I just finished a walnut dye session, and it got me wondering - padded linen/wool armor has a lot of layers... and that much cloth can soak up a just ridiculously heavy amount of water. So for those of you who wear things these as part of your kit... does weather present a problem for you? Do you wa...

Happy Birthday!!

First - as to your critics. Llove him or hate him, Old Teddy was right about this - It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face ...

... interesting! Whereabouts in the midlands, may I ask?

Some while ago Albion's Seed went into great detail about the regional origin of the New Englanders of the late 18th c. -
Any chance your word came from that "to New England" region?

thank you!

ForgeCorvus, good eye! You're right, it's a reproduction canteen for the American Civil War era - it came covered in that wool, and was carried that way in period as well. This one's a cheat though - it has a stainless steel body, since real tinware can rust so easily. I'm not MERS-picky about every...

I've gotten hardly anything done at all this year - there have been far too many commitments for much fun. :( I did manage to wrap up that Mark Baker inspired "knapsack from a converted haversack body" though, and got out into the forest with that and some other old-timey toys: merf-18thc-...

Well met!

... do you have a particular location or culture of interest yet?

Oh, ABSOLUTELY have a go! That is the most awesome thing - and I promise, every single photo of the very best handwork you see comes from someone who started from scratch, just like you. In fact, I suspect in this we're more like those denizens of Eriador than the pieceworkers Tod talks about in his...

Hunh. A bit of this is counter-intuitive. Tons of work goes into tanning a hide or weaving a bolt of wool - then at the very last step its finally time to be lazy and do a slip-shod job? I get that the archaeological record shows but it shows, but I can't help but think we're missing something. The ...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS SO VERY MUCH!!!! I especially like the little stitching touches like that square under the dude's neck slit that show you've actually made and worn this stuff. :) I also really like that gal's tunic with the arc motif at her sleeves - classy! I have thoughts on the undergarment...

That is just exquisitely done.
I love love love that you're off exploring all the nooks and crannies we don't see much of.

... pardon if you've talked about it and I've missed it - but I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the Drúedain. They seem very much akin with your spirit.

SO COOL
I think Gulli's rendition of Middle-earth aesthetics grows on me more every time I see his work - for points east of the Misty Mountains especially.

(belatedly) - awesome and thank you!

Gah. I need to finally do a proper MERS-worthy thing to.
Next year for sure.

Pretty!

... that's also a really interesting way of doing the hanging tab on the sheath. I'd never have thought of that, clever!