Armour version 1.2

I came home from the larp at the start of the month with a list of repairs as long as my arm. In good time, the bracers were shortened, the helm rivets replaced, then re-hammered, then cussed at some, before I finally got some luck in setting the damn things. Snap-fasteners were replaced in my trouser-skirt and the sewing was completed.So it makes perfect sense that I leave the biggest job, that of replacing the fastenings on my bodice, to the last minute. Completed it just a couple of hours ago in fact.

My original armour, since I have consumate skill at avoiding cameras on the larp field, can be seen here. I've made a few corsets in my time, so my original plan was to go with what I knew, but with the thickness of the leather, this didn't work so well. The second attempt, which I didn't get picks of, involved replacing the busk with swing hooks. This worked well initially, but as the leather began to soften to my shape, it lost the rigidity it needed for the damn things to stay closed on their own. It's really just as well I didn't see much combat last time.

Time for another change. This time I decided to go with good, reliable buckles. But I had to remove the riveted swing hooks first. A bit of reading told me that I would have to drill through the back of the rivet to remove it. If only it were that simple. I did the drilling, but had to beg the brute strength of a friend to remove them, who swiftly discovered for me that the actual trick was to drill then use an appropriately sized, as in, about the size of the rivet head itself, to cut the rivets off. Noted for future projects that.

Oh, and that last buckle? The way it looks like it's on backwards? Totally deliberate. *nods*

And now the packing is complete. I'm sure, as usual, that I've forgotten something. Tis time to pamper. Why pamper before going to spend four days in cold and mud you might ask? Well, with the weather being for cold and drizzle, if I'm going to get wet and miserable, I'm going to smell of jasmine while I do it.

Leather helm

Twas the night before Moot, 

And all through the house,

There was bluster and panic, 

And kit strewn about...

Sometimes, you can't wait for motivation, you have to just kick yourself and get going. Other times you need to wait because the inspiration just isn't there. Such was the case with my new larp armour helm. I played with cardboard pieces for two weeks, and it wasn't until tuesday that the design finally came together in my head. 

When I had all the pieces assembled, I maked out where they overlapped and transferred these markings to the leather.The centre of each piece also has a strip of leather runing down the centre to help the pieces hold their shape. And if you're going to add in a functional piece, may as well make it pretty. 

So a bit of fussing around and it's complete! There's a couple of pieces that aren't quite right, I think I wasn't holding them steady when I set the rivets, but I'm delighted to have it ready to try out over the weekend. The helm is held in place by a piece of elastic that sit under the leather going back from the strap at the temples - anything I could do to avoid using a chin strap.

Now, here's hoping with getting this done last minute, I don't bring on the curse...

Armouring up

With the best part of a year to do the work in, I have waited, once again, until two weeks before the event to work on the remainder of my larp armour.

Firstly, I finally made my bracers. I had originally planned to make these in the same fashion as my torso/body armour, but when I went to put the pieces together, these pre-prepared and previously rejected bracer blanks caught my eye and with some burgundy leather straps, turned out to be just right for what I wanted.

They're plain at the moment, but I like the classic look. And it fits with my character currently being a cadet. When I get promoted, I can doll them up a little.

The helm is coming along, but a good deal more slowly. Bracers I've made before, but I'm fussing quite a bit about the helm, because I want it to look right. And given how short I am, I want to make sure if looks good from all angles.

So when you're making a clothing mock up, you use a cheap cotton or similar, something that will imitate the final fabric. When making a mock up for a leather project, you use cardboard.

I feel like a kid again, getting to play with coloured cardboard, cutting it up into pretty shapes.  The styrofoam head is essential for this mock up. I'm pinning cardboard pieces to it until the shape is right, then I should be able to transfer them directly to the leather. And if luck is with me, it'll be ready for next weekend!

Oh dear. That is a much longer gap than I like to leave in my updates. So what have I been up to in all that time? Mostly I have been crippled by indecision. I have choices, and I am, as usual, over thinking them. 

Firstly, I finished off my working apron. I trimmed the cloth so it's ended up as just knee length, forgetting that most aprons of the day were almost as long as the full length skirt it went over. But it's gotten Suzie's sit of approval, so I think it'll be fine just the way it is.

My serving apron I have decided to embellish with embroidery as my lace making skills aren't yet up to par (to be honest, I still have to start lesson two). But I can't decide on the embroidery. I know I want to do an assissi embroidered border, but I want that border to have personal meaning, and inspiration is so far lacking.



Next, a marble update! I've been continuing with the layers of shellac, and the picture to the left shows a naked marble at top left and, moving clockwise, each marble has an additional layer of shellac. I had originally planned to do 4-5 layers, but at layer three there's already a nice gloss building up, so I think it's time to start applying pigment. My shellac, due to the dye in the methylated spirits I've used, has a reddish tone, so I'm concerned my white marbles won't come out as clean in colour as I'd like, but there's only one way I'm going to find out that for sure!

In addition to SCA and Victorian tea parties, I have a LARP system that won't take care of itself. Big things are afoot for my character this year, not least of which involves her marriage. And as a larp wedding is really just an excuse for a pretty new dress, I've fallen in love with this beauty from the interwebs and have decided to recreate it. I have a burgundy taffeta already in hand that would be quite nice, though I'm concerned about how well that would work given that the original dress appears to be made with velvet. The only velvet in my stash big enough for this project is black, and yes, it's only a larp wedding, but you know, black just doesn't strike me as appropriate. I still retain the right to eat my words in a couple of months time when the taffeta doesn't work of course.





I'm not entirely in the mood to draft this pattern from scratch though, so I've dug out some old Simplicity and Butterick patterns which I can modify heavily to get my desired shape.