[Sca-cooks] Mattress sacks for Pennsic

[Glenda Robinson]

Stefan,

Wooden beds don't squeak if they're built properly using non-modern
techniques! Loose fitting joints are the biggest squeak maker. Joints that
have to be tap fitted with a wooden mallet and a spare piece of wood to stop
the mallet from scarring the bed's wood are the best.

Straw mattresses are wonderful, but unfortunately not for my husband who has
true hayfever. We use a cotton-waste futon mattress with references (15th C
up) from the MoL books (Textiles and clothing, I think). Wool Futons are
also fine, of course, as are feather mattresses (yeah, right!)

Food bit: We're experimenting on our winter camp with rations - issuing all
people with enough bread, apples, bacon and cheese for the weekend on
Saturday morning. Anything else people will have to 'beg, borrow or steal'
to supplement. I'm looking at 'finding some eggs in a local barn', and maybe
some pears on a nearby tree. All modern food wrapping is banned, too.

Glenda.
(Our bed squeaked once, when we were REALLY testing it for squeaks - never
in normal usage, though)

----- Original Message -----

> They also have a tendancy to 'squeak' at times, especially
> if built using only period materials.