Notepad #14

Sep. 2nd, 2013 05:40 pm
meltintall3: (Default)
Or, someone spent a bit too much time on Pinterest...

Starting a thread without a knot
If it works, super cool. But without trying it I can't quite visualize how it works

Gothic chairs
This is a convince my brothers to make one or two of these for me sort of project. :p

Edging with tablet weaving

Homemade Bouillon

1930's bias dress pattern

braided T-shirt

ruffle-flower T-shirt (only a few pics)

T-shirt with a twist

Old pattern books:

Parisian Tailor
New Superlative Cuts for Ladies Garments


Physical Geography by Mary Sommerville -- she sounds like quite the lady and I need to take the time to research her and read at least one of her books...
meltintall3: (Default)
12-12 rohan pocket final
Somehow, deadlines always help in getting stuff done. The end of the year and being able to use the completed: 2012 tag on this project since all I had left was little stuff turned out to be just enough. I freehanded my initials and the year after cutting the slit down the middle. It wasn't the most efficient way of doing them, but I didn't know how much to allow for binding the slit so they had to be added afterward.

I'd say it's about 88% hand-work; the bias tape is sewn together and the inside of the seams are done by machine. 
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When I went back to this project a few days ago I discovered I was, oh, two minutes from being done with the horse's head. I have no idea why I stopped when I did, because apparently I could easily have been done at least a month ago.

Now that I've completed my very own pattern, I have learned a few things. For one, the thread I have on hand is not quite suited for the fine detail work I drew into the pattern. For future reference, I need to make my pattern drawings with a slightly thicker brush size...For two... the speckling stitch is super pretty. For three, perhaps I should have looked at my stitch guide and designed the pattern to use more of the stitches. But I'm quite pleased with my results anyway. 

Now I just have to cut it out and sew it together with matching bias tape. Or should I use a red tape around the edges? Choices like that could easily set this back another three months... 
meltintall3: (Default)


For his llama costume entry this year Little Brother #2 decided that he wanted to be Robin Hood and his llama could be Will Scarlett. Not surprisingly, the shirt from the Robin Hood costume I made him back in 2008 didn't fit him anymore. So I used the following links and a heathly dose of fudging to make him a new one. (I put more work into his costume than he put into the one for the llama. XD )
I used a light cotton in a dark green and eyeballed the measurements against one of my T-shirts. It is possible to rip nice squares and rectangles on the grain of the fabric, so that's what I did for most of my pieces. For the shoulder gussets I did right angle triangles instead of isosceles triangles. If I'd been paying close attention, I could have pulled the underarm gussets from the scrap ripped to square the edge of my fabric and used more exactly two-thirds of the 3 yards of 45" fabric... the little nibble out of the remnant piece makes me sad.

Friends and I had recently visited an exhibit on Nordic Lace and I noticed on the shirt from a man's wedding outfit that embroidery was used to hold the placket down. So I put my brother's initials there because I didn't have time to do the entire alphabet like on the piece I'd seen. I did two handworked eyelets to close the collar. The cuffs are currently loose. I don't know if they will eventually get eyelets and lace shut or hooks and eyes or a button and frog or... never be done at all. :p 
meltintall3: (Default)


The majority of the embroidery is done. The only thing left is the horse motif and possibly my initials, though I'm still considering putting those on the back... When I originally traced the pattern, the horse came out off center, so I've been telling myself that I'm waiting for the fabric pencil to fade away instead of rinsing it out and re-doing the trace. Also, as you can see, I went with red thread, which looks very sharp even if it wasn't what I originally had in mind. 
meltintall3: (Default)
We wonders, yes, we wonderss. *cough*

I had an opportunity to dig my Narnian/Pre-Raphaelite/Medieval/Renaissance gowns and pieces out of my closet recently, and that reminded me of the need for pockets. Because pockets are wonderful things and besides Gollum there's also a song about "Oh I bet you'll never guess/ What I've got!" and a lovely list of keys and bicycle rings and... Anyway. Pockets. 

I've seen it done where people with the same dilemma use their 18th century pocket recreations with their gowns and I think this will work with the gowns I have. But since it's for fun and practicality, I thought I'd do something fantasy for the pocket embroidery. 

First I went through a list of extant pockets for inspiration as well as visiting a site that sells pocket kits (see Bristol and the Blue Thistle stomacher in particular). I'm considering doing my initials and the year on the back, in something simple because it's the least visible side of something that's really supposed to be invisible... so I was thinking white on white, maybe.



For the front, I'm envisioning something Rohan inspired. Twisty knots and galloping horses, though I can't decide if I want to do it all in shades of blue and possibly silver, (because that's rather Elvish, just like my screen-name, and my favourite colours) or bright and somewhat random colours based on what comes to hand when I go looking for thread. 

The dimensions came from Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion Vol. 1.

Lion Bag

Dec. 21st, 2009 06:26 pm
meltintall3: (Default)
Lion Bag:
finished dimensions 8"x9"  
cut 9"x11" from blue panne velvet and red lining  
stitches used: chain, straight, bauyex tapestry stitch, whip, and buttonhole stitch  
four strand braid used as the tie 
Read more... )
meltintall3: (Default)
I've hit my first snag in my plans.

I transferred the embroidery pattern I found in A Scholehouse for the Needle (pg 30) to the first sleeve and merrily stemstitched my way down the motifs. I was almost done when I decided to transfer the second sleeve.

Ah, you see my mistake already! )

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