Author: gene

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More decoration

Integral seam stripes were quite the revelation for me a few years ago. Over the course of 40 or 50 tents they have gone from being novel and amazing to nice, but kind of boring. So I decided to kick it up a notch.  I was already planning to make this tent with a red… Continue reading More decoration

The Stalwart and the Essential

The Stalwart is everything I know about round pavilions. Narrow panels (~17″), integral appliquéd decoration, leather reinforcement patches, curved walls and roof. It is the strongest, most beautiful, and most authentic tent I can make. The Essential is lighter and simpler. Wider panels (~25″) mean fewer spokes and stakes and thus less weight. It is… Continue reading The Stalwart and the Essential

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Categorized as Tents

An oak field bed

Here’s a bed I finished last year. Just realized I didn’t have any pictures of it up yet. It is white oak with ash slats. It is intended to be used with an air mattress, so the spacing between slats is fairly large. With a thinner mattress, I’d probably use thin plywood to lay over… Continue reading An oak field bed

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Categorized as Furniture

Stripes, Top-to-Bottom

Here’s a big one; 17′. The owner wanted the stripes to go all the way from the peak to the ground, so I modified my pattern to make that possible. This one will also get a blue floor and a gold ball and tiny flag, a la Field of the Cloth of Gold. The tent… Continue reading Stripes, Top-to-Bottom

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Categorized as Tents

Seamly Thoughts

A quick sketch and some comments on some of the types of seams to be found on tents old or new. Flat seam – probably only modern, very fast to produce on a double needle machine, esp. a double needle chain-stitcher. Leaks like a sieve when under tension. Plain – used on secondary seams of… Continue reading Seamly Thoughts

Dovetailed Clothing trunk

I just finished my first dovetailed clothing chest. It is based on the 15th and 16th century ones I saw in Munich, but is much smaller to make it easier to travel with. It has two tills for keeping small items from getting lost in the bottom. The lids of the tills double as props… Continue reading Dovetailed Clothing trunk

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Categorized as Furniture

Round pavilion Indoors

I fit the poles to each tent I make. This consists of making the poles a little bit too long to start with and trying to set-up the tent. Trim a bit off, set the tent up again. Rinse, repeat, until the the poles fit perfectly. I’ve slowly gotten better at it; I can start… Continue reading Round pavilion Indoors

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Categorized as Tents

New sewing machine

This years busy production schedule has resulted in, not only the move to a new shop space, but also the purchase of a second sewing machine. It’s a 25 inch arm machine, which makes sewing in peaks much easier and has an extra high pressed foot lift, which makes stake loops easier. It also does… Continue reading New sewing machine