I just realized while writing this post that I had put the ensign upside down…. Ack. Drachenwald in distress… OMG.

I was happy to say the queen didn’t notice, and seemed to like the standard.

• June 29, 2010 -- AT War 2010 (4)
• June 29, 2009 -- A.T. War 2009 (0)
• July 26, 2010 -- 15th Century Timur Disked Bell Tent. (0)
• July 1, 2010 -- Turkish Rug project v1.6 a Looming I Will Go (0)
• June 3, 2010 -- Archery & Heavy Defenders 2010 (0)
• April 11, 2010 -- Siege Engine Boules (0)

When I had made the cone of shame, I had made a banner finial for the top of it. If you have a banner finial… you need a banner. I had originally taken a workshop on the subject taught by Mistress Agnes, and had played with it a bit since then… but this was going to be my first banner. Mostly just images after the jump

Stretcher built out of stuff from the scrap bin.

Decided to free hand the turnip. It ended up a little large. All hail the mutant turnip.

The stripy edge bit was all haphazardly drawn. Each segment is a totally different length.

My Motto is a bit of Dog Latin… Make my Day Punk.

You can just make out the pencil lines on the upper part of the banner

Final product with the edges all sewn up

The wonder twin wanted me to show her how to make a banner. I am not a particularly good teacher, but I figured… its the  wonder twin…. Gotta give it a go.

I couldn’t stick around till completion, but I think it is going to look FABU!

• August 11, 2008 -- Silk Experiment (0)

I did a quick doodle of a paint design I could put on the tent. I was hoping to have the Tir Righ Star encircling the tent.

The design cut out and taped. Looks more teepee that anything else <sulk>

My work place has a storage bunker they allowed me to use. Good thing, as I have no place large enough to paint the tent in one go.

First step was to stretch the canvas out on the floor. I used a strip of duct tape stuck to the underside of the canvas, on top of this strip, another strip (facedown) was then attached to the cement. Each seam was pulled taunt one at a time, trying to keep everything stretched out as much as the tape would allow.

Having spent a good portion of time mucking about with the painter tape, I decided to simplify the design. My back was starting to object.

I was using a 1:1 ratio paint to water mix. The paint was acrylic latex exterior house paint. I had a bit of a score on the paint. I went to Canadian tire on my lunch, and they were having difficulties matching the color I wanted. My lunch was over, so I had to leave the store without the paint. The next day I went back and I guess they had continued trying to get the color and succeeded. I got the can at 1/2 price in the mistint section. Score!

When I got to the bottom of the pin striping I looked at how much paint I had left. I decided I didn’t have enough paint to get all the way to the floor so I added more painters tape to make a strip  around the bottom. I think it looks pretty good.

My Back was right pissed off at me by this point. 4 hours mucking about either stooped over, or on my knees. Not Fun.

Random Posts

• June 29, 2010 -- Drachenwald Silk Banner (0)
• July 25, 2010 -- Emily’s Highchair v1.7 ~ Short Stuff (3)
• May 4, 2010 -- Introducing Brisco (0)
• March 11, 2009 -- Turned Bed Frame v1.0 (0)
• August 11, 2009 -- Bedouin Tent v1.0 You have to start somewhere (9)
• August 30, 2009 -- Tir Righ Summer Investiture 2009 (2)

OK, I will admit it… I have huge feet. So Big that I find that shoe shopping is one of the more depressing things I can do. I ussually revert to buying a pair of mens shoes. Well, I decided I wanted shiny pretty work boots. This is my second pair, and I thought I would share my technique.

You will need one pair of work boots, artist gesso, acrylic artist paint, glitter glue, and a paint brush.

To make the color pop, you need to cover up the dark colored work boots with an artists gesso. One coat is more than enough.

Once the gesso is dry I do a thick coating of red acrylic paint. Red is my favorite color, but you can use what ever color you want.

Micheals craft supply carries a sparkle paint in various colors. Its a small bottle, but I have not even come close to using it all. Once the red paint has dried, apply copious amount of the sparkle glue/paint. Once this first coat is dry, look for dark patchs that have not got alot of sparkle going on. Re coat those areas intil full sparkle is in affect.

Thats it. Now go sparkle up your work boots.

Random Posts

• January 4, 2010 -- More Weaving (0)
• December 14, 2009 -- Emily’s Highchair v1.4 (0)
• January 30, 2009 -- Tablet Weaving Cards & Mortar and Pestle (0)
• February 15, 2009 -- Milk Paint v1.0 (0)
• March 4, 2009 -- Lap Joint Slab Board Stool (0)
• January 18, 2010 -- Caliper Holder (0)

I turned a bunch of the eric stand tops and then painted them with red oxide mixed with linseed oil.

The final cartoon is coming along. I took all the things that were wrong with the first draft and used it to work out the kinks on this version. My hands are in severe trauma over all the coloring this weekend.

• March 4, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet Project v1.5 ~ More Cartoons (3)
• July 1, 2010 -- Turkish Rug project v1.6 a Looming I Will Go (0)
• March 30, 2010 -- Break Apart Eric Stands v1.0 (4)
• February 14, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet v1.4 Cartoon Time (0)
• February 12, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet Project v1.3 (0)
• July 9, 2009 -- Wool Combs (0)

The contest was “items inspired in some way by the theme “daffodil”. Since I only decided to go to the event the weekend before, I decided to do a quick carpet sample piece. The daffodil design is from a blanket I found online. It was a grid pattern so it adapted well. The tourney is in its 33 year, and my heraldic obsession & mascot is the turnip named Ash.  Design done, I warped up the porto-loom with  52 threads (4 threads for the bound edges each side, and 22 sets of threads for the knots). I should have done the sides in a different color, as they just blend with the knots right now.

I still am having some issues with the edge binding. Will be working on that in my next mini project.

The weft threads were cotton sewing thread (2 shoots).

I had every color I needed except a nice yellow. The gold wool I had just didn’t seem right. I did two skeins of wool. One pre-mordant in alum, and one with no mordant. The dye stuff is Turmeric and its 100%wof. ( I think you could use a lot less considering the amount of slug on the bottom of the pot. I also added 1 tbs of vinegar to try to get it brighter yellow.

Cooked it at a low heat for 30minutes.

The large skein is the pre-mordant Alum one, the one on the right on mordant. The color is just about the same.

I feel kind of stupid though. So many of these A&S things are little throw away things put in place for something to do while the fighters fight. I didn’t document it at all. I had the cartoon for the design and a few notes jotted down in pencil. Well four judges sat down with principality A&S judging forms, and the judging was pretty bad. They all seemed to like what I had did alot, but the lack of documentation was noted down ALOT….

I hunted down the organizer to thank her and the judges, and apologized for wasting their time. No Documentation… Bad Apprentice… No Cookie for You!

• March 4, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet Project v1.5 ~ More Cartoons (3)
• February 14, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet v1.4 Cartoon Time (0)
• February 12, 2010 -- Turkish Carpet Project v1.3 (0)
• July 1, 2010 -- Turkish Rug project v1.6 a Looming I Will Go (0)
• April 5, 2010 -- Good Weekend (2)
• July 26, 2010 -- 15th Century Timur Disked Bell Tent. (0)

Sherbert the Entari is slowly chugging along. Its possible it will be done for investiture, but I am starting to doubt it.

I didn’t kill my Mulberry Tree over the holidays. It is starting to bud in the carport. This means the Silkworm project may be only one more year away. It all comes down to how much growth I get this year. I really should get it in a bigger pot soon.

I am working on a turning project for my mom. It involves hundreds of pencil crayons being glued together. I have turned alot of stuff thats been laminated together, but never anything quite like this. It just might kill me =D.

I am building a game board based on a version of Hnefatafl, but it reminds me more of the Irish game Fidchell. I am calling it Boot Licking Toadie in tribute to the whole weirdness of the C______ War politics. The bootlicker with the help of the Toadies have to avoid being captured by the significant Minority all the while trying to suck up to the assorted senechals living in the corners of the game board.

Working on a Pilgrim Badge cast in a stone mold. Stove broke, so I am stuck for the moment.

More research on the Turkish Rug. I think I have my design sorted out except for the center element. Still looking, and thinking of dying my own wool. I have to figure out a rough estimate of the wool I will need, and then figure out if I have enough capacity to dye everything at once. If I can I dye, if not maybe not. Don’t want to thave the colors change mid carpet.

Still going to give the orange turmeric dye one more shot, then I will share the good and badness of my recent dyeing stuffs.

etc….

• February 7, 2010 -- Day of Dance / A&S Defenders 2010 (3)
• July 28, 2009 -- Flora & Ash update (0)
• July 12, 2009 -- Purple Heart Dye (0)
• June 6, 2009 -- Mulberry Tree / Silkworm Project (2)
• April 1, 2009 -- Milk Paint v1.2 In Search or Red (0)

I first separated the sawdust into two piles.

The first pile I left steeping on the stove making a dark reddish tea.

Many more pictures after the jump

The other pile I put into a container of isopropanol. (other bottle is walnut… no color extraction happened once the silt settled down)

Half of my samples I soaked in a Alum solution for 90 minutes. The other set was left alone.

An Alum sample soaking for 24hr in the tea solution

I was very excited to find the alum/tea sample turn a great sage green. I loved this color, but alas… as the sample dried the cotton turned purple.

I guess I tied the sample a little to tight, as there was sections of the cotton that didn’t seem to take the dye well. Back in the bath it went.

The non Alum sample after it was removed from the tea. Lighter shade of green than the mordant sample. It turned to a lighter brighter color of purple.

Final results from the tests (top to bottom)

Large sample of non-Alum steeped in the tea for 1hr. I threw it back in the pot, and will let it steep for a few days.

Non-Alum 24hr tea bath

Alum 24hr tea bath

Non-alum 24hr alcohol bath

alum 24hr alcohol bath

Non-dyed cotton

The alchol dye baths left very soft purple colors. I much prefer the dark purple of the Alum 24hr tea bath. Still wish it stayed that fantastic green color.

• April 1, 2009 -- Milk Paint v1.2 In Search or Red (0)
• July 26, 2010 -- 15th Century Timur Disked Bell Tent. (0)
• July 1, 2010 -- Turkish Rug project v1.6 a Looming I Will Go (0)
• June 3, 2010 -- Archery & Heavy Defenders 2010 (0)
• April 11, 2010 -- Siege Engine Boules (0)
• April 5, 2010 -- Good Weekend (2)

All of the side panels have been cut out, carved, primed and painted.

Sides and doors with the heraldic badges painted in bright colors.

The butterfly hinges installed on the side panels. These were acquired from Lee Valley Tools. Oddly they were just about the cheapest decent looking hinges at LV, and the closest in shape and style to what the original aumbrys I looked at have. The hinges were attached by clenched nails.

The side panels attached to the back panel. Cheap paino hinges were used for the interior folds. The yellow linen fabric was attached with small copper tacks.

Interior shot of the paino hinge

Front panel with the carved badges painted. The front panel has slight carved out sections to make it look more like it was made out of a series of planks rather than one piece of plywood. Then dowels were placed in false holes to look like drawbored joints.

The front attached to the sides and back. All I need to do is to make a false top, install the folding shelves for the bottom and middle shelf and a couple of door turns.

Folding Aumbry v1.2 Painted door
Folding Aumbry v1.1 Tracery Bits
Folding Aumbry v1.0 In the Beginning
Cardboard Mock Up
Folding Shelves

• June 9, 2009 -- Folding Aumbry Cupboard v1.1 Tracery Bits (0)
• June 21, 2009 -- Folding Aumbry Cupboard v1.2 door painting (0)
• June 8, 2009 -- Folding Aumbry Cupboard v1.0 In the Beginning (0)
• August 24, 2009 -- Lelands Norse Play Tent v1.1 (0)
• July 26, 2010 -- 15th Century Timur Disked Bell Tent. (0)
• July 1, 2010 -- Turkish Rug project v1.6 a Looming I Will Go (0)

So the long and trying road has finally winded to the end. The bed is done. This project was a fairly ambitious project for myself.  The whole thing needed only a fairly simple skill set, but its a marathon of time and patience.  I have a severe backlog of projects I need to do for other people and a bunch for my own gratification.

I had disassembled the bed rails and foot board.  Scrap skid boards were used to drill holes accomodate  the spindles for painting.

The black paint was made from milk paint stained with candle lamp black. It produces a nice smoky black color.

Moose antlers make a great paint drying rack. The red paint was from a combination of Red Oxide, and a commercial aniline ruby dye. I wish I could have made due without the need for a commercial dye, but all my experiments looking for a red paint produced no good looking paints.

Foot board

Foot board and one side rail.

The dissembled head board.  It was important to keep everything in its exact space. There were a few pieces that were no transferable to another location. One piece in the wrong location would result in one big jigsaw puzzle.

Reassembly has begun. The orangish yellow paint was a turmeric milk paint. Using a small amount of turmeric made for a lighter color than the normal dark orange I have been getting. The smallest pieces were difficult to turn using the fir from the skids I was using. I ended up using a piece of oak from another skid. Unfortunately the oak reacted with the paint causing dark stains on the dried paint.

The head board all painted up pretty like.

• May 6, 2009 -- Turned Bed Frame v1.7 Last Call (0)
• April 28, 2009 -- Turned Bed Frame v1.6 (0)
• April 23, 2009 -- Milk Paint v1.3 (0)
• April 6, 2009 -- Turned Bed Frame v1.4 This is the End (not really) (0)
• April 2, 2009 -- Turned Bed Frame v1.3 (0)
• April 1, 2009 -- Milk Paint v1.2 In Search or Red (0)