Capt. Sterling

natural resource

Like I have time to trail after anyone....

Oh sir, I would LOVE to make Syren ...ahem... sticky...

depending on how the exhibit is lit, the gum might just melt...

Oh yes I can... I have three computers at my disposal...

No I'm over in the Bios section in the first thread...

Born 1673 Died 1730 Born, a bastard son to a wealthy and influential Bristol merchant. Went to sea at an early age before being brought back into his father's family to replace the legitimate heir who had fallen ill and died. Sterling married against his father's wishes and was disowned, but not before he was able to purchase his own merchant ship the Hart. The Hart ran aground in a storm off the coast of North Africa and surviving crew were captured, including Sterling and sold into slavery in Algiers. His ransom was not paid off for three years, during which time, he lost his eye and suffered from the bastinado. In constant pain, he was finally returned to England and his family; he was never able to fully recover his health. He began working for his father, at first captaining one of his father's merchant ships and then a privateer vessel to help support England's efforts in the on going wars. During this time his wife gave birth to a young daughter named Sarah, and Sterling took on as wards the two Merriweather boys, whose father he had known in Algiers. With the success of several prizes taken and the additional support of a secret investor, he was able to purchase an ex-slaver, refitted her and renamed her the Archangel. With a merchant background, Sterling viewed pirates as a distinct disadvantage to his profession. He finally set out, along with several others such as Benjamin Hornigold, aiding governors such as Woodes Rogers and Alexander Spotswood, in an attempt to put a stop to piracy. Emptying his pockets when ever necessary to promote this particular goal, keeping a small plantation he purchased in Virginia afloat, as well as trying to balance numerous mistresses, he returned to his wife after a particularly public and foolish affair with an actress and tried to make things right. Instead he found himself in debtors' prison, not once but twice. His only son, born several months before his first incarceration, died whilst he was in prison. His wife and he quickly drifted apart afterward, she behaving as if Sterling had died as well. She moved to London a year later, she ceasing to communicate with him. Sterling refused to divorce his wife as his father requested and continued to remain married to her, supporting her as best he could. He spent the remainder of his life as a pirate hunter successfully ending many a career, learning never to trust a woman, and bringing up three wonderful children. Oh and whilst he lived, he managed to keep Cousin Robbie out of the nut house.

Wow another fortunate sod...

Damn ye have a social life... ye lucky sod...

Tis NOT bent... Dutch is just jealous because mine is bigger and much, much nicer looking than the replacement one he now has for the one he crushed under the car...or fell off in traffic, or whatever his story was as to why he lost his first one.

Tis Dutch that keeps breaking them... or leaving them outside on his car... Mr. O'Keeffe is actually very, very careful with it...handles it with kid gloves, so to speak

Now sutlerjon if ye want to talk about bent, how about maybe crushed... Dutch keeps running over his with the car!!! So, of course I need to watch... I don't want them two breaking mine while they are playing with it....

Bent? not at all... larger than yers I believe, but not bent... as for Edward... not sure as you were the one telling him what to do with it...

**taking deep breath** Right then... after watching ye handle mine, I learned a lot... got it down to a science now... Yeah I hope the lot of ye just snorted yer soda out yer noses onto yer keyboards...

**Sigh** Ye just can't keep yer hands off my backstaff... can ye?

oh btw ...lengthwise grain runs parallel to the selvage... crosswise grain is perpendicular to the selvage and can be found by pulling the thread as described above and bias is found by finding the thread line running at a right angle to the lengthwise and crosswise grain... For most garment pattern pieces you will be running along the lengthwise grain unless you choose to "railroad" your pattern pieces... which means you are placing pattern grain line parallel to the crosswise grain... Be aware of what your pattern calls for as the grain effects the way the fabric/finished garment hangs when wearing and this, depending on what you are making and what fabric you are using can make or break an article of clothing.

Don't know...not my rabbit

Madl, one of the easiest ways to line up the pattern piece with the grain of the fabric is to find the grain line drawn on the pattern piece (usually a thick black line with arrow points on either end) and run it PARALLEL to the selvage ... which is the finished edge of the fabric.... if you want to be really fussy, you can actually measure the distance, or just eyeball it depending on your fabric's pattern/print/design... I do not recommend tearing fabric instead of cutting it... I have seen good shirt weight linen ruined by doing this and a number of silks as well.. if you want a straight edge on the cut end of a length of fabric, pull one thread out from selvage to selvage...then cut along the space left by the thread you just pulled... it will give you the straightest edge across the unfinished edge. Not always the simplest option though, some of the threads can be hard to pull...

something that is being worn out

Tis the early 18th century, knowing one's letters is not of importance, at least not for one of his station. Although one must confess, looking at a sheet full of "X"s could become mighty dull rather quickly. I concur most whole heartedly

And all written with one finger I'll 'ave ye know...

**backhands Dutch** Robbie come sit by the fire and wrap yerself up in that there blanket. I shall 'ave some thing to break yer fast sent to ye. Swimming and in this weather... fer shame, Dutch, fer shame.

Yer starting to sound like cousin Robbie, ye best stop hanging around with him...

Dutch... lap DESK...

just curious as to the length of the busk... does yours run from top of the corset to the bottom point? In the one picture, looks a little short...