered the Strider sword (without much forethought) and when it showed up it was a lot longer and heavier than expected and hanging it from my belt doesn't seem all that reasonable. I want to make a baldric that will work like a standard one, but has the ability to transition the sword to a back slung configuration, for when I want to be able to travel without worrying about the tip hitting the ground.
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Re: What's everyone working on?

Post by Udwin »

During the day, urban homestead stuff and sewing weekly vest commissions for my galactic side-hustle, but in the evenings when I have freetime I've been working on a reconstructed karma helmet... I had intended it to be done for the next MERS newsletter but authentic materials and having to dip my toes into some specialized skillsets means at this rate I'm afraid neither will be ready by the deadline I had set. We will see.
Then coming up will be a slew of smaller sewing needs - new summer tunic for Aistan, new shirt for Tungo, and some basic 18th century ladies' garments (chemise, bodice, shortgowns, etc) for my wife and her friend who wants to come to her first rendezvous this fall.
One thing's for sure - there's never enough time!
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Re: What's everyone working on?

Post by Harper »

Udwin wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 5:32 pm During the day, urban homestead stuff and sewing weekly vest commissions for my galactic side-hustle, but in the evenings when I have freetime I've been working on a reconstructed karma helmet... I had intended it to be done for the next MERS newsletter but authentic materials and having to dip my toes into some specialized skillsets means at this rate I'm afraid neither will be ready by the deadline I had set. We will see.
Then coming up will be a slew of smaller sewing needs - new summer tunic for Aistan, new shirt for Tungo, and some basic 18th century ladies' garments (chemise, bodice, shortgowns, etc) for my wife and her friend who wants to come to her first rendezvous this fall.
One thing's for sure - there's never enough time!

I'm really looking forward to seeing that karma helmet.
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Re: What's everyone working on?

Post by ForgeCorvus »

My new Cartridge Box...... But thats not very Middle Earth.
Dwarven tool kit and roll (possibly.... Might become a box or even an envelope), for which I'm going going to use Iodo's square as "source material" (because I think the design is elegantly functional)
I've been looking at hats, a lot of patterns look too human ...... Got a plan though
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Re: What's everyone working on?

Post by Greg »

Man oh man, who has the time?!

Full-time job, part-time job, parent of three, and full-time homesteader here...my plate is very full. I've resorted to once again taking Middle-earth sewing projects to work to gain some progress during lunch breaks that inevitably get interrupted. BUT I'm making progress! My current project that is quite near completion is a reorganization of my pocket trash and firekit, complete with a new leather belt pouch that forms the bulk of the new system. It's based shamelessly on aspects of several that have been posted here, and I'm quite excited about it.

Beyond that? Reading (when possible) some purely entertaining fiction, and some research fiction in prep for the next newsletter.

And then, of course, there's the never-ending but ever-entertaining search for a next trekking locale. Logistics, logistics, logistics!
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Re: What's everyone working on?

Post by Iodo »

There's some really awesome sounding stuff on this thread, I can't wait to hear more from everyone :P

as for me, I've just posted my most recent project over in the soft kit forum (viewtopic.php?f=25&p=52724#p52724) but I have covid so at the moment I'm not feeling like heading out to test it, hence the back yard photo shoot

Eofor wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 11:31 am Bonus points for pics of work in progress.
does that mean a prize for a two part in depth how-to video? lol :lol:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUeRPRp9Q94
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G1Ilrfcs_s


Elleth wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 2:04 pm Oh! Also I finally got the neck of that ruana project done. I'll post pictures soon - stitching tweed with wool thread is an astounding difference from how I'd worked before. And this weekend I hope to have time enough to work out exactly where to cut the front and back hems.
cool stuff, PM me if you want the exact dimensions I used and I'll measure mine ;)

ForgeCorvus wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 7:12 pm ...Dwarven tool kit and roll (possibly.... Might become a box or even an envelope), for which I'm going going to use Iodo's square as "source material" (because I think the design is elegantly functional)
I've been looking at hats, a lot of patterns look too human ...... Got a plan though
looking forward to seeing it, mine kinda went on the back burner a few years ago, I will come back to it some day though

as for hats, last year I wet felted a witches hat for Haloween and I was surprised that it actually went relatively well given it was only the second time I had tried felting, and my practice project was a fraction of the size. The wet felt technique is messy and time consuming, but there are literally hundreds of video's on YouTube for how to do it, you don't need much equipment to get started so although wool is a bit costly it doesn't break the bank, and the best part is if you get reasonably good at it you could make almost any hat of any shape/size/colors that you could imagine. Not to mention my favorite quote regarding hats and Middle-earth:
LR I:3 wrote:Presently Sam appeared, trotting quickly and breathing hard; his heavy pack was hoisted high on his shoulders, and he had put on his head a tall shapeless felt bag, which he called a hat. In the gloom he looked very much like a dwarf.
It justifies felted hats in Middle-earth and suggests that wearing one makes you look like a dwarf (if that's what your after), so It might be worth looking into?
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Re: What's everyone working on?

Post by Elleth »

cool stuff, PM me if you want the exact dimensions I used and I'll measure mine ;)
I think if you would, relative measurements would be nice: where does the front and back him sit in relation to your knee (arms out and arms down), where does the side hem sit in respect to your elbow (arms out), and whether you rounded the corners or left it square?

And I forget - did you stitch on a hood or no?
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Re: What's everyone working on?

Post by Iodo »

Elleth wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 8:27 pm
cool stuff, PM me if you want the exact dimensions I used and I'll measure mine ;)
I think if you would, relative measurements would be nice: where does the front and back him sit in relation to your knee (arms out and arms down), where does the side hem sit in respect to your elbow (arms out), and whether you rounded the corners or left it square?

And I forget - did you stitch on a hood or no?
I'm on it :lol:
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Re: What's everyone working on?

Post by Taylor Steiner »

I'm not working on anything but theowl is in the beginning stages of making me a leather duster like in the movie. Get well soon Iodo!
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Re: What's everyone working on?

Post by Iodo »

Taylor Steiner wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 11:40 pm I'm not working on anything but theowl is in the beginning stages of making me a leather duster like in the movie. Get well soon Iodo!
Thanks Taylor :P and that sounds like an awesome project, I can't wait to see it finished
Gimli: It's true you don't see many Dwarf-women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for Dwarf-men.
Aragorn: It's the beards.
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Re: What's everyone working on?

Post by Jack »

Well... i should be working on soft kit but in typical ADHD fashion I got distracted and started making another haversack because i'm not happy with how much my first attempt bulges like a ravioli when full so version 2 is going to have maybe folds or gussets or something to give it... depth?
BUT before finishing that project I got sidetracked (and tired of breaking these cheap walmart needles at the eye and sinking them into my finger tips if I'm being honest) and started forging axe heads and carving handles.
The heads need a lot of finish work but the eyes on both are for the most part good to go, which has allowed me to put the cart before the horse and finish carving/fitting the handles (will come back and edit in WIP pics of both axes and haversack later since i dont want to get out of bed right now)
This axe tangent held my attention for a couple of days BUT not enough to prevent me from getting distracted AGAIN and trying to train Merlin (pictured below) to be a pack goat.
I'm quite certain this endeavor will not bear fruit but we did make a little progress today. The smart thing to do would be to (drop the idea altogether but failing that) revisit the idea with a bottle raised wether from the next batch of kids in the spring but we'll see. So yeah at this rate I'll have everything wrapped up in a decade or so lol


Image
Iodo wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 8:14 pm
as for hats, last year I wet felted a witches hat for Haloween and I was surprised that it actually went relatively well given it was only the second time I had tried felting, and my practice project was a fraction of the size. The wet felt technique is messy and time consuming, but there are literally hundreds of video's on YouTube for how to do it, you don't need much equipment to get started so although wool is a bit costly it doesn't break the bank, and the best part is if you get reasonably good at it you could make almost any hat of any shape/size/colors that you could imagine. Not to mention my favorite quote regarding hats and Middle-earth:
LR I:3 wrote:Presently Sam appeared, trotting quickly and breathing hard; his heavy pack was hoisted high on his shoulders, and he had put on his head a tall shapeless felt bag, which he called a hat. In the gloom he looked very much like a dwarf.
It justifies felted hats in Middle-earth and suggests that wearing one makes you look like a dwarf (if that's what your after), so It might be worth looking into?
Thats VERY interesting, I wonder what a felted dwarf hat might look like? Pointy and floppy like the stocking style caps in Tolkiens sketch for the Hobbit?
Also I do hope you get well soon Iodo
Elleth wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 2:04 pm but I think the new puppy somehow managed to sneak it out of my sewing bag when my back was turned. For night after night I'd swear I had it high enough or the bag cinched tight - and still every time I turned around she somehow had managed to sneak it away. I think she finally won. :(

So the dog ate your homework eh? A likely story! Lol :mrgreen:
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Re: What's everyone working on?

Post by Eofor »

So many replies!
Elleth wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 2:04 pm ... gotta start over I suppose. Probably with something less tasty than greased calfskin. :mrgreen:
This is my favourite quote of the year. I'm just going to leave it here with zero context to giggle at later. I love that you're planting wildflowers everywhere, we just had the Verroa mite land on our shores and they're doing a bee cull in a 20 mile radius. I'm very worried about the local plants and am thinking of spending up on a few native beehives to help with pollination.
jasonofthehill wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 2:30 pm I ordered the Strider sword (without much forethought) and when it showed up it was a lot longer and heavier than expected and hanging it from my belt doesn't seem all that reasonable.
How are you hanging it? If you want to wear it on your belt there are various suspensions that can distribute the weight better, I have a longsword that can be belt worn in all but the roughest brush. Though if it's very heavy maybe not.
Udwin wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 5:32 pm I've been working on a reconstructed karma helmet... I had intended it to be done for the next MERS newsletter but authentic materials and having to dip my toes into some specialized skillsets means at this rate I'm afraid neither will be ready by the deadline I had set. We will see.
Thats pretty fantastic, are we talking fully functional?
ForgeCorvus wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 7:12 pm I've been looking at hats, a lot of patterns look too human ...... Got a plan though
It's gotta be a cone hat or nothing! The professors own drawings had all the dwarves in cones and having made one myself I gotta say they're pretty fantastic. Comfy, keep the sun AND the rain off.
Greg wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 7:15 pm And then, of course, there's the never-ending but ever-entertaining search for a next trekking locale. Logistics, logistics, logistics!
This.... a thousand times this. I'm always planning logistics and trying to push our living history group into new territory and after each one I think 'that's it, that's the best I can do' but they keep coming :mrgreen:
Iodo wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 8:14 pm does that mean a prize for a two part in depth how-to video? lol :lol:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUeRPRp9Q94
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G1Ilrfcs_s
Yes it does, the prize is being the best and most talented Dwarf on here. Your surcoat and hood are fantastic, are you coping with the covid?
Taylor Steiner wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 11:40 pm I'm not working on anything but theowl is in the beginning stages of making me a leather duster like in the movie. Get well soon Iodo!
That's exciting, are you going to go with a reproduction or an inspired by? It would be great to see it in different shades and with some slight changes to make it unique.
Jack wrote: Wed Jul 06, 2022 7:51 am trying to train Merlin (pictured below) to be a pack goat.
Oh he is MAGNIFICENT! I suspect you will end up carrying his pack!
But the white fury of the Northmen burned the hotter, and more skilled was their knighthood with long spears and bitter. Fewer were they but they clove through the Southrons like a fire-bolt in a forest.
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Re: What's everyone working on?

Post by Cimrandir »

Well, as usual, what I'm working on is both quite a bit and nothing at all at the same time. Always planning but not always doing.

Right now, I'm working/planning for the following items -
  • Belt pouch
  • Belt
  • Loincloth/underwear
  • Undertunic
  • Tunic
  • Pannonian pillbox hat
- Belt pouch is the furthest along. I have both the design and the decoration I want. What's next is I need to order actual linen cord for the flap (my leather thong idea did not work as well as I had thought it would) and I need to decide on the method of closure. I've got two different ideas and depending on the day and my mood I swing back and forth on the final decision. Going to look for and order cord this weekend so hopefully finish that pouch up soonest.

- Belt is less along in the process. I've decided on a thin goatskin with linen core along the lines of some late Roman belts I've seen. Trouble is sourcing thin veg-tan goatskin belt blanks. Might have to bite the bullet and make my own.

- Loincloth/Undertunic are my practice pieces. Loin-cloth is my first thought for underwear but depending on the comfort level, I may just make a pair of simple linen boxers instead. Truthfully my sewing skills are lacking (sorry Caedmon) and so I really just need to practice. I've been doing it a little just with random scraps but time can be elusive and so I'm not really as confident as I would like to be.

- Tunic is a big one. I've been doing research hoping to find a tunic design that would work for both living history (6th. Britain) and Middle-earth but no dice. So right now, I'm drafting up a pattern. Straight body with no gores like some of those early Migration period tunics but with a slit in the side for ease of movement, diamond shaped under-armed gussets because I get freaked out when I can't fully move my arms sometimes, and fairly tight sleeves (again like the early Migration period stuff.) I've waffling back and forth on the neckline. Either a very late period Guddal-style standing collar or a Coptic-style slit. Because I am both crazy and Extra TM, I've decided that it's not enough to simply handsew a tunic. No, I must hand-dye it with proper plant-dyes as well. I'm looking for a dark reddish-brown so the plan is to find some natural brown wool, dye it a dark brown by boiling madder, and then over-dye it with regular madder to add some red tones.

So if anybody has a source for a medium-weight (200ish grams/m2) undyed natural brown wool in a herringbone weave, lemme know for sure. I reached out to Classic Fabrics because they've usually got lightweight stuff but they only have their natural brown in plainweave and won't be making more anytime soon.

- For the hat, same as the other stuff. Just trying to get a little better at sewing before attempted a hat again. (sorry again Caedmon)


In non-kit goings on, it is too blasted hot and dry here to grow much at the moment so the apartment garden is on hold until fall-time. Thinking of trying taters this next time. I've started working on my fitness and diet again because the last couple of years have seen me backslide quite a bit. The wife and I are trying to improve our eating habits and I'm trying to get in exercise in some form or another once a day. No good being a Ranger that loses his breath walking over a couple hills.

Edit to add - I forgot to mention that my custom leg-band commission from KramBu has finally been completed and is currently making it's way to me. Will post photos when it gets in!

Jack wrote: Wed Jul 06, 2022 7:51 am Well... i should be working on soft kit but in typical ADHD fashion I got distracted
Boy, do I feel you on that one.
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