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Beginner's Lucet Tutorial

  I got a message recently asking for a tutorial on how to make a basic lucet cord since the only tutorial on my channel so far has been an advanced braid that features working 2 strands. This is the video for you if you are a newbie to using a lucet to make your own lacing for historical garments. Lucet has been used for ties, laces, and applied trim. Typically it is thought that the style might have originated with Norse cultures in the early medieval period. I encourage you to dive into the history of lucet and the different braids you can make with it if you are looking for a quick and compact way to make cord that you can put down and pick up as your time allows. The piece I made for this video took about 2 hours in real time and I did not speed up any of the clips I used to teach the technique, I simply trimmed down the footage. Have you ever used a lucet before? Tell me about your experiences in the comments and your preferred style of lucet fork. Do you like the large U s...
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Discover Why Every Maker Needs This Book: Craeft Book Review

  What does it mean to be a maker? What does it mean to be crafty? Where did the word craft come from in the English language? In Craeft, Alexander Langlands deep dives into these topics. Langlands is a Welsh archeologist that many reenactors might know from BBC programs like Tudor Monastery Farm, Tales from the Valley Green, or Victorian Farm. I read this book last year when I was taking some personal time to try and recharge and found it absolutely gets to the heart and soul of why I research and make things. The book also speaks to macro economics in a way that I had not really considered before as a maker of items and how a global disruption of trade can cut people off from goods, leaving them to be craefty like our ancestors to use local items and survive. Ya know, like we were all doing in 2020. This book was published in 2017. Langlands also dives into how our choices as makers can impact the environment around us and how it adapts and changes based on the car we give it a...

My Dream Renaissance Dress

  If this video has been helpful to you, you might also enjoy my 16th century play list. This has similar dress diaries, deep dives into eyelets or pad stitching, and other helpful videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-n8YRaQqPMGi4mqIndRcmugWRkVtlLno This video has been a really emotional one for me to go back and edit. I started this project 2 years ago when I was offered to join the SCA Order of the Laurel based on my research into fashion history, specifically the 16th century in Europe. Its interesting to look back now and see how much my skills are still growing since I started this project. My elevation took place in that strange pandemic reopening time, and ended up being sent out virtually while I was in person with the Crown for the ceremony. The emotions got even more layered with this project when I went to film reveal footage of it. It was packed into the car so I could change at the event I was going to and film/ photograph the reveal footage for you all, ...

Card Weaving a Medieval Style Camera Strap Pitfalls to Dodge

  My largest social network is the Society for Creative Anachronism. This is where I wear most of my historical costuming, and have made the majority of my friends as an adult. This year I've been brining my Canon M50 out to do some better photography and help capture some of my friend's treasured memories. At Battlemoor I started to feel silly walking around with a modern camera strap and wanted something that would blend in more with the medieval aesthetic of the events I was attending. In researching a solution I came across these highly reviewed buckles from Peak Design (link below) that I could add to any strap to make my camera a quick release if needed or to swap to their other accessories. I love how strong and versatile these camera accessories were so I set out on weaving something I could put them on. Join me as I make my own camera strap with some very beginner card weaving skills. Hopefully I can give you some basic terms to search for great resources if you are i...

Making my Viking Apron Dress

  This Week's vlog is the follow up to my Viking Age Tunic dress which I posted last week. When discussing the clothing of Birka and other Norse cultures, a woolen dress is an iconic look which is functional while tending a fire or many other activities. My apron dress is inspired by the finds out of Birka. The wool I used was a light weight suiting with a 2:2 twill weave. The long seams of this dress were finished with a machine for speed, and all of the seam finishings were hand sewn. I used a woolen finishing technique I learned about while flipping through Woven into the Earth by Else Ostergard. The technique involves using wool yarn and a couching stich of sorts to encase the raw edges of the wool. The end result is a low profile and durable seam around the neck and hem of my apron dress. I love that all of the hand sewn elements of this dress start to create a decorative finish on the outside of the dress and the only extra embellishment I added was a herringbone stitch over...

I Finally Made a Viking Tunic for Myself that I don't Hate

  #sewing #Viking #historicaldress My inspiration for this dress is that I never really wear the style. It looks lovely on some people, but I had just never really gotten into it or the time period around it until friends were asking me for help to make their outfits. This year I realized we would be having a local SCA arts event on April Fool's Day and it seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up and I had to do something. I decided on going incognito and making myself some Norse clothing. Even though I've done some work for others in this time period, I am by no means an expert and leaned on some of the work in this blog post: https://maidenanachronism.blogspot.com/2012/05/viking-underdress.html?m=1 I also referenced these books for some of the techniques and information I used (links are affiliate links): Woven into the Earth by Else Ostergard https://amzn.to/3o0kVb2 Medieval Garments Reconstructed: Norse Clothing Patterns by Lilli Fransen, Anna Norgaard and...

Avoid These Common Mistakes: Packing for Pennsic and SCA Camping

  #camping #mysca #societyforcreativeanachronism #glamping #pennsic This summer I've been letting myself fall back in love with the Society for Creative Anachronism. There have been some moments that have been hard for sure, but also some of my moments of greatest joy. One of the things I realized was I had completely forgotten what I need to pack in order to go camping in the different environments we see across the Western United States, at SCA events. This video does not speak in any official way for the non profit group or any of its branches. I simply wanted to share some of my pit falls and learning curves I've experiences over the years. I am a list maker. So I started planning for my second camping trip of the summer by making a list of the things that I would need to have cleaned and packed after my first trip did not go as smoothly as I had hoped earlier this summer. Towards the end of the video I give you 6 tips I've picked up from camping at these events...