Reenactment at Forge Mill and Needle Museum

Fun for all the family in Redditch! Even the kids got involved in the re-enactment as Roman soldiers; with foam swords and light shields, they were brought onto the battlefield to take on the Brit chieftain from The Vicus re-enactment group.

The Brit chieftain cooking dinner for his troops at the Iron Age encampment

 

 Roman Invasion flyer

 

Beautiful basketry filled with delectable treats 

 

 With plenty of meadow land we went tramping off to explore Bordesley Abbey ruins

 

 Roman Invasion was a brilliant, free event for children. If you're on the lookout for things to do with your toddler, check out the Little Explorers offer at Forge Mill! Loads of activities for under-5s and a lovely little playground!

 

Juggling pyramids and other things

Well the weather outside is frightful but the fire is so delightful... Sorry! With this weather, though, it feels like it's nearly Christmas!

I've been catching up with a bunch of UFOs (unfinished objects) and I think it's going well.

 

- I've been sewing up a tote bag with a Hot Hot Heat (videos) gig shirt logo I've had since 2004. I added fringing I bought last year and it makes it look quite BoHo.

 

 

- Yesterday I prepared a square of camp blanket to show my Scouts how to sew their names, sew on a badge, do blanket stitch, and maybe how to do a surgical suture on some wool cloth (if we have time!). I had thought of doing it with real pig flesh but then my common sense kicked in saying, "that's horrendous."

 

- I also (wow) found the foot for my sewing machine, FINALLY! My sewing room is so much like a lumber room, 'thing wanted always buried.'

 

- I am so excited to be using my Tweed, which was destined to be a quilt (but hey, destinies change), which I've sewn into some pyramid-shaped juggling balls and they look fab!

 

 

 

- Check out this knife sheath I have made too! My first foray into leatherwork but I think it's quite snazzy. It's great for my antler-handled work knife from Big Beynon's Blacksmithing 

 

 

Tonight I'm going to give my waistcoat a go and see if I can't finish that then sew up some mini wallhangings to paint, for work. I'm still working on some slings but I'm not too sure about how the pouches will work: Sigh. Woven or just sewing plaits together or maybe leather? So that's a good challenge and I'll figure it out! 

 

At least I have ticked quite a lot off the to-do list; I even managed to go to the cinema this week. Check me out!

 

Enjoy your projects whatever they may be! Always excited to hear what you are all working on too :)

New 100% wool fabric to play with

Can't wait to get stuck into this new project!! New murky green wool blanket just in - I love Ebay! Instagram post

More Winter partlet-ing

Couple more pics. By the end of tonight I WILL have sewn the whole partlet together, except the bottom seam, and I will have finished these ties - of which I need 10. I've done 3 so far. Nearly nearly.

I took some pics to make me feel like I've actually done something. Sewing these ties together took forever last night. I went to bed at 2am: I was on a roll watching Kaamelott and doing sewing :)

I turned it inside out yesterday and now it's ... FINISHED!

Goring up the lining of my waistcoat

The Gores I had mainly been avoiding yesterday... are predominant today. You are getting sewn in and you're going to look sleek and elegant and THAT'S THAT! 

So I have tacked in my triangular gores to the slits in my Tudor waistcoat. I've fitted them so the seam is graduated so there's no bunching-up in the garment. 

I might need to put some overstitching or blanket stitching at the top which will look fine. Not sure how that'll look on the woolly exterior of my waistcoat but we'll see. At the moment the tacking looks fine - I'll go somewhere with better light to make sure I get a good, straight, hand-sewn seam so that the bottom of the waistcoat really sticks out (literally - Tudor gals need a good set of hips!).

Winter partlet

Ooh I eyed up some lovely fabric whilst volunteering this week and now I am going to make a madder/pink winter partlet. Partly because the lovely fabric called to me, partly because my "gores" on my Tudor waistcoat are getting me down :)

Such pretty wool. I'm using a wool blanket (100% wool) and some linen for the lining, and some ribbons for ties, I think.

Ribbons: Might make braids but my friend said that putting pink on one side, black on the other, would make really fun linen ribbons when they're tied!