Lucy Tudor

19/05/2026

Some lucets in stock just now... because I am failing to attach them to the message to the customer . Tech is so much not my strong point.

14/05/2026

These pictures may appear in two different posts, because the first post is supposedly taking fifteen minutes to upload, and us five hundred year old folks have little patience left...
It is a new product which I launched at Living Crafts at Hatfield house, last weekend- which was a lovely event, as always, really friendly happy people.
The product is a diz, a modern tool for pulling wool through evenly in preparation for dressing a distaff. It is made from box wood.
I have a faffy kind of a brain, which loves chewing at words, so this one has an Aster flower carved on one side, because that ( reversed) makes me laugh inside. It has a handle, because I think that makes them easier to use.
It is for people who like daft wordplay, and would like their dizasters already handled.
It had a partner, upon whom the aster had not yet been carved, and the only person at the event who wanted a diz, chose to keep it plain.
So, is my attempt at humour a dizaster in itself?
I like it, anyway.

27/04/2026

Wonderwool Wales you were wonderful. The loveliest of customers are crafters and reenactors, and it feels so good to be making things for people who go out of their way to say such lovely things about my stuff. The organisers and volunteers make this show really special, so many smiles. Thank you everyone, it was great. In every way.
Now, just nine making days before we head for Living Crafts at Hatfield house, so I'd better get some serious work done. Life is good.

21/04/2026

Last few days of preparing for Wonderwool Wales this weekend, another one of my favourite events. So much colour and positivity in one place. I also get the treat of driving down the roads I used to go to Uni along, which have some of the loveliest countryside .

16/03/2026

Wow, TORM did it again. I think we pretty much matched our highest ever take, which is brilliant. Thank you to everyone who bought, and visited for a gossip, or just said lovely things about stuff as they passed by. ( I am a terrible earwigger, so listen to as much as I can, at all times. Someone passing by saying nice things even quietly, about what I make, makes me glow inside. ) The TORM staff and Anne run a tight ship, and work so hard to make things smooth and fun for us, we won another raffle prize, now have a pretty camping table and water carrier with wheels - I cook using TORM raffle pans, do chips in our TORM raffle air fryer, store stuff on our TORM raffle shelves, water the garden with our TORM raffle hose pipe, heck, we even won a TORM raffle party tent, which was once a total blessing too.
I am so tired now, but thankful and happy, having seen so many of my favourite people of the tribe, even if I rarely managed a cohesive thought or conversation... cracking do Gromit.

12/03/2026

Our van is pretty full, a few more bits to fiddle with, and modern clothes to pack yet, for evenings.
We leave just before six tomorrow morning, for Spring TORM ( anyone else troubled by the urge to sing "for Hi**er, in Germany, " be careful, you are showing your age. )
As usual, if you have ordered something, it will be behind the stand waiting, with your name on it, and as usual also, even if you are my greatest joy, I am so over excited and tired, you will need to remind me of your name. Tim has had a proper haircut and beard trim today, by a barber, so he too may have to remind me of his name, he looks so different.
I absolutely love TORM, The Original Reenactors Market, it is full of the right kind of lovely people, both buying and selling. There are even sweets on a table by the entrances, to keep us going .
See you there, if you are lucky enough to be coming.

01/03/2026

This is where we will be in a couple of weeks, if you would like to come along, and see some amazing traders...

DRUM ROLL
We have an offer for you today for The Orginal Reenactors Market event FREE ENTRANCE please see below for details - can't wait to see who your favourite historical figure is?

07/02/2026

I have been having fun, looking at pins, because I like pins. Museum collections on line are lovely, but in the case of one particular pin, have until this evening proved fruitless. But now- no, hang on
BUT NOW, I have found provenance for the curly pin, also more provenance for the pin previously labelled by me as the Saxon pin, because I only had one reference for it. I now have four, plus lots of variations on that theme, some which look rather elegant, some simple and useful. There is a lovely "challenge to make " pin, which I want to make a start on now, this very minute, but it is too late for the louder hammering in the living room, ( the neighbours are nice, and don't deserve that, and it is cold out in the workshop), so it will have to wait until tomorrow. That one is from Gotland and is 10th/11th century, it won't be cheap, but it may be nice.
I had a look at the bone pins again, because I like playing with them, and it is nearly time for the York Viking Market in the church on Goodramgate, ( not next weekend, the one after) .
I did not know that there were bone pins in the Cuerdale hoard, but there were two, one with simple decoration, one plainer. I will have some of them at the Viking Market.
I also have firmed up the evidences for different time periods for some of my other pins, because I know people like me to be able to tell them where, as well as just knowing it in the back of my mind... because trying to be growed up and professional is a beggar.
So come see me at York, or TORM in March, and there will be new labels for pins you have seen before, new pins you have not seen before, and my beloved Tim, trying to be pleased for me, because I am still loving that even somethings one has been looking at for many years, can still get more exciting, when you follow them down a rabbit hole.

04/12/2025

I am not good with tech, I can just about fly this laptoppy thing, and now use the Lidlplus app, but the rest of it leaves me cold. No that isn't enough, it puts me in a cold sweat of fear to even upload my final accounts every January. The government have decided small businesses need to be chivvied up into doing all of their accounts a lot more frequently, and putting them into their system every month. Making tax digital. It is going to be hard for me if they do. If you have a moment to help an aging Luddite, I would be grateful for you signing the following, so I can just poddle along gently, putting my accounts in once a year, and making enough money to pay my bills and taxes without feeling so stressed . I love my job, you all know how much, and I can promise you, I'm not the only one who thinks tax is already digital enough.

HMRC is pushing ahead with Making Tax Digital: a scheme that requires all business to maintain digital accounts. Currently many small businesses use paper accounting records or spreadsheets. Small businesses may lack the skills, time and funding to maintain digital accounts.

01/12/2025

It is December, which means we are only three weeks until the world starts to settle and then move towards the light. If anyone is finding the dark mornings hard just now, it helps to know we are getting towards the middle of it. The weather hasn't made it's mind up yet, it is considering getting extremely wet here, just now, so i am pumping out the sump pond/cool spa facilities, to prevent things getting soggy in the workshop. An ounce of preparation is worth a pound of perspiration, kind of thing.
I am also getting lots of yarn craft things set up for a crafting session with a quilting group, tomorrow afternoon. You can never be sure how many will attend events like this, it is cold and wet out, approaching Christmas, lots of people have coughs and colds which they kindly choose not to share, and stay away. OR, they may have already shared the bugs at last month's meeting, and all got over it now, so we get a full house. Either way, or any place in between, we should have a couple of hours to play with, literally, and so - spindles and a wheel, heddles, tablet weaving, lucets, nalbinding , netting, and maybe braid wheels for a modern touch? People who already practise one craft are usually sharp at picking up another, so I'm looking forward to a good session. Hope you all are finding time for some gentle conversations with old friends, and space to play with your favourite crafts, a hot cup of tea, and a decent biscuit will help .

16/11/2025

Oh but wasn't it good? Fantastic show, LOTS of sales, lovely people, all of you. Very tired now. THANK YOU xx