You will find us at Kapitelhusgården during Medieval week in Visby, and the shop is open 12-17 (you don’t need a pass to visit). I will bring lots of medieval hats in wool and straw, handcrafting materials and jewellery.
My lectures are in Swedish, but my straw hat workshop “Gör din egen stråhatt” will be hands on and I can give you instructions in English.
Hurra! Du hittar Handcrafted History på Kapitelhusgården (som vanligt) där vi har butiken öppen 12-17, och erbjuder historiska hattar i ull och strå samt massor av fint bling och material för att hantverka/sy själv.
Henrik (Vikarien) håller ställningarna i butiken medan jag håller i föreläsningar och kurser. I år kan du lyssna på den (nästan enbart seriösa) “Vad ska jag ha på huvudet” där jag visar hattar, slöjor, baser och pratar hattmode. Brickbandskursen är fullbokad, likaså workshopen i att göra en egen stråhatt. Men en extra stråhattskurs kommer upp på lördag morgon! Boka på Medeltidsveckans program.
Letar du efter den hemliga butiken? Samma ställe och tid som ifjol, samt ett möjligt gästspel på annan plats senare under veckan.
Jag hoppas vi ses! Läser du min blogg? Jag blir superglad när du berättar det för mig om vi ses under veckan!
I have a new digital workshop/masterclass; how to learn tablet weaving! This masterclass is created after several of my followers and friends told me they would love to attend my weaving workshops, but the sites/schedule didn’t add up. So I remade my popular workshop that I have run for 10 years, and made it digital! I am very happy with it, and I hope you will enjoy it too!
from a video clip
In the online masterclass, you will learn everything you need to start weaving: how to set up your warp, weave, solve problems and design simple patterns. The Masterclass is online; log in and follow the instructions at your pace with video clips for every step. Revisit them as many times as you need, and learn more theory in the included PDF booklet. Ask questions in the community and share your experiences with others.
How does it work?
Purchase the masterclass either by email or on Etsy. You will receive a password to the login page here on my website where you will find 25 instructional video clips and the 15-page booklet. Follow the instructions and work your way through the videos one by one, at your own pace. You will have access to the Masterclass for the rest of the year!
Starting kit: I offer a starting kit if you don’t yet have all the tools that you need!
If you don’t order the starting kit you need the following: 8 tablets, a shuttle, and a tablet lock. I use wool yarn 20/2, 40 meters of each colour.
Other tools: scissors, pen, measuring tape, sturdy ribbon.
Online Masterclass: Masterclass pdf booklet. Access to the masterclass page with video clips + bonus clips. Access to my online community, chat with others and get feedback from me.
Online masterclass + starting kit: Masterclass pdf booklet. Access to the masterclass page with video clips + bonus clips. Access to my online community, chat with others and get feedback from me. +All tools you need to start weaving: 8 Paper tablets, tablet lock/pin, shuttle and weaving fastener. Wool yarn for your first project + more weaving. 400 meters of each colour, a total of 800 meters. Pick your 2 favourite colours or get a surprise mix (write a comment). Additional 12 tablets for future projects (20 in total). The starting kit will be shipped to your address.
I admit, I have a soft spot for these braided leather straps. I think they look so nice, and on top of that they are easy to make and doesn’t need any sewing in leather. Perfect, right? You can use this technique on straps, belts, decorations, harness etc.
This braided strap is made for the Ronja Bag. If you only want to learn how to braid, skip the first part where I prep the holes and edge.
The closed braid can be made with 3, 4 or 5 strands, and more! But let’s keep it basic and do a 3 strand braid in leather, without any cut ends.
Start with cutting up a nice leather strap, and make it around 10% longer than the finished strap needs to be. The braiding will shorten the strap a bit, and the drying may also shrink it a little. My leather strap was around 70 cm long, 3 cm wide and 1,5 mm thick.
Leather strap cut and ready.
Leather working is very much a “more tools makes it easier and better” craft (if you compare it to handsewing) and you will need a sharp knife, a cutting board and some other basic things for this, but I use pretty simple things and make do. A good hole-puncher is very handy, though.
I often use a regular pen to mark out holes and lines that will not be visible on the finished item, here I mark where to punch holes.
You can mark where the middle of the hole should go, but I find this method easier; mark out where the outer edge of the holes need to be.
I wanted to have a rectangular hole, with rounded short sides. Since I only own a regular hole puncher and a cutting knife, this will do. Punch both holes, and then use the knife to cut between these.
New hole made! I also wanted to make the ending a little bit narrower than the strap, so I cut it down a bit. This is very optional.
Tip: Remember to hold the knife blade on a straight angle while cutting. If the blade tilts to one side the edge will be uneven.
Now the edges (for fastening) are done, and the rest of the strap can be cut up for braiding. I always like to plan what to do with the endings before, so I know where to start cutting.
Here begins the braiding art!
I use a regular ruler and a pencil to mark out where I want to cut. Using a pencil instead of a pen gives you a more discreet line, and you can erase and move it if needed. Mark 3 strands, or 2 lines, and when you are happy with them you cut them with a knife.
I like to start and finish the cut with a small hole made with the hole puncher. It looks smooth and it is easier to start the braid.
Next step is letting the leather strap soak in luke warm water for around 15 minutes. Wipe off excess water, and then you are ready to start braiding!
Why soak the leather in water first? Wet leather is easy to work with, and it can be stretched, pressed and shaped and then dried to hold the shape given to it when it was wet. This works best with vegetable tanned leather.
Start braiding any strand you like, and make a regular 3 stranded braid.
After braiding 6 times (passing with one strand over another is one braiding) you will notice that the strands yet to be braided starts to tangle. You will need to untangle these now; follow the strands to the bottom and loop the other edge in between them until the unbraided strands are untangled.
Untangling needs to be done after every set of 6 braidings, and that is the whole secret to making closed braids: Braid 6 times, untangle, repeat. Make the braid as hard as possible, and don’t bother about a perfect braid yet.
The 6 times rule apply to a 3 strand braid, if you chose to make a braid with more strands, you will need to braid double that number before you untangle.
At the end it will look like this, and to even the braid out I will start to adjust the braid from the bottom up. The loose section will be readjusted into the hard braided section.
Working my way up by arranging the strands a bit more loose than before.
Done! Now it is time to arrange and dry the braid.
To finish of the braid, stretch it as hard as you can and put it down flat on a table. To make it flatter, you can use a hammer and beat the leather for additional shaping. Use a cloth for protection to avoid hammer marks on the soft leather. When you are happy with the look, leave it to dry.
The braid is finished! Grease or oil the leather before you use it.
Which leather to use? Use vegetable tanned leather, it is better for the environment than modern alternatives and easier to reshape with water. It is also possible to dye. The thickness depend on what you want to use the strap for, but 1,5-3 mm is useful.
You can find us at Kapitelhusgården during the Medieval week in Visby!
Nu är det snart dags för Medeltidsveckan igen, och vi peppar inför att åka! Du hittar Handcrafted History på Kapitelhusgården (som vanligt) där vi har butiken öppen 12-17, och erbjuder historiska hattar i ull och strå samt massor av fint bling och material för att hantverka/sy själv.
Henrik (Vikarien) håller ställningarna i butiken medan jag håller i de här föreläsningarna och kurserna;
Måndag klockan 10 “Vad ska jag ha på huvudet” föreläsning och visning om medeltida huvud-mode.
Tisdag klockan 10 “Vad ska jag ha på huvudet” föreläsning och visning om medeltida huvud-mode. (fullbokad, vi ska se om vi kan fixa en till föreläsning!)
Onsdag 10-14 Brickbandsvävning grundkurs
Torsdag klockan 10: “Medeltida mönsterkonstruktion: att förstå och göra egna mönster” föreläsning + visning om att konstruera mönster.
Ta gärna med fika/snacks till kurserna (men inga nötter), kurser och föreläsningar hålls en trappa upp (hiss finns inte). Du får gärna anteckna och fota mig/saker jag visar.
För alla som är sugen på filtad hatt; i år har jag bara med hälften så många som ifjol, så titta in i början på veckan för att få välja på fler färger/storlekar! (du som förbeställt är välkommen att hämta upp din som vanligt).
Letar du efter den hemliga butiken? Samma ställe och tid som ifjol, samt ett möjligt gästspel på annan plats senare under veckan.
This tutorial is made with the support of my Patreons. Support me to help me make more free tutorials!
The Skjoldehamn hood is a find from the 11th century, and because it is the only find of this type of garment (from Scandinavia) dated close to the Viking age period, it is often used as a Viking/Iron age garment by reenactors.
We don’t know who the garment belonged to; man or woman, rich or poor, or if the wearer considered themself a part of the Viking culture, the native Sami culture, or both. The clothing was found in a bog burial in northern Norway and the garment items resemble modern Sami clothing according to articles I found on the subject. But the hood also reminds us of the later medieval hoods, although it has square gores. Hoods with slits over the shoulders, or long cloaklike hoods can be seen from earlier periods in Europe.
Skjoldehamn in Norway
All considered, it is a good choice to make if you need a warm garment for iron-age clothing and want a hood, at least if you have a north Scandinavian-based outfit, a Birka-based Viking outfit might have had a hat instead. Overall, the hood is probably more common in reenacting than it was during it’s lifetime, but who does not want a practical garment when it is cold or wet?
Materials:
Most outdoor clothing that has been found from the period seems to be practical rather than decorative. Choose a warm and sturdy fabric, slightly fulled, and use wool or linen thread for sewing. The original has a seam on top of the head to give the hood some shaping, and a pair of cords on the side to pull it closer to the head. This tutorial is a simplified version without these elements, but feel free to add them if you like. And don’t be afraid of piecing together the hood if needed, piecing is very historical!
How to make the pattern:
The hood is constructed with two long rectangles (or one piece folded at the top) and two squares.
This guide give you a hood similar to the original, covering your shoulders but not your arms. You could also make a longer one by lengthening measure B.
A is the depth of the hood, measure from the face where you want the opening to be, around your head and back. Divide the measurement in 2. I like deeper hoods to get protection from wind and rain, I usually have 32 cm.
B is the length of the hood from the head down to the shoulder, measure yourself from the top of the head, following your body, to the shoulder point (where the shoulder ends). Mine is 60 cm.
Measurement C is the face opening, measure around the whole face, under the chin, to get an opening. Try pulling the measuring tape “on and off” the head so you know if the opening is big enough to be comfortable. I like a looser opening to accommodate hairstyle/veils. Divide the measurement you get by 2. Mine is 34 cm.
Measurement D is B-C; the length of the hood minus the opening, 26 cm on my hood. D is also the sides of the gores.
You can make a paper pattern with these measurements. If you want to include seam allowance while drafting the paper pattern, add 2 cm to all measurements before drawing the pieces. Otherwise, do it directly on the fabric.
How to make the hood: Put the pattern pieces on the fabric and add seam allowance by drawing 1 cm outside all paper pieces.
You may cut the long rectangle in one piece, or in two pieces that are sewn together on top of the head. Cut out 2 square gores, one for the front and one for the back.
If this is your first hood, basting it together is a good choice to try out the fit. if you like it, leave the basting thread in as a guide while sewing. If you want to adjust anything it is easier to remove basting than a sewn seam.
sewing order
Start with sewing the seam on top of the head, if you have one.
Sew one side of each gore to the rectangle, right side to right side.
After that, fold the rectangular piece at the top to make it look like a hood, and pin the gores to the rectangle. Sew the gores from the bottom and up.
In the back, you continue with the seam all the way up to the top.
Finish the face opening by folding in the raw edge, press it and whip stitch it in place.
Repeat with the bottom edge.
Tip: In the front, sew the hood together 1 cm above the gore for added durability, and then leave the face opening.
Seams:
Sew the hood with backstitching to make it sturdy, or use running stitches if you are in a hurry.
Finish the seams by pressing the seam allowance, cut one side down and press it to that side, and whip stitch it down for added strength. I like to fold the seam allowance toward the larger piece; in this case, I sew the seam allowance down to the main hood and not the squares. In the back seam you can fold it either way.
I made love a new pair of summer hose, in really thin wool twill. The hose got some though love during the summer and come autumn the soles looked like this:
Not much left. When your soles are this worn, it is easier to just change them for a new pair. This round, I choose a thicker and more sturdy wool twill, hoping they would last more than one summer. I ripped the old soles out, and traced around them on a new piece of pre-washed fabric.
Tracing the old soles to new fabric. Remember to add seam allowance if that is worn away.
The top fabric was in pretty good condition, but worn thin in some places. I reinforced those spots with patches on the inside, sewn with running stitches and wool thread.
Soft fabric and a thin wool thread will make the mended areas comfortable. This is the right side of the hose.
All worn areas mended; horizontal and vertical running stitches to secure the patches to the hose, and backstitched soles in place. I did not bother felling the seams, I predict these will soon need to be ripped again…
There are two cool finds of sewn mittens available at the National Museum of Iceland’s webpage and you can see them here and here. They are both sewn in wool cloth and constructed with a separate piece making the thumb. I adore the Garðar Mitten and decided to make a pair for myself.
My first thought was to make them as a type of over-mitten to be worn over my regular needle-bound ones, but then I got sidetracked while making the pattern and made the grey ones the exact size for my hands. So I made another pair in red, for really cold days.
The outside of the mitten is larger than the inside, meaning you will shape the outer side around the inner, creating a gathered effect that is both pretty and practical.
The tumb is inserted in a round hole in the hand, making it both fun to do and comfortable to wear.
Tips for working with the pattern:
Add seam allowance to the mittens, 1-1,5 cm. Remember to sew with the correct seam allowance, small garments really differ in size if you are lazy with the seam allowance.
The tumb seam can be made in different ways; by using a backstitch and sewing the pieces right side together, or:
If you find it difficult to make the thumb insertion seam, try treating it like an “inserted gore” from my tutorial, and press the seam allowance on the inside piece, before sewing it to the thumb piece. (I will show you how to do it below, on the red mitten).
Or go inspired and fasten the thumb piece from the outside as I did with the grey mittens, adding a decorative seam to protect the fabric edge.
Step by step instructions
Place the paper pattern pieces on the fabric with some space in between for seam allowance, and pin the paper in place.
Trace around with a fabric marker, 1 cm outside the pattern. Use a ruler/measuring stick to guide you.
In small projects, some extra seam allowance can make a big difference. To help yourself making the garment the right size, you can trace around the pattern pieces with a basting thread.
It is fast, and you will know exactly were to place your seam. Here the basting line is blue, and I moved the pattern piece for it to show better on the photo.
Cut out all your pieces (remember to check that you have a left and right mitten before doing this).
Tip: it is always easier to cut a sharp line if you have a sharp scissor, and cutting the fabric with the scissor resting on a table.
Pieces ready for basting and trying on!
Start with basting the tumb together at the top, down to the start of the semicircle shape.
Use your blue basting lines, pair them together and pin the tumb in place on the inside piece. Work from the right side of the mitten, the blue lines should line up on top of each other.
Variations: If you want to sew your mitten according to the seam in the original, use a backstitch and attach the pieces right side to right side. If you want to use the “attached gore method”, scroll down to the red mitten photos.
Bast the tumb in place, with the raw edge of the inside piece visible.
Baste the inside seam of the wrist, and continue up basting the tumb to the outside piece.
Before basting the rest of the mitten together, put in a gathering seam around the top piece to to gather it to match the inside. If you have already basted the seam allowance to guide you, you may use this thread and pull it gently to gather the top of the outside fabric together.
Gather the fabric so it fits to the inside piece, and distribute the folds evenly. Sew a basting seam holding them together.
Baste around the top and continue down to the gore. Put this in place, baste both sides, and then you are ready to try the mitten on!
Looks nice! Remember to try your mitten on with the right side out.
I chose a linen thread 35/2 and backstitches, to make the seam sturdy. I follow along the basting threads, and rip these out as I go along (or afterwards if you prefer). Place the seam 1 mm inside the basting seam instead of on top of it, to avoid sewing the basting seam to the mitten.
The tumb is secured with whip stitches, this is on the inside while felling the seam. You can see some red thread which is the decoration from below. I felled the seams to one side after sewing them, to make the mitten more comfortable and the seams more resistant to water.
To secure the raw edge of the inside piece where the thumb is, I chose to make a decorative stitching with wool thread, sewing on the right side. I used a blanket stitch for the edge, and then an embroidery stitch for added decor. Instead of doing this, you can whipstitch the tumb in place on the right side.
Decorating mittens are fun, but don’t show in the historical sources I used.
Soon finished, now I need to finish the embroidery and hem the bottom edge!
The historical red mittens
I made another pair of mittens to be used for medieval reenactment, big enough to be able to insert a smaller mitten or lining for added warmth. These are made without embroidery, and instead I made the thumb hole seam like this:
Cut the pieces out as above, and then fold the seam allowance in, but only in the tumb hole. Press with an iron to make it lie flat.
Work from the right side and pin the tumb in place. If the tumb seem a bit large for the hole, don’t mind that but just follow the seam allowance. This will create more space for movement for the tumb.
Whip stitch the tumb in place, from the right side. (This is what I referred to when I wrote that you can use the “inserted gore” method.)
Another round of whipstitching on the inside to secure the seam allowance. Make the tumb on the other mitten the same way, and finish the rest of the mittens as above.
Felling seams inside small garments: It is often easier to finish one seam before making the next one. Sew one seam, press and cut it, then sew it down with whipstitching. After that, take the next seam etc.
If you want to sew the mitten together first, I find it easier to work with my hand inside the mitten while felling seams. This way you can adjust the seam and seam allowance while sewing, and keep the fabric stretched out. You are also sure not to accidentally sew throught the next layer of mitten.
Stretching out the fabric and seam with my hand, while sewing with the other.
If you want to make a pair yourself, the pdf including a pattern, can be found on my Etsy and Patreon. If you have 2023 years Advent Calendar, you will find the pattern in there. If you have larger or smaller hands than size 9-11, you might need to make a mock up/test the mittens in cheap fabric to adjust the sizing (mainly the width and lenght of the front and back pieces).
Heh, see what I did there? Pattens- step to step, as you can step with them and this is also a guide and…
Yeah. Sorry, let us step to the actual content.
15th-century style pattens
I had been trying to get myself a really good pair of wooden pattens for a couple of years, only to discover that they didn’t fit very well. So I got my hands on a new pair of wooden soles, and this time I made the straps and fitted them myself. It is a little more work than ready-made, but Wow did this make all the difference!
This project was started over 3 years ago and along the way, I lost photos from the handcrafting process. This means that this tutorial is far from the best one I have made, but I decided to finish and publish it since some friends were asking for tips for making pattens.
If you want to know more about historical pattens, check out this blog post.
Good things to make medieval pattens.
Tools for this project:
hammer
scissor
pen
knife
ruler
awl
needle
leather clips
Materials you need:
wooden soles
thick leather 2,5-4 mm
thin leather 1-2 mm
waxed linen thread
nails
tape and regular paper
two buckles around 1-1,4 cm width (optional)
Wooden soles:
You need a pair of wooden soles first, and your medieval shoes. Measure your foot with your shoes on, so you know how long the wooden sole needs to be. I didn’t make my wooden soles so I won’t walk you through (hehe, walk…) how to do it, but if you have patience and a few woodworking tools just draw your foot on a piece of wood, and carve out something that looks like the historical pattens or my sole above. The joint is not a must but I find it really comfortable.
When you have a pair of wooden soles, it is time to connect the pieces with a joint of sturdy leather and nails.
Use a paper draft to fit in the joint, mark it and copy to leather. The leather should be as thick as the cut-out for the joint, between 2,5-4 mm.
Hammer the leather joint in place with nails, and then start working on your strap. Paper and some tape is a good way to test out the pattern and fit.
My goal was to make a strap that both looked plausible and was comfortable. I started by attaching my foot to the wooden sole with tape and then tried to move around. This was not the right fit.
But it was a good starting point to achieve something like this! I cut away the tape that was uncomfortable or in the way, until I got a fit that was working. Last, I taped the buckle in place to check the fit. Try to position the tape quite high on your foot, not over your toes.
When you are happy, cut off the tape and convert them to two pattern pieces, one for each side of the foot.
Next step is to cut them out in thin leather, 2 of each.
Thin leather needs some kind of reinforcement to last, so cut out strips of leather to sew on the edges.
Use an awl to make holes in the leather before stitching. Note that the strip should reach all the way up, this was just a test piece I made before doing my finished set.
Use a cobbler stitch and waxed linen thread to sew the leather strip in place.
Turn the piece to the inside, fold over the leather strip and sew it in place with a whip stitch. Don’t work through the leather piece, just enough to fasten the strip. To shape the edge and make it stay in place, you can hammer it down gently.
One piece is almost done, one to go. This was my finished pair, note how the strip goes all the way up and it is really narrow at the top to accommodate for the buckle.
After I made the reinforced pieces, I attached the buckle by sewing it in place, and made a hole in the other side for closing.
Trying out the fit of the finished pieces, by using a stapler to fasten the leather to the sole. You can also use some more tape. Love tape.
Hammering the leather in place with small nails. These are modern nails for roofing paper, but you can use any flat, shorter nails. It would be pretty to use historical nails, but I did not find any narrow enough.
That’s it! Give them some leather oil and then you are ready to go out adventuring.
Trying them outside in some water and grit.
There are lots of sources without buckles on your pattens. It is possible to just make a plain or decorated leather piece around the foot. The best part with buckles is not that they are pretty, but that you may adjust the fit to the shoes (or hose without shoes) that you are wearing.
Follow me to the National Gallery in London and experience great historical artwork! The bonus is you don’t even have to go there in person (even if it is amazing) because they have a great webpage where you can explore art and zoom in on details- great for all costume nerds wanting to know more about how a veil, seam or closing looks like from up close!
But if you do go here you get to walk through massive halls filled with art. Just saying…
And take selfies with celebrities! I asked if it was permitted to take photos/take a selfie and the nice, polite staff gave their permission. The Arnolfini portrait (Jan van Eyck, 1434).
Magdalen Reading (Rogier van der Weyden, 1435) was part of a larger artwork and this piece is all that remains from it, and it was so cool seeing it in reality. Here she is, with lots of details like the veil, the woven belt, the lacing on the dress… I could step really close and see all the details! You can also do that; here is a link!
To see the paintings for real is incredible, and you get to really experience them and the craftsmanship behind the painting. But as a historical fashion nerd, you can also see details that get lost in printing or are too small to notice on digital copies.
Look at her artful layers of veil and the small pins! A Woman (Robert Campin, 1435)
This great veil is incredible! Imagine all the layers of expertly crafted linen cloth, and the styling involved to make it look great. I also love her clasps on the front of her dress/coat, as well as the fur lining visible at the vrists and neckline. Portrait of a Woman of the Hofer Family (Swabian, 1470)
Beneath this lady´s sheir veil there is a visible fastening or support for the hennin (the basket-like headwear). Do you see it? Portrait of a Lady (Workshop of Rogier van der Weyden, 1460)
Portrait of a Lady (Workshop of Rogier van der Weyden, 1460)
Some paintings are not listed as made by a certain artist, but rather by his workshop. Artists during the medieval period belonged to guilds and learned their trade in workshops, rising from helpers to, if skilled and influential enough, eventually becoming masters themself. A master may not have made everything himself in a painting; often when studying artwork you can see there is a difference between the centre figures (the most important) and the background figures or landscape, these being made with another hand. for this reason, many artworks today are attributed to “the workshop of” an artist, rather than the artist.
An old woman (The ugly Duchess), 1513, Quinten Massys
The portrait above may be a satirical artwork, meant as a comment for contemporary society, but it is also full of details and fashion in an interesting mash-up. The dress is fashionable for the period but the headdress is old and compared to other similar ones, a bit on the big side. Maybe a symbolic way to portray vanity? But the dress is interesting with its lacing rings, what looks like a ladder lacing technique, and a shift peeking out from the neckline. The headwear looks embroidered and the veil is probably a long and rather narrow rectangular, as you can see the edge at the neck.
Detail of The Virgin and Child with Saints and Donors (The Donne Triptych) by Hans Memling (1478) shows this fashionably dressed saint wearing pinned on sleeves in red and gold, on a green kirtle. I realise I may have to make another dress soon, maybe a green one. And a bunch of cool 15th-century veils!
These were just some highlights from my visit- there’s much more to see if you browse the website of the Gallery. You could follow the links from above, or use the search function for titles or names of the artists. Often when I am looking for sources I actually start searching for artists from a specific period and then start to collect their artwork to get a feeling for the period choice in colours, silhouette, cut of clothes, accessories etc. If you look at lots of art you will get a feeling for the period of interest, and it will be easier to create a historically believable outfit from that period. But beware of saints- they might be depicted in clothing from “back in the days” when they were alive, or what the painter imagined they would have worn…
Beeswax cloths are a really simple way of storing food or a picnic snack during your historical event, and they are also nice to cover bowls and jugs!
After this year’s Double Wars event when our encampments got overrun with aphids/lice, I really had it and promised myself to make some protective cloths for next year. And here they are! It was so easy and practical so we use them as everyday items at home, too.
To make some for yourself, start with measuring the sizes you want to have; I made two for covering jugs, a couple for bowls and some bigger ones for wrapping cheese in. I prewashed the linen fabric, cut it in squares, and hemmed the edges with linenthread and a whipstitch before waxing. (To be fair, I used scraps from earlier projects.)
You can wax cloths in different ways; by melting beeswax in a pot and scooping it over the cloths, or by distributing small pieces of wax on the cloth and then melting it in your oven or with an iron. The important thing to know is that beeswax tends to get sticky and may be hard to remove from your favourite pot, oven tray etc. Use baking sheets to protect your kitchen as well as your oven and iron. An apron might be good too, it is hard to get beeswax stains off your clothes.
I chose to melt the wax in a pot that I have already used for beeswax, this was quicker and allowed me to just dump in a big block of beeswax at once. I melted the vax on low heat and scooped it from the pot over the cloths with a spoon.
To save time, I stacked all the cloths on top of each other, poured over a generous amount of wax, and then covered everything with a baking sheet and used an iron on middle heat to help distribute the wax over and through all the cloths.
As soon as the wax is melted into the fabric your first layer is ready- remove it, put it on a baking sheet to cool, and continue down through your stack. You can do this task on your oven too, just make sure you protect surfaces with baking sheets. The cloths gets darker with the wax on, and while they are hot they look shiny and smell nice!
Don’t use too much heat- you want a generous layer of wax to remain in your cloth rather than soak through. Too much heat or too much time in the oven/under the iron will not give you enough wax in your cloth. If this happens, the waxed cloth will look uneven, and won’t stay in shape after cooling down (try to fold it or make a shape with the cloth, it should stay in place and stick to itself). If this happens, just repeat the procedure; pour on more wax and melt it down.
If you have to low temperature, the wax will not melt in properly but lay in cakes/lumps on your fabric. Try to add a little more heat! Beeswax is nice to work with because nothing gets destroyed if you don’t get it perfect the first time, it will just take a bit longer time.
I calculated 2-3 tablespoons of melted beeswax for a 40*40 cm cloth, but this depends on the thickness/weight of the cloth. In retrospect, I would have liked my fabric to be a bit thicker (around 180-250 grams/meter) than this 120 grams/meter linen. It was so fine it had problems holding enough beeswax, but turned out ok for this round of cloths. Next time, I will make them from other scraps.
If you want to make lids for jars, jugs etc. from leather you could also use this process much the same way. Make sure your leather piece is vegetable-tanned and undyed, and get some extra wax since it often takes more to wax a leather piece than a fabric piece of the same size.
