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Finally finished - Quiver of Eriador!

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 1:29 pm
by Elleth
It's finally done!!!
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After admiring Urthgard’s quiver for…. gosh - something like a year and a half - I finally completed my own rendition. The design is fundamentally the same as the one he graciously provided:
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I kept the “ladder” down the back for anchoring cargo straps, although as you’ve already seen I handled the main shoulder strap attachment differently. The folded over front, doubling in the rear, and “boot” are all Urthgard’s of course. It made such a lovely composition I couldn’t help but copy it. :)

Re: Finally finished - Quiver of Eriador!

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 1:38 pm
by Elleth
Making the quiver:

Last year I got as far as getting pieces cut out, punched, and walnut dyed. It wasn’t until this summer though I finally managed to get the whole thing sewn.
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Part of the long delay was all the other projects on the bench of course - but a substantial part was figuring out the hardware. Like Farodel I really wanted a proper “Middle Earth” buckle to accent that front strap, and I’m really glad I took the time to figure out how to do the Shapeways thing right - and of course more than glad they offer the service! Last year I was afraid I’d have to wax-cast every piece, and this was a lot easier.
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The one thing didn’t realize when laying out my templates - though in retrospect I should have - is that the center layer of the “boot” that connects it to the quiver needs to be substantially narrower than the outer two layers, especially at the top. This allows the faces of the boot to bow out, providing that nice rounded look. If the center panel is the same width as the faces, the whole thing will just look flat and ugly. I ended up making three or four different connecting center pieces before I finally got one that worked well. Thankfully I'd walnut dyed a fair amount of scrap leather to make up any mistakes ahead of time - I was working in the late winter without enough sun to make more!
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Re: Finally finished - Quiver of Eriador!

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 1:50 pm
by Elleth
What might I change:
The biggest thing I’d reconsider were I to do it over is the means of sewing the quiver tube up. Once the quiver starts to narrow it’s hard to get in there with a needle, and I ended up rubbing a couple spots on my hands raw trying to manage it. An alternate design might be to replace that center overlap with a narrow center panel, and just saddle-stitch it in place - that way all the sewing could be done from the outside of the quiver. The resulting ridges down the front face might add a bit of nice stability as well. That said, now that the labor is done I’m quite happy with it as is.

I might also simplify the quiver arrangement by removing the “II” connector, and only using the “D” strap anchor. It works just fine as is - it just looks a little busy. That said, I think it’s in the window of defensible design choices for Middle Earth. Finally, after everything was cut I was a little worried the ladder arrangement might look a little too modern, but now that I see the whole thing together it doesn’t read that way to me.

All that said, I'm more than happy with the finished project, and don't plan to make any changes if / when I use the extra pieces I have for a second one.


The Accoutrements:
In following the example of Urthgard (and WETA Aragorn) I decided to add a couple baggage straps around the body of the quiver. They could conceivably stow a bow or hatchet or something, but I can’t say as I had a particular plan for them. It just seemed to me that if others found them useful, they might come in handy.

Attached to the shoulder strap is a small goatskin snapsack on the same model as the one I did for Ursus. Attatching it to the quiver was a last-minute decision, but so far I’m liking it. It not only makes a nice handy all-in-one package for minimalist necessaries, it also ties down the tail of the shoulder strap, which is all sorts of convenient.
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The bag is pieced from scrap, so there’s some extra stitchery in there, and the spine is made from goatskin as well. The hardware is of course more shapeways work.

Eventually I may add eyelets for a closure to each end - I’ve in fact already made the reinforcements to do so. I simply don’t know if I want to go that route yet. In the meantime, I’ll use it as is, simply tied shut with a waxed linen cord. Finally, one end might even get cut open and a gusset added, depending on how fat the tiny cookpot I’ve commissioned gets. We’ll see. I confess, I do really like the pieced because of expensive materials look caedmon was talking about.

Writeup of contents of the snapsack once it’s all done… but no sooner than fall I’m afraid.



Now to get out there and get some more honest wear on these things! :)

Re: Finally finished - Quiver of Eriador!

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 4:16 pm
by Udwin
Brilliant work as always, Elleth! Looking forward to seeing it out on the trail. Say...snapsack contents would be a great fit for the Arnor issue of EotW this winter! ;) I agree that the 'ladder' doesn't read as modern, even though I suppose the idea is sort of MOLLE pack-ish! When it comes to style, leather beats synthetic webbing every time.

Re: Finally finished - Quiver of Eriador!

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 4:40 pm
by Harper
Verrryyy nice!

Re: Finally finished - Quiver of Eriador!

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 5:41 pm
by Ursus
My goodness you've been busy. Turned out great as always, way to raise the bar!

Re: Finally finished - Quiver of Eriador!

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 1:09 am
by Straelbora
Excellent work with beautiful results.

Re: Finally finished - Quiver of Eriador!

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 2:57 am
by Elleth
Thank you gentlemen!

Udwin... I think that might could be arranged. :)

Re: Finally finished - Quiver of Eriador!

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 2:58 am
by Mirimaran
Beautiful work, Elleth!

Ken

Re: Finally finished - Quiver of Eriador!

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 8:06 am
by Greg
All that effort paid off. Now, I'm super-curious to know...it doesn't appear that you've left the ladder in a configuration that allows adjustment like his. Am I seeing that right?

How're you feeling about how it hangs, etc? SURELY you've tried it on already...

Re: Finally finished - Quiver of Eriador!

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 11:07 am
by Elleth
Greg wrote:All that effort paid off. Now, I'm super-curious to know...it doesn't appear that you've left the ladder in a configuration that allows adjustment like his. Am I seeing that right?
You are!

I confess, I couldn't tell from the pictures how he secured his strap where it slipped back through the ladder, and to be honest I didn't want a long tail hanging out one side. I decided then on the standard top-and-bottom attachment, with adjustments handled with the buckle. Originally I'd planned to make the ladder more easily removable by using lacing instead of sewing to secure it in place, but once all the pieces came together I realized that was going to be a bear of a job to remove and replace no matter what - so I stuck with sewing.
Greg wrote:How're you feeling about how it hangs, etc? SURELY you've tried it on already...
Quite happy so far! It seems to sit very comfortably, although I've not yet tested it over a long hike yet. By design, it's a little lower on my back than my old quiver - which is great for keeping fletching out of the way, but also means I need to be mindful as well of the foot poking out on my left when moving around things. No free lunch. :) The leather is thick enough to be sturdy and protective, but thin enough to conform to the body a bit once it's on. Between that and the sock, the arrows are very securely held.

The sock itself is not yet finished as you can see: I still need to add a drawstring at the top, and may add a leather foot at the bottom. I'm also considering sewing a spacer into the bag to spare my fletching, but I've not decided on that yet. I want to use it some more before changing anything else.

I can say I LOVE how my arrows in that woolen sock are now totally quiet and don't rattle a bit - but getting them back in is a chore. I suppose as you've said that's the side of the compromise real Rangers would have made.

Re: Finally finished - Quiver of Eriador!

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 5:13 pm
by Kortoso
Awesome work, Elleth!

Re: Finally finished - Quiver of Eriador!

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 9:27 pm
by Taurinor
That looks amazing! What are your plans for the cargo straps (if you don't mind may asking)?

Re: Finally finished - Quiver of Eriador!

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 10:33 pm
by Elleth
[Elleth: Greg is an idiot, and just screwed up your post. Wrong button. Feel free to fill this back in when you have a moment.]

Re: Finally finished - Quiver of Eriador!

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 11:31 pm
by Harper
Do you think a side strap would help?

More surface area, perpendicular to the direction of the mainstrap.