| Pages by Sally Pointer |
| This page provides a simple list of pages by me to help you find your way around. I write on quite a few topics, so there's a bit of variety here. Please also see the NEW SITE for new and improved content Early Cosmetics and Perfume The Roman Makeover: Experimental archaeology used to explore adornment approximately 2000 years ago. There is also now a Homework Help page to go with this site as I've been getting lots of requests for help with school papers on Roman make-up and perfume. For an eighteenth century soap recipe, take a look at this Figured Washball recipe from a 1740 textbook. If you are interested in Victorian beauty secrets, I've just started scanning in the text of an 1890's book in my collection entitled 'Beauty: Its Attainment and Preservation' which includes chapters on corsetry and costume as well as cosmetics- its really quite enlightening about a few things! Its going to take a while to get all the text online, but I aim to have the whole book scanned in eventually. Costume and Crafts How to Make a Simple Medieval Dress: based on excavated examples and modified very slightly for the modern fabrics/seamstress, this is a straightforwards but effective dress for most medieval periods. For a more glamorous dress (though based on practical experimentation rather than known cutting techniques) try the equally easy cutting layout used on my Red Dress. The Pointy Hat Page: Bring back the pointy hat! Who said hats should be sensible anyway? It now includes instructions for both a felted witches hat and a Gandalf hat. links page: Bits and pieces. (in progress) The Costumes Page. We do a fair bit of re-enactment and are available for demonstrations, displays, talks, school shows and film work. This page offers a glimpse of our extensive wardrobe! Wonderful Things made by Gareth. Have a look at his collection of items in bronze, bone and silver. |
| Books by Sally Pointer The Mythology of Herbs (1999) Seasonal Scents, A History of the Smell of Christmas (2000) Making Medieval Underwear-a practical guide.(2001) The Oriental Influence on Western Herbalism (2002) Beeswax, What it is and How to Use it (2002) Feltmaking, Spinning, Weaving & Dyeing-textile arts for beginners (2003) All self published and available direct from me or from a few selected outlets. Images below are from Mythology of Herbs. Contact me for more details. (A pricelist and order form also exists here) Coming Soon: The Artifice of Beauty- a sourcebook and practical guide to perfumes and cosmetics in the past (soon, honest!)(you may know this project as 'Reconstructing the Past- Perfumes and Cosmetics' the name has evolved recently!) A Brief History of Soap and other cleansers (working title-in progress) A History of Pomanders (working title- in progress) These should be out in due course and will almost certainly not be self published. This hopefully means you'll get pretty pictures and shiny covers rather than the current line-drawings only format of my current books. Hooray! |
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| Books by Gareth Riseborough The Recipe Book of Gareth-the-Baker (2000) And We Must Eat of the Yellow Wobbly Bits (2002) Sweetmeats and Dainty Morsels (2003) All on medieval cooking from the unique perspective of the baker at the reconstructed village of Cosmeston, near Penarth, Wales. You can order these from me also. |
| NEW PAGES! Added Dec 7 2003: Moon Phases 2004: a simple 'magic fold' booklet to carry with you Added Jan 4 2004: Make your own Shoe Lasts- for felted boot projects Added Jan 5 2004: Herbal Beauty Products- an article I wrote some years ago and found again whilst tidying files! Added Jan 5 2004: Traditional Interpretations of Plants (or Love, Life and Naughty Innuendoes!), again, an old article that I dug out of the vaults. |
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| I am currently setting up a new site that will have a lot more content. Its not fully ready yet, but you can access some of it here including pre-notice of my new online class! |