Leather Working
| There are many ways in which belt pouches were constructed. For example, simple rectangle of leather could be folded into three sections, two of which were sewn together along their edges so as to form a satchell shaped pouch. The design shown opposite requires no sewing. The body of the pouch should be cut with a diameter approximately three times the required depth of the finished pouch. Leather thong or thick thread is passed through the holes and the body portion is gathered up to form a bag shape. The flap is useful for keeping rain off the contents of the pouch. It could be fastenned with a button, a bead or another thong for extra security. Medieval pictures of belt pouches can be found at The Viking Experience site. |
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Shoes were made by sewing them inside out on a "last", a wooden former made in the shape of the foot of the person to be wearing the shoe. When sewing was finished the shoe was turned right side out. This type of shoe is called a turnshoe. Shoes would normally have had soft soles. This makes them less slippery to walk in than smooth hard soles would be. Most footwear was shoes, the boots shown opposite are a less usual design and are associated with Viking men. They are fastenned by a bead through a loop of leather thong. |
