Our summer class schedule at work has finally arrived from the printer's!

You can see the whole thing online here: http://www.treadleyardgoods.com/classes

I am teaching two sessions of Basic Hand Sewing as well as the fascinator class.  This will be the most formal teaching I've ever done!  Wish me luck.  (Or, if you've ever been in one of my classes in the past, offer me tips on improvement.)

Two pairs of new jammies, check.

One has owls and the other has cute, mod, cartoony birdhouses.  I widened the gusset for more squat room (for yoga) but otherwise it's the same pattern as usual.

Yesterday afternoon, I scaled up the bodice and sleeve patterns from the Tudor Tailor for L, so I am ready to cut mockups.  I also did some math to figure out the most frugal yardage requirements possible.  

Now I should probably go cut the new version of the doublet.

Ok, I've finished one dress for myself, which really ought to tide me over for a couple weeks while I wok on things for other people.  Here's what I've got cooking now:

HB Tudor: I mulled over this while I was sewing the dress, and decided to scrap the current doublet and re-cut it from what I have left of the silk.  Then I'll piece the lining to make it work.  I was not ever going to do anything useful with that extra 3/4 yd of silk anyway, so I might as well use it up.*

Dress for L: I don't even have the fabrics yet, but she's going to come by Treadle tomorrow I think to pick them out.  We already have a tentative plan involving a silk noil petticoat bodies and a linen gown.  I realize textured silks were so not the thing in the 1500s, but it's cheap, it's pretty, it's exactly the color she wants, and it's for wearing to the ren faire, where people think hanging a fox tail from your belt, over your gypsy skirt, is historically accurate.  So.

Jammies: It has turned unseasonably hot here and I really need some new ones for summer.  Making jammies is like washing dishes; it is the task that does not end.

There are about 5 more projects that I need/want to be doing, but these should probably get done first.  Sometimes I really wish I could mono-task.

* Tangent: when I first started sewing, I cherished every random scrap of silk and saved it like a precious gem, even when it was too tiny to ever do anything but miniature crazy patchwork with.  Why?  Because it was silk.  Fancy-schmancy luxury!  I am glad I no longer feel the need to do this.

Took a week or two, on and off, to make this dress.  



(Yeah, it's blurry and my hair looks crazy, but after 40 photos, I got sick of trying to take a better one.)

After trying again to tweak my basic shirtdress bodice (and failing) I scrapped it and bought a commercial pattern with both waist and side-seam bust darts.  With the 7" difference between my bust and underbust/waist, refining the fit to perfection is pretty much impossible, but I keep trying.

I used New Look 6968, just the (plain) bodice, and I re-shaped the neckline.

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Despite the issues, I like it, because it's just a housedress, and I am not going to wear it for anything special.  But I do plan to make a few changes to the next version, and I am all set to cut this pattern out again in another fabric.

Blocked the Citron, had a good time at Shepherd's Harvest, bought some yarn, had a fun Mother's Day.  My whole weekend was Go! Go! Go! what with driving out to visit my mom Saturday and the yarn fair the next day and then working all day Monday.  I did manage a nap on Sunday afternoon, but I didn't really have a choice, I just collapsed.  Today, F and I are finally having some nice downtime and doing some sorely neglected chores.

Here's the Citron:



( And laid out flat )

Now I am desperate for a new portable project.  (Is this why people knit socks?)  I plan to do another simple lace scarf in a yarn I bought a few years ago that's just a little too variegated, but I'll use it up and do something simple before tackling another complex lace project in my new All For Love Of Yarn yarn.

I decided to take a step back and alter the doublet pattern for the armscye issue.  

It was way too big because it was cut too far back.  I think I've already ranted about this, but here it is anyway:  The idea with the narrow back/broad front in historic clothing is that you pull your shoulders back and stand super-erect to fit the garment.  Well, my man can't stand that way, or won't, so instead his garment is just ill-fitting and icky looking.

However, the more I alter for fit, the less the pattern looks like the source.  I start with lovely extant garment diagrams and end up with pattern shapes that look like they came from Simplicity.  The garment fits and looks nice, but I'm not sure if it really counts as historically-based anymore.

The issue this time involved moving the side back seam forward quite a lot.  I didn't see how I could possibly add the width I needed to the back armscye without moving that seam at least 2 inches forward.  So I did, and now the seam is practically under the arm, but it fits.

( Before and After photos )


The problem now is that I've already cut the silk.  I have enough left to re-cut, but I think I might just piece a crescent into the armscye instead.  At least I have a pattern that works, and I can use it again in the future, and to cut the jerkin to go over this.

Made the mockup for McCall's 6504 yesterday.

  

I cut the neckline, upper chest, and armholes in a sz 8, then blended to a 10 for the bust, and to a 14 for waist and hip.  I really didn't think I was that much of a pear (yet) but the finished garment measurements seemed to show a ton of ease in the bust, so I went down, and I chose the upper chest size because I am smaller up there.  

( More photos, and a design dilemma )


 

Sewing for my HB is always slow because I have to wait to do fittings until we are both at home and available.  I'm still waiting to fit the doublet on him, and in the interim, I've decided to start on that pile of eleventy-million printed cottons I have for summer dresses.

First up is McCall's 6504, which is basically a princess-seam dress on steroids.  There are 13 pieces to make up the body of the dress.

I'm doing the red/white contrast version in two Amy Butler fabrics with a positive/negative effect.  Yesterday I traced the pattern and cut it; today I cut muslin and started sewing a mock-up.  The notches are somewhat unhelpful in matching the pieces, though, and I got confused at one point and sewed a piece in wrong about 3 times.  The third time I ripped it, it tore in two, so I'll need to cut another muslin piece before moving on.  Plus The Girl got needy after not very long and I put it down for the day.

But I am so determined to have new dresses.  I have a ton of cool fabrics just waiting.  I plan to use my basic shirtdress pattern for several more, but I want to tweak it with a side-seam bust dart.  I think I've made some cool dresses in the past with narrower skirts, but when I am standing in front of the closet, I always gravitate towards those fuller ones.

More of the Tudor Tailor project for the Man:

When I started the project last year, I enlarged/drafted/altered the basic early doublet pattern.  It went through 3 mockups.  I saved the third and tried it on him again the other day.  It looked fine.  So I cut it in the silk, interlining, and lining and sewed the outer layer(s) together.

Went to put the sleeve (mockup) into the armscye and found the sleeve seam is smaller than the armscye seam.  Ok, fine, I thought, I'll either adjust the sleeve seam before I cut the silk, or I will take in the shoulder seam of the doublet a little.  So I measured both seams to determine the amount of adjustment.

Here's the shocker: the armscye is 25 inches!!  How could I possibly have let that happen?  My hubby does have quite broad, full shoulders, but that's still a ton of ease.  3 mockups and I still have this huge error. 

If I didn't have to get a sleeve into this armscye, it wouldn't be a problem.  But now I don't know how I can make it work.  I'm going to try the doublet on him to see if I can take it in anywhere.  If not I'll have to scrap it and I'm back to square one.

On the plus side, I did end up finding a lining in the stash: a silk/cotton sateen that I ripped out of the first 18th century coat I made for him (and eventually scrapped). There was enough to cut the doublet lining without piecing, and the colors even went together.  If I need to re-cut the doublet front, I may just piece the lining a little to make it work.  There are tons of scraps.

I've been toying with this idea of making my HB a pair of bias-cut cloth hose for over a year now.  I've gone through three mock-ups and I thought I was getting nowhere, but then I realized that the lumpiness on the top of the foot is just the nature of the beast; it doesn't mean I was doing it wrong.

Yesterday I finally broke down and did the scary part: cutting them out in the real fabric (a slate-color linen twill - wool would probably stretch more and fit better, but the heat is an issue).  I pinned one leg onto him and fitted it smoothly.  I'm using the pattern and directions from The Tudor Tailor.  All the shaping is done in the CB seam, which makes for simple fitting, but a really funky-looking pattern piece.  

This morning I trimmed the excess off the piece and transferred the changes to the other leg as well.  Then I sewed them up with a narrow zigzag as the book suggests.  I want to fit them again before I add the sole and waist facing.

I'm a bit torn about the codpiece.  Giant, stuffed-and-be-ribboned codpieces are really just too weird for my modern eye, and anyway the husband has given them a definite veto.  The dilemma is whether to make a small codpiece, or just a flap.

I made some round ones.  I didn't get any shots of them being worn, so just imagine them at a jaunty tilt on a well-coiffed head.

Silk noil, pre-made bias trim from Anna Maria Horner, a feather tuft, and a metal button.




( Two more )


I've also made three more frames that are still uncovered.  I'm putting these away for a while, though, because I found out that my class isn't going to be scheduled until September, and I now have more urgent projects to do.

The finished quilt.



I tried to do some arty, casually-thrown-over-a-fence photos a la Material Obsession, but this is all I could get. At least they look better than the ones where I tried to drape the whole thing over the couch.

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I admit that I rushed through the binding a bit, as usual. I cannot even imagine hand-sewing the binding down. Instead, I like to sew the binding to the wrong side, then flip it to the right side and topstitch. That way, the nice straight topstitch line is on the good side, the wonky one is on the back, and I can do it all by machine.

I started this project almost a year and a half ago, so it’s amazing to finally have it done and out of my sewing room. I really want to do something simple for my next quilt. The complex stars in this one were fun, but I also like the look of something less fussy. Plus you can go more scrappy with a simpler design.

My first finished fascinator.  This is one of the hat styles I am teaching in my upcoming fascinator class at Treadle.



( More! )

A few more in progress:

Done, really!



I am totally in love with this sweater.  It's the best one I have ever made.  I think that finally I have a handmade sweater that will get some wear!

( More!! )

Yay!

Another "finished, but not quite finished" project!

I've done all the seams, placket, and neckband on my stripey sweater.  I've woven in all the ends.  Now I just need to get buttons and sew them on.  I found some in my stash that look nice, but they're just a little too small.  Since the sweater has some negative ease over the bust, I don't want to use small buttons that will just pop out of their holes under a slight strain.

All these undone projects are starting to annoy me.  They are cluttering up my sewing room and my brain.  Loose ends everywhere!

I think I've finished all the quilting on my quilt!

I say I think because yesterday, when I was down to just edge sashing, I found a large section of background on one block I had left undone, so now I am just sure I will find another bit I forogt, or that needs to be re-done.

Anyway, phew!!

Mostly what is left to be done is trimming threads.  I have spent about an hour on it so far and got maybe 1/3 done at the most.  It is way tedious.  And then binding!  I will probably give then it a wash just to get the loose threads off and make the whole thing cohere a little.  Then I will do the big yay.

While my coworker is on maternity leave, I've been promoted to store blogger!  I'll be featuring new fabrics, trims, and books; cool stuff made by employees and customers; news about sales and classes; and perhaps some simple sewing tutorials (we'll see how organized I can get).

Please check it out at: http://treadleyardgoods.blogspot.com/

Just 3 blocks left!

That is all.

16 or 17 blocks quilted, I lost count.

I'm using a ton of thread.  About one bobbin full per block, or a little more.  I'm winding them four at a time; I'd do more but all my other bobbins are occupied.  I've been replacing the bobbin blind, which is to say, I don't bother cutting the spool thread or moving the quilt when I switch to a full bobbin, I just drop it in and slide the thread through.  I don't even pull it up through the needle plate.  I just take the first few stitches very carefully to make sure the bobbin thread pulls up properly.

On stippling/meandering: It's difficult sometimes to fill a smaller shape than a larger one, but I am doing pretty well.  I like to start in a random area of the shape and then bring the end of the stipple line back to the beginning, so I have one large, endless, non-overlapping circuit.  Two things to remember are: 1.) always leave yourself an escape route, i.e. don't stitch yourself into a corner so you can't neatly stitch out, and 2.) stitch as close to the edges of the space as possible (without running outside) in order to really fill up the shape.  

I"m not doing any ditch-stitching in this quilt, and I quite like the flatter look without it.  Previously I stitched in the ditch in most of my quilts because I thought that's just what you do.

I'm keeping my stitch length pretty short, because that's just what I like.  It means I either have to move the quilt very slow or keep the needle going pretty fast, or both.  I'm probably keeping the needle going faster than I ought, but it's looking pretty even.  Faster often keeps the curves smoother, for me.

I've been pretty diligent about quilting at least one block per day.  The Girl and the Man both had the flu over the weekend, so I didn't do much sewing then, but they're both almost well and I've made some progress.

I've passed the halfway point - 14 blocks quilted!  

For the quilting thread, I am using white Mettler "silk-finish" 100% mercerized cotton.  It is not an ideal quilting thread. I really should be using a thread specific to machine quilting, but this is what we have at work and I just don't have time lately to make a lot of special trips to the quilting store.  It works better than any other cotton all-purpose I've used, though.  Just tends to break a bit more.  A lot of that is solved by tension tweaks, but I still manage to break the upper thread about once per block.  Almost always when I am a stitching a sideways straight line.  I guess I just pull the quilt a bit too much, or not smoothly enough.

I am really loving this quilt.  I think this is going to be my first Really Good quilt.  You know how you start a hobby, like making dresses, and you just have to make a few really crappy ones to learn on, and then you can make a couple so-so ones that you like and wear, but they're a little wonky, then eventually, you get enough experience and skill to make that Really Good dress.  It fits, it looks lovely, it works.  This quilt is that.

It's not perfect, of course, but who wants perfect?  Perfect is not real, it would leave you nothing to strive for, and it's the enemy of the good, right?

I am itching to finish it though, because Spring arrived in MN quite abruptly and I am having a terrible urge to clean out closets, finish old projects, tie up loose ends, and make everything organized.