LEatHEry!

I haven't posted anything in a loooong time. Yeeeshk.

Well there is going to be plenty soon! Have taken a bit of time to devote to more personal pursuits like creations, sorting out a few things before I start teacher training and getting new lungs. Been ill for a good month or two now and realised I have to get myself right if I'm to be ready for the teaching placements, which my old job was not allowing. So anyone have anything they need making? I'm your lady!

Which gets me onto my most recent project. I haven't played with leather for a good long time (I think the last proper project was a tafl board about a year ago!) except for jesses for falcons which doesn't count (no talent/effort required). I wanted to have a really good go at experimenting with as many different techniques as I could, though I plan to save sewing techniques for the next leathery experiment. These bracers allowed me to play with stamps a lot whilst also having some fun embossing and raising sections of the leather as well as learning a little of dying techniques.



I love watching the process develop, have got a bit hooked on taking photos of each stage!









Done and dusted! Should probably dye both though....

ELveN rObE ProJeCT: CoMPletION!

So I finally finished the elven costume I started work on before the festive period and pretty much lost momentum on at the point where Christmas hit. It had its beta test yesterday and was really comfy and as easy to move in as I had hoped! It was snowing and despite being out in the cold for a good 5 hours, including often ending up face down in the snow, I was warm in just a few layers. I don't remember being happier with the end result of a dress making project. This may be that my first couple of attempts were very much a learning process and it is only now that any learning that has taken place is becoming apparent! I stupidly dressed the mannequin (she is a size smaller than me so looks a little dwarfed by it all but couldn't get good photos on my own wearing it) in all the layers without thinking it would be a better idea to do staged photos of each layer, so for now (as it takes forever to get her in and out of these things) here are a couple of photos of the finished thing with all the trappings. Can't really see my favourite piece of tailoring on these as the base waistcoat is by far my favourite, though at least the arms of it (which were fiddly to say the least) are in view.