Omnibus Peerage Bracer

After the Board of Directors for the SCA announced the formation of a fourth peerage--the Order of Defense, to recognize prowess on the Rapier field--a movement began for an Omnibus Peerage that would recognize prowess in the other martial activities of the society, namely Archery, Thrown Weapons, Equestrian, and Siege Weapons. A symbol was chosen, to be worn by those who support the movement: on a purple background, a golden O, plain or stylized with an accent to denote the particular activity.

I am an archer, and a leatherworker. As such, I decided to make a leather bracer with the archery O (second, in the image above). I already had on-hand all the supplies I would need, and so I set to work.

First, I traced the outline of a bracer onto the side of leather. Then, using an Xacto knife, I cut the bracer from the side. Then I traced the outline of the O onto the leather using a ball-point stylus.

I began tooling with a flat, textured tool and a wooden mallet. I tapped down the entire interior of the O with this textured tool. Next, I used an angled tool to trace the inner border of the O, creating the raised effect. I used the same tool around the outer border of the O as well.


When the tooling was complete, I sanded the edges of the bracer to soften the corners and eliminate the unevenness from its cutting. Then I soaked the entire bracer in water and then wrapped it around my forearm to give it its final shape. I held it in place with elastic bands and allowed it to dry completely. After it had dried, I pained the O with gold acrylic paint. I also drilled the lacing holes on each side, using a Dremel tool and the widest drill bit I have.

Next, I placed the bracer inside my oven, set to 200 degrees. When the leather was warm, I applied hot wax to the entire face of the bracer. After it was thoroughly coated, I placed it back inside the oven to melt off the excess wax.

This is when something went terribly, terribly wrong. The leather shrank and crumpled across the middle of the bracer, effectively ruining the piece. I was heartbroken--all that work, gone!--and at a loss for an explanation as to what went wrong and how to prevent it from happening again in the future. Fortunately my teacher and friend Lord Geoffrey had some insight to share: the oven may have been too hot, or it was possible the leather was still wet internally. Hot water causes leather to shrink and harden--it's how leather armor is made, in fact.

Armed with this new insight, I began again from scratch. The process was entirely the same, so I will not run through it all step-by-step again. I allowed it to dry for twice as long after shaping it to my forearm, and used that time to weave the two purple and yellow fingerloop cords that I would use to lace the finished bracer around my arm.

200 degrees is the lowest possible setting on my oven, so I was more than a little apprehensive as I put the bracer in to melt off the excess wax. I watched it like a hawk, peeking inside every thirty seconds or so to make sure it wasn't crumpling again. This time there was no mishap, and a few minutes later I pulled it out of the heat and used a cloth to wipe away a few stubborn bits of excess wax.

When the bracer cooled back down to room temperature, I threaded the cords through the lacing holes and fastened it around my forearm for the first time. What a feeling!

I have noted that, because I put the O with its top towards my wrist, it actually appears upside down when my arms hang at my sides. When I do a set of heraldic bracers (my next intended project!) I will position my arms the other way.
______________________________________________________________________
Entered In
Night on the Piazza, Barony of Lochmere, Atlantia: Open Display

16c. Italian Scroll

The theme of the illumination Arts and Sciences competition at Night on the Piazza is “late-period Italian.” With that in mind, I searched for manuscripts from Italy that were produced any time after 1500 A.D. The British Library maintains an online catalog of illuminated manuscripts, and as I browsed their collection I found the “Martyrdom of Sebastian” illuminated miniature, painted by Pietro de Cristoforo Vannucci (b. 1450, d. 1523) in Bologna right around 1500. This appealed to me not only because it fits the theme, but also because it can be easily adapted into a scroll blank for an archery award. Archery is near and dear to my heart, and so I decided that this miniature would be the inspiration for my work.

The original measures 185mm by 135mm and is painted in oils on parchment leaf. I have copied the border and the archers from the original and incorporated the badge of the Order of the Golden Arrow, which is the archery award bestowed by the Barony of Lochmere. I hope someday it will be calligraphed and awarded, and then hang proudly on a fellow archer's wall!

I began the project by sketching out an outline on graph paper to get an idea of the actual size based on the aforementioned measurements of 185mm by 135mm. This is quite a bit smaller than the size of a standard piece of modern paper, and I wanted my work to fill a page. Therefore, I increased the measurements by a factor of 1.4, bringing the final dimensions of my piece to 260mm by 190mm. In the original, the border's width was 16mm. My adjusted measurements bring my border's width to 22.5mm. Likewise, the archers grew from their original height of 65mm to a new height of 90mm.

Using these new measurements, I sketched out a rough draft on graph paper of the border and a few key elements of the design. I then inked over the sketches in heavy, black ink. When the sun rose, I taped the inked-over sketch and a piece of 22.9cm by 30.5cm 100-pound Bristol paper to my sliding glass door, which would function as a makeshift light table. I lightly traced my design onto the Bristol in pencil.

To paint this project, I opted for acrylic instead of oil because it is what I already have on hand for my leatherwork projects. The colors are bright and the paint is durable, making it a desirable choice for an SCA award scroll. For this project, I needed red, green, blue, white, black and gold paint. In all elements of the piece, the red, blue and green were applied first and allowed to dry before the gold, black and white were added.

I am very frustrated and disappointed in the borders--they didn't come out at all as I had envisioned. They don't look like swirly leaves. They don't look like much of anything, really.

I am pleased with the corners of the borders, and with the archers. Especially with the archers. It's funny--going into the project, I had thought that the archers would be so hard and the borders easy. How the opposite proved itself to be true!

This project was very eye-opening for me. In the past, I've looked at scrolls completed by others and noted glaring imperfections. Arrogantly, ignorantly, I've thought to myself, "Even I could do better than that, and I'm no illuminator!" I would never have said that to an artist, but oh, I thought it.

Well ... no. No, I can't do better than that. This is HARD. I have a whole new level of respect and appreciation for beginner scrolls, and so much more so for those pristine, gorgeous works of art that come from hands that have been dedicated to learning and perfecting this skill for so many years.
_______________________________________________________________________
Entered In
Night on the Piazza, Barony of Lochmere, Atlantia: Adult Novice Scroll Competition (Winner)

House Rosegate Bottell

My Pelican and the head of my household, Mistress Arianna, challenged us to submit projects to Atlantia's Kingdom A&S display in February 2014. I had seen Geoff's finished bottells and had been wanting to try my hand at one, so I figured this was the perfect opportunity!

I began by drawing up a measured blueprint for the bottell on white printer paper. The blueprint is based on the pattern Cathrin Åhlén provides on her website, but with some adjustments. For instance, her measurements are in centimeters while mine are in inches (the first blueprint I drew up was a 1:1 ratio—the resulting bottell would have been enormous!). Also, I desired a taller neck for my bottell, so I adjusted accordingly.

Next, I laid the blueprint atop the side of leather and traced the outline using a ballpoint stylus. Then, using an X-Acto knife, I cut the bottell from the larger leather.

Using the same ballpoint stylus, I then traced the design onto the leather. The design is the badge of House Rosegate—(Fieldless) On a Portcullis Sable a Rose Or Barbed Vert—atop the background of the arms of the Kingdom of Atlantia—Per Pale Argent and Azure, a Fess Wavy Cotised Counterchanged.

Next, I began to tool the design. I intended to paint the House Rosegate badge but not the background. Because of this, I hand-tooled only around the edges of the portcullis to give it a slightly raised effect. I chose to texture the sections of the background that would have been blue, while leaving the sections that would have been white smooth. I created this texture using a wooden mallet and a textured background stamp. To create greater emphasis between the “blue” and “white” sections, I then hand-tooled the outlines of the waves, giving the “white” sections a slightly raised effect.

When the design was complete, I turned to the task of piercing the holes through which the bottell would be sewn. I carefully measured and marked the seams, and then used an awl to drill the holes through the leather. That quickly grew tedious, and, recalling my vow to purchase a Dremel tool, I took myself to the hardware store. The tool allowed me to make quick work of the rest of the sewing holes, and soon the bottell was ready to begin being sewn together. For the first time, it began to take the shape of the finished product—an exciting milestone! I stitched the bottell using brown waxed linen thread and a blunt-tipped lacing needle.

Once the top was sewn, it was time to cut, shape and insert the sides of the bottell. For this, I again drew up a blueprint on printer paper, based on my adjusted measurements from the first blueprint. I placed it on the leather side and traced it with the ballpoint stylus, and then I cut it out using the X-Acto knife.

After thoroughly soaking the end piece in water, I flexed and folded and shaped it until, eventually, it fit into the hole at the side of the bottell. While the leather was still wet, I pierced holes into it using the existing holes in the body of the bottell as my guide. I then stitched it together, again using the brown waxed linen thread. When I finished, I repeated the process on the other side.

With both ends securely stitched, it was time to shape the bottell. To accomplish this, I first soaked the entire piece in water, letting it completely saturate the leather. Then, using a funnel and scoop, I poured sand into the bottell until it was completely filled. After that, I used a dowel rod to pack down the sand inside the bottell, forcing it into the nooks and crannies and causing the leather to stretch and bulge. I then poured in more sand, and repeated the process until the bottell reached my desired size and shape. After that, I set it in a warm, dry place for several days to allow it to dry completely.

Once it was dry, I poured all of the sand out of the bottell. It was then time to paint the House Rosegate badge. I used acrylic paint and a fine-tipped paintbrush to decorate the design. While the paint was drying, I began to melt the bee's wax I would use to coat the outside of the bottell. Once it was liquefied, I used a soft-bristled brush to coat the entire exterior surface with wax. I then placed the bottell into a warm oven. The heat combined with the force of gravity melted away the excess wax and left a smooth, even finish.

After the bottell cooled, I applied a large quantity of wax along the seams. This would prevent the resin mixture I used on the inside of the bottell from seeping out until it dried. With the seams thusly sealed, I poured the liquid resin into the bottell and spread it over the interior surfaces by slowly tilting and rotating the bottell. When the inside was coated, I set the bottell aside to allow the resin mixture to dry.

Once the inside of the bottell was dry I repeated the resin process, applying a second coat to the inside of the bottell. When the second coat had dried, I again placed the bottell into the oven for a final melting of the excess wax.

My Technique vs. Medieval Technique
1. I used a sand-packing method instead of a mold to shape the bottell. I am not a woodworker and do not have the skills necessary to create the required mold. Sand packing is a period technique that was used to create leather vessels—it was used to make flasks while the wooden molds were used to make bottles and jacks.

2. I coated the inside with a modern resin compound instead of pitch or wax. I did this for durability and so that my bottle can be used for either hot or cold liquids.

3. I used acrylic paint instead of period paints. I lack the skills and knowledge to create period pigments. Also, acrylic is very durable and stands up to the waxing process.

4. I used modern tools: an X-Acto Knife, a crockpot (to heat the wax), my oven. This was a matter of convenience and what I had available to me. In period they would have used a sharp knife and the heat from a fire.
_______________________________________________________________________
Entered In
Kingdom A&S Festival 2014, Atlantia: Open Display

Two Bears' Black Jack

Shortly after I completed my first Black Jack, my former Barony in the West announced an A&S Exchange project. The idea was that each participant would be secretly assigned to another participant and would create some spiffy SCA item for them. Long before I knew who my recipient was, I knew what I was going to make: a Black Jack!

I was assigned to someone I had never met and given the suggestion of bears and bear paws. Perfect! I looked up his registered SCA device and made that the focal point of the design. For the background, I created a pattern of bear paw tracks and the stars from his device. Unlike on my own mug, I decided not to paint these designs in the background.

Most of the tooling and construction process was identical to my first project (albeit without Geoff to guide me at every turn), so I won't recreate those details here. Rather, I will discuss the differences and challenges.

I did not have a Dremel tool of my own at this point, but Geoff very nicely allowed me to come over one afternoon and use his. I resolved to purchase one of my own before any future projects!

This project from beginning to end was a learning process for me. Right from the start, it was a lot of trial and error. I did not have Geoff's patterns at hand, and so I created one using my own Black Jack and vague memories as a guide. This finished mug came out a good bit narrower than mine, and I neglected to follow the curved stitch pattern at the bottom of the handle. Despite these faults, though, I was very proud of the finished product!

The device itself was mostly painted, again using acrylic paints. However, I was inspired to leave the bears unpainted with the hope that the natural leather, when waxed, would turn an appealing shade of brown. That hunch paid off, and I was very happy with the result!

Further complications arose as I raced the deadline to complete the project: my oven didn't work and I had no easy way of melting the excess wax off the finished product. I attempted to do so with a lighter, which resulted in the somewhat streaked look of the finish. I actually found that I liked that effect on this piece, though--it gave it a more rustic feel that I felt went well with the bear theme.

In particular, I was pleased with the hand-tooled bear paw prints and the stars in the background. I love how the wax took to the leather, making the paw prints darker and emphasizing the details of the stars.

In the end, I met the deadline and mailed the Black Jack off to Alaska. It was received with delighted surprise, and Two Bears and I are now Facebook friends!

My First Black Jack

Several years ago, a new family moved to the Barony of Lochmere. The head of the household, Lord Geoffrey de Cardeville, happened to be a master leatherworker. He offered a series of classes to the Barony, and I was one of several who took advantage of the opportunity.

Lord Geoffrey's specialty is the Black Jack, and it was this project that he offered for his series of classes. We worked each Sunday as a group with Geoff leading us step-by-step through most of the construction, but we did complete some of the tooling and sewing on our own at home.

First, we chose which shape we wanted for our Black Jack from among the patterns Geoff has developed over the years. I chose a larger, more "manly" pattern for a mug that would stand up straight (he also had patterns for smaller mugs, and for mugs that lean back slightly). After tracing the pattern onto the side of leather, I cut it out using an Xaxto knife--this is a somewhat tedious, labor-intensive step.

With the pattern selected and the leather cut, I knew what my surface area was for tooling the design. My homework after the first Sunday was to decide what I wanted to tool. I chose a variation my SCA device (Azure, a dog's head couped contourny between three mullets and on a chief argent three shamrocks vert -- in this rendering, the dog's head is not contourny). For the background, I created a pattern of two of the major elements of my device: white stars and green shamrocks. I decided that the stars would be "pushed in" while the shamrocks would be "raised."

The following Sunday, the holes for the stitching were drilled into the leather. This was accomplished using a Dremel tool--SO much easier and faster than trying to do the holes by hand with an awl! After the holes were drilled, I traced my design onto the leather.

Then the tooling began. I accomplished the majority of it while I was working the overnight shift at the airport--I was able to work relatively undisturbed for several hours at a stretch, and the project helped keep me awake on those long, winter nights!

The following Sunday, construction began. Under Geoff's careful tutelage, I began to stitch my Black Jack together using waxed linen thread and two tapestry needles. This is a slow, painful process and is, by far, my least favorite part of any leatherwork project. I break countless needles each time I have to sew something, and it makes my fingers ache fiercely. It's worth the pain and suffering, though.

First, the handles were stitched together, along with an extra insert of leather to give extra strength and rigidness to the handle. Then the bottom of the mug was soaked in water and fitted in, and then that was stitched into place as well with a double row of stitches. Surprisingly, the bottom was much easier to stitch than the handle! It led me to wonder if this was because the leather was wet, and I have made a mental note to experiment with soaking the handle prior to sewing it in future projects.

When the stitching was complete, the entire piece was thoroughly soaked in water. After that, I poured sand into the Jack until it was completely filled. Then, using a dowel rod, I packed the sand down into the mug. This stretched the leather and gave the piece its final shape. When the desired shape was achieved, the Black Jack was set aside to dry for many days.

When the leather was completely dry, the sand was poured out and it was time to paint the design. Geoff had us use acrylic paint for this step of the project, which is not a period paint. However, it is durable, sticks well on the leather, and offers a range of bright, vibrant colors.

Once the paint was dry, it was time to coat the exterior with beeswax. Geoff used a crock pot to liquefy the wax. While it was melting, he heated his oven and we placed the Black Jack inside, warming the leather. This made it more absorbent of the wax, which we applied generously to the outside of the mug using a pastry brush. Extra wax was applied to the stitches, to prevent the sealant that would be poured inside the mug from seeping out.

When the wax had hardened, it was time to pour the sealant. While in period they would have used pitch or wax, we used a modern poly-resin mixture called Envirotex Lite. There were three separate pourings of this sealant, which was allowed to dry completely (taking a minimum of twenty four hours) and was then sanded between the first-and-second and the second-and-third pouring. Once the third coat was completely dry, we put the Black Jack into a heated oven again to evenly melt off the excess wax, and VOILA! The project was complete!

Introduction

Greetings! I'm glad you've found your way to my little blog. I'm Shannon, known in the SCA as Lady Shannon inghaen Bhriain ui Dhuilleain (don't worry--I can't pronounce it either!). My main art form is (currently) leather work, but I also dabble in Fingerloop Braiding, Viking Wire Weaving, Illumination, and ... well, whatever else strikes my fancy at any given moment!

This blog is intended not only as a showcase of my work, but as a living, breathing record of HOW these things are created. I hope to post step-by-step instructions of the art forms as I learn/practice them, along with in-progress photos and any helpful tips or lessons learned that I glean along the way. That way, when I come back 'round to any given art in another six years, I don't have to start completely from scratch!

All photos, documents, and posts contained herein are (c) Shannon Dillon, unless otherwise noted. I grant permission for non-commercial reposting/reprinting of my work with proper credit given (and a link back to my blog, if possible, would be muchly appreciated as well!).