Rosalie Gilbert

These little green peas are all attached now and looking great!

I have a BUTTON MAKING TUTORIAL here if anyone should need it.

I've done this as a workshop a number of times with members of the public. It's always fun, and people have come up with the novel uses for their buttons! Re-enactors want to use them for clothing, some public also want to do this, but others have fun ideas like 3D frog's eyes on sock puppets, on a purse for decoration, to jazz up a Xmas jumper with a tree on it (they were going to add them where the baubles were printed on to make them stand out!) Anyway, for a fun craft idea, think outside the box and they could be almost anything!

And here they are in place!

One side complete! The buttons were an extremely snug fit through the buttonholes, but after much wriggling, they're going through. Medieval 14th century button placement is right at the edge of the sleeve opening, not set in further like we do with our modern buttons, but even with them set right on the edge, they're buttoning up to look in from the edge.

I can see that I may not be unbuttoning these to get them on and off...

And here's what they look like when they're all through the buttonholes in a cute little row.

I'm very much looking forward to this event- and it's not open to the public, so it'll be a great chance to chill a little bit, and if it's well supported, it'll be an annual event. There's a private Dark Ages event which is enormous and well supported in another state which is on most people's list of events not to miss, but nothing for us later people, so this event is starting up with a view to being the same sort of thing, only a later time period.

I'm only day tripping with a friend as her work schedule doesn't permit an overnight stay, but photos of the venue show a lake with medieval-type jetty and shelter, a guildhall for talks and a very cool tavern made in early medieval style. This is all on private property, and in the past they have run dark age events which I've not been to, but the venue looks amazing. I'm not sure whose trebuchet is in one of the photos, but I sincerely hope it belongs to them and we get to play with it.

I've signed up to do a button making workshop because it's the thing that lots of new people need help with and since events are back on again now, quite a few groups have had an influx of new members. A bit timely, because I'm working on a kirtle upgrade which needs all the buttons made and sewn on before the event.

The clock's ticking!