This class is an introduction to the tools, techniques, and motifs used in decoration of leather knife and seax sheathes from the 8th-11th centuries CE. Using historical examples from Anglo-Scandinavian York, Dublin, and London, we will look at how the designs are composed and break down the individual motifs. I'll go over the basics of tool-handling and discuss how to execute these designs using simple tools - or even common household objects.
No prior experience with leatherwork is necessary. If you'd like to experiment during the class, you'll need some scraps of vegetable-tanned leather and a blunt-pointed tool like a knitting needle.
I don't plan to record the class, but a written version with illustrations will be available online afterward.
If you want a written/illustrated version of the class materials, please head over to:
https://farolfus.wordpress.com/intro-to-early-medieval-leather-tooling/ |