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Gallery of Projects in Progress Part II

Started by Lady Kathleen of Olmsted, January 08, 2015, 07:05:07 PM

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Irma

GEM:  In what way did you manage the crossbow?  I came upon it on eBay.  There used to be an online source, but apparently the item is no longer in stock.  Thanks for your encouragement.

LADY KATHLEEN:  Do you use a thimble or some sort of finger protection when you hand sew?  I have yet to get the hang of using a thimble.  It seems so awkward.

Lady Kathleen of Olmsted

No Irma. I could never get the hang of using a thimble when I hand sew.  I too, find them clumsy to wear.
"As with Art as in Life, nothing succeeds like excess.".....Oscar Wilde

Irma

Progress on my Germa-Bethan hunting outfit.



Rowan MacD

Quote from: Lady Kathleen of Olmsted on January 22, 2015, 11:47:50 AM
No Irma. I could never get the hang of using a thimble when I hand sew.  I too, find them clumsy to wear.
Psssst.   try a leather thimble, or thimble pads.    ;D
  The thimble pads stick to your fingertip, or what ever part of your hand you use to push the needle.
What doesn't kill me-had better run.
IWG wench #3139 
19.7% FaireFolk pure-80.3% FaireFolk corrupt

gem

Irma--sorry, I missed your earlier post! I got my crossbow a gazillion years ago in Toledo, Spain, on a high school Spanish class trip. :D My classmates all brought home wine. Ha!

Your Germa-bethan is shaping up nicely. I wish you'd share more construction details--tell us about the haube and the hat!

I wear a thimble *obsessively,* sometimes even when I embroider. Like Rowan, I like a leather one with a reinforced tip. Size is important--it needs to fit snugly. It goes on the middle finger of your working hand, and its main job is to protect the fingertip from punctures by the eye-end of the needle. THOSE HURT! A good flexible thimble will also help by improving your grip to pull a needle through thick layers.

Lady Kathleen of Olmsted

Irma.. Your project is beautiful and coming along nicely.

Again regarding thimbles, even the leather ones are clumsy. I am hopeless.
"As with Art as in Life, nothing succeeds like excess.".....Oscar Wilde

Irma

My brother-in-law made a leather sash for the crossbow. He also fixed a bolt in place - it does not come off - and replaced the bow string. The sling basically slips over my head and crosses my chest like a cross body purse. The bottom of the bow at the bottom of the sling is at my left hip. The upper part is at my right shoulder. I haven't tried it on, yet. I think he did a great job.

The haube was made by Thytyra.  She sells on etsy and ebay.  It is a net made of cording, with a pearl at each intersection, over a fabric base.  The prototype hat was made with a 14-inch circle of fabric, backed with a 14-inch circle of light batting.  There are four "flaps," approximately 8 inches square, backed with light batting, folded in half, stitched on the shorter ends, and then attached to the main circle, matching up the eighth marks with the centers of the flaps, and the quarter marks where the edges of two flaps meet.  I butted the flaps end to end, overlapping the ends to fit make a circle to fit my head.  The main circle then had to be pleated to fit the circle of flaps.  The gold bows are made of rattail cord, stitched into the side seams of the flaps.  When the flaps are turned right side out, the ends of the cords are inside the seam allowance.  I broke two sewing machine needles sewing the flaps to the main circle.  I am sure now because I did not grade back the batting enough so that I was sewing through too much fabric.  The next attempt will have less bulky seams, and the gold cord will be placed higher towards the peak of the flaps.

Regarding finger protection, I have tried the cushions that stick to the ends of the fingers.  The areas that wear the worst are my thumb, the tip of my index finger, and the part of my middle finger between the first and second joint.  The stick-on cushions really didn't help me much, and removing them from my diabetic fingers scarred with 22 years of blood glucose testing was very unpleasant.  The leather thimble was really bulky, and did not allow me to bend my finger.  Regular thimbles keep falling off.  So far, the best results came from covering the sensitive parts of my fingers with regular band aids, and then covering each band aid with a finger cover - sold in the bandages and gloves section of the drug store.  Still not as nimble as a bare finger, but much better than wearing the skin off the finger tip.

Thank you all for your encouragement.  It's nearly done, and I promise to send final photos.

Lady Kathleen of Olmsted

#22
I am  working on  another 100% linen shirt order for a clients' husband  in Maryland. The wrist bands match the Neck band and ruff.



"As with Art as in Life, nothing succeeds like excess.".....Oscar Wilde

operafantomet

Quote from: Lady Kathleen of Olmsted on February 04, 2015, 05:59:37 PM
Irma.. Your project is beautiful and coming along nicely.

Again regarding thimbles, even the leather ones are clumsy. I am hopeless.
I'm with you on this one. I handsew a lot, and have a specific pattern for moving the needle, pushing it through the fabric, and pulling it out on the other side. And yeah, the thimble is great for pushing the needle through the fabric, instead of punctuating my fingers... But it always gets in the way for the rest of the process, and I don't get a good grip. I too have tried the leather ones, and the biggest problem there is that it won't stay on my finger. So unless it's a really thick/tricky fabric I prefer to not use a thimble.

Just a general note - thanks to all of you for the fantastic stuff you make and share photos of. Though I'm not really a frequent poster here any more, I sometime just enjoy coming here to gorge in all the beautiful creations, for inspiration, as pure eye candy. Thank you all, and keep it coming!

Rani Zemirah

Goodness... what beauty!  Everything is simply lovely! 
Rani - Fire Goddess

Aut disce... aut discede

Lady Kathleen of Olmsted

#25


The Inspiration for my next personal project.


This is the pattern from Rocking Horse Farms(no longer in business)  I have to make it with. I will also be making the undergarments to go with this in time for a convention in July I will be impersonating the Duchess of Devonshire. This is one of the gown from the film...THE DUCHESS.

Another version of the gown from Janet Arnold's POF2 book
"As with Art as in Life, nothing succeeds like excess.".....Oscar Wilde

Rowan MacD

   That dress is scrumptious! I wonder how the underskirt arched pleating was done?
What doesn't kill me-had better run.
IWG wench #3139 
19.7% FaireFolk pure-80.3% FaireFolk corrupt

Lady Kathleen of Olmsted

The pleating on the underskirt appears to be a box pleat, Rowan.

I am going to do something similar that was a period technique.
"As with Art as in Life, nothing succeeds like excess.".....Oscar Wilde

operafantomet


Dinobabe

So I had originally posted this as finished but I'm thinking of adding a hem guard on the bottom of the forepart.  It's just pinned and laid on the floor at the moment.  I still want to keep the simple elegance look but I think it adds just enough without getting past simple.  What do you guys think?  Please tell me if it doesn't work!





Natasha McCallister
Bristol Faire 1988-2005
The Wizard's Chamber/Sir Don Palmist
59.2% FaireFolk Corrupt
midsouthrenfaire.com