In this article, Radosław describes how he made a medieval knight's pouch using traditional leatherworking. The design is based on historical prints and drawings and is intended for the reconstruction of a fifteenth-century Polish knight from the time of the Battle of Grunwald.
Various types of vegetable-tanned leather, waxed threads, and brass decorations are brought together in this project. Radosław guides the reader step by step through the making process: from drawing and cutting out the individual parts to sewing, shaping, drying, and applying the decorative elements.
Radosław's story:
The medieval knight's pouch, popularly also referred to as a 'peasant's arse,' is made entirely by hand from vegetable-tanned leather. In doing so, I used standard leatherworking tools and natural materials.
Four different types of leather were used for the bag. The inner pouch is made of three-millimetre-thick, vegetable-tanned and softened cowhide. For the covering I used two-millimetre-thick leather with a finished grain side. Leather with a thickness of 0.6 millimetres was used for finishing the underside and the edging.
For the decoration, I used brass components: knightly lilies, wolf symbols, floral ornaments on the corners, and a decorative knight's buckle for the belt.
First, I drew the shapes of the various parts of the bag based on historical prints and drawings. Then I determined where the decorations should be applied. After that, I chose the colours of the waxed threads and the brass nails with which the decorations were fastened.
The leather was cut out with a shoemaker's knife. The edges were then smoothed and polished by hand with a wooden burnishing tool.
Using a reverse seam method, I sewed the side piece to the inside of the back panel. Its edge had first been finished with thin, vegetable-tanned leather. After the side piece was sewn on, the entire back panel was soaked in water for an hour. Then I turned it right side out, filled it with paper, and placed it in the sun to dry.
Next, I applied the decorations to the front panel. I also provided the front panel with an inner lining so that the fastenings of the decorations were not visible on the inside and would not interfere with the use of the bag.
Finally, I sewed the upper parts of the bag together, below the opening for the narrow knight's belt. Then I attached the previously made and perforated belt, together with a decorative buckle featuring a medieval knight motif.
I worked on the whole piece intermittently for about two weeks. The bag was made for the reconstruction of a fifteenth-century Polish knight from the time of the Battle of Grunwald.
I regularly make knightly and noble equipment for myself and my wife. This allows me to choose suitable materials and colors myself and to create individual designs for various parts of our clothing and equipment, such as knightly belts, bags, pouches, vambraces, and other elements.
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