You Meet the Most Interesting People in This Line of Work! (Tim of Alaska)

One of my two Etsy shops,the one called,  iWeaveSashes, is focused on costume accessories for historic re-enactors. The sashes, straps, garters and ribbons which are offered for sale there are appropriate for living history of the Medieval period or American Fur Trade era. The shop gets an interesting group of folks as visitors.
This is not your typical Etsy crowd; they are often historians.  Many of them find me by the good graces of Google or other search engines and haven't even heard of Etsy.

Tim of Alaska (Seated on Left)

Some customers are looking for very specific materials, patterns, colors or construction. They send me their ideas and I create a custom item for their particular needs. Recently, I have had the pleasure of working with a customer who I call "Tim of Alaska". He has done a lot of research and sent me interesting photos and articles about powder horn straps from the 1700's-1800's. This was a period when one carried, along with their rifle, a cow's horn plugged at each end and used as a reservoir for holding the black powder that the rifle needed as a charge.
Tim makes powder horns and leather shooting bags and accessories. His careful attention to accuracy and detail makes his pieces really look authentic. He employs techniques to give his fabric, leather and horns an antique look.

He had me make this raw silk strap. It is shown here attached to a "Sibley Carolina" horn. The "Southern" pouch was made by Tim.  He told me that he aged the leather and used blueberries to dye the linen for the bag's lining. Raw silk has been documented as a trade item in the Colonies and Great Lakes areas in the 18th Century.

Here are two hemp straps, one attached to the pouch and one attached to another Sibley horn. This horn was custom-made for him by the Sibleys. It is engraved with a map of the Great Lakes and French forts along with ships and Indian captives, circa 1700-1730. Hemp was the most common fiber used for centuries for making canvas, sails, webbing, cords and ropes, etc.

Cathy and Scott Sibley are very well-known for their reproduction powder horns. Click here to read an article about this interesting couple and to see photos of their work.They have published a how-to book called "Re-Creating the 18th Century Powder Horn" which many re-enactors have in their libraries.

I found this interesting website where you can see a photo gallery of pouches and powder horns of the era.