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I did it!
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While this post isn't entirely about an
archaeological project, it does involve uncovering a project I’d abandoned
a year ago. I adore felted ornaments with hand-sewn decorations and I
purchased a Bucilla kit containing twelve of them last year. I immediately encountered
two problems.
First, I find it very difficult to sit
still for any length of time. Second, the instructions, while intended to be
simple and basic, couldn’t have been more difficult for me to understand than
trying to decrypt Viking runes. Fortunately, YouTube had instructional videos that helped me decipher the "simple" steps and sewing stitches needed.
So how did I finally resume this project?
Archaeological videos, especially Digging for Britain. Most people probably listen to music or movies
while crafting, but I love the ancient past and it is what kept me seated long
enough to finish all these ornaments in just a few weeks.
Hand sewing has a long
tradition, a wonderful connection to the past. Imagine the labor that
went into creating thread in antiquity—shear the sheep, card the wool, then use a
hand whorl to get the final product. Many of these spindle whorls (photo at right) have been
found in ancient burials.
While struggling to do the different
stitches, I found it amazing to see the fine metalwork from these late 8th or
early 9th century brooches. As difficult as spinning thread would have been,
imagine doing something just as delicate with metal! Let’s not forget the
metals had to be extracted from rocks, refined, cast, and finally hand-worked by an experienced craftsman.
Watching the archaeology videos made the work so enjoyable that I plan to do another embroidery kit later this year. First, there are other crafts to learn and make.
