Getting Started 2.

Getting Started 2.



In the first article on Getting Started I talked about items of clothing and doing the research on your choice of persona. For part 2 I will cover some basic equipment items.


Equipment:


For ordinary meetings you need very little in the way of equipment, a cup or mug of some description should suffice, plus perhaps a knife & spoon for eating.


A plain pottery or china cup or mug will not stand out. Non lead pewter mugs can be found in second hand shops & op-shops. A tin can with a handle soldered on is good, or failing this just a tin can. If soup or stew is on the menu then a cup or mug will be fine to eat out of.


Spoons these day are not very different to 300 years ago, so you can bring an ordinary desert spoon. Wooden spoons are good, as are horn spoons.

This is a wooden spoon that I purchased in a supermarket, three for $2.00. I cut the handle to size.

In the 18th century your belt knife served as your eating knife & most people carried one of some type or another.

Butcher knives like this one can often be found in second hand shops or op-shops at little cost and are ideal. Just make yourself a plain leather sheath with no belt loop.

This sheath I made from shoulder bag leather & covered with clothing weight leather & stitched with linen thread. The leather came from an op-shop.

Some form of bag is probably a good idea for going to meetings. It can carry your drinking vessel and also some food and anything else you have collected.

This scrip ( called a haversack in mid 18th century. Ref: Al Saguto) was made from second hand light canvas. Your local awning/tarpaulin maker may even sell you some scraps.

A knapsack made from a modern all cotton school bag. Another op-shop find.

The market wallet or market bag. Basically a long tube with the ends sewn shut and a slit in the middle for entry.

The snapsack, an easy bag to make. Often made of leather, but this one made of linen.

Simple inexpensive items are usually best, but please do your research first; this will help you make the right choices.

Snapsack & Market Wallet patterns: http://www.crookedtreefarm.com/history/snapsack/snapsack.html

http://www.18cnewenglandlife.org/18cnel/wallets.htm#Snapsack

http://www.crookedtreefarm.com/history/wallet/wallet.html

http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com/search?q=snapsack

http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com/search?q=market+wallet