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Finally, the squirrel house with its little gold ball finials attached onto the roof and I'm pretty content with the result!
Finally, the squirrel house with its little gold ball finials attached onto the roof and I'm pretty content with the result!
unnecessary squirrel spam
12 March 2025 02:49 pm
Okay, just one more picture of Scarlet Skwirl in her new house while it's still in progress. She came from an antique shop in France from an old estate sale. I believe she's quite old! (I wouldn't support anything killed for taxidermy these days, but to repurpose a vintage one for education is less terrible.) Medieval squirrels which were kept as pets are usually shown wearing a little red collar with gold bells attached, so Scarlet needs bells too!
Finials to add yet, and a second coat of paint, then it's done!
More squirrel house progress.
11 March 2025 02:42 pm
Work in progress... finials to add, and stand to make, but I'm very happy with the progress so far! I can make the stand myself. Ive got enough stuff lying around. My friend, Mim from the re-enactment group, Oltramar, suggested for the toppers 3 wooden beds wired together (sand the bits that touch a bit for a better fit) and then gilded, which is probably what I'll try.
Manuscript image from 1350-1375 Bruges, Public Library, MS. SVC 010A.
Squirrel house adjustments
10 March 2025 02:35 pm
The squirrel house is painted but the more and more I looked at it, the more it became obvious that the walls were much too tall. I was very hesitant to cut the bottom off now that the walls were joined together because I'm notoriously bad at cutting in a straight line like this and I was extremely worried about messing it up.
In the end it was almost straight, and a little fiddling and re-trimming, and it's almost not noticeable. I wasn't going to attach the house to the base permanently to make it easier to transport to events, but now that it has a little funny bit at the very bottom which is fragile and will snap off, I will need to attach it after all and do a tiny putty up.
Bother.
Squirrel house build
9 March 2025 02:29 pm
What to do when its a cyclone and your squirrel doesn't have a house?
Build one!
The manuscript I chose is the one here, from 1350-1375 Bruges, Public Library, MS. SVC 010A.. It's a work in progress and needs to be less tall, be painted and have finials added. The little gold finials are a whole other kettle of fish.
Some issues to work out, but the basic house itself is off to a reasonable start.
Squirrel house plans!
8 March 2025 02:10 pm
Is it a medieval squirrel-house building kind of a day? I think it might be!
I've been saving timber and have narrowed it down to a choice of two styles, but I think I'll go with the easier one this time. It's much the same style as a birdhouse with a little porch platform. I'll give the decorated windows a miss this time around, but that's not to say I couldn't pop one in later!
Kerbside chest glow up!
2 March 2025 01:02 pm
Here it is!
Flipped front panel, removed unwanted bits, puttied up holes, sanded and stained and voila!
I'm pretty happy with that for free storage from kerbside rubbish to neat little kitchen chest! The rope handles will continue to be annoying, but it's a compromise
I'm a chesty girl
7 January 2023 10:47 am
I have, on occasion, made things from wood instead of fabric, and put the albums up on FB and today I'm sharing the How I Made A Chest page!
While they ARE NOT using medieval techniques or tools, they show I made some things with little experience. Since other people ask about them sometimes, and albums can be hard to find, I've added this one to my TUTORIALS page on my website. It shows how, with some scraps of pine I had lying around my house, I've been able to make a reasonably functional medieval chest which has been handy for storage and can be made smaller for use as a chest chair.
I did, of course, get some slack from people who insisted that if I can't be doing something properly, I shouldn't be encouraging others to follow my bad example, but really, I just wanted to encourage people to have a go at it. If they get bitten by the historical woodwork bug, they can take the next steps! If not, they have a little low stool.
If you are keen on historical woodwork, skip it and visit St Thomas Guild Blogspot who will show you everything you need to know about making things properly. I had some scraps of timber and nothing to lose!!!
Wood work would work?
5 January 2023 09:14 am
I have, on occasion, made things from wood instead of fabric, and put the albums up on FB.
While they ARE NOT using medieval techniques or tools, they show I made some things with little experience. Since other people ask about them sometimes, and albums can be hard to find, I've added this one to my TUTORIALS page on my website. It shows how, with some scraps of pine I had lying around my house, I've been able to make a reasonably functional stool which has been handy for sitting around the campfire at night. I've made others as pot and plate holders to go fireside so things aren't on the ground but are near to the actual cooking area. It's worked really well.
I did, of course, get some slack from people who insisted that if I can't be doing something properly, I shouldn't be encouraging others to follow my bad example, but really, I just wanted to encourage people to have a go at it. If they get bitten by the historical woodwork bug, they can take the next steps! If not, they have a little low stool.
If you are keen on historical woodwork, skip it and visit St Thomas Guild Blogspot who will show you everything you need to know about making things properly. I had some scraps of timber and nothing to lose!!!
While they ARE NOT using medieval techniques or tools, they show I made some things with little experience. Since other people ask about them sometimes, and albums can be hard to find, I've added this one to my TUTORIALS page on my website. It shows how, with some scraps of pine I had lying around my house, I've been able to make a reasonably functional stool which has been handy for sitting around the campfire at night. I've made others as pot and plate holders to go fireside so things aren't on the ground but are near to the actual cooking area. It's worked really well.
I did, of course, get some slack from people who insisted that if I can't be doing something properly, I shouldn't be encouraging others to follow my bad example, but really, I just wanted to encourage people to have a go at it. If they get bitten by the historical woodwork bug, they can take the next steps! If not, they have a little low stool.
If you are keen on historical woodwork, skip it and visit St Thomas Guild Blogspot who will show you everything you need to know about making things properly. I had some scraps of timber and nothing to lose!!!
Cantiga chest paint complete
16 October 2022 11:13 am
The paintwork on the Cantiga chest is complete with 2 coats of sealer to help with scratches.
I'll be adding some basic hinges for this one since it won't be on display anywhere as it's before my main time period. It will be easy to find setting up though! Manuscript image Cantigas de Santa Maria MS T-I- 1 - Códice Rico. Page 2 - panel XXV La Virgen Entre El Cristiano Y El Judio CSM- 025 F39r, for anyone keen enough to seek it out.
The size isn't apparent in the photo, but it's a smallish chest for keeping my eating things in so they don't get broken.
Getting the dots even was a bit of a challenge, but overall, I'm pretty happy with the result.
Cantiga chest
14 October 2022 11:52 am
Today I painted the dots on a very small chest based on an image in a Spanish Manuscript. Getting the dots spaced evenly and all the same size was a bit of a challenge.
I'll take a better photo once it's sealed and the hinges are on.
Bedside chest upgrades
9 October 2022 10:04 am
I've finally finished a smallish job that's been sorely needed for a very long time. This chest is one of two which side the length of my medieval bed at events. As it's on display, I usually take care to cover the make-do hinges. The cost of proper ones plus getting someone to make them has been a big factor in their state of undress, as it were. I've been upgrading other chests in my display first.
Today I spent time removing the old hinges and replacing them with these really lovely hand-forged ones from Driffa's Armoury in Australia. Their work can be bought thought them directly, but I've been getting them through my friend, Sven the Merchant.
It was a bit of a fiddly job to get the old hinges off and a bit tricky making sure the new hinges covered the holes.
I'm really pleased with the results now.
Chest fittings fitted!
1 July 2022 11:23 am
Delighted that my chest fittings which have arrived from Sven Skildbiter (who organised these from Driffa's Armoury) are finally on my chest!
I have a number of sets to put on, and I've been putting off these for so long, but really, the sooner they're on my chests, the longer I get to enjoy them! I'm really pleased with how they look and they're extremely sturdy. This one is complete now, and I had plans to add others over the weekend, but it's rainy and I might not get around to it.
Tent pole upgrade
22 June 2022 10:27 pm
In an effort to make my life easier, I've upgraded my tent poles. A small thing, one might think, but it's the little things in life which bring joy.
In this case, it's that the poles are slightly larger in diameter and that they are evenly cut in half which means they'll fit neatly into my trailer instead of one long pole hanging over the end and a joining short pole.
Of course, this means I need new tent pole joiners and I'll need to chisel out the wood where the joiner goes. After painting the four poles, I got to work.
In the second picture, you can see where I've measured and marked out the joiner marks. The idea here is that the joined sits flush against the pole, so it's a smooth looking pole and the joiner isn't obvious and the tent lining won't snag on the edges.
Each pole took quite a long time for me to chisel out and rasp back by hand. Having no workshop and limited tools, meant the job was slower than it needed to be, but the entire project was finished in a day.
