Blog - Page 23 of 25 - David Morgan

For Valentine’s Day: Everlasting Love Jewelry

January 29, 2010

The Celtic symbol of everlasting love – in Welsh, serch bythol – is formed from two triskeles. The triskele, a three cornered knot, denotes body, mind and spirit. When two triskeles are joined together, they form an everlasting circle of eternity. Thus the figure represents two people, joined in body, mind, and spirit in everlasting love.

Everlasting Love Bracelet: The three symbols entwined denote past, present, and future. Devolved length is 6-1/4 inches, width at the center is 3/4 inch.

Everlasting Love Earrings: These sterling silver fishhook earrings are double sided, about 1-3/16″ long.

Everlasting Love Necklet: This sterling silver necklet is double sided, about 1-3/16″ long. An 18″ sterling silver chain is included.

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Everlasting Love Jewelry

Valentine’s Day Gifts

Our Braiding Soap Recipe

January 21, 2010

Braiding soap is an emulsion of fat in a soap-and-water solution. The water in the solution conditions the lace for a greater stretch while the fat permits the leather strands to slip more tightly into place. This allows the braid to be rolled more smoothly.

The following recipe for braiding soap has been used here at David Morgan for years. We usually make the braiding soap in a recycled 2 pound coffee can where the mixture can be prepared and stored in the same can.

Ingredients

1 3.5 ounce bar of Ivory soap
12 ounces (1-1/2 cups) water
1 pound (2 cups) lard

Directions

1. Coarsely grate soap into a coffee can or pot suitable for stovetop use.

2. Add water and mix.

3. Heat the mixture almost to boiling, stirring occasionally. Take care not to overheat causing the mixture to boil over.

4. Add the lard to the hot soap mixture, continuing to heat until the lard is melted. Again, take care not to overheat causing the mixture to boil over.

5. Remove the mixture from the heat. Beat at high speed with an electric hand mixer to emulsify the fat. Take care not to splatter or spill the hot mixture.

6. Allow the mixture to cool, then mix thoroughly once more with the mixer. Transfer the mixture to a storage container at this time if you are not storing in the container used during preparation.

7. Cool completely. Store, covered, at room temperature.

Makes about 2 pounds. The braiding soap will have a light, creamy consistency.

Note: Ivory soap is recommended as a commonly available pure soap. Do not use a facial soap or detergent.

LEARN MORE ABOUT:

Braiding Fine Leather

Kangaroo Lace

How to Make Whips

Choosing the Right Sweater

January 8, 2010

Style and color matter, but weave and yarn are just as important when choosing a sweater. If you are using your sweater for work, you may want a tighter weave and a stronger yarn. If you are wearing it next to your skin, then a merino wool provides comfort. For the warmest sweater, bulk will prevent heat from escaping.

All of our sweaters are made with wool. Some are pure wool, some are mixed with other fibers such as our delightful Possum/Merino wool sweaters, and some have a touch of synthetic fibers added for strength and durability. Compared to less expensive synthetic competitors, wool reigns supreme for its warmth and comfort. Wool is also the optimal fiber for moisture transference and will not retain an odor.

Below we feature five of our sweaters. From top to bottom are: Devold’s Aquaduct Polo, Thermo Jacket, and Marine Sweater, Lothlorian’s Possum Sweater and Devold’s Islender Sweater.

Next up is a close-up of each sweater:

Devold’s Aquaduct is made of 95% merino wool and 5% nylon. Warm air is trapped between two layers, providing a warm, but lightweight top. The merino wool makes it comfortable next to your skin.

Devold’s Thermo Jacket is composed of 100% merino wool. Light and soft, it is an excellent layering piece that also works well as an outer jacket.

Devold’s Marine Sweater (both zip-turtleneck and crewneck) is the traditional Norwegian sweater used for work. After a decade or so of hard use, the Norwegians would take their sweater to tailors who traveled on the waterways in barges to have the cuffs replaced. The Islender was the sweater of choice of the Artic and Antartic explorers in the early 1900s. The wool is worsted, providing a stronger and tighter weave. This design also prevents snags.

Lothlorian Sweaters (men’s v-neck and women’s cardigan) combine the soft pointed ends of possum fur with merino wool for an extremely soft and luxurious fiber. Because possum fur has a hollow core, the sweater is very light and very warm.

Devold’s Islender Sweater is our thickest sweater. The bulk prevents heat from escaping while the weave provides an elasticity that prevents constraint. However, we recommend wearing a shell over the sweater. A strong wind can penetrate the weave and rob you of heat.

LEARN MORE ABOUT:

Devold Sweaters

Lothlorian Sweaters

Discover the Warmth of Wool

Trade Bracelets, An Excellent Christmas Gift

December 4, 2009

A trade bracelet is a unique gift for someone who appreciates wildlife. The bracelets we carry were originally created in Seattle using designs from Tlingit carvers. They were sold to Indians along the Pacific Northwest coast who would then give them away at Potlatches. Our bracelets are struck from dies made in the early 1900s. The designs were created by Bill Wilson, a Tlingit from Hoonah, Alaska.

Each piece reveals a detailed image of an animal set at both ends of the bracelet. They are narrow and will sit nicely on a slim wrist.

Orca Trade Bracelet

Lovebirds Trade Bracelet depicting Eagle and Raven

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Northwest Indian Rings

Northwest Indian Earrings

Northwest Jewelry

New Items from Tilley

November 25, 2009

We are pleased to offer two new items from Tilley. A leader in quality and innovation, Tilley Endurables has satisfied millions of customers for twenty-five years.

The Pickpocket-Proof Purse (say that five times) is a handy companion for any traveler who wants extra protection for their valuable items. The top of the bag snaps closed with wooden bars. Two plastic sheets are inserted into the sides of the purse to prevent anyone from slashing through the fabric.

Another excellent travel companion is the Kangaroo Pouch. It will carry all of your essential items while on the road. Two pockets sit in the straps for your coins while the others hold your camera, wallet and passport. Everything you need within easy reach. Leather trim gives your pouch a stylish touch.

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Tilley Classic Cotton Hat

Tilley Leather Money Belt

A Well Kept Whip

November 13, 2009

This ten foot bullwhip arrived for a fall replacement. The owner tells us that it was purchased in 1984 and put through heavy use. What a pleasure to see it in such excellent condition. Notice the darkness of the leather. This comes from both exposure to sunshine and the vigilant use of leather conditioner.

LEARN MORE ABOUT:

Bullwhips

Pecard Leather Dressing

Joe Strain’s Visit to David Morgan

November 6, 2009

Joe Strain of Northern Whip Co stopped by the store last week and introduced us to his wife and daughter. Joe and David’s friendship goes back many years, when Joe was just beginning to braid whips. Meagan and Alex met Joe for the first time. A pleasant day for everyone!

Joe and David

Joe, Meagan and David

Lace Cutters Back in Stock

October 30, 2009

Update: January 10th, 2018. Unfortunately, The Thomas Company is no longer making the lace cutter. We hope to find a new manufacturer soon. Or, if you or a friend are handy with carpentry and would enjoy making 25 or so of these at a time please contact us at: catalog at davidmorgan.com or give us a call at: (800) 234-4934.

When we sold our last lace cutter several months ago, we discovered many people still wanted to purchase one. We found The Thomas Company, a local Seattle company, to make a new lace cutter based on the old specs.

This leather tool is a favorite of magician and whipmaker Louie Foxx. Louie has told us he’s tried a lot of the other lace cutters and prefers this one for comfort and durability.

Made of beechwood, it holds an injector blade that adjusts the lace width from under 1/8 inch up to about 1/2 inch. Two razor blades are included with each cutter.

Although the lace cutter is adjustable, we find it easiest to use multiple cutters set to each width we routinely need. For more information on using the lace cutter, please see David Morgan’s book Braiding Fine Leather.

LEARN MORE ABOUT:

Kangaroo Skin

Braiding Books

Pecard Leather Dressing

What is Worsted Wool?

October 2, 2009

Cooler weather has arrived throughout most of the country. For those of you fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to need your wool sweater, you may find it is actually made of worsted wool. Just what happens to wool that makes it worsted? But before we go into that, it’s important to note why worsted wool is such a great fabric.

A worsted wool fabric is tighter and stronger than other wool fabrics. It can hold its shape, has a fine drape and keep a crease. It is much smoother. For those reasons, many garments are now made with worsted wool.

The difference between worsted wool and other spun wool starts in the earliest stage of preparing the yarn. Both worsted and spun wools are carded. Imagine two blocks of wood with tiny pins on one side. The wool is placed between the two blocks and the blocks are pulled in opposite directions. This process untangles the wool and places the fibers alongside each other. It also removes any debris that may have gotten embedded into the wool.

Next, and this happens only to worsted wool, the fibers are combed. Imagine two sets of long, metal teeth. One holds the wool while the other is swiped through the bundle. This pulls the fibers into alignment even further than the carding and removes short and brittle fibers. The wool staple must be over four inches long in order to be spun into worsted wool yarn. It also removes additional debris.

Now the long staples are ready to be spun. Because of the combing and carding process, the fibers can be spun much more tightly than other woolens. David Morgan sells several worsted wool sweaters. You can find them at the links below:

LEARN MORE ABOUT:

Devold Sweaters

Discover the Warmth of Wool

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Our Visit to Akubra: Making Fur Felt Hats

September 18, 2009

Akubra’s dedication to quality has made them one of the premier hat makers throughout Australia and the world. David Morgan has proudly sold their hats in the United States since 1965.

Will Morgan visited the Akubra Headquarters in Kempsey, Australia. We thought you might like to get an inside peek into the making of an Akubra hat.

Brian Tucker, Production Manager, stands before the blowing machine. Here the fur is mixed, removing any clotted hair, felt or dirt.

When the fur leaves the blowing machine, it is like soft cotton.

In the first stage of making the hat, the forming machine (not seen) will make a large cone that is extremely fragile and three times the size of the finished hat. From here, the hats will be shrunk, dyed and then shaped.