[Bryn-gwlad] fiber arts demos at Ren Day

[Joseph & Michelle Baiocchi]

I would be happy to help with any of these, particularly tablet weaving.  I don't know how to do it, but if someone can show me, then I'll be happy to show everyone else.  After all, it is said that teaching is the best way to learn something!
   
  Sigirðr / Michelle

Coblaith Mhuimhneach <Coblaith at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
  We've barely got a week left to prepare for the Ren Day demo, so I'm 
going to jump right in, here.

Having seen how much attention Vilhiálmr's medieval games and Stefan's 
food-sorting activity drew at last year's Ren Day demo and how much 
trouble Dona Gwynaeth had keeping turkey-grease-streaked fingers off 
her needle lace at the same event, I've come to two startling 
conclusions: Interactive displays are more exciting than static ones, 
and people like to try things for themselves. I know, I know, they're 
radical concepts.. . .

Anyway, I've had three ideas for hands-on displays at the Ren Day demo. 
If the event stewards are amenable and I can find folks ready to help 
run them, I'd be willing to coordinate preparations for these. I'm not 
an expert in any of the crafts, and would certainly welcome the 
assistance of someone who was (or a few someones), but I think I can 
manage a basic set-up and a bit of general patter, and I've already got 
documents I can use as hand-outs. Anybody who's got the time should be 
able to oversee each activity, even if they have little or no previous 
experience with the crafts, with just a few minutes of instruction and 
practice.

They could all fit under one pavilion, creating a nice little 
fiber-arts corner. If none of the big white garage pavilions is 
available, we might even be able to put them at one end of the MoC 
pavilion and Vilhiálmr with his games (which is what I assume he's 
planning to do for the kids again this year) at the other; it's a big 
tent.


1) Tablet Weaving

The support poles of a pavilion (without sides, or with that side 
rolled up) would make a perfect place to set up a warp. Visitors could 
experiment with turning the cards back and forth and flipping them to 
make diagonal stripes and chevrons.

I can supply crochet cotton and some tablets and a shuttle to which I'm 
not emotionally attached, warp up, and if need be start the band 
(though that last might better be accomplished by someone with more 
experience). I have some manuscript images of women weaving between 
columns we can display. I'd love to have some samples of nicely-done 
tablet weaving in various widths to show off, too, if anybody has some 
they'd share. And an experienced weaver who could chat with visitors 
about techniques and the history of the art would be a great boon.


2) Embroidery

A large picture frame (or a few medium-sized ones, depending on what I 
can find cheap) could be dressed as a slate frame and put on short 
supports on top of a table. If the fabric was pre-marked with cartoons 
of period motifs, all we would have to do is demonstrate one simple 
stitch--chain stitch seems like a good choice, to me, since it's easy, 
documentable, and fast--and let visitors try their hand at following 
the lines.

I can supply frame, fabric, needles and thread, one or more pics from 
period art of people using similar frames, and close-up photos of some 
period pieces made using whichever stitch(es) we decide to feature. I 
can also draw (well, trace, really) the cartoons and dress the 
frame(s). I'd love to have some samples of nicely-done embroidery 
using various documented stitches to show off, too, if anybody has some 
they'd share. And an experienced broiderer who could chat with 
visitors about techniques and the history of the art would be a great 
boon.


3) Bobbin Braiding

I've heard that this is a very popular activity at demos. String is 
wound on bobbins, then the ends are tied to something overhead (like a 
tree branch) and participants make braid by tossing the bobbins 
back-and-forth in a particular pattern 

. All we'd really need 
(other than volunteers) is bobbins and thread.

I might be able to find something we could use for bobbins ready-made 
at a craft store. (Michael's had some miniature baseball bats last 
time I was there, for instance, and Hobby Lobby had some miniature 
bowling pins not long ago. They don't look much like the bobbins from 
_Ancient Danish Textiles from Bogs and Burials_, but they're feasible 
shapes, in my opinion.) If I couldn't, I don't think it'd be hard for 
an experienced wood-worker to make a set 
. As a 
last resort, we could use half-full water-bottles.

I think crochet cotton would suffice for this. I could bring some; 
it'd be nice if somebody else could bring more. I'd love to have some 
samples of nicely-done braid of various types to show off, too, if 
anybody has some they'd share. And an experienced braider who could 
chat with visitors about techniques and the history of the art would be 
a great boon.


Coblaith Mhuimhneach



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