Hard at Work - Ray's Patchwork Armor Revisions

Armor (and feet)

The patchwork armor ended up a little too big when Ray wore it at fair opening weekend. Even after we cut an inch out after the initial sizing, its still too big.  I am not sure what I am doing wrong in the measurements here, but I think I am doing something wrong.

 So, tonight we undid all the pretty stitching and I am taking out another inch in the center of the top lame.  Thankfully there is a small section left where we can do this without damaging any  of the tooling, and without (fingers crossed) messing up any of the fit of the rest of the armor.

This is our cat "helping"

We cut out the stitching, cut off the inch, punched the holes, redid the stiching, dyed the undyed newly cut piece, restiched the piece, tried it back on, and hecked a teenager playing Portal.

It was a good night. 

Upcoming Projects and Posts

Yes, we did indeed finish the armor for the first weekend of Ren Fair, though it will be getting a few more tweaks this week. 

Soon on this very blog you will get;
Pics of finished armor!
New Helmet Project
and...
A refinish of a set of armor as I prepare it for sale on the internets...

Did I mention I was a slacker? SHAME!

Yes - Shame abounds...mercilessly. Life has been quite interesting lately...in the Irish/Chinese Curse sense of the word.

My dearest beloved husband pointed out that I haven't added a single blog post since January.  So, umm...sorry guys! It has been a truly busy year thus far.  We finished the helm from my last shame post, but I still don't have any good pics of it completed so you have to wait more.

Several months ago I sketched out a totally new armor design, something that would look patchwork, would look repaired, and would be totally one of a kind. 

About a month after I did the sketch I pulled out all my scrap leather and cut out the front pieces, making sure they are from different pieces so they all take the dye differently when I get to that point.  I looked for sections that had tears, rips, or marks and intentionally chose those to help with the general feel I was going for.  It sat for weeks before I pulled it out and tooled it and then it sat for several more months.

And - with a month to go before Fair, the beloved has begun slaving me so there is at least a little progress to share! Tonight we took it all out and started working out the articulation issues, the base issues, and the pauldron design - A NEW ONE!  A much tighter "bowl" design rather than the broad ones at the top, with an articulated "sleeve" at the base, and some fun tooled designs on the middle.

As you can see, I work in a strange fashion, I lay things out, keep the sketch in view, and have another notebook for actual notes and to-do's.  Productivity is limited to quiet actions with migraine meds in my system, so I am hoping to get heavy action done on Wednesday. 

Sadly, this is not the only project in the works.  Its my only current in-progress...but not the only one in the house. We are working on a leather backpack, a pocket sash, several new costumes for Kasha, replacement weapons for Kasha, some house construction for Kasha - specifically a lofted bed, and anything else that sounds awesome to make.

I am hoping to get some hoods for me, started on a leather leaf waist cinch for a friend, and to finish a helm for the beloved before Fair hits...Anyone think I might be nuts?

Helm Shame

See, this is me not having an update because I have done diddly squat.  I have shame...

But hopefully my beloved spouse will kick me into gear soon since I won't start his project until this helmet is done. 

Sorry guys.  Slacking here. 

Leaf Hair Slides Tutorial

So - Here is my very first How To -How to make Leather Leaf Hair Slides

Craft Fair Prep - Part 2!

Today was an outstanding day thanks to Kelley of Hickory Lane Creations.  She and I are both attend the El Paso County craft fair on Wednesday and I have been feeling like I won't be anywhere near where I want to be for it.

Today I took a basket of started hair slides over and between her awesome brilliance and just having time away from my chaotic life I got them finished! I still need to sand and shorten the sticks, but there is happiness in my brain.

Pictures will come tomorrow - along with a tutorial!

Craft Fair Prep

As I mentioned last week, I am signed up to participate in a craft fair for El Paso County.  This means that I need to have a goodly supply of ready made items for sale.  This also suggests to me that armor may not be the best selection for the people who will be coming to this fair.

Instead I have been working a whole passel of hair trinkets and other leather "stuff".  I plan to do Leather Hair clips, slides, trivets for the kitchen, maybe some books, and a passel of whatever hits my fancy for leather cuffs and bracers. 

Which means I need to be working! WORKING!And I have been.  You can see what I pulled together on Saturday in a few hours. This week I hope to do some detail tooling, edge beveling, shaping, and possibly some dye depending on the level of crazy this week happens to have.

Thursday is the awesome-monsters birthday, so I am not sure how much work will happen as I am trying to spend extra times with her...and the weekend is jam-packed and crazy. 

My goal for the fair is to have 40 items to sell and to make $200 or more. We will see what all I end up with, and what the prices end up being.  I never really know how to price things, so I may make Kelley (who is also doing the fair) price all my stuff for me, or Ray.  They love me enough to do the hard stuff for me.

I love how different each of these leaves ended up! I can't wait to see how they look as hair slides.