Thursday, April 18, 2013
And finally, progress on the IRCC3 layer 1 project
I've finished the three drawn thread bands which break my sleeve in four half-width panels. Well, I mean that I have finished the bands on my first sleeve. yippee! And I've started pulling the threads to repeat the pattern on the second sleeve. Progress is being made!
The Maybee's are going to Turkey!
In my real life my Clarence and I (April) work in Academia and he has just had a paper accepted at a conference in Istanbul this fall. I am so excited for him on a professional level, but for me it means I get to celebrate my birthday in Turkey this year *and* (drumroll) spend about a week poking about the Military Museum studying their tent collection!
I really don't think I could be more excited!
I admit I've also been thinking about doing some shopping, particularly for oyas to use on a late period partlet, but first things first. Time to learn to speak a lot more Turkish. :)
Squee!
I really don't think I could be more excited!
I admit I've also been thinking about doing some shopping, particularly for oyas to use on a late period partlet, but first things first. Time to learn to speak a lot more Turkish. :)
Squee!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Layer 5: Largesse?
I have been musing on the subject of actual physical prizes for IRCC winners, or all the participants. In earlier iterations of the challenge some individuals donated prizes to be given to the winners. Very cool.
I've been thinking it would be wonderful to make something small/easy/related-to-one-of-my-items to share. It wouldn't have to be fancy, but how wonderful to receive a token to remember the challenge by. Especially if it would add to your period authenticity or enable you to complete projects!
Even better, what if several of us did it and the overall winner, or the newbie winner, or all three of the winners, received a box of loot!
I'm thinking the item wouldn't necessisarily need to be worn. It could be an item for a renenactment kit, or a kit to make such an item or a part of a larger costume project.
Some of my ideas:
Pearl drop earrings on gold hoops
A set of handmade buttons (if I made 10 a month there would be 40!)
Embroidered cuffs, possibly with a matching collar
A length of bobbin lace
Tablet woven garters
A handkerchief
A pocket
An apron
A paper flag fan with a space to insert the recepient's device
Finger loop braided cord, possibly tipped with metal aiglets
A needle case
A waxed linen cover to keep bugs out of a container of food
A very plain partlet
Brass pins
A thread winder
The list goes on and on...
What do you think? Good idea?
I've been thinking it would be wonderful to make something small/easy/related-to-one-of-my-items to share. It wouldn't have to be fancy, but how wonderful to receive a token to remember the challenge by. Especially if it would add to your period authenticity or enable you to complete projects!
Even better, what if several of us did it and the overall winner, or the newbie winner, or all three of the winners, received a box of loot!
I'm thinking the item wouldn't necessisarily need to be worn. It could be an item for a renenactment kit, or a kit to make such an item or a part of a larger costume project.
Some of my ideas:
Pearl drop earrings on gold hoops
A set of handmade buttons (if I made 10 a month there would be 40!)
Embroidered cuffs, possibly with a matching collar
A length of bobbin lace
Tablet woven garters
A handkerchief
A pocket
An apron
A paper flag fan with a space to insert the recepient's device
Finger loop braided cord, possibly tipped with metal aiglets
A needle case
A waxed linen cover to keep bugs out of a container of food
A very plain partlet
Brass pins
A thread winder
The list goes on and on...
What do you think? Good idea?
IRCC3-We're Off!
I know it's silly, but I spent much of yesterday stitching away at the drawn thread work on my camicia sleeve and impatiently waiting for the IRCC3 to get started in the USA so I could finally get to work *for real*.
I have days (probably weeks) of embroidery still to come but it just feels different to know that we are now all working together, and I can work on anything I want!
Woo Hoo!
I've been pondering my four accessories and I'm pretty sure I will make a partlet, veil and feather fan. But what to do for item 4....shoes?
Anyway, good stitching to my fellow IRCC3-ers! I can hardly wait to see what you get up to.
I have days (probably weeks) of embroidery still to come but it just feels different to know that we are now all working together, and I can work on anything I want!
Woo Hoo!
I've been pondering my four accessories and I'm pretty sure I will make a partlet, veil and feather fan. But what to do for item 4....shoes?
Anyway, good stitching to my fellow IRCC3-ers! I can hardly wait to see what you get up to.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Layer 4 thoughts - Partlet
As I was working on the drawn thread embroidery of my Camicia a few days ago I came upon this glorious outfit courtesy of the Elizabethean Costuming facebook page. As I gazed on in awe I realized that the oversleeves and partlet are most likely/almost certainly draw-thread work, formed in large part by the same pea hole stitch I am using on the camicia!
How, exactly, one would get drawn-thread to work in a series of graduated rings as depicted in the partlet is a mystery to me at this point (if it can even be done!) but the sleeves are simple bands. THAT I can do. Thus my IRCC3 partlett was conceived.
In order to figure out the pattern before attempting to size it up into a partlet I cropped-out a detail of the flattest part of one of the sleeves, blew it up and started counting. On closer examination I feel that while this portrait is not an accurate-to-the-stitch recording of the pattern it does convey the feeling and approximate pattern and proportions well. I read the bunches as being sets of 5 bars taking up the space of 2 1/2 pea hole stitches in width and two pattern heights in depth. Two and 1/2 pea hole stitches are comprised of 5 bars so I feel good that my counting out various sections of the portrait sleeves has worked to establish a plausible pattern. I guess the next step would be to work up a test swatch. :)
How, exactly, one would get drawn-thread to work in a series of graduated rings as depicted in the partlet is a mystery to me at this point (if it can even be done!) but the sleeves are simple bands. THAT I can do. Thus my IRCC3 partlett was conceived.
In order to figure out the pattern before attempting to size it up into a partlet I cropped-out a detail of the flattest part of one of the sleeves, blew it up and started counting. On closer examination I feel that while this portrait is not an accurate-to-the-stitch recording of the pattern it does convey the feeling and approximate pattern and proportions well. I read the bunches as being sets of 5 bars taking up the space of 2 1/2 pea hole stitches in width and two pattern heights in depth. Two and 1/2 pea hole stitches are comprised of 5 bars so I feel good that my counting out various sections of the portrait sleeves has worked to establish a plausible pattern. I guess the next step would be to work up a test swatch. :)
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Black partlet examples mount up.
And over at Starlight Masquerade we find an unattributed portrait with a third black/dark partlet. I'd call that a pattern.
Now I'm most intrigued by what it may mean. Does it indicate something about the wearer? Is it a portraitists concite? A local fad? Widowhood seems an obvious possibility but there just aren't enough of them to support the idea that it was a common practice. Fascinating...
Now I'm most intrigued by what it may mean. Does it indicate something about the wearer? Is it a portraitists concite? A local fad? Widowhood seems an obvious possibility but there just aren't enough of them to support the idea that it was a common practice. Fascinating...
IRCC3 - About that drawn thread work
I have to say that this stuff takes an incredible amount of time. Possibly the worst part of it is that the earlier steps kinda fool you into thinking it will work up fairly quickly...and then you suddenly discovered that you've done all of 4 inches in the last several hours and the horrible truth sinks in!
The pattern is pretty simple. Centering on the location of my 'seam', I pulled a vertical pattern of pull 2 threads, leave 4 threads, pull 7 threads, leave 4 threads, pull two threads. The outer two edges of are worked in a simple hem stitch in sets of 4 threads. (This is the part which goes quickly.) One of the bands of four threads is worked into sets by bracketing the edges of the square with stitching. (Four sided hemstich. Slower, but still feeling good.) And then the time comes to work the second band into sets while also attaching the ladder-rung-like groupings of threads the stitching has created together into X's. (Pea hole hemstich. Bang! It's three days later and it feels like nothing has been done.)
O.K. I'm doing a bit of exaggerating.
I started out using the linen threads I had removed to do the stitching but since I had already started into the threads removed from the sleeves before I completed the stitching on the body it was clear that there wouldn't be enough to complete the process. Rather than canabalizing the remaining fabric for additional thread, I have switched to cotton thread for the stitching on the sleeves. It doesn't match as well but gives a much cleaner finish and running out is not an issue.
Stitched with the pulled linen warp threads.
The pattern is pretty simple. Centering on the location of my 'seam', I pulled a vertical pattern of pull 2 threads, leave 4 threads, pull 7 threads, leave 4 threads, pull two threads. The outer two edges of are worked in a simple hem stitch in sets of 4 threads. (This is the part which goes quickly.) One of the bands of four threads is worked into sets by bracketing the edges of the square with stitching. (Four sided hemstich. Slower, but still feeling good.) And then the time comes to work the second band into sets while also attaching the ladder-rung-like groupings of threads the stitching has created together into X's. (Pea hole hemstich. Bang! It's three days later and it feels like nothing has been done.)
O.K. I'm doing a bit of exaggerating.
I started out using the linen threads I had removed to do the stitching but since I had already started into the threads removed from the sleeves before I completed the stitching on the body it was clear that there wouldn't be enough to complete the process. Rather than canabalizing the remaining fabric for additional thread, I have switched to cotton thread for the stitching on the sleeves. It doesn't match as well but gives a much cleaner finish and running out is not an issue.
Stitched with the pulled linen warp threads.
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