Wax Tablets

First let me just say that walking into my college and seeing my name on the High Honors list for the first time ever is just a great feeling. I'm getting straight A's for the first time in my life.

The wax tablets are done two weeks before they need to be done! They turned out better than I expected but not as good as I wanted. I'm particularly happy with how the stylus turned out. That was remarkably better than what I thought. I've started another set in oak for my friend Ian.
Here's what I learned:
1. Have good carving tools. I'm currently using some of Danr's. I may get a Dremel with a router attachment if I continue to do more.
2. Put in less wax than what you need. More can always be added later.
3. Make sure the tablets are warm before pouring in the wax. Otherwise the wax solidifies immediately.
4. Do not move the tablets after pouring the wax for at least an hour. Once the tablets have been heated up for about ten minutes at about 200 degrees, move the wax tablets to a LEVEL place. Then pour the wax. Don't pour the wax then move the tablets.
5. The carved out area in the tablets doesn't have to be level.
6. When drilling the holes for the binding, drill in from each side, not all the way through fom one side because the wood might splinter when you get to the other side.
7. Oak is not an easy material to carve by hand. Cedar is much better. Oak is a much harder material than cedar so it can take

more abuse.

Road Trip!

Left: 5:30 pm Friday, March 16

Returned: 1:04 pm Tuesday, March 20

Total miles traveled: 904.1 miles

Total time spent in the car: About 15 hours

Tanks of gas bought: 3

That was my road trip to Marion on Friday, then to Des Moines and back on Saturday, and back to the Twin Cities on Tuesday. On the way back I stopped at the Pratt Blacksmith Shop in Pratt, MN. I was there about three minutes and I left. They no longer have a forge there, it's just a Harley shop. The previous owner had a forge there, in 1972.

I have now done both of finals in both my classes. Even if I do really bad on both finals, I still have an A in each class. The purpose of the road trip was to visit TJ for several days, and just get away from my job. I studied nearly all day Monday, and some on Saturday and Sunday. The next semester begins April 2.

I finally finished the last of the major blackwork project. The total length is 59.5 inches, with 43.5 inches being consecutive. Each cuff is eight inches. And look, there are pictures! To give you an idea what size this really is, the larger flower is exactly one inch, and the smaller flower is a half inch. I only have to clean and iron it. Scamp (one of my two cats) was trying to help take the picture on the close up.

I've been on this weird wax table/wood carving thing lately. It's because I'm really, really sick of blackwork. I bought more lumber over the weekend for wax tablets. I now have enough for 3 sets, and they've been cut, sanded, and are ready to start carving. The first set I'm making is going to my friend Ian the Green. Maybe I'll put a set in the silent auction. I want to do something for me though because I haven't for a while. Everything I've made has been or will be for other people. One of the next projects is to work on is a new Tudor gown, but I must finish new underpinnings first.

The Home Stretch!

I now have 50.5 inches of blackwork done, and only 7 more inches to go! I am so very happy about that. I'm really tired of embroidering the same pattern. I need to have this done by Bardic Madness, because the winner is on the kitchen crew there and that's when I'm handing it over.

The secret project is going very well! It's a three part project. The first part turned out extraordinarily well, I couldn't be more thrilled with it! I've started the second part of the project just in the past couple days.

Tomorrow night is forge night which Danr hasn't had for a couple weeks so I'm looking forward to that. Plus, so I can return his tools I borrowed and haven't used because I have finals coming up, and I've been working so hard on blackwork.

I'll be in Calontir (Iowa) this weekend again. I'll be there until Tuesday. Try the veal! Hopefully my brother and sister-in-law won't put me to work again on their music studio. I've had my fill of drywall and the dust from it. NO MORE! Maybe I can scrape together enough time to finish the last blackwork cuff. If I'm not bothered, it'll only take a few hours.

The Newest Project

It's a secert. I can't tell you. There will be pictures. It'll take a couple of weeks for it to be done. It is something I've never tried before. It'll be interesting to see how this turns out. Stay tuned!

If I have time, I'll be making another pattern my Tudor corset this weekend so I can have help with fitting it next weekend. The new farthingale is just about ready except for a waistband. I can't do more on it until I get the corset done correctly.

The Update

I won't be fencing or dancing for another month or two. I hurt my right leg pretty bad again on Wednesday when I slipped on some ice carrying something heavy. I went to check out the new location for dance practice, and I was only standing, not dancing, for about an hour while I was teaching a couple dances and I could really feel that afterwards. I want to better by the time it's warm enough to start biking to work again.
So I guess I'll be doing...blackwork! I have the neck band done now. It actually came out to be 43.5 inches with the pattern being what it is. I'm starting to get the cuffs ready by pulling the threads on the linen for those to get done. I can also work on the wax tablets. I'm pretty much going nowhere on those right now but I need to get to work on them.
I was doing homework all weekend. I just wrote my first ever legal memo. That's pretty much all I did was research and writing. I still have an "A" in each of my classes this semester. I'm at 96% in one class and 94% in the other. I plan to keep it that way as long as I'm in school.