Household Fighting Gear

Hey all,

Yes - I am a slacker. I have decided I would FINALLY update some stuff today that I have done :)

So, in update, I began making a household fighting jacket. It started off like any regular project - get help with patterns from the magnificent Mathilde, cut it out, sew it together, make bias, sew down bias, etc etc (see pic left- except for the hem and buttons it is done :)

Okay. So that's all well and done. I will finish it eventually and I will wear it and it will be fun. Though, the next problem was that I need fighting trews to go with it, other than the icky option of trackpants. So again - it started off like any regular project with patterns, careful cutting out and sewing (haha - yes, I am learning slowly that I need to go more slowly... how ironic...)

This is where 'Brooke brain' came into it. You see, to finish the trews and jacket i needed buttons. Buttons I did not have and I didn't want to use any ordinary, boring, cruddy buttons. No no no - not after all of the sewing... so I started thinking about where and how I could get buttons. Then a light went on - I could just make buttons, right?

So instead of going to a store and buying buttons like a regular person I sat down and had a crash lesson in pewter casting from the talented Mr Rob the Vet and set out to carve and cast my own buttons. The result was just over 80 buttons, silver, small and with the Burbage household symbol on it (mill-rind). Why 80 buttons since I only needed 24? Well... there was that much pewter :P Apparently 2 pewter cups can make 80 pewter buttons.

Apologies for the rushed rant but I felt it was necessary to attempt to connect how my brain jumps from one thing to another, to another in such a random fashion :P

Note: I know the buttons have their misgivings but I don't think they turned out too badly for a first attempt at pewter casting. I should also note that the buttons have a ring of pewter on the back to sew them down by :)