I am going through the process of handquilting


This quilt was begun by my mother, who unfortunately passed away last year. I am quilting it for my sister, for a combined Birthday/christmas present from me and our mother.


Tania

I am finally in the mood to post a little again. Not that I have been idle, but I have not posted anything about it.

I just, yesterday, decided to do a victorian walking skirt.

( Pics and rambled reasonings )

My mother passed away 2 weeks ago, and since no one else in the family sews, I have gotten her sewing machine, a brother innovis 4000D. I set it up last night and just began to bawl.
I am happy to get such a good machine, but I am really really sad, that my mother wont be able to use it anymore.
She fought bone-marrow cancer for 18 months before dying, and she had bought the machine not long before falling ill, so she never really had the chance to use it.

I am going to remember her every time I use that machine, and hopefully in time I will remember her joy at creating new clothes for her children and grandchildren. Her joy in learning something new.
I do not wish to remember her as the sick, but as the incredibly brave person she was till the end.
Everything I make on that machine will be a tribute to an amazing vibrant woman, whom I lost way too early.

Hiya all.

I have just started another project, since I just finished a bobbinlace handkerchief.
First time I have really used the frame I bought from the Royal School of Needlework in England.
I am a bit unsure weather the project has been put right into the frame, so I am asking the smart members of the Historical needlework list.


I am doing a project I bought by mailorder from the royal school of needlework


Really nice and fast service. I also bought a mellor, as I really want to some more stuff in gold embroidery.

Tania

Hiya all finished with my third corset, and I have learned a lot.
Excuse the pic, taken with my digital at arms reach so I could show it on a live body ;-)



1. the Corset brocade was slightly see through, so the next time I am doing anything like this, the inner layer is going to be white, I used natural coloured duck, and it can be seen slightly.

2. It was loads of fun to try and make the pattern, went from a simplicity pattern, that I had earlier done and remade it into an underbust. The hip area, which was my most annoying thing from the original pattern has been reshaped and I feel it fits pretty well. The waist might be a teeny bit too much, but then I have not really worn a corset for a year or so, been way too busy.

3. Learned to think out the design before cutting into the fabric and being patient enough to wait till the stores are open so you can get supplies. The major problem with this corset is that it has no busk. I am single and getting into it takes some major contortions and wiggling, and extra long laces, which I stole from my other corset.

4. flossing was fun and I learned a lot. I also learned the thimble is your friend ;-p, since going through 4 layers of fabric is hard going on an embroidery needle and the least resistance is sometimes your fingers.

The binding is sewn on the machine from the wrong side and then sewn to the right by hand. I am not good at topstitching precisely and I wanted a nice binding.







Crossposted to the merry corsettier
Tania

Hiya all.

I am in the midst of making an underbust corset based off one of the simplicity patterns. It is 2 layer with duck as the inner one and the outer, some brocade made for making corsets of. No busk as I did not have that size lying about and I did not want to wait till easter was over to do this corset.
I don't like the feel of the brocade, it feels plasticy, but it looks fairly good if a bit too white. I am going to buy some satin edging in the same colour as the flossing to finish the edges of.



I am trying my hand out at flossing for the first time and I would like to know if I do it correctly ;-p before I do too much. I am always willing to redo things, but some are more a pain to redo than others.
So I would like some feedback on it.



Tania

I got bored with some of the easier patterns and decided to jump into a relatively deep end by using one of the prickings I got from a flea market along with a bunch of bobbins.
Only problems is, is that I have no info on where the pattern is from and what it is called. Only info was that it too 22 pairs of bobbins to make it.



I would dearly like to know what it is called.

I am using some Amann mercifil 50 as the thread, it is used for hand-quilting and is rather nice to work with. I still like the hand of linen better, but not bad at all to work with

Tania

I had a bit of fun with some yardage of shirt fabric, that I couldn't find a use for. I created a set of cover cloths, bobbin holders and pincushions out of it.



I have started on a very simple pattern from the Bobbin Lace manual by Geraldine Stott, page 42, Fir Tree Fan. She recommends sewing cotton or Brok 36. I was considering using some bocken linen I had lying about, but asking the list arachne, they told my my thread was too big, smallest I have currently is 80/2 and I don't want to go out invest more in threads, so I found some quilting cotton, 100% cotton to make it out of.





I still have problems with sore fingertips although I do preprick my patterns, but I guess I am soon developing calluses ;-). The second cover cloth with the hole in it, has really helped with threads catching on the pins used to keep the pattern still on the roller.

I started the pattern 3 hours ago and have already done about 15 cm, so I am happy.

Tania

I am fairly pleased with myself. I have made my first ever handkerchief/small doily in bobbin lace.
The pattern is a very nice, but really easy pattern called crown an triangles, it was first published in womans day magazine, but has been reprinted in the book Lessons in Bobbin Lace.

I probably should have cleaned up the pillow before taking the pic ;-)
A bit more close view

I then took a piece of linen left over from making a shirt and attached it to the lace with nuns? stitches, not really sure what they are called in english to be honest.

I then folded it nicely to be presented as a gift.

All in all, I am very pleased with the effort, I learned a lot, and now I am trying to see what I want to do next.
I do want a cookie pillow, my danish pillow is fine for continous lace, but when i do doilies/hankerchiefs, then it is nice not to have to unpin.

Tania

I just spent an exhausting long weekend making a personalized dressform. It all started friday night getting covered with brown paper.



I then spent the next three days changing and refining the resulting mold, to a dressform that had the correct shape. Getting covered with brown paper takes a couple of hours, and you get a really bad posture, so that has to be corrected. It was heartbreaking cutting the mold up several times untill the teacher was satisfied ;-)



I spent a lot of time plastering more brown paper and glue and teeny pieces of newspaper on the dressform.



When the form was perfect, it was covered with 4 layers of felt (so it can be used for draping), untill it was the corrects size.





I then made a stocking of black bathing suit material to cover the form (that can be removed in case I get tired of the colour)




The Dressform was done at 12.30 at night between monday and thuesday, and I estimate I spent about 56 hours making it.

I used about 20 sheets of really strong brown paper, 3L of elmers glue/wood glue. 1 yard of jersey, 1,5 yard of tan felt, ½ yard of white felt (really thick) and ½ yard of bathing suit material. There is also some wood for the base and neck and the dark wood neckthingie and stand.

It was really fun, but also very hard, and I am really happy with the result.

Tania

Hiya this is a book I made for an SCA friend in the US featuring her shield and an embroidered version of an italian 15'th century style illuminated R.



The Embroidered Shield

And the book, with a quarter to illustrate size


The book is made entirely from scratch by me.
The embroidery was done using silk embroidery floss and and dmc gold and silver thread. The entire thing is done on cotton velvet (really expensive, with a gorgous colour and pile)that I had left over from a bodice I made.
I also used real gold spangles for the flowers on the vine in the R. The shield is outlined in a wavy real gold wire thing (don't know what it is called)

The book is a modern construction method, as I am relatively new to the bookbinding thing. The pages are from a good quality drawing paper and I sewed the book on 3 strings.

I used and interface to iron behind the velvet in hope it would hinder the glue in penetrating through the fabric. That i will not do another time, as it did penetrate a couple of places.

I did learn a lot from this project, and hopefully I will soon find another to do

Tania

Another entry another project.
I am in the midst of making a corsage from a burda magazine pattern. It was one of their bridal specialties at some point, but I am making it in dark blue silk, with piping at the upper edge in the same fabric. A gorgous luster and really soft. It is interlined with muslin, since the silk is rather thin, and I have not yet dedided on the lining, probably going to be some cheapo black polyester lining. The pattern does call for boning, but the muslin is giving the thing quite a lot of body, and I really do not wish for more lines of sewing on the front, with my skills, they will show up all wonky and uneven. perhaps I should simply put the boning on the lining?
I really like the bust of this one. I have made corsets before. 2 simplicity corsets from the pattern in pannels, not with gores. the first one came out too big, as I did not know that Simplicity had a sizing problem, the second is not that bad, but still have room for improvements. For instant, this is clearly a pattern meant for underwear (I am not going out in public with a corset ending at the nippleline) so I want to raise the bustline.
What I want is a corset, with the bustline of the Burda corsage, and the shape of the Simplicity corset, but frankly I am unsure of how to do it. I am taking a drafting class, but that has mostly been normal clothes, and how to correct for difficult bodies.
Tania

I have had a busy week
And an unlucky one, Did you know there is absolutely nothing to be done for toes that are broken or sprained? the only thing to do is to tape the thing and don't use it too much. Fortunately it does not hurt as long as I stay off it.
I was at my pattern construction class tuesday evening, that was tough. The class was on collars and how to make patterns for them, the most complicated one was the revers collar used on coats and that was not easy.
The embroidery is going fine if a bit slowly.
I have been to my school to get all the formalities done before starting including applying for students grants and loans. It should tide me over, but money are going to be VERY tight the next year or so. I will go in next week as well to have my students id made and access to the computers.
It is really very very cold today, it has been gorgous weather, a blue sky with a few white lamb clouds, but it was really cold, and I hate cold.

This is the worst storm in Denmark in 5 years, and I am happy to be inside and reasonable safe.
I hope the roads will be reasonable tomorrow, as I have to be at my cousins babtism.
I have set up my new scroll frame, and am doing a project from a book by Helen m. Stevens featuring poppies, it is going to look so good.
But what am I going to do with it when I am done, my home decoration sceme does not run to embroidered wall hangings? I still like to embroider, but I have nothing to use it for when it is done.
I have also recieved good news about going back to school, which was really nice, now I just have to get my economy in order.
Tania

I am finally ready to make the skirt, I have cleaned up my apartment and bought the stuff I needed.
So this is the time.
Christmas was good to me this year, I got two giftcertificates for Broderi Antik a specialty embroidery store in Copenhagen, I already used one, and got a book on Chinese Embroidery and a gift set of DMC linen embroidery thread, have not yet tried it, but it looks good so far. I plan to use the other gift certificate for a scroll frame as I want to get a better and more even look than I get with the hoop.
The bookstore certificate is going to get me a couple of nice novels, need something light to read.

I soon hope the blister in my mouth is going to heal, my cheek was twice its size all weekend, and has not quite fallen yet.

Tania

I have been cleaning and baking the entire day and I am really tired. I am having my entire family over tomorrow for a christmas get together, I have baked 2 cakes, a tin of vanilla almond cookies and made about 2 gallons of Borcht (Russian Red Beet soup)
I still have to clean one room and the kitchen and bathroom and do some christmas decoration befoere they get here tomorrow at 2.
I never did find the time to finish that skirt, so that will have to be on monday or tuesday.
Tania

I was just about to use some of my wast amount of fabrics to sew a skirt, when I found out I could not find half the stuff I need.
My main problem is that I am a compulsive clutterer who hates to clean, if I were rich enough I would hire someone to clean for me, but I am a student in a rather expensive, for my budget, apartment.
The plan is that tomorrow I will clean the entire place, I do not have to work or study, so it is the perfect day for it, I hope the weather is good so I can place some of the furniture out on the porch while I wash the floors and declutter. I have an amazing amount of books that seems to accumulate in every corner.
Once everything is cleaned I plan to make that skirt, the fabric is a very nice 100% wool medium to dark grey with tan pinstripes, very soft and luxurius looking.

Well. I have a party tonight that i am not that keen on, but i will hopefully have fun once i arrive. Being the only teetotaler at a party is not that fun sometimes, especially after 11-12 pm or so, that is when i usually leave, but untill then it can be rather entertaining. How come people who has had a couple of drinks think they are the smartest, nicest, coolest and most coordinated persons in the world? End of minor rant.
Anyway, I have been doing quilted placemats this week, actually i promised my sister to make them more than a year ago, but other stuff kept intruding.
I am starting to make plans for some gorgous dark grayish green wool jersey i have, I thought i might make a modern interpretation of an elizabethan robe (gown), problem is that this fabric is very heavy, and i am not sure how the jersey will stretch, I do not want to do a lot of work on it and then discover that the weight pulls it out of shape. What i want it a warm house or casual robe, that will keep me warm and elegant, while still being able to snug up in a chair with my favorite book or embroidery and a cup of hot tea. This is not meant to be period at all, but i do want it to look slightly historical, i also intend to trim it with some faux fur that has the shine of black seal or mink.
Enough ramblings for today.
Tania

I have a class on making patterns, so I have been doing my homework all day.
This has been all about skirts, i think tonight is about trousers