17 posts tagged “chainmail”

More tales from the Faire!

    First off, in case no one knows, half the point of chainmaile (and what first addicts us crazy maillers) is the sheer tactile joy of it.  It's made of metal, yet it's very soft, pliable, and collapseable.  It likes to be touched, and people love to touch it.  I constantly tell people that they're in a "Touching Booth", and that it's all right for the wee ones to walk up and play.  Besides, it's all made of metal, and chances are they aren't going to hurt it.  Crying babies are often quickly calmed when handed a small piece of aluminum maile to jingle and knead at.
    But Saturday we had a new experience in our tent.  Two ladies, one with a guide dog and the other wearing very corrective glasses, came in to "see" what we had.  The lady with glasses was helping the other along, and they were both having a great time, touching the different weaves and testing the weight of things.  The lady with the dog was totally blind, and Brian and I had the lucky chance to see her figure out European 4-in-1, the most common maile weave.  She had picked up a strip that I had been working on and using in demonstrations, and was running her fingers along it, feeling each ring and checking its orientation.  She was talking her way through it to herself, and suddenly went "Oh!  I get it!"  I handed her a patch of maile, and began nodding.  "Yep, I see it now," she said, "That's really clever!"  She then went beck to the necklace rack to check out the weaves again and figure those out.
    The moral - Chainmaile is for everyone!

Some things that have happened at the Faire today.  Oh, the things that happen when you're a Rennie!

First off, a group of men entered my booth - Probably my age, mid-twenties.  I was behind the counter, having a drink from my tankard with pliers, piles of rings and half-finished things scattered on the counter before me.  Brian wasn't even at the Faire at this time; he had a meeting downtown, and was attending it in full garb because he had to rush to get there. ^_^
Anyway, the guys were poking at the chainmaile, taking turns trying on the steel coif (I have a sign up saying they can) and generally having fun.  I was working on stretchy Byzantine bracelets, making the little "units" to be later strung together.  One of the men noticed this, and said idly (while poking at the sterling pieces), "Oh hey, you're helping out, that's really cool."
His friends saw me bristle, some of them going "Oooo...  Uh oh," and the like under their breath.  I know for a fact my eye twitched.  "Helping out?"
He was still not looking directly at me as he picked things up and looked at them.  "Yeah, it's good you're helpin' out making things and stuff."
"I'm not helping out, sirrah.*  This is my work.  I am the chainmailler."
He was shocked, and his friends were laughing at him.  "You really made this?  All of this stuff?"  I was a bit insulted that he was so shocked, but I was good; I feel I remained civil.
"Yes, I did.  Ring by ring, all of it."
The man looked around as though in a daze.  I think I broke him because he didn't seem to be able to fathom that a single person could do all of that, and especially because it's chainmaile, and especially not a girl.  He kept picking things up, asking questions, and I answered them all.  I even gave a quick lesson in how to make Euro 4-in-1 (the most basic of weaves, the weave everyone pictures when they think of maile).  I explained how scalemaile was made, showed them all the different kinds of pliers, pointed out different weaves and how they can be combined, which materials were good for what, properties of metals... 
I think I spent at least twenty minutes talking about maile to these guys, but things were slow and I think it was time well spent.  All the guys walked away with at least more knowledge about medieval armor and an appreciation of medieval vs. modern uses - I had to explain several times how it was not and never was stab-proof and no, it's not bullet-proof.  One man walked away, shaking his head and in awe that someone could be so crazy as to dedicate all their time to putting one ring next to another in an ancient art form that requires the patience of a saint, the hands of a surgeon, and stubbornness greater than steel.
And that someone is a girl.

Story Number 2 is a better story, and one that I'm still smiling about.
I was tending the booth (again alone) when a couple with a stroller came in to poke at the shiny things. In the stroller was an older girl toddler; not young enough to "need" a stroller, but still at an age where sudden tiredness may occur, and a stroller wouldn't be a bad thing to have handy. She was fast asleep.
The couple explained that they were going to go to the Steelers game with some friends (probably to tailgate) but their friends had bailed on them, so they decided to come to the Ren Faire instead. They had actually arrived not long ago (it was about 2:30 at this time). I made sure to tell them that the Friar always knows the score, and he could keep them updated. While I was explaining where different stages were and what shows would be good for the whole family, their little girl woke up. She looked at me and froze. Her eyes were huge. I thought, "Oh, no - this little girl just woke up and the first thing she sees is an unfamiliar, strangely-dressed woman wearing lots of metal. She is going to scream."
The little girl gasped, and said, "Mommy, it's a princess!"
I about died on the spot. I started to laugh, thanked her, and said I wasn't a princess (I'm sure I was beet red). I explained that the Princess has an even prettier crown and a prettier dress, and that she could see them if they went to the joust. The little girl asked who I was, then. "I'm the chainmaile lady. I make chainmaile." I grabbed an in-progress mantle to show her what it was.
She touched it and said, "Knights wear this! You make what knights wear!"
I smiled and nodded, and said, "And someday, I'll learn to make a whole suit of armor."
She gasped, "Really? You could DO that?"
"Yep." ^_^
Her parents were happy (her mom, especially), and then realized they had to run to get to see a show they were planning on catching, now that they knew where it was.
I waved as they left, almost able to see the visions in the little girl's head of a female Vulcan, giant hammer in hand, forging mighty suits of armor and huge swords to go with them.
And I felt really, really cool.

That's it for today! ^_^ I'll try to remember more stories and post them during the week.
Later!
Crazed

*sirrah - formerly a contemptuous term of address to an inferior man or boy; often used in anger - In case you're wondering, no, no one in the tent aside from me knew that I was using an insult, but it made me feel better.  Catty and immature, I know, but I was ready to take someone's head off with those pliers and antiquated insults do very little physical harm.  Pliers, especially in the right/wrong hands, are another story.

Wow... Just - Wow.
Otakon was AMAZING!  I had a ton of fun selling with Maqqy and Craig, made new friends, lots o' cash (Ring Lord, here I come), met more than a dozen other maillers, took pictures, got my picture taken, got some connections, bought stuff...
So yeah - Wow.  My voice is still hoarse from all the talking; it felt like I answered a million questions!
Bad news is I sold more than half my stock, so this makes me a bit nervous for the Ren Fest, because it starts at the end of August and I do NOT have enough stuff to survive the first weekend. I just know I don't, so I need to get my ass in gear and get with the makin'. Luckily I have a ring order coming in the mail tomorrow (yay!) and I've rested up, so I should be good to go.  But still...  If I sold more than half my stuff at an event NOT geared towards people who are fans of chainmaile...  I'm doomed.  But in a good way.
In the Alley, I sat between to Maq (of course) and these guys from a company called "Bishonen House" that makes custom ball-jointed dolls and clothing. Needless to say, they were amazing!  Man, I wish I could sculpt. And the guys were really nice, too, and it turns out they're in Pittsburgh! ^_^ Who knows, maybe I shall be doing maille for their dolls in the future?  You should really look at their site.  Awesome things abound.
And oh - I forgot to mention that one integral part of con-going: SHOPPING! The Dealer's Room was confusing, but full of goodness. I got Brian a Totoro short (otakus, you know the one) that he'd been eyeing on the internet for as long as I've known him, a stack of manga (yay hentai!), a leather corset for only $145 (http://www.timeless-trends.com/L01.htm) and a doll! ^_^ After making that little maille vest for Kristi's doll Seth, I've been itching to get my hands on one so I can make maile for dolls. The people from Divinity Doll were at Otakon, and I bought the last boy they had available. Not sure which model I got, but I got one, gave him green eyes, a long honey-blonde wig, jeans, and a pirate shirt. Brian named him Roland. Once I get his wig to stay on right (the doll people said I need some velco dots) and fix his bangs so he doesn't look all emo and can see, I'll post a picture.
But - I do need to get to the making, and clean up all the stuff we unloaded from the car...

Later!
Crazed

I am going crazy with chainmaile and marbles, both round and flat.  I can do pretty things, gothy things, vaguely-Victorian things, techno things...  ^_^ Theyr'e so fun!
And they are also for sale on my Etsy Page.  I've only got a few things up from this batch so far, but hopefully I can get everything up there next week.  Some of the pictures I took today looked kinda blurry, too...  Gotta re-do those; they looked fine in the camera.
In other crafty news, I got a little cheap Xylon Sticker-Maker! ^__^ I do like me some stickers, and I got some circle (and 1 square) punch to make life a little easier for me.  I got some Mod-Podge, too (thanks, Lost Mitten!). I'm wondering if I can put some pretty or shiny paper behind the clear glass flat marbles to make some really nifty maille-wrapped pendants.  Something to dress them up a bit, you know?
Anyway, we're visiting the in-laws tomorrow, and it's a bit of a drive, so I've got to get to bed...

'Night!
Crazed

Okay, in case the chainmaile and Ren Fests and love of cheezy 80's movies hasn't tipped you off by now, I am a total geek, and I've been making wonderfully geeky chainmaile.
First up is the Triforce bag, complete with an inlay of the TRIFORCE!  ^_^  YAYS!
I would have put two triforces on there, except I'm running low on gold rings, and the first law of chainmaile states that if you are ever short of rings it will always be by less than 10.  So I decided to avoid that frustration and just make it one-sided.  Once The Ring Lord gets their aluminum back in stock I'm going to order a ton more and make them in colors to symbolize WHICH Triforce - Oooo...  I want to make green ones for the Triforce of Courage, which is Link's bit, blue ones to symbolize the Triforce of Wisdom, which is held by Zelda, and red ones for the Triforce of Power, which is possessed by Ganon/Ganondorf.
The Triforce handflowers are a bit of inspiration, I think.  I'm going to Otakon in July and I need geeky things to sell, so I'm going to be making a ton of these!  They actually read pretty well as the Triforce, I think; it took me a while to figure out how to do the cut-out with the flat top.  When I get more small gold rings (the kind I used in the dicebag) I want to make nicer "deluxe" versions.
These are, of course, for sale in my Etsy Shop.  For all you geeks out there!
But the light is finally good for photos, and I have been playing with marbles and maille, so I've got to photograph those before it gets too dark!

Later!
Crazed

I'm a sucker for handflowers, I really am, and since I live barefoot as much as I can, the barefoot sandals are a must for me, too.
Although I can (and have) made the traditional mostly beaded handflowers, I like the all-maile ones better. ^_^ They're fun, they're jingly, and they've got rubber rings on the base so you don't have to worry about fiddling with a clasp while you're tying to keep the chain ring on.
The barefoot sandals have a small-sized hair elastic for the toe ring, because I've made them with chain for me and it just doesn't hold up well.  Also, it gives you a nice, snug fit so they're not drifting under your foot or getting caught in your flip-flops (I like to wear mine over my shoes, too).
And yes, these are for sale on my Etsy page.
I'm off to make more chainmaile!

Later!
Crazed

I finally got my hands on some Swarovski crystals! *dances*
They're so pretty and sparkly and I can't say enough good things about them!  If you've heard of "ferret shock", you have a good idea of what sparkly things do to me.  My awesome husband did a silly but wonderful thing by saying (whilst I was standing in front of the crystals in Pat Catan's) "Get whatever you need."  Silly, silly, man.
Although he helped me pick some out!  In fact, this necklace here was his idea.  He loves the crystal snowflakes, and picked out all the crystals and the sterling clasp, too.  The sterling chain bits were my idea, and as far as I know, the weave is a personal invention, although I wouldn't call it a "new weave".  If any maillers out there are familiar with Camelot and Celtic Visions, this is a Camelot-ified version of Celtic Visions, and it can apparently be sheeted. ^_^
As always, if you're interested in "Flurry" you can buy this in my Etsy shop.  The chainmaile bits are made from bright aluminum rings, and it was a jaw-dropper at the festival.

So, lots of new things to toss up here in the next few days.  I made a pile of things in preparation of the Fairy Festival, and have a day of taking pictures and posting on Etsy lined up for tomorrow.
But dinner smells almost finished, so I'm going to see if I can help with the table or maybe get a few more links of the crystal necklace I'm working on finished up before the food is done...

Later!
Crazed

This weekend will be my first festival! *dances*
Murphy's Law is trying to strike, though, I know it.  Last night while looking at our bank balance on-line we noticed that the check I had made out for event insurance hadn't gone though yet.  This is odd, considering I mailed out the application on the 23rd of May.  Too late to call the insurance people, I fretted and took it out on some rings and some Swarovski's (my first! ^_^) and made a beautiful necklace.  Well, it was until one of the focal pieces cracked! >_< So I need to get another one (probably one more as a spare) so's I can sell it at the Fairie Festival this weekend.
Today I managed to get a hold of the insurance people, who said that I should have gotten my certificate in the mail by now (but I haven't) but who were able to e-mail me a PDF so I can just print it out myself.  Major Disaster 1 Diverted.
But I also talked to the co-ordinator of the festival today, just making sure I had everything in order, and she mentioned that the table I have is 8 feet long.
O_O Orly?
Ya Rly.
Now, I know I have enough stock to really clutter up one of my little 4-foot tables.  I have to really pack it on there if it's all going to fit.  But to fill an 8 foot table? 0_o Oh, dear.  I feel an urgent need to make LOTS of things in a very short period of time.  I would have been doing nothing but that these past few weeks if not for The Skirt.
We were commissioned to make a chainmaile skirt out of aluminum for a cosplayer.  She plans to attend some anime cons later this summer as one of her own original characters, and since her character wears a chainmaile skirt, well, she needs a chainmaile skirt! ^_^ It expands out to 78 inches around at the bottom, weighs around 9 pounds, and when stretched out (ie, not on her person) it's more than 6 feet tall!  Because of the nature of chainmaile, though, when she wears it over her gown it will collapse "upwards" and fit perfectly.  It's hard to explain, but here's some pictures for your enjoyment.

And I'm off to make some more chainmaile!  I promise I'll take pictures of my more nifty creations before the festival, so all you guys can see them before they sell.  That is, if they sell.  If not, they're goin' on Etsy! ^_~  I will also take pictures while I'm there so yu guys can see my table and all the other bits of hilarity that are sure to ensue.  I'll especially try to get a nice picture of the Captain Jack impersonator that's going to be there - He's a dead ringer, if the website pictures aren't lying.

Now, to Work!
Crazed

Wow, I feel so wierd and... Adult-like.
So, what's been going on with Crazed?  Lots of crazy, crazy stuff!  The craziness is because the business seems to be taking off!  There's a Fairie Festival coming up on June 9th and 10th at Cooper's Lake here in PA.  Any of you Pennsic SCA-types out there should know your way there blindfolded, I'd imagine! ^_^ But I got into the Fairie Fest today!  So I will be peddling my chainmaile wares there in an "Emerging Artists" (read:Noob) Tent with 2 other crafters, I believe.
It should be fun - It's like a Ren Fest but more relaxed and not terribly inclined to be historically accurate.  And there's pirates!  So that's awesome.  I also got a call from a gay pride shop in Arkansas and they want me to do a bit of wholesale with my stretchy maile bracelets! ^_^
So yes, business is keeping me busy as Hell and there's so much to keep track of!  Not to mention the looming Ren Faire and the monthly I Made It! shows.  Those shows are great to keep some cash in the pocket and to get my name out there.  Some people who were at the first I Made It! recognized my little bun-pelli trademark and were all excited to see me in a real show as opposed to a flea market.
So yeah - Busy busy busy busy.  And there's a maile skirt deadline coming up (we're working on it) and we've got the supplies for a stainless halter top coming tomorrow! *faints*
But I feel all weird and responsible because I have speadsheets in Excel to track things, itemized deductions, etc etc etc... It's so odd.  I don't want to be a responsible adult! T_T But I do need money for supplies and that pesky student loan, so I guess this is the trade-off.  Who knows?  Maybe someday I'll have a real storefront, a REAL SHOP.  That would be so many flavors of cool.
So where can you stalk Crazed?
The Western PA Fairie Festival, June 9th and 10th
The I Made It! Sunday Market in Pittsburgh, June 24
The Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival, Weekends in August/September
See you guys there!

Later,
Crazed

Lately I've been making a lot of little things to put in my shop.  With the huge chainmaile skirt deadline looming, and the deadline for designs for the RenFest, I feel the need to do new things...
So I make little things.  Things I don't feel guilty about taking time out of "skirt time" to finish, and I usually learn something new along the way, too.  I also need more little things to sell at craft faires and whatnot that come along, and the little here-and-there sales on Etsy help, too.
So here's my cel phone charms, hair things, Celtic Stars and whatnot.  They are all for sale on Etsy, of course!
Hope you like them! *scurries off to grab her pliers*

Later!
Crazed