liadethornegge: (garb)
[personal profile] liadethornegge
So, yesterday was sewing circle day. And I mean, literally, day. Starting at one in the afternoon I didn't come back to my room until a quarter to one this morning.

It was loads of fun as usual, and I was quite efficient. I got alot done. First I just worked on my blackwork, found my first stitching error that was too late to fix. Annoyance there, but it was only a minor error and won't be noticeable. I also jumped a row in the middle of a return journey and continued on the outside edge when I was meant to go on the inside. It wasn't until I hit the corner of the piece that I discovered that. Thankfully I could fix that by pulling the thread back out to the point where I went wrong.

After the second tea however, (yes, that's right, we had tea twice, with a different cake both times) I started working on the olive-green linen cotte (let's call it cotte, shall we). I managed to sew up both sleeve seams and the back seam in a backstitch using polyester thread. I will need to fell those seams as well of course, but I got quite a ways on it anyway. The back seam I managed to do while watching Henry V that Helwig had on tape. Nothing like a bit of Shakespeare to accompany sewing, although at the end I think myself and William were the only ones still sewing as both Helwig and Filippa had succumed to the ducks who came out en masse for cuddling.

When the sleeves were done Filippa commented to me that I was too chicken to do buttons again. Hmm... should I let that stand or should I rip the seam out and do buttons? I mean, it is true, I did not do buttons on the plum GFD, and the blue one has only short sleeves. Doing buttons on this cotte then would be yet another point of difference. I don't know, I don't know. Since I am not planning on lining this one (so far) I think having buttons will show this up a bit too readily. No lining makes the fabric a bit looser ("sladdrigare") and I'm not sure what buttons would do to a sleeve of that description.

Of course, this is also a supportive gown - do I really want to leave it unlined? Will it support me in that state? Of course, experimenting on the seams on this one will be much easier with the side-seams left just backstitched so I can alter them. Adding a lining would sort of hamper that, unless I flatline. But I already stitched up the CB seam now, so it's a bit late unless I want to unpick it all.

You know, using the poly thread was a bit of a resistance to starting on this project too. I took the dress up earlier in the evening, rifled through my threads and found only that to match. I considered using black silk thread, but cheapness set in and I much rather want my blackwork done than I need this cotte right now. So eventually I gave in and used the polyester thread, but it feels like half a step back in my quest for authenticity. I know it's stupid, but there it is. I actually thought to myself, ratonalising my decision, that I could do the felling using my black silk thread - as that won't use up quite so much of it.

Well, picture link to yesterday's sewing circle found here.

lazy me...

Date: 2005-06-05 10:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] myralea.livejournal.com
...decided to skip the colour matching issue, and just stick to an unbleached linen thread for almost everything period in wool or linen! or bleached thread when i happen to sew in bleached linen. works fine for me, the beige colour of an unbleached linen is very discreet indeed. saves me lot of energy finding the matching colour, just have to keep a couple of grand spools of linen threads in different thicknesses.

although i suppose i would go for a matching silk if i were to sew something in silk?

lucky you to get some sewing done! me, i'm forcing myself to finish the last (and most akward) calculations of my chemistry labs...

/m

Re: lazy me...

Date: 2005-06-05 10:58 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] liadethornegge.livejournal.com
Hmm, I actually also did consider my linen thread (only because I love using it) but thought the colour difference would be too great... Hmm, maybe it isn't. Maybe I need to go downtown and get me some more linen thread. Whee! :)

Also: Go Myra, Go Myra! (<-- consider this your cheering section for getting chemistry calculations done)

Re: lazy me...

Date: 2005-06-05 11:13 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] myralea.livejournal.com
thanks, i need it!
ahem, am just taking my well needed (!) and much deserved (?) tea break...

no, don't worry about colour differences. if something happens to show through on the outside, well i don't think it would be disturbing. on the contrary. as lon as stiches are neat it just look proper.

and why bother about handsewing anyway, if you can't do in in linen/wool/silk thread?! further, handsewing with thin cotton and polythread aren't as pleasant either :)

if you worry much about colour matching there is coloured linen thread, don't know in uppsala, but "hemslöjden" here in stockholm sells "knypplingstråd" in a good range of colours. large spools and assorted thicknesses... but still, unbleached thread is suitable for most tings.

i happen to keep a black spool handy for dark stuff, but seldom use it. made a dark dark blue wool jacket for he boy, all sewn in unbleached thread. nothing showed through on the outside (and the inside was lined with unbleached linen).

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Lia de Thornegge

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