Recreating the best parts of medieval life in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia!
By Nicholas
Bullroarers are ancient devices with many uses throughout history and across the world: communication, music, religious rituals, and as toys.
Nicholas crafted the two bullroarers above out of wood and string. You can create the roaring sounds by dangling the wooden piece, twisting it to make it spin, and then swinging it in a circle.
By Violante
Made of mild steel and painted before hammering the rivets in place so no nooks go without rust protection. The padding will be added when the other knee is finished.
This style of knee features a wider fan on the outside of the knee for protection. The cop sticks out a fair bit, but is much sturdier than other designs.
Many thanks to Lord Mikhail for teaching me how to do this. I had no experience with metalwork up until now. I’ve outlined the process we used below. Continue reading “Armor: Knee”
By Lady Inez Zardoya de Villena
This fighter’s coif uses the Ruantallan colors and includes the new populace badge. Lady Inez was honored in court for this project, which was donated to the Barony. It now forms an official part of the Heavy Champion of Ruantallan regalia.
By Lady Freydis Egilsdottir
The Norse used cloaks, but they also used coats. A popular style for recreationists is known as the Birka coat, named after the Norse trading town.
The coat and hat are made from a sort of thick felt, intended for lining or backing quilts, left over from a previous project, as is the fun fur. I think the fabric is made of polyester as it bubbles and burns when I do a flame test, but Karl says it is super warm and blocks the wind beautifully.
It’s hand-stitched together with embroidery thread. The toggles I made from cow bone (it started life as a stew bone; other bits are being turned into a bone comb, needle, and other small implements–not bad for two bucks!), and the loops are leather thong. It actually went together pretty quickly, and I’m very pleased with how it turned out.
By Lady Freydis Egilsdottir
The Stronghold acquired a 30-cup coffee urn for hot beverages at our feasts: coffee, tea, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, mulled wine… The only thing is, it’s not very period-looking, and due to the way it heats up, the exterior can’t simply be painted or covered. So I decided to make a screen for it out of wood in the style of a Medieval triptych.
By Lady Freydis Egilsdottir
Here is milady Cassandra modelling our first official Gold Key garb! This sideless surcoat has a very long adjustable belt. The head-dress is adjustable to fit a variety of sizes. The surcoat itself also ought to fit a good variety of sizes.
I was able to sew it quickly since it didn’t involve any sleeves and had minimal hand-sewing. A surcoat is a good beginner’s garb project for anyone nervous about sewing because the most complicated part is pleating the sides, and even that is pretty straightforward.
The garb is a bit hot, being an upholstery velvet originally meant for a cloak. It is washable (ideally on delicates, and dried on low heat) and should be reasonably sturdy.