Leather Masks

A few years back I crafted a leather mask for a costume party. I didn’t start from scratch though, A friend and I picked up a Mardi Gras-style mask from a Halloween store, and after taping it up, we filled it with plaster to create a mold. I used about 2 ounce vegi-tanned leather, soaking it in warm water to make it pliable for shaping around the form. After several hours of working with the leather as it dried through various stages, I was mostly satisfied and left it to dry completely.

When I returned, I trimmed the edges and the eye holes before sketching the design with a stylus and wetting the areas for tooling. Once that was complete and dry, I painted it with Eco-Flo Cova Color, a water-based leather paint, and sealed it with a clear coat. I added a little elastic cord for the strap, and it was ready to wear!

 

More medieval pouches

 Now that they have been gifted I can share the pouches I cut out to assemble at Pennsic. These are based on patterns form Darkhorse workshop with some modifications. The red one was for my squire (Eli J. Hawkins) Cadfan for the one year anniversary of his squiring. The Tarsoly was a gift for Duchess Runa( Linda M Bouck )and funded by members of her household for being an amazing and inspirational lady and artisan and the third was a gift to myself, because. All were cut out on the laser cutter the dyeing was done with Fiebigs alcohol based dyes and imersed in a ziplock back to get an even saturation of color. All were saddle stitched with waxed linen thread.

14C Leather Pouch

 The pattern was from dark horse workshop with a few modifications. The front illumination is from the Codex Manesse with a modification to the centerpiece. It now says Honi soit qui mal y pense” (“Shame to him who thinks evil of it) the motto of the garter knights created by Edward III. The pattern and front elimination were cut on my creality falcon 5 watt laser and most of the leather dyeing I do in Ziploc bags with fiebings alcohol-based dyes that I dilute with rubbing alcohol about 20%. Ultimately this pouch will be my ransom for the Road to Rouen event.