Samantha, Gordon, and Me is no more. I haven’t the time to update regularly, and I spend what time I have on Facebook! Also my life has taken a new direction. I began re-enacting with the ECWS 3 years ago with Sir Thomas Blackwell’s regiment, but as I got more and more into Living History it became apparent they were not the regiment for me. So this year I join The Marquess of Winchester’s regiment.
It’s going to be an interesting, busy and fun year, A New Road…
–noun
This wonderful Youtube find includes hand held spindle spinning and distaff dressing (for us re-enacters!). Perhaps a certain Serbian resident can translate for me, Dave 
This video has been added to the Spinning pages, along with some others.
Earlier today a flash of movement and colour caught my eye through the landing window. Outside, on the flat roof of nextdoor’s lean-to, was a bird I had never seen before, quite spectacular with its grey and bright yellow plumage. Its bobbing movement indicated that it was a type of wagtail, which made it easy to find on Google. It was a Grey Wagtail:
Isn’t it beautiful . Here’s one on Youtube:
It’s song can be heard here (click on the link).
This is a delightful, and instructive, video of Andean women drop spindling. I wish I was this proficient!
In the High Andean weavers Village of Quenqo,located 45 km outside of Cusco Peru at 4000m ASL. The spinning of threads, is … all » incorporated into all daily activities of the Andean women. The traditional Andean spinning top hand spindle called a Puscha is used to make threads from the raw wool. The threads are dyed and get a second spinning using two threads intertwined to complete the final working thread.
Music: Pueblo Andino, singing Mujer Hielandera (thread maker women) Film: Sacred Valley Productions Camera: Lucho Silva Edit: Jeff Hall“
More! Including llama shearing and fibre dyeing:
A few tossed together clips of life in a weavers village high in the Andes.
Weaver ladies watching a youtube video themselves on a lap top,
How to shave a llama.
Cooking natural die coloring the wool to weave.
And some shots of the local children having lots of fun with no play station.”
The fabulous Samantha, has had to abandon her svelte figure for the time being. Much like Renée Zellweger before she made Bridget Jones, she has had to go on an intensive pie eating course for the sake of her art. In other words, today my Darling Daughter and I made a Paper Tape Dress Form to make up for her inadequacies.
This was no mean feat.
Making paper dress forms is an art that goes back to the Paris fashion houses of the 19th century. It meant that their exclusive clientèle did not have to travel to the tailors/dress makers for repeated fittings, as their exact form was readily available as required. They only needed to be present in person for the final fitting.
The instructions for making the dress form can be found on the net, my favourite set of instructions can be found here.
The method is simply to apply dampened gummed tape to the person requiring the dress form. She has of course first put on an old t-shirt, otherwise removal of the finished form might prove difficult. If not impossible.
The taping sequence goes a bit like this from A Tailoring Manual by Gertrude Strickland:
Here someone is being taped up. (No, this is not Me!)
Three or four layers of tape are required, and it helps if you have more than your DD to do the taping! When it is finished the form is cut off the model, taped back together and trimmed. The finished article looks something like this:
Or even more grotesque, as in my case! 
Announcement After I have attended the wedding, the outfit for which this form was made. I will be going on a crash diet…. much like Renée Zellweger after she made Bridget Jones!
