Welcome to Lightwood – a word from the Seneschal

Welcome to those who have been inspired by the pageantry of the Medieval Mayhem to find out more about this re-enactment lark! If you want to become involved, the easiest way is to come to our regular fortnightly event, the Imot (pronounced im-OTT, which is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning “meeting”). The next one is coming up on May 5th, 1-4pm, at Geeveston Community Centre (GeCo), School Rd Geeveston. At the Imot we get together to work on projects, plan events and enjoy workshops on different topics. No garb is required – just turn up, introduce yourselves, and find out more …

The Canton Banner

At the Imot today, Adelindis and Morwenna started on the process of couching the edges of the laurel wreath. The banner as presented at Court was largely machine appliqued because of the short timeframe, but the intention is to gradually replace the machine stitching with corded edging, while still having a fully-functional banner to use at events in the meantime. The exception to this were the apples, which were couched onto the tree before the tree was sewn onto the banner. Couching, or corded applique, is a common period embroidery technique especially suited to heraldic applications such as banners. A …

The End of the Proposal

UPDATE: The news is more complicated than that.  The rules have changed, and all the names are now different.  Under the new rules, we are now proposed, which is a step up from the initial state of unofficial.  When we get our heraldry registered, we will finally be incipient. So it’s all very silly, but the good news is that at least we’re progressing… in one direction or another. I bear some solemn news.  The proposed canton of Lightwood is no more. Yes, it’s true.  Tonight, in court, the news was handed down: we are now the incipient canton of …

The Dreaded Lurgi

Ages later, I can report that our tourney and feast were quite successful indeed. I would have reported here immediately, but the very next morning I came down with the same hideous Lurgi that has afflicted my whole household, and between that and several other demands on my under-powered brain, everything else fell by the wayside. Not to worry! Feeling much better now, although the cough persists, and we’re kicking the Medieval Mayhem into gear. Stay tuned for news about that, coming thick and fast!

Backstrap Weaving

Backstrap weaving is a period method of creating fabric. A ground loom is very similar and was used a lot by nomadic tribes such as the mongols as it was easy to set up and take down. In fact, they are similar enough that the same equipment can be used for both and swapping between the two is a simple matter of changing the way that the loom is anchored and tensioned. https://web.archive.org/web/20150811224553/http://weavezine.com/content/backstrap-basics This is a great tutorial that sets out using a continuous string heddle on a backstrap loom (the same heddle is used on a ground loom as …