Spring Sweater

This sweater, knitted for my seven-year-old sister, was made following no pattern. Each piece was carefully counted, as I made the front, the back, and each sleeve. The bottom edge and the cuffs are k4p4 ribbing. The back has cables 8 stitches wide.

Garment Data:
- Type: Child's sweater
- Date made: 2008?
- Pattern: none
- Fabric: yellow wool yarn
- Trim: green wool yarn
- Time to finish: most of a semester, if I recall
- Notes: This was going to be a wide scarf, but I got bored and started embellishing, and that ended up as the back panel.








Most sincerely yours,

~ Sarah

New autumn, new projects

Well, greetings again to everyone who comes here to visit.

It has been quite a while since I posted last... I have many reasons, but no excuse! But now that my hectic summer has settled down to a merely busy fall, I believe that you will be seeing more of me!

I recently moved to a new apartment, and one of the joys of settling in was finding a place for my loom, my spinning wheel, my sewing machine (yes, sigh, I don't hand-sew everything), and my oodles and oodles of fabric and half-done projects!

Some upcoming ones to look forward to:
~ a blue gown of wool
~ a red surcote of wool to top it (perhaps to be edged with rabbit fur)
~ a white linen undergown
and many other bits and pieces from the past as I find each and photograph it.

I hope everyone's fall semester (or quarter, or just fall...) is off to a good start!
Adieu for now,


Most sincerely yours,

~ Sarah

As a sidenote: I follow european soccer!

I follow Germany, partly due to my background, and partly because I lived there for a year my senior year of high school.

~Sarah

Bathing Attire

When I journeyed to Germany, my school put on a fashion show of swimsuits of the century. I was responsible for the 1900s and 1910s.

Garment Data:
- Type: Swimsuits
- Date made: Spring 2003
- Pattern: None; based on photographs and drawings
- Fabric: Cottons, extant dress
- Trim: n/a
- Time to finish: ?
- Notes: n/a









More pictures (and explanations) to follow.


Most sincerely yours,

~ Sarah

Dabbling in Design

The following picture is of a shirt front that I designed. Not the actual shirt, of course, but the design thereon.

Garment Data:
- Type: Shirt design (picture)
- Date made: ?
- Pattern: n/a
- Fabric: n/a
- Trim: n/a
- Time to finish: ?
- Notes: This is the cast shirt for a production I was in, as Mrs. Medlock




Most sincerely yours,

~ Sarah

Doll's Clothes: Start Small

Before I began crafting my clothing on a realistic, to-wear, human-sized scale, I began by trying out my skill on small pieces, crafted for a 16" doll.
All of the dolls pictured (except the plastic one!) are Waldorf-style dolls that my mother made for me and for each of my siblings.
Thank you, Mom, for Molly!

Garment Data:
- Type: Doll dress/shirt/pants
- Date made: ?
- Pattern: Magic Cabin Doll patterns Magic Cabin Dolls (I can only find the doll patterns, but what you see them wearing in this picture are the clothes based on the doll clothes pattern kit they used to sell)
- Fabric: cotton prints
- Trim: n/a
- Time to finish: ?
- Notes: none



































Most sincerely yours,

~ Sarah

New Shoes

The following picture depicts a pair of shoes I hand-stitched. Unfortunately, the leather I chose was too lightweight, so the shoes are more of a slipper, and are too large for me. I need to alter them!

Garment Data:
- Type: Shoes, "medieval"
- Date made: ?
- Pattern: Self-designed, based on the one used here: Medieval Craftsman Shoes
- Fabric: thin black leather (originally a garment that I cut apart)
- Trim: n/a
- Time to finish: ?
- Notes: none




Most sincerely yours,

~ Anne

Spinning accessories

Hi everyone!
This picture accompanies the last post, where I mentioned certain accessories that I was using in conjunction with the spinning wheel. An explanatory caption follows the image.

I'm not including the usual "garment data" here because a) it's not a garment and b) I didn't make this stuff!



All right. You are looking at this picture and saying to yourself, Sarah, that's all fine and good, but why don't you tell me what I am seeing?
All right, friend, here goes.

Front left: This is about 800 yards of wool I spun on my drop spindle. It is from a roving I bought when I bought the drop spindle, and is very clean. You will understand why that is important in just a moment.

Back left: This is called a niddy-noddy. It is constructed of a center shaft, where I put my hand, and two cross pieces that I wind the wool around. The cross pieces are not only at right angles to the main beam, but also to one another, making it easier to wind. The lengths and distances between the pieces is calibrated, so that when I wind I am easily able to calculate the yardage of the spun fiber.

Right: This is the beast known as the lazy kate. As I use the spinning wheel, the thread winds on a bobbin. When it is full - or I want to spin a different type of thread - I replace the bobbin with a fresh one. The full bobbin goes on the lazy kate. At the moment I am just using the kate as a storage rack, and it will hold the wool when I wind it to the niddy-noddy. Ideally, though, the lazy kate will allow me to ply my wool. That means that I will take two threads - or even three - from the kate, and, using the wheel, spin them together to create a multi-strand wool yarn. Pretty neat, huh? I would also like to point out that the three bobbins pictured here hold three different colors of wool. These three are all from the same type of sheep, with a particularly long staple (=hair length). I got a bag of wool from a friend. Not only is this wool easier to spin, but it is still rich in lanolin, so my hands are getting beautiful!

Most sincerely yours,

~ Sarah

Reflections on Spinning

Well! The spinning wheel is a rousing success. Yep, no pictures today, though I'll have some shortly.
Over the weekend I've been spinning a lot. It is a great stress reliever, I've found (I had a hard weekend). On the plus side, the wheel came with four bobbins, three of which are (mostly) full!
You see, I got several colors of wool from a friend. Each color is in a small batch, so each one got its own bobbin. This evening (should my studies be far enough along) I hope to wind from the bobbins onto a niddy-noddy (pictures to follow), which will allow me to determine the yardage.
I will continue to spin, of course, despite having other fiber processing tasks to do. The other day I was playing a game with my littlest sister (age 6). When it was her turn, which sometimes took a while, I would get up and spin for a bit. As she so poignantly put it: "You'll never be done. You could spin forever! So come take your turn."
The young ones know best. It is never done, nor would I want it to be. However, I eagerly anticipate the day that I can take my own spinnings and render them into something more: a scarf, perhaps, or a woven shawl. I also plan on making something homespun for the grandmother who gave me the wheel.
What fun!
May my project never be done!

Most sincerely yours,

~ Sarah

Traditional Wheel

Greetings everyone!

I am proud to announce the arrival of my new spinning wheel.
It is an Ashford Traditional, and assembly was straightforward.
Learning to coordinate my hands and feet was certainly more tricky! (Having a sprained ankle on my pedal foot does not make it easier, either! Ah, well, I'll manage).
Thank you Grandma for the great "toy".



EDIT: I've actually found that spinning is a great way to exercise weak ankles, since it is a very controlled movement. (And it's funner that physical therapy!) -S 6/1/11

Most sincerely yours,

~ Sarah

Kelly's wedding: Kelly's dress

Hi all! A big welcome to new Sarah's Clothespress visitors. I am Sarah, Kelly's friend and maid of honor. I am sewing her wedding dress and the dresses for the other bride's maid (Kelly's sister) and myself. I am posting pictures of the dresses as I complete them, so that Kelly's friends and relations have a chance to see them. (also, a few of my curious friends will come look too). Enjoy!

Garment Data:
- Type: Wedding dress
- Date made: 2007-08
- Pattern: ? McCall's, I believe: I'll look up the number and edit this to include it!
- Fabric: White Satin, White Lace
- Trim: White ribbons (rosettes)
- Time to finish: long
- Notes: pattern is no longer published



Kelly's new wedding dress! Except for a few small details, it is completely done, as of March 19th, 2008!

Here is a detail of the bodice, showing the lace overlay and small rosette, as well as the band added as an off-the-shoulder sort of sleeve.

Here is another detail picture, showing the lace overlay better.

Here is a detail of the lower hem. There are rosettes on six ruched-up areas around the hem, each of which exposes lace trim beneath.


More pictures will follow, as the other dresses come along!!!
Please feel free to comment!
Bye!
~Sarah

15th Century

Truly, the age of Geoffrey Chaucer was one of Poetry.

Most sincerely yours,

~Sarah

9th Century

A friend visits the Anglo-Saxons - perhaps she is a Dane?

Most sincerely yours,

~Anne

17th Century

I tried to join the court, but was not fine enough

Most sincerely yours,

~Anne

19th Century

This gown is modeled after a picture I saw of the "Biedermeier" time period, an epoch in German history pretty much synonymous with the Regency period in England.

Most sincerely yours,

~Anne

Childhood attempts

At age seven, I decided to run away to sea


At age ten I tried to join the Merry Men and got sidetracked by malevolent elves.


At age 15 I joined Robert of Locksley and his band of Merry Men

Most sincerely yours,

~Anne

Welcome!

Welcome to Sarah's clothespress! This is where I, Sarah, will show you all of the clothing I am proud of having made, as well as sundry other items I have crafted over the years.
Please peruse at your leisure, and enjoy the sights. I welcome feedback!

Most sincerely yours,

~ Sarah