Sunday 13 March 2011

Viking Longhouse

A longhouse in the making, except its not that long! But big enough to get the layout across to our blind bairns when they have the Vikings topic in class.
It hopefully will show how they were often set down into the ground for warmth and had the living area at one end and the animal byre at the other end.
Got to make a fireplace centrally and then fashion a lift on/off roof too yet.
This is how I left it on friday, drying over the weekend, so monday 
                                                                    it should be well and truly sealed.
I deliberately left this side panel unfinished, so you can feel how the structure would be, before the outer layer of wood panels were put in position.
Then the inside walls would have likely been wattle and daub...... though some Viking homes were built of stones of course, so reckon they would not have had wattle and daub interior.
Not sure how well this will hold up in use, but Ive had fun making it anyway!
Im struggling abit at the moment with a touch of depression, but did enjoy the workshop today, 
'Hot Textiles' with Kim Thittithachi and will put some pics up of what we did later..... it was tyvek and spun bond/lutrador and pelmet vilene painting/heat gunning/ironing.......so all great play day techniques!

Kim is knowledgeable and good fun to have as a tutor and was our guest speaker yesterday at our EYES meeting. I have both of her books and they are brill and she has another due out later this year........hope its out in time for Harrogate, she says it should be in Uk by round about then.

The paint we used is the new fabulous paint by Sarah at Crafty Notions, Colourful Thoughts Multi-Surface Paints, fab fab fab metallic colours, vibrant and delish to use.....check them out do....!
Having sold the Wii I bought second hand off someone emigrating, (because the bloody thing told me I was obese, over weight abit yes ~ but COME ON!) ...........I treated myself to 11 jars of the fab paints instead and some crushed lutrador..and anyway.... after lunch Kim had us all up gyrating to music, waving our arms about to relax, ready for the afternoons playing.... so who needs a Wii!

4 comments:

  1. Sounds like you have a fun job. You can have the 'coffee cup' lid idea, if you want to start a riot!

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  2. Perhaps I will get all the SMASHEES & TT's dancing as well, what a great idea. So glad you had a really great day, look forward to seeing what you did & I love the long house, clever you with your wood working skills x

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  3. great house- the beasts inside would provide warmth as well as sound and smell, no? In Greece traditionally wattle and daub inside a stone house as well, for hygeine..lime in the daub(or would it be the wattle) and they say it is so mice can't get a foothold and climb the walls to come in through the windows!

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  4. Hi Manya, thanks for dropping by. Am sure the additional warmth from the animals would have been a benefit your right. Thats interesting about them suing lime, will see if I can find if that was used here in Uk too. If it detered mice then it would seem sensible lol

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