Soap Make & Take

Yesterday, at our weekly Arts & Sciences SCA meeting, we did our second make and take project. This time, we made soap. It was a much easier process than I thought it might be, although anything you have to be so precise with - and you do need to be precise with the water/lye/fat ratio - is probably not something I am going to tackle solo very often. (also the reason for some of the cooking I don't do...)

I don't have in-process photos this time. I was busy making! I do have some pics of what I got to bring home though.

Lightly coconut scented. Can you smell it from there?

We used egg cartons and poure on top of plastic wrap to make small sized pieces to experiment with. I added a couple drops of coconut scent to the base. We used coconut oil for our fat component. Yes, I will have to trim these up a little to make them more presentable. but I'm pretty happy with them, especially for a first try.

I also used a small carton for a mold, and just made plain, unscented soap.

carton of soap

This will have to cure for several weeks. I never knew that soap needed to cure. I hope I can cut bars reletively neatly as I would like to donate some of this for largesse. I'm also looking forward to trying some out!

Our next make and take project will be pewter coins/medalions. Sounds like fun, right!

Bags Bags Bags

I completed my 13 bags, and was happy with my results. Did I take pics of all of them? NO! I was too busy trying to get them, the girl, and the stuff in the car and down to the event. And, evidently, my brain fell out or something. I really thought I took a picture or two after this one, when more bags were done.

and the stack got bigger...

I was very happy with the variety I got from a limited amount of fabrics, and trims, buttons etc that I found in my stash. No two bags were exactly alike. I had 10 envelope bags with shoulder straps, some were flat and others had boxed bottoms. I also made 3 drawstring bags. I tried to make some that were gender neutral (at least) so that they would be easier to gift as prizes or thanks. All the bags were lined.

The bags were part of an Arts and Sciences competition, which I didn't win, and honestly, that wasn't the point of making them. They were also part of a silent auction, and whomever put in the highest bid got to pick their favorite of the bunch. Someone bid and got to choose, and I wish I knew which bag they picked, but it is OK that I don't know, too. That wasn't the point either.

There were quite a few other bags given as prizes, so I think I need to branch out some, and figure out something else to make for next time!

13 of a Kind

There is going to be an SCA event next Saturday in El Paso. In the SCA we call it The Citadel of the Southern Pass, or just The Citadel. There will be fighting, and Arts and Sciences all afternoon, and I'm looking forward to attending. It is called Hastilude. Don't know what that is from or what it means, but that won't stop me from going!

Since I've been "bagging it" lately - making bags that is - I decided to participate in 13 of a kind. You make 13 items on a theme, to donate for largesse (gifts for the royalty to present as awards and thank-you's). One of the items will be used as part of a silent auction to raise funds for the barony. There will also be some kind of voting going on, but I'm not sure what people are voting on, exactly.

At any rate, the making has begun. Yesterday and today, I got cutting.

pile of bags-to-be

I'll be making a variety of bags, mostly envelope shoulder bags, but also a few drawstring bags as well. Each will be lined, and as you can tell there will be a variety of embellishments as well.

The first two bags to be sewn up were dark blue twill with a wide blue and green trim for the straps. No two of the bags will be identical, although I don't think it would matter - for this - if they were.

two of thirteen

I should be sewing up 3 or 4 each day for the next few days.