An Iron Age sew kit.
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The pins are very easy.
You get a handful of blackthorn spines (without impaling yourself) (I find the young stems have more suitable spines).
Pick the ones with few or small buds.
Then strip off the bark.
You can make a load in about ten minutes without tools; they come off the branch well and you strip them with your fingernails.
It takes longer to explain than to make.
You get a handful of blackthorn spines (without impaling yourself) (I find the young stems have more suitable spines).
Pick the ones with few or small buds.
Then strip off the bark.
You can make a load in about ten minutes without tools; they come off the branch well and you strip them with your fingernails.
It takes longer to explain than to make.
When I was doing Iron Age living history pre internet to just have to guess or at least discern from available evidence we made our needles out bleached dog bone from the pet shop, to rememember it was a right stinky job, oh yeah and the rawhide we used for armour was derived from dog chews.
Shears, I had a pair of the little bonsai sized snips with crossed points that a blacksmith in a Swedish forest made for me.
Shears, I had a pair of the little bonsai sized snips with crossed points that a blacksmith in a Swedish forest made for me.
Theres my pins; the SAK is to scale, you dont need it for making pins
You can buy those bonsai types one now, I've got a pair myself.
Antler-end container and antler thimble maybe? Or made from bone. Some form of awl to make the sew holes rather than risk breaking the needle. What do you keep the thread in or on?
Antler-end container and antler thimble maybe? Or made from bone. Some form of awl to make the sew holes rather than risk breaking the needle. What do you keep the thread in or on?
Iron age is pretty far along; lot of small metal worked stuff by then. Metal thimbles, spindle whorls, etc.,
When you started this thread I thought of Wayland's beautiful sets, packed in carved antler, etc., Patrick McGlinchey's superbly made pieces too
but I minded that @SCOMAN had started a thread a while back showing a simple but really tidy leather folder kind that might suit you.
So, I went a looking and the forum is full of so much good stuff on sewing kits (nods @John Fenna et al)
This is the one that Scoman started though.
When you started this thread I thought of Wayland's beautiful sets, packed in carved antler, etc., Patrick McGlinchey's superbly made pieces too
but I minded that @SCOMAN had started a thread a while back showing a simple but really tidy leather folder kind that might suit you.So, I went a looking and the forum is full of so much good stuff on sewing kits (nods @John Fenna et al)
This is the one that Scoman started though.
I have made a few sewing kits over the years... bone needles, thorn needles/pins, bone awls, copper needles etc
The eyes of the needles are the hardest bit!
The eyes of the needles are the hardest bit!
Um, pins, for pinning things.
They work really well on loose things like woollen cloth or linen.
They work really well on loose things like woollen cloth or linen.
Here are some needles; the brass and antler ones I got from the re-enactors fayre but the bone ones I made.
I had the scales off of an old cut throat razor and I sawed them up with a razor saw. the holes were drilled with a mini drill.
Handy to have model making tools.
Oh, yes, if you are using a bone needle, please remember it is more fragile than a steel one, and will break if put under side pressure.
Push from the back.
At work, someone was doing a clothing workshop with bone needles, they got through quite a few.
Given that these were purchased; it was beyond funny.
I have made these practically but I dont really intend sewing with them; at least not much.
Push from the back.
At work, someone was doing a clothing workshop with bone needles, they got through quite a few.
Given that these were purchased; it was beyond funny.
I have made these practically but I dont really intend sewing with them; at least not much.
Antler is a lot better for making needles. It has more flexibility and is less prone to breakage.
I also heard somewhere, but cannot vouch for it's veracity, that bone is more likely to carry infection into a wound if you stick yourself with one.
I also heard somewhere, but cannot vouch for it's veracity, that bone is more likely to carry infection into a wound if you stick yourself with one.
I suspect you are correct in the first; Antler is evolved for bashing with, after all. And yes, bone and antler does flex a little.
(Not as much as horn...horn might be handy for things like nalbinding needles or tablet weaving cards...Im not sure it would be handy for sewing needles.)
Ivory might be another option...I have an old brush somewhere...
(and some documents on studies of relative strength of osseous materials.)
But, almost certainly the Iron Age folk used bone, this is something I think we forget in crafts these days, in the past people used what was to hand, and did not seek out expensive alternatives shipped from across the globe.
(Not as much as horn...horn might be handy for things like nalbinding needles or tablet weaving cards...Im not sure it would be handy for sewing needles.)
Ivory might be another option...I have an old brush somewhere...
(and some documents on studies of relative strength of osseous materials.)
But, almost certainly the Iron Age folk used bone, this is something I think we forget in crafts these days, in the past people used what was to hand, and did not seek out expensive alternatives shipped from across the globe.
I know that Inuit liked bird bone needles. Thinner to work, flexible and yet strong. Holes had to close up with the sewing thread so fine was very good. They did use other bone though; caribou, polar bear....
Lot of scholarly articles around.
The needle case is called a Kakpik. If you search for that I'm sure there will be a lot of examples come up.
Lot of scholarly articles around.
The needle case is called a Kakpik. If you search for that I'm sure there will be a lot of examples come up.
No hardship to ask folks who shoot to save you some bones.
Himself is given duck, pheasant, etc., in season.
Free range chickens should be fine though, no ?
Himself is given duck, pheasant, etc., in season.
Free range chickens should be fine though, no ?
It's no great effort to seperate a chicken carcase, and debone a leg before cooking.
Neat wee sharp knife and the job's quickly done
Neat wee sharp knife and the job's quickly done
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