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I think I mentioned that our friend C came up for a visit just before Easter. It was lovely to have her here--much progress was made on sewing projects, plenty of time spent relaxing and cuddling, and lots of yummy cooking happened. ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lord_kjar and I had a four day weekend over Easter itself, of course, but even the following week felt like a week off, even thought I went to work on the other days, since our normal weekly activities didn't happen because of the holiday, so we were free to stay home and work on projects.
She now has a new dress nearly done, and has worked out a hood pattern that fits her very narrow shoulders comfortably. I finished my bliaut! I also accidentally started a new hood of my own.
Many years ago, whenkhevron and I traveled to Ireland together I bought a lovely wool shawl in a large scale blue/black herringbone twill that is deliciously soft and really stunningly beautiful. However, in the (17?) years since I have only rarely worn the shawl, because I am just not in the habit of wearing them. Usually if I am cold enough to want one more layer, what I want is sleeves, or a hat, not just my shoulders covered. Last time I noticed the shawl, some months ago, I thought that it would make a lovely hood and mantel, but had several other sewing projects in progress, and set the thought aside. But then C was working on modifying the pattern from a friend's hood, and it inspired me to look at the shawl again.
Yup, it still looks like it would be a lovely hood, especially if lined with the wonderfully soft white linen herringbone twill I have left after making my Viking undertunic. So while they played with pattern modifying I took scissors to the pattern fabric and made a rectangle the same size as the shawl, and started experimenting to determine the best way to cut it apart and re-assemble it to make a hood. After four different approaches I finally decided on dividing the length into five equal sized pieces, sewing three of them together along their selvage edges to make the main hood rectangle, and then cutting four squares out of the remaining two/fifths of the fabric for gores (which leaves a rectangle appropriately sized to make a matching pouch later).
Of course, doing this with the twill was time consuming, as I first did a blanket stitch along the lines where I intended to cut, to be certain it wouldn't fray at all, because the fabric is really too pretty to be willing to lose any of it. Then I basted it to the lining fabric and assembled it. I decided to edge the hood with some pretty tablet woven trim that we bought from the same lady who did the trim for my bliaut, which, coincidentally, is the same colours as the bliaut trim. All that is left to do to finish the hood is the final 3/4ths of the trim around the bottom hem, I should be able to finish it at Nyckleharpa tonight. I love small projects--they are so quick and satisfying.
lord_kjar and I had a four day weekend over Easter itself, of course, but even the following week felt like a week off, even thought I went to work on the other days, since our normal weekly activities didn't happen because of the holiday, so we were free to stay home and work on projects.She now has a new dress nearly done, and has worked out a hood pattern that fits her very narrow shoulders comfortably. I finished my bliaut! I also accidentally started a new hood of my own.
Many years ago, when
khevron and I traveled to Ireland together I bought a lovely wool shawl in a large scale blue/black herringbone twill that is deliciously soft and really stunningly beautiful. However, in the (17?) years since I have only rarely worn the shawl, because I am just not in the habit of wearing them. Usually if I am cold enough to want one more layer, what I want is sleeves, or a hat, not just my shoulders covered. Last time I noticed the shawl, some months ago, I thought that it would make a lovely hood and mantel, but had several other sewing projects in progress, and set the thought aside. But then C was working on modifying the pattern from a friend's hood, and it inspired me to look at the shawl again. Yup, it still looks like it would be a lovely hood, especially if lined with the wonderfully soft white linen herringbone twill I have left after making my Viking undertunic. So while they played with pattern modifying I took scissors to the pattern fabric and made a rectangle the same size as the shawl, and started experimenting to determine the best way to cut it apart and re-assemble it to make a hood. After four different approaches I finally decided on dividing the length into five equal sized pieces, sewing three of them together along their selvage edges to make the main hood rectangle, and then cutting four squares out of the remaining two/fifths of the fabric for gores (which leaves a rectangle appropriately sized to make a matching pouch later).
Of course, doing this with the twill was time consuming, as I first did a blanket stitch along the lines where I intended to cut, to be certain it wouldn't fray at all, because the fabric is really too pretty to be willing to lose any of it. Then I basted it to the lining fabric and assembled it. I decided to edge the hood with some pretty tablet woven trim that we bought from the same lady who did the trim for my bliaut, which, coincidentally, is the same colours as the bliaut trim. All that is left to do to finish the hood is the final 3/4ths of the trim around the bottom hem, I should be able to finish it at Nyckleharpa tonight. I love small projects--they are so quick and satisfying.
