Shearling Scrap Mantle

After dumping out my bag of sheep shearling scraps on the floor and rolling around in glee, I decided to make something out of them. I have a concept for a LARP character who's a northerner, but I want her costume to look somewhat ragged and patchwork. I stitched a bunch of the scraps together in the rough shape off the cloak caplet I work with for hoods. My hope is to use this mantle to top of a cloak when I finally get around to making one. (Even if I don't get around to it, the mantle is nice and warm!)

Shearling mantle front.

I'm going for a ragged edge, but it's hard with the fluffy shearling.

You can see the different colours of the scraps along the back.

Introducing the Poke!

The poke is a traditional little leather pouch I am adding to my arsenal. I wanted to make something small and affordable for everyone and these are great for carrying around small items like coins. The small pokes are about 5 inches deep and the larger ones are about 7 inches deep (they all vary slightly in size because they are handmade, but just to give you an idea of size).

Pokes! Draw string closure made from matching leather.

Goat Hide Shoulder Bag

The bag is made from plain black leather, but I added a hair-on goat hide for the flap to make it unique looking. I also added a celtic design concho as a button clasp. I've never had a problem with plain flaps, but a number of people have asked about closures. I think this works well with the goat hair flap. (To see a better image of the concho design go here.)

Goat hair-on hide flap and black leather shoulder bag.

Large pocket (no gusset) and a long, wide strap for comfort. Button closure.

Lilah's Water Bottle Sleeve

Because what's the point of all this lovely work if I can't make something nice for myself? I made this sleeve from the same leather as Lilah's utility belt to match her costume. The monogram was extra work, but totally worth it!

Monogramed sleeve for 591ml bottles.

Water Bottle Sleeves

Dear LARPers, are you tired of unsightly water bottles wrecking your immersion? Well now there's a solution! Introducing my very own water bottle sleeve design. I've been struggling with prototypes for months, but I finally have something that is easy to use and will blend into any costume. No more fooling around with water skins or carrying unsightly plastic bottles, just grab your water, slip it into the sleeve, attach it to your belt and run off to adventure!

Period looking leather covers most of the bottle. Out of sight, out of mind.

Line-24 snap for easy attachment/removal from belt. Draw string for easy closure.

Snap it on and go!

This is the water bottle size, but I'm going to make a roomier one for larger Gatorade type bottles/cans. I'm also looking at making a version that is just the sleeve for around the campsite or for tossing into larger bags incase the belt clip is not needed.

Art Experiment: ink and gouache wash-off

Hello craft fans! This blog post follows me as I try my first ink and gouache wash-off. I wanted to show the process and not just the finished product. This is the first time I've ever done this, but the results were really neat and I want to share!

Step 1: I started by transferring my drawing onto watercolour paper. I used Arches cold press for it's texture and because this paper can really take a beating (which is important as we'll see later). After penciling in the lines where I want the ink to go, I washed in some watercolours in red and yellow. This is so you can see where you are painting your white gouache onto the paper (instead of white on white), but I was also hoping for some staining which is why I used different colours.

Step 2: After the watercolour is completely dry it's time for the gouache! Anywhere you want white on the paper you paint with the gouache. Wherever the gouache doesn't cover, ink will absorb into the paper. (Yes I almost forgot the photo for this stage so you can see some ink wash on the top.)

Step 3: Using an indelible ink, lightly brush a coat over the entire surface. The ink will soak into the paper wherever there are openings. The idea is that because the gouache is water soluble but the ink is not, when you expose the paper to water, the gouache will break up and come off taking the ink on top with it, while the ink that has bonded with the paper stays.

Step 4: Wash it all off! I took my paper and ran it under a tap while wiping the paper with a cloth to remove excess gouache. Some areas took a little scrubbing, but otherwise, the gouache melted off the paper taking the layer of ink with it. I taped the paper down and let it dry completely before doing anything else to it. I was happy to see that the watercolour did some staining! Another effect of the wash is that there are different tones of grey where the gouache was not laid down very thick and the ink stains the paper.

Step 5: After the paper is dry I did a couple touch ups with ink and added the alchemical symbols in the ring. Then I used watercolours on top to add more depth and colour to the piece. Viola!

Sacred and Profane by Sabine Gorecki 2012.

When I first read about gouache and ink wash-off, my mind went immediately to old woodblock prints of werewolves. I envisioned a werewolf in a pose something akin to DaVinci's Vitruvian Man, but I also wanted to work with a female form. Thus Sacred and Profane was born.

2012 Belt Bags

I've had great feedback for the belt bags, so I've made some more for 2012! The red and black are made from heavy suede splits, while the brown pouch is a soft deerskin. I was feeling a little adventurous so I tried making one of these in a hair-on goat hide (backed with black suede). What do you think?

Brown, burgundy and black pouches.

Hair-on goat skin bag.

Large Belt Pouches

These belt pouches are about an inch deeper than the standard ones I make. They also come with a designer snap set on the front.

Large belt pouch 2012: New and improved!

Pouches can be made in black, dark brown or medium brown leather.