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A Sword for Jude

3/21/2021

8 Comments

 
I finally finished Jude's sword last week. He had been borrowing MacBeth's aluminum sword, but real needed his own. I started it back when I was working on all the horse accessories. Jan had shaped a blade out of some hardwood, and I'd applied a layer of Aves Apoxie to give the centre more definition. There was also a wire inserted in the top to support a handle....
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I wanted to make a handle similar to MacBeth's sword, which was made by a doll artist friend many years ago..... 
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MacBeth is a OOAK doll art figure by my sister and me, and was made back in May of 1997. His costume was also inspired by Braveheart, and served as inspiration for Jude...
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But I didn't have the right filagree or beads, and the craft stores didn't have what I was looking for either, so it just spent the next few weeks laying in my workspace.  Until I decided to just do the best I could with what I had.

The blade was given several layers of varnish, and sanded in between, to make the wood as smooth as possible. Then it was sprayed with silver paint (chrome bumper lacquer from the automotive department). The hand guard was built up with Aves Apoxy, and painted bronze. I'm not a huge fan of actually working with the Apoxie, but it air cures, and sands and paints beautifully, so is worth the effort.

​ I needed four of the fancy filagree pieces, which were originally part of a metal filagree fan shape. There were only three sections left, and the middle one was ruined in the cutting process, so just one side ended up with them.

The handle wire was wrapped with florist tape, and four beads positioned, and the spaces in-between built up with Apoxie, and then wrapped with leather. After everything was finished, I 'antiqued' everything with brown paint, and gave it a coat of varnish for protection.
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So Jude finally had his own sword...
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It was too big and cumbersome a sword to be carrying in the hand while travelling, and it was too big to fit in a scabbard, so I did some research online to see how these huge swords were carried. Seems they would be strapped onto the back.  So, inspired by one of the methods shown online, I made a leather, lace-up, support for the sword.....
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 ....held in place with a belt across his chest. So his sword is nicely out of the way on his back, but still easy enough to access should he need it....
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So now this outfit is finally complete.
8 Comments
Joanne
3/21/2021 12:38:42 pm

MacBeth is amazing! Do you have plans for a Lady MacBeth? It's one of my favourite Shakespeare plays having studied it at school twice!
Jude looks very happy with his new sword too, a Scotsman isn't fully dressed without his sword and maybe a dagger in his sock!

Reply
Martha
3/21/2021 01:58:16 pm

Thanks. There was never a Lady MacBeth, and the days of making dolls together with my sister are long gone. But now I have BJDs to dress.

I studied MacBeth twice in high school as well. Once as the annual Shakespeare play in English, and again in grade 12 Theatre Arts, where I actually had to play the part of MacBeth myself, after the class was divided into groups to play various scenes, and no one else in my group wanted to play him. We did the scene where Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo (?) at the banquet, yet no one else can, so they think he's gone nuts.

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earthspirits
3/22/2021 02:08:30 pm

Fantastic work and costuming!

Reply
Martha
3/22/2021 02:33:20 pm

Thanks. And now that it's all done, I'm imagining him wearing something else - something a little fancier - since he tends to look amazing in just about anything.

Reply
Donna
3/22/2021 07:34:16 pm

Jude looks fantastic! His sword is impressive and really finishes off his costume. I think I'd feel safe with him to defend me!

Now that you've started imagining him in something else, it probably won't be long before he is! I agree with you - he would look amazing in anything!

Reply
Martha
3/23/2021 04:56:18 am

Thanks. I love how he looks, and have always wanted to make this costume, but I've also always wanted to make some Rococo outfits - which are the polar opposite of the ones I just made for him and Grace.

But I have a new girl on order - Naomi by SartoriaJ - and I could picture her in something Rococo. But I have lots of other things I want (or need) to make first. Plus I don't expect her for several months yet. And who knows who her beau will be?

Reply
Dorothy
3/22/2021 10:13:06 pm

Oh my goodness, the sword is beautiful! I don't know if swords are supposed to be but this one really is.

It looks perfect for Jude. I love the sword carrier.

Reply
Martha
3/23/2021 05:09:45 am

Thanks. He needed a sword of his own, but he didn't want to always be carrying it around, so needed somewhere to put it, so I researched it....

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    Martha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes.
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