This has been brought up several times before, but I feel that now is the time to bring it up again.
Those of you who were present at the time we had Milan as monarch may recall that he and Tweak often contributed couch leather to the masses, in addition to churning out fully-made garb of the same, which also merited one (at times, two) points of armor.
A few of us have kicked around the idea of scavenging couches once again, but the issues of time and cost of CCD (couch-carcass disposal) have forestalled any attempts indefinitely. Even free couches require a team of two, and are not always leather, but convincing vinyl, which is completely useless for our purposes. Veteran Siar Geatans, such as Scoot, Dieter, and myself, can spot the difference almost immediately. A dump-run costs $20, and the vehicles we have now aren't suitable to carry even one such couch without dismantling.
In the span of a month, I will have my driver's license and access to a mid-size pickup, which can hold two carcasses -perhaps four if we get creative,- and be back at work. What has a part-time, 18 year old burger-hole employee got in abundance, if not time? I would like to propose two related courses of action, in light of our lack of garb and our even greater lack of armored participants:
First, I would like to propose an investment opportunity. If we find four couches for free, they will cost us perhaps $30 to pick up, skin, and dump. That racks up $7.50 per couch. One couch may provide as much as 4 Woodstock-size jerkins, which is just over a buck-fifty each. I would like to organize a bimonthly 'donations' barbecue or potluck, which I may finance myself, to raise a few nickels for this venture.
Secondly, I would ask somebody with knowledge of Tweak's ingenious vest-making technique to teach us, as a group, to do the same at an A&S gathering. Leather-based garb not only functions as an inexpensive way to teach newcomers about how armor works, but also serves to distinguish veterans from newbies when questions arise -more time spent, more intricate and well made the armor- and makes us 'look better' both on the field and at Faire.
While I am no longer in a position of power, I believe this will be especially beneficial in the coming months, as we generally don't have any events to attend between the Fall and Spring Renaissance Faires. I want to help raise our group's attendance to once-again great numbers. This is would merely be my small way of helping.