FFF XXIII
Fiber, Fabric, and Fighting XXIII
FFF will return to the Seven Mountains Scout Camp the weekend of November 21-23, 2025. Please see the event announcement for details on the site, dayboard, bunk space, and general registration.
Schedule
New: This year there will be a Fiber Arts Salon area, with equipment including a warping board, umbrella swift, and skein winder, and plenty of string and small equipment. When Phiala isn’t teaching in that space, come use the equipment, ask questions, or spend time working on projects in company. Try fingerloop braiding. Learn a flat braid. Sit and chat. Get help with tablet weaving.
Class Listing
Embellishments and Accessories
Intro to Block Printing on Fabric
Lady Julie Alewife
Make and take. Learn the basic techniques and materials for block printing on fabric, then try it yourself. Materials will be provided to make your own stamped tea towel, or optional BYO small fabric project to stamp.
$2 materials fee; covers tea towel, paint, handout. Optional BYO fabric or stamps.
2 hours. Messy; 11am-1pm.
Knitted and embellished bags and pouches
Baroness Bronwyn nic Gregor
I will share my process for creating knitted pouches and bags and discuss variations and adaptations to suit your needs. Feel free to bring your ideas and or works in progress to share and discuss.
This will not be a maker session due to time constraints, but feel free to bring your projects completed or in progress.
1 hour. Track 2; 1pm-2pm.
Tiling, Interleaving, Multi-block, and Other Advanced Block Printing Techniques
Dame Fredeburg von Katzenellenbogen
This class will discussed various techniques in block printing (focus on fabric printing) to expand your skills beyond single color, single block printing. We will break down how to design patterns and blocks to create complex patterns.
1 hour. Track 2; 2pm-3pm.
Clothing and Sewing
13th- and 14th-Century Nalbinding around the World
Magistra Sigrid Briansdotter
An introduction to what is known about nalbinding worldwide in the 13th and 14th centuries. While often thought of as a Viking Era craft, nalbinding is practiced worldwide and we have quite a few extant objects from the 13th and 14th centuries worldwide. We will take a look at some of those artifacts, talk about the various stitches used, and practice some basic stitches. This is not thumb-tensioned nalbinding. While we do have examples of compound variants, we will be practicing simple looping variants. A limited number of handouts and supplies will be available. Supplies will be a #13 tapestry needle and some fingering weight yarn.
$5.00 covers a handout with examples, a tapestry needle, and some yarn.
1 hour. Track 1; 3pm-4pm.
Æ Clothiers’ Guild: Hidden Details Challenge Roundtable Discussion
The Honorable Bantiarna Ethne an Locha
Challenge Participants as well as event participants are welcome to join us for an optional roundtable discussion. Participants will have an opportunity to briefly describe their project. Other class participants are welcome to learn more about the Hidden Details Challenge projects, with an opportunity for informal roundtable style discussion.
1 hour. Track 2; 3pm-4pm.
Æ Clothiers’ Guild: Skills of the Reign Check-In
The Honorable Bantiarna Ethne an Locha
If you have been diligently working on one of our Skill of the Reign programs, this is your opportunity to bring your work, check in and get credit for achieving the Skill of the Reign. Details are located here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jlk2zUDvsyyDmU3_nUgLGwMrw5JglfMV/view?usp=sharing and here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_3Fly-KxjE9UO2had4c_yfD7OqjecLZo/view?usp=sharing.
Drop in at the Salon between 1:30-2:30pm.
Fit for Gods and Kings: Feather and fiber craft in the Aztec empire
Doña Elvira de Luz y Lozano
A look at 16th century Mexican feather work from the perspective of economics, culture, and craft.
1 hour. Track 4; Noon-1pm.
Introduction to Hispano-Flemish Women’s Clothing
Magistra Beatriz Aluares de la Oya
This class is a skin-out examination of Spanish women’s clothing, 1480-1530, and the historical context in which they existed. Lecture and discussion - some handouts will be provided, and are also available at https://spanishseamstress.com/handouts-documentation.
2 hours. Track 4; 1pm-3pm.
Pad-Stitching: Techniques for Hand Tailoring & Soft Support in Garments
THLady Lisabetta di Rossi
Practice techniques and different applications for different types of pad-stitching. We’ll go over the history of, benefits of pad-stitching and have opportunities to have hands on learning for two methods for different results.
$1 for fabric/needle/thread kit and $1 for print out.
2 hours. Track 2; 10am-Noon.
Textile Traditions of Italy and Greece in Late Bronze/Early Iron Age
Domina Lartia Cerva
This class will give a general introduction into the differing textile traditions of Greek and Italic cultural spheres in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages (Aprox 1100 BCE - 400 BCE) with a focus on extant textile survivals and tools to understand the materials, manufacturing methods and embellishment techniques.
1 hour. Track 2; Noon-1pm.
Thorsberg Trousers: Pants that Last!
Mistress Alicia Langland
Tired of repairing pants that rip in unmentionable places? Then you’ll love these pants based on trousers from an Iron Age burial! Learn what you’ll need to make them yourself: fabrics, seams, pattern, and construction. Bring a camera to take photos of the construction process!
Instructor will be available after the scheduled classes end if any students would like assistance in making a proto-pattern to take home.
No fee. Donation for handout is always appreciated!
OPTIONAL STUDENT SUPPLIES: If you wish to make a proto-pattern, bring scissors and a pair of ““sacrificial pants”” that fit you but are no longer wearable in polite company.
2 hours. Track 4; 10am-Noon.
Spinning
Bast Fibers: More Than Just Flax
Mistress Fiadnata ó Gleann Àlainn
Once again, this year, we’re going for an in-depth acquaintance with bast plant fibers: flax, hemp, ramie, nettle and jute. We’re also going for close-up experience with exactly where the fibers are located within the flax stem – you’ll be surprised how many fibers are in one plant! If we have time, we’ll even do some drop-spinning with each of the fibers – bring along your favorite drop spindle, or use one of mine.
No fee. Bring your own drop spindle if possible.
1 hour. Track 1; 2pm-3pm.
Spinning On Point (Support Spinning)
THL Glenna Cholmondeley
Have experience with wool, but you want to work with luxury fibers like cashmere, angora, or cotton? Try support spinning. This class will teach the basics of starting and spinning with a support spindle, which is ideal for fine or shorter staple length fibers.
$8 Includes support spindle, bowl and hand combed alpaca to practice with.
1 hour. Track 1; 1pm-2pm.
Working with Balls Part 1
THL Glenna Cholmondeley
Ever had trouble with a skein collapsing, or do you want to want to wind a hank into a manageable ball? In this class we have a solution, the center pull ball. I will teach you how to wind a center-pull ball with tools (nostepinne) and without tools (in case you have no tools at hand.
$5 includes a basic ball winding stick and yarn to practice with.
30 minutes (half a class session). Track 1; 11am-11:30am.
Working with Balls Part 2
THL Glenna Cholmondeley
One strand? Two strands? more strands? In this class, we will be working with ply balls to ply yarn, including a technique using a center-pull ball (See working with Balls part 1) and using a 2 (or more) strand ply ball to ply with a drop spindle.
$5 Includes a basic drop spindle and yarns to practice with.
30 minutes (half a class session). Track 1; 11:30am-Noon.
Braiding and Weaving
Brocaded Tablet Weaving
Baroness Sefa vefari
Your garb deserves gold! Learn how weavers of the past added shining threads to their tablet-woven bands. We’ll cover the basics of brocading, how to interpret a pattern, and start a project with a simple historical design. Pre-warped looms provided for shared use.
1 hour. Messy; 1pm-2pm.
Multi-person Fingerloop Braiding Party
Mistress Phiala O’Ceallaigh
If you are comfortable with the basic movements of fingerloop braiding and want to try multi-person braids, please join me! Depending on how many people participate, we’ll either try pair braiding or see how many people we can get on a single braid. Learn more here: https://www.stringpage.com/braid/fl/flmany.html.
1 hour. Track 3/Salon; Noon-1pm.
Tiny Rigid Heddles
Mistress Phiala O’Ceallaigh
Learn to weave with a rigid heddle using a backstrap setup. Portable, easy, fun! See some alternatives to both the backstrap and the rigid heddle, and look at photos of bands from around the world.
$2 for the kit (heddle, warp). Wear a belt, or bring a sash you can tie around yourself.
Limit 5; auditors welcome.
1 hour. Track 3/Salon; 11am-Noon.
Cancellations
CANCELLED Lucet cords, square and flat!
Jacintha Shop Wife
Learn the basic lucet cord and then a flat version! Before we had machine make our cords, we used lucets. Cords are useful. Lucet allows for any length of the cord. I will have loaner lucets available, so you can try before you buy!
$1 handout, $5 starter lucet (optional), $various wood lucets (optional).
1 hour.
CANCELLED Safely Foraging Local Mushrooms
Elsa Taliard
Wild mushroom foraging has become quite sexy in these Current Middle Ages but—alas!—gastrointestinal distress is not! Come learn the tools to keep yourself and others safe.
Class set-up takes 15 minutes. Please feel free to chat while I tame and assemble the Wild Mushroom Petting Zoo.
2 hours
CANCELLED Bobbin Lace 101
Baroness Antoinette deLorraine
Bobbin lace involves 2 moves, and those 2 moves create different stitches. Let learn the basics of whole and cloth stitch together on a simple pattern
1 hour.
Class fee is $8. If you would like to take home the kit (pillow, bobbins, etc) kit will be $50. If you have your own supplies please feel free to bring and use them.
Limit 4; unlimited auditors.
NOT EXACTLY CANCELLED Flat Braiding
Mistress Phiala O’Ceallaigh
Diagonal flat braids (aka finger weaving) appear in many times and places. If you’d like to try this, come to the salon while no class is in session!