embroidered award

In January 2008 I embroidered an award for my friend, Arnleif the Red. The white is an old linen shirt that I reused, rather handily. It was soo soft to embroider on!
The yellow and maroon (a Valkyrie on a horse) are done with stem stitched Paternaya wool thread.
The blue and green runes and lines for the King and Queen's signatures are done with silk thread.
There are also amber colored glass beads used for the rays emanating from the center circle.
The accents are fresh water pearls for eyes and at the base of all of the rays.
Also, matte red size 8 glass and silver metal beads were used for the accents at the outer portion of the rays.
The black background is blanket weight worsted wool.
The white linen was sewn onto the wool background with more silk thread. The open circle on the bottom is for her to put her registered arms when she decides what that will be.
The tabs for hanging are tablet weaving that I had finished awhile back, but never put to use. I bought a wooden long sword and burned "Lady Arnleif the Red" into the handle for display. It fits neatly in the tabs and on her wall.

I had a TON of fun doing this project, from the research to the actual making. The research took nearly four weeks lone. I completed the stitching in a month. Sounds like a long time? Not so much in regards to embroidery. The longest part was the stem red and yellow Valkyrie and horse center circle that took about two weeks alone. The words were done by my friend Dresden. I used her imagry, translated it directly into runes and then stitched, stitched, stitched! I would look forward to doing something like this again, certainly!

fondant subtlety

This project was completed for an event held locally October 25. the warm kitchen did not do it justice in the end. Of course, it was a bit of a rush project as I was not initially planning to be the one to do it. It is about three pounds of confectioner's sugar with peppermint extract. There is another ingredient, but I cannot remember it off the top of my head - that is what recipe books are for, eh?!
The crowns with tigers represent on each point represent the crowns of the East Kingdom. The tigers were iced with blue blue frosting and attached to the crowns with white icing. The tigers and icing did not particularly like the humidity of the kitchen. I do not have any photos of the completed project available.
Below is more fondant with food coloring to reflect the King and Queen's arms. IT was a BIG hit with the kids! Sweet AND minty!!


Since, I have made marzipan with almonds, confectioner's sugar and pasteurized egg whites. The plan is to make it for Christmas presents. I tried some with dark chocolate at Thanksgiving with the idea to see who would like it. Well, with how fast it went (five minutes, tops), I should make a double batch or four :)

some finished soap

Below is my cure rack. Overflowing for the last couple events of the camping season and for family and friends for Christmas. I try different molds often to see how they come out. The large discs are made from the empty plastic coconut oil containers. The smaller discs are from the plastic containers for crystal lite that my cousin and friend are saving for me for just this purpose. The bars are all cut with a knife from a large block. I have found that the best container that I have used so far is a silverware drawer separator; it gives nice clean edges and only requires one cut to make a bar if I line it with parchment or freezer paper. The flecks are from ground lavender buds. Others contain ground oatmeal, but it does not show well in this photo.
Here is my chocolate soap, just being cut. It has since cured to be dark brown throughout the entire bar (the dark color that looks like a rind). The bar that has the glossy side facing the camera was scraped to recover some of the cocoa butter that I added (at trace to make sure the oils weren't incorporated with the lye solution). I was able to take the scraping and residue from the soap pot (after 24 hours) to make a large awesome smelling soap ball!



Isn't that a LOT of soap?! Eleven pounds total!
There in the lower right corner is the soap ball mentioned above.

Carving horn, bone...

My favorite hobby: I reenact the middle ages in the SCA. I pretend that I am a viking from Greenland in the year 1100 or so (usually earlier). My hobbies have veered towards such activities that a viking would do. Nalbinding, horn and bone carving, embroidery, styles and patterns of clothing that have been recovered and re pieced together.

Today I will show you a photo of a blow horn that I carved. I began with the soak in warm water, carve a bit, then soak and carve a bit more... After two days of a few hours at a time, my wrists and hands were in agonizing pain. Ow! Just thinking about it...! So I used diamond-tip dremel bits. Even my little rechargeable dremel is immensely easier than the way "the ole vikings" did it in their day, certainly!

Nice shadow effect,I think. It is not completely finished as fine sanding needs yet to be done. Here's a close up where you can see the fine point sahrpie marker that was used to draw the design. It is supposed to be a gripping beast (rabbit). The deeper one carves into the horn, the darker brown or black the design gets. When it is all dne a glossed up, it'll sure look pur-tee!

laundry SOAP!

Before ANYthing is done, I enter the recipe into thesage.com to get the ratio of oils and lye solution correct. The first few photos are the same for all soap.
All the oils have been weighed and then put into the pot to melt.


Here is the electronic scale I use, with all of the 'extra' ingredients used for laundry soap already ready and waiting. The NaOH or lye 'crystals' I wait until THE LAST minute to ready as any sort of living tissue or liquid and NaOH do NOT react well, unless you like having your skin burn and then melt off... The Mr.Yuk stickers are there for my childrens' benefit :)


This is baking soda and borax sifted. Also the thermometer (dedicated to soap making only) that is stainless steel, NOT made from aluminum as that'd ruin the soap!

When I mix the lye slowly into the water, I do it outside, whilst wearing goggles, rubber gloves, closed toe shoes and long pants and sleeves, also my hair is tied back. I do this outside to prevent any inhalation of the terribly noxious fumes. The temperature of the water will climb to about 150 degrees F or more!

When mixing the two, always always ALWAYS add the NaOH to the water slowly (remember: snow on the lake). If the water is added to the NaOH, an extrememly caustic volcanoe would result. Either way, do not breathe, touch or look too closely as even the fumes are hazardous.

So the lye solution (NaOH and water) is at temperature. This is where I drizzle it into the oils that are also at the correct temperature. If the temp is too cool, the lye might not incorporate or mix with the oils completely. Then the soap would burn the skin. Too hot and it will take too long to reach trace (more about that later).
See how the clear oils have become creamy, like pudding. The temperature will rise a bit as the chemistry reaction follows though. Stirring by hand can sometimes take over an hour to reach trace. I have invested in a stick blender (heard that thrift shops or SalArmy is a great place to get them for about $2-4. This particular item needs to be DEDICATED to soap making ONLY). AFter about five minutes with a stick blender OR sometimes upwards to two hours by hand stirring, the consistency of the soap will be thick enough that when the spoon is lifted , the drippings rest or remain ON the surface of the soap for a few seconds. This is trace. Now is when any scents or other additives would be added. Quick five or ten count stir, then pour.

The entire pot is poured into whatever container you are using that is plastic or wood or glass. Do not worry about the actual shape as the soap will be scooped out and ten liquidfied after twenty-four hours.

I place a plastic wrap directly on the top of the soap if I am making bar soap. For this I just put a lid on it to keep the temperature up. Next, I wrap the entire container in a towel to also help keep the temperature up- this will help the reaction to completely incorporate the oils and lye solution over the next 24 hours.

Now after 24 hours, the soap is still very soft, this type moreso than usual. If I were to make bar soap, I would cut it an then leave it to dry or cure. But for laundry soap, it is nearly done, but not quite!
So the soap is scooped back into the cleaned large stainless steel pot from yesterday. Water and vinegar is added while it is heated slowly on the stovetop. Looks like some terrible oatmeal, eh?

Now a bit later and it is looking a bit smoother.

Now it is all done! The soap has completely melted. I pour this into my clean kitty litter plastic container that a nice friend gave me for such a purpose. It will solidify a bit, but it is really more like a gel. It melts well in COLD water, if needed, and only half of this soap is needed when compared to the commercial liquid detergent to clean a load of laundry. My husband loves that no fabric softener is required in the washer or the drier either!

The only drawback that I can see is that the wide elastics of clothes are not as 'elasticy' after this laundry soap is used for a few months... I doubled the entire recipe this time. Next time, I will quadruple it. I should get at least six months out of that size batch laundry soap! :)

Here is Asgar's blue fight tunic. The fabric is twilled linen, washed three times in hot hot water, and my fingers *still* became blue when hemming the neck and sleeves. The dog represents Asgar and the rabbit represents me.


A close up of the dog. The hind leg was not completed when the photo was taken, but has since been finished. The animals are cut from white wool, thicker than most wool I see, perhaps even blanket weight (I do not even pretend to know how to determine weights of wool).
I used a single strand of black paternaya wool thread to stitch the animal on. Both stem stitch and back stitch were used for the outline within (ie the eye, mouth, etc).

My son thinks the bunny kind of looks anime (Japanese cartoon). This was a farily quick project, with each part quite different than the next. Very low on the boredom factor! :)

beaded leather SCA favors

These were made for the winners of the youth combat torchlight tournament for last year's local SCA event. I used yellow suede that I was given awhile ago, and have been hanging onto for that "just in case" project... I used size 11 blue and green seed beads, attached with nymo thread. Yello DMS floss was used to attach the folded over flap that the belt goes thru.


This is the back view. See the flap now? I traced the design in reverse. I used a leather sewing machine needle without thread and traced the design with the machine to make holes for the bead needle.

Another shot of the backside.

I have been busy...

American Indian inspired necklace and earrings. Jet dbl AB 4mm bicones with freshwater pearls and black-core deep red glass size 11 seed beads. Silver clasps and crimp beads. Surgical steel earwires. The earrings will most likely be reworked with silk thread as I think the tigertail used just does not agree with me.
Double strand necklace, made with freshwater pearls (3mm and 8mm), jet dbl AB 4mm bicone Swarovski crystals and silver heishi beads. A silver chain, cones and clasp finish it.
Silver wire weaving necklace with silver clasp and silver cones. This is done with two different weavings: the core is a 28G silver wire double weave with a 28G silver wire single weave wrapped around it. A closer view of the cones and clasp. I made this one whilst on vacation around Labor Day :)
This is a necklace with matching earrings. Silver beads, fresh water pearls, flat oval Indian Jade and fine silver chain and clasp. Surgical steel earwires.

Not a very clear photo of a 28G silver wire triple weave with silver cones. 18G silver wire for findings except the silver cones, silver disc beads, and, obviously, the flat teardrop-shaped Indian jade stone. These are matching earrings similar to the flat oval jade necklace above, but without the pearls.
A bracelet por moi to wear whilst filling my SCA addiction. Carnelian carved bunny with ruby dbl AB 10mm bicone Swarovski crystals. 20G copper wire.
single weave wire necklace using 20G copper wire. Hand made clasp using 18 G copper wire.
Double weave with 28G copper wire.
Bracelet flat weave with three loops across. 20 G copper wire. Home made soap used for display.
These are the tools I usually use: pliers, wire, dowels of different gauges and a draw plate. The square with the holes drilled within it is the draw plate and it was made from horn (given to me by Valhalla Horns). The weaving - not the flat one done for the bracelet - is repeatedly drawn thru the plate, starting with a hole that matches in diameter, working/pulling the wire thru smaller and smaller holes, until the desired outcome is achieved.