My husband managed to catch his braes on something and tear an L-shaped rip into them. Conveniently, I had some leftover fabric from making two pairs of them, and was able to patch using the same fabric. Given the shape and amount of tear, I opted for a darn-and-patch solution. Continue reading “A thing of rags and patches — mending braes”
Sprang!
Sprang is a weft-less, warp-only twisted weaving, made with wool, silk, papyrus, linen or cotton yarns stretched over bars, using fingers for weaving & sticks as placeholders. Continue reading “Sprang!”
Cords: Lucet vs. 4-Strand Plaiting vs. Tablets vs. Fingerloops
Handout for my class on Cords: 4 construction methods. A comparison of lucet vs. 4-strand plaiting (whipcording) vs. tubular tablet-weaving vs. finger-loop braiding, and the merits of the cords produced therewith.
Viking Era Headgear: a fashion survey
Handout for my class on Viking Era Headgear: a fashion survey.
Process photos and additional construction information coming soon….
Fingerloop braiding a lace bend round of 8 bowes
Figuring it was time to branch out into more fingerloop braiding patterns, I elected to try the lace bend rounde of 8 bowes on fingerloop.org, a very attractive 2-color spiral when worked as suggested. Continue reading “Fingerloop braiding a lace bend round of 8 bowes”
Chemise
I am in desperate need of a new chemise. I want it to be short enough that it doesn’t show or need hiking up under my tunic / cote / peplos / overdress. I need it to be comfortable, not fitted too closely to my body (which changes shape on an irritatingly regular basis), and luxurious. Continue reading “Chemise”
Medallion whipcording
4-strand plaiting is a very old way of making cord. I first encountered 4-strand plaits when I was studying the Skjoldehamn hood, with a view towards re-creating it. I taught myself the plaiting pattern from the diagram in Chapter 8 “Braiding and Sprang” of Margrethe Hald’s _Ancient Danish Textiles from Bogs and Burials_, p. 241. Continue reading “Medallion whipcording”
Threading the treadle needle
Among the things I routinely do wrong is thread my Singer treadle sewing machine. Threaded incorrectly, stitching produces a clotted mass of threads on the back.
My machine is a Singer model 66-1 with red-eye (also known as red-head) decals, produced some time after April 18, 1921. Continue reading “Threading the treadle needle”