This past Saturday, April 26th at the Quest for the Golden Seamstress event in the Barony of Roaring Wastes, Gianna Nicole Vettori and I served as judges and had a great experience. Nine teams of six or fewer artisans competed to create a complete historic outfit — including accessories like shoes, belts, and trim — during a 20-hour overnight stitchapaloza. Teams had to bring all materials with them, as no one could leave once the competition began. Afterward, there was a fashion show where outfits were judged on materials, fit, scope, workmanship, and completeness, along with special points for inspiration, on-site accessories, overall "wow" factor, and team garb. The maximum score possible was 205 points.

There is a chance that Rebecca Muller may have convinced us to put together a team of our own for next year.

thers

 Now that they are presented, the scribe boxes for the Royalty and Heirs that I was commissioned to create as regalia with artwork design by Dag Thorgrimsson. The boxes are based on this exploded view of a stollentruhe chest around 1300 from the Lüneburg Heath.

   

 I had an amazing time at Val Day tournament of chivalry (SCA fighting event) yesterday and I'm sure that I will have the bruises in the next few days to prove that I was there.

I'm humbled to be a member of the order of Chivalry and I am honored to serve the unbelt community of fighters who travel to this event and wait in long lines to have an opportunity to train against us.

I hope that I am able to give advice equal to what each of you teach me.

Additionally I want to thank the Roses who served by coordinating and sending the various fighters out for their bouts.

02/09/2025

Etching on Stainless steel

Laser etching I wanted to try on Stainless steel.

Honestly it worked better than I would have expected and after a few adjustments such as running the program several times in place and changing the focal length on the laser to compensate for the convex shape I was satisfied with the resolution. This opens up some possibilities for post processing castings.

 

Flamingo in her Piety

 Now that it has been presented, I can post about the "Flamingo in her piety" created using my Creality 22 watt laser for my wife's elevation to the SCA order of the Pelican. 

It is made from several layers of wool and backed with heat n bond sheeting witch allows it to be cut, then ironed down before stitching. 

Custom Boxes

For Pennsic 2023 I was asked to make a contribution to the gifts for the State dinner hosted by the Midrealm. We had been chosen to provide gifts for the East and this was my contribution. Two boxes, one made from Wenge and the other from Bubinga. 

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!