tashabear

That is beautiful! You do amazing work.

Nice! What did your brother think? Try the Superior lace at Tandy. I just did a commission for Christmas with a LOT of lacing, and I was pleased with it.

I was told that to get a really deep black, it helps to put a layer of Evening Blue underneath. I've also read, elsewhere on this board, that Cranberry Red also works. I haven't tried the red yet, but I've gotten good results with the blue.

I was a lucky girl. My mom gave me a complete new set of cookware, which means I can throw away the ratty old non-stick that's shedding Teflon. My brother-in-law was very confused as to why I was happy-dancing, but he hasn't seen how ragged those pots are. My husband was a meanie, though. No sh*t, there we were, at my mom's... I've wanted a Kitchenaid stand mixer for years, and the box under the tree was the right size, but it felt light... I opened the wrapping, and it WAS a Kitchenaid mixer! Joy! Rapture! Oh Frabjous Day! Let's open it and have a look... Wait. What the... There was a pillow, a brick, and a Kitchenaid brand spoon in Empire Red, same as on the box. He got me a Kitchenaid mixer, all right... the manual version. Ain't he a stinker? (The mixer was in the closet. We went to Mom's the night before for dinner, and he pulled the switch, with my dad's complicity, while I was out getting Chinese food.) Other than that, my in-laws again showed a near-total lack of understanding of who I am and what I'm about by giving me a glass candy dish and a gigantic ceramic bowl full of smelly-good bath stuff. Oh well. I have them held in reserve, just in case I need a generic gift. I'm not ungrateful, but even if I wanted a glass candy dish, that wouldn't be what I would choose.

I got a TLF gift certificate and two Bruce Grant books on braiding. :-D

That is absolutely lovely.

Yeah... but why limit yourself? You can find clipart and fonts all over the net. What are you looking for, and for what purpose?

Doh! No wonder they didn't sell and got replaced by the Hebrew set -- they were labeled wrong!

Those are Norse runes -- the Elder Futhark to be exact. If you're talking about Celtic, you're more looking toward Ogham.

Oh, that's kind of awesome! Thanks for sharing!

Go back two or three holes and then cut the ends close with a knife. That's what it says to do in the Al Stohlman book on handsewing, and it works quite well.

How did you figure the shape for the top? I just made a quiver (should probably post pics, huh) and getting the shape of the bottom right was a PITA. (Didn't help that I couldn't get my arm in to trace the inside.)

Clif Bars are all-natural organic energy bars, and mostly very good. Even the ones I don't care for are pretty decent, but so far my favorite is the Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch. They're great to keep on hand when you don't get to eat a proper meal... and no one will ever hire my mother-in-law as a personal chef.

My mother-in-law is cooking. *sigh* I'll have a Clif bar in my purse just in case.

I use artist's acrylics (Basics brand from Michael's) and put Leather Sheen over it. I have a wallet that I carry in my pocket all the time that's painted with acrylics with Super Shene over it and it looks fine. I like Leather Sheen better, though; I get better coverage.

Check out this page: http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/leather/ld.html Some of the period language is a little tough to read, but if there's anything you just don't get, ask me and I'll try to help.

I should suggest this to my cousin -- he teaches HS chemistry, too.

Take a cloth, wet it with denatured alcohol, and rub the hell out of them. I've fixed pooling with Leather Sheen that way.

If it helps, I got a box of no-soap Brillo pads at the grocery store for something like $0.79.

Maybe it depends on what you use for a source of rust. I used steel wool, and got a reaction quite quickly. A friend of mine is a machinist, and he and his girlfriend used shavings and filings from when he drilled out some steel, and they fizzed right up and gave them a good mixture. Maybe there isn't enough rust for the volume of vinegar you're using.

Interesting -- are you mixing the spirits with the Rit powder or the liquid?

Offer it as an option, and charge extra for it. :-D

It does help get the smell out, as well as neutralizing the acid in the vinegar. Then give it a water rinse and you're done.

St. Gabriel's wouldn't have done you any good; they're strictly onomastics (names). What you want is the Ordinary and Armorial, at http://oanda.sca.org -- and that will only help if the arms are registered. As it turns out, they are, and under that very name. I speak blazon fluently. :-) I've been a herald for years: three-time Town Crier at Pennsic and Court Herald to Brion and Anna when they ruled the East in 2006. I mostly do vocal heraldry (courts and tournaments), but I've been known to dip my toes in the O and A from time to time.

That tri-weave stamping looks AMAZING. Don't be shy; you did a great job.