Hello the Fire;

Well, I just spent two days - two nights at a rendevous in the Hill Country. I managed to shoot the high score in the rifle (with a fowler) and my prize was a hunting frock.

I have two questions.

First - I discovered that my body doesn't like hard ground and rocks much - my first night was not restful - although I was neither cold nor damp. The 2nd night I was able to cut a bunch of cedar boughs to make a more comfortable bed under my canvas ground cloth - But, I still needed more padding - but that was about all the good green material available.

My question is what do you guys use for a primitive pad or bedding material if you can't gather it locally?

The Hunting frock I won is a linen material and I want to dye it using natural dyes - I kinda want to stay away for greens and browns - what natural dyes do you recommend? What different colors do you use?

Thanks;

Dan'l

Nice job on the shootin'.
I haven't tried it, but some people make a bag of canvas or pillow-ticking, constructed like a large pillow case or a bedroll cover--and then stuff it with grass, leaves, boughs, or whatever they can find. At a rendezvous that's longer than a night or two, (or, what the heck, any time!) break up a bale of hay and stuff it inside.
I can't remember what the old-timers called this, but it's not a new idea. One style is like a giant market bag--fold the material in half lengthwise so you have enough under you, then stitch up the ends and up the open side until you leave a foot and a half in the middle unsewn. This is your opening to stuff things in.
You can then arrange the bag so that slit is in the middle, or maybe just leave it on the side. I've been meaning to try it, but I don't get out much lately.

Dick

quote:

Originally posted by KHickam:

The Hunting frock I won is a linen material and I want to dye it using natural dyes - I kinda want to stay away for greens and browns - what natural dyes do you recommend? What different colors do you use?

C.K. Wilbur's book "Indian Handcrafts" lists the following natural dyes & colors: Bedstraw (galium) roots for red, blackberry berries for rose, Onion skins for yellow-orange, Leaves of lilly of the valley for gold-yellow, black willow bark for rose-tan, huckleberry berries for purple, roots of yellow flag iris for black. Your choice of mordant will dull or brighten the colors. You could need to gather several pounds of the leaves or roots. This really sounds like something you'd probably want to experiment on a trial piece of scrap cloth, before risking your prize frock.

Reader's Digest used to publish a book titled 'Back to Basics' that also covers natural dyeing. Maybe still available in bookstores or libraries.

Good Luck.

I gave up and use a super size army type folding cot, and a 2" foam mattress with a ticking cover. I use it whenever possible, usually with at least two Hudson Bay blankets. I have one that large so Ozzy can sleep on it with me. So sue me. I'm old, arthritic and sore and I want my li'l ol' hunnert pound pit bull puppy near me.

Would you rather have a period correct, really grouchy old fart accompanied by a 100 lb Amer. Staffordshire Terrier, and armed with a rifle, pistol, knife, tomahawk and the personality of a half starved wolverine with boils on it's butt and who didn't sleep well and hurts all over more 'n anywhere else running around loose near your camp, or a non p-c one of the above who spent the night luxuriating in the sleep (undeserved though it was) of the just and is all smiles and happier than a pig in a poo pile?

Thought so.

If you wish to sleep on the ground it can be done more comfortably less miserably; dig a shallow hole, about 1 1/2" by five or six inches for your hips and a slightly shallower, wider one for your shoulders. Do some experimenting to find what works best for you as far as shape of holes and distance apart. Carefully remove any sticks, cones and gravel. It ain't perfect, but it helps.

A much better, easier, more comfy method is to buy a Therma-Rest or T-R clone mattress, then learn to use it: Allow it to self inflate, close the valve, lie down on it on your side, then open the valve slightly, allowing air to escape until your hip barely kisses the ground. Now wrap it in a small blanket or piece of canvas. NEVER allow a T-R or clone to be used on the bare ground. (Don't ask)

Mrs. Three Hawks gave me mine for my birthday in 1980. It gave me at least twenty more years hiking in the mountains and I still use it from time to time at rendezvous' and sleeping in the back shed when the missus is on the war path.

Three Hawks

quote:

Reader's Digest used to publish a book titled 'Back to Basics' that also covers natural dyeing. Maybe still available in bookstores or libraries.

They have several copies at Amazon BACK TO BASICS

OK the air mattress of the 18th century..., the straw tick. You need some ticking material, the same blue striped stuff lots of us use for patching round ball.

You measure across your back from side of the arm to side of arm for width. You need twice the length of your body plus a few inches for the amount of cloth, as the stuff tends to be 45" wide. So I am 5'10, and I figured a tick 6' 6" would work, about 32" wide. So I bought 5 yards of the stuff, folded it in half, and sewed up one side. Then I measured it and cut it to the right width leaving 1" extra and sewed up the other side. (Save the extra ticking for shooting patches ) Turn it inside out so the seam is on the interior. I fill it with a 1/2 bale of straw (no more), and tie a leather thong around the bottom. I shake it to make sure the straw is evenly distributed, then set it down. It will be really big and fat, but when ya lie on it, the straw will compress and give you about 2-3 inches of insulation. Warm, dry, correct. When the event is over, open, shake out, and roll it up. Fits easily on a pack if you have to walk in from the parking lot, eh? You could use dry leaves, or corn husks if ya needed to.

As for dying..., walnut hulls in hot water with a chunk of 0000 steel wool. Put the steel wool in a mason jar of vinegar for about a week to rust. Boil water, and pour it into a 7 gallon brewing (or pickle) bucket over a double layer of walnut hulls. Add the vinegar/rusted iron, and stir. Let it sit a while, and take the frock and get it wet. Add the garment to the dye, and stir a bit, then let it sit for 3-4 days. Remove the garment and rinse. Dump the dye in a place you're not worried about growing stuff as the walnuts tend to kill other plants.

Only rinse don't wash the garment with soap..., or you'll soon need to redo the dye.

LD

once you have dyed whatever , soap it in salt water ..that should set the color....

To Three Rivers....YOU just sleep however it makes you happy!! I read your reasoning to my wife, and the description of the your possible emergence of your "half-starved Wolverine etc etc....and she is still laughing. We both agreed it might be best to keep you happy at "rendezvous"

"aim small, shoot small"...jim

When I go out for a Survival/roughing it week end and I get back home,it sure makes me appreciate what the settlers went through.Good thing is when I get tired or just cant/wont do it anymore I can go home,the settlers were home.
L/D I use the same vinegar/steel wool mixture for wood stain for a grey look.I strain it through a cloth to get out what ever didnt get eaten by the vinegar.I use vinegar as a fixative when dyeing cloth.Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs ISBN 0-87857-699-1 Has a very good section on Dying with Herbs.if you use a different Modant/parts of the plant, in some cases you can/will change the final color, i.e. Docks,use the roots,fresh and alum as the modant you get Deep Yellow,use the young leaves fresh and Chrome as the modant you get Red.,use the leaves and Iron as the modant you get Dark Green.This book cover alot of other Have to know living skills.
Had a real good book once on dying and plants to use,someone BORROWED IT,ever notice people can remember to borrow books/things but somehow forget to return it.Dont lend anymore,I give them the ISBN/store where I got mine and let them go get their own.

Went to my index of missing /loaned/never returned items, Look this book over NATURAL DYES by GWEN FEREDAY ISBN 1-893063-07-0

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Walking Crow,

We (Gabi and I) have a friend who picked two bushels of goldenrod, and boiled them in about 6 gallons of water in a big iron pot. She put in a white hunting frock. NOW she got one of the best "fisherman's yellow" color on it I have ever seen. Now if ya was to take it when dry, and painted it with boiled linseed oil, ya would have a rather authentic fisherman's mac I think.

LD