Hey,

I’m Charlotte.

I make things, research things, grow things, and have a habit of becoming far too interested in subjects that probably did not require quite that much investigation.

Charlotte Sometimes is where all of that ends up.

This is a blog about history, material culture, sewing and textiles, costume, LARP, traditional crafts, gardening, and self-sufficiency. I am particularly interested in the ordinary parts of history: what people wore, made, repaired, cooked, carried, grew, and used every day.

I run Mosswood Studio, a small textile business making pieces for LARP, reenactment, and historically inspired worlds. My work includes banners, costume pieces, embroidered textiles, stoles, shrines, and other things that sit somewhere between practical object and prop.

That means I spend a great deal of time thinking about fabric, construction, embroidery, historical references, and whether one apparently minor material choice is actually worth several hours of research.

Quite often, that research ends up here.

Away from the sewing machine, I work in education and qualifications within the aquatics sector, developing learning and assessment. I am also studying for a degree in Sport, Fitness and Coaching with the Open University.

It sounds quite separate from the rest of this blog, but there is plenty of overlap. I am interested in how people learn practical skills, how knowledge is passed on, and what happens when theory meets real life.

I also LARP, particularly at Empire LRP, which gives me a very good excuse to combine historical research, costume design, storytelling, and making. I enjoy taking historical silhouettes, materials, and techniques, then pushing them into something more theatrical.

Then there is the garden.

I am increasingly interested in edible growing, useful plants, natural dyes, preserving, repair, and small-scale self-sufficiency. I am not attempting to live entirely off the land. I am much more interested in what can realistically be grown, made, repaired, reused, or learned in an ordinary home and garden.

So, this blog is mostly about curiosity.

You will find posts about costume and dress, history and material culture, making and craft, LARP, gardening and self-sufficiency, along with the occasional journal post when something does not fit neatly anywhere else.

Some posts will be carefully researched. Some will document things I have made. Some will be experiments.

And some will simply begin with, “I wanted to know…”