Saturday, March 30, 2019

Bobbin Lace and Tape lace tank

Mom did a bit of traveling, she left us at home one year with the freezer packed with food. She was gone for a month.  I attribute that to our going to see Shirley Valentine, that movie inspired an adventure. Dad would travel but not everywhere, and darn it she was going to see the world.  She landed in Brussels during that month, and bought tons of Bobbin lace and tape lace.





Once dad realized if he didn’t go with her he would be left behind, they went to Brazil, where she found doilies with their version of bobbin tape lace. This is what was left over from one of the doilies  





She set to designing and made all manner of bridal dresses, dresses and a tank for me. 







This set looks Aztec to me  



This was one of my favorite outfits when I was younger. When she first presented it to me, all I could see were the holes and how I would be naked underneath. One flesh toned bra later and I really loved this top, but it was not without stares. 







I can't believe I was ever this size  
The skirt might have to be repurposed for the nomad dress  I'm pulling out all of the clothing from the "repurpose" pile. Squee!!


Thursday, March 28, 2019

Youtube Tunic inspiration.... and the organization is complete

I was scared.... this was the last of the fabric reorganization.  
The day before, I had spoken to my 90 year old aunt and she asked how the move was coming along.  I said I was still moving boxes over. She said, "fabric right?", Yes, your mother said she was going to leave you an inheritance of fabric, and she laughed hysterically.  Which made me laugh because, while I didn't know her plans, she did indeed.leave me fabric and lace.... this is the lace.


He was no help at all, but at least he wasn't attacking the mounds while I worked away.


Here we are, one of the guest room closets...


And the rest in my bedroom.  A total of three of these metal bookcases hold most of my fabric.  There are some chiffons, and cut velvets hanging in the closet, and two bins in the sewing area, which are lining fabrics, and scrap.  I also have a drawer full of misc, clothing that I wanted to repurpose, I always feel better about things when they are organized.


In the meantime.... I was thinking about the Nomad Dress, while I was sorting those laces.  I turned to youtube, and there is a channel called "Appearance Design Studio".  I believe he is located in India, and if you want to watch what it looks like to whiz through a garment, he's pretty amazing.  The videos have soundtracks and he doesn't speak.  I've learned some things, but have to admit, I've never stapled a facing..... If you are thinking about tunics this year for summer, you might get some ideas here.  I pop on the channel when I'm sorting fabric.




Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Zero waste Ethnic Clothing Folkwear Patterns Have They Been Misunderstood?

I have to admit, I had trouble understanding the Folkwear portfolio.  I didn't know if it was cosplay, museum reproduction garments,  theatre, or costumes.  So I purchased the Folkwear Book of Ethnic Clothing, this book is a treasure trove of ethnic clothing  history, I'm understanding a bit better, and really enjoying reading about how the garments evolved from rectangles, triangles and circles to the more fitted garments.  If you're expecting these patterns to be ready to wear you won't be satisfied with them.  Early on the pattern reviews were a mixed bag, but I've seen some beautiful interpretations inspired by the ethnic design as well as simpler modern versions.




I'm considering creating the cover tunic to lounge around the house ☺

If I remember my costume history correctly, the first body adornment was scarification of the skin. The first textile was made of tree bark.  This book fast forwards to more traditional fabrics, woven on looms.. The first patterns were geometric shapes. On its surface a rectangle isn’t very sophisticated, but it’s the “why” that’s interesting.

“Looking deeper for a possible explanation, we find a belief common to many cultures that a fabric, like other objects made painstaking by human hands, has a spiritual as well as a structural integrity. Cutting not only damages the fabric but also diminishes its power to protect against malign forces.”

They didn’t cover this in my costume history class.

“To preserve the fabrics integrity, clothing designs are developed that require few, if any cuts into the fabric. When cuts must be made, the resulting pieces are given the shapes of triangle, square, rectangle, or circle in order to substitute their talismanic potency for the power of uncut cloth. “

Imagine what they might have thought about pieced quilts.  I've never thought of my clothes having "talismanic" properties, but I have held onto some pieces that no longer fit, that I love.  There's something to be said about a garment or anything made by loving hands, with intention.  

The first garment of 2019....


The cape will be later.... no not really.



It comes with differenct embroidered designs for each size that are interchangeable.  In this go around, I won't be embroidering.







Things are still getting organized and moved in to their final places, I have a lot of fabric.  The ethnic clothing designs are suitable for burning through yardage with reckless abandon, and using some special pieces as trim.  My mind is on fire with the possibilities, and frankly, it's time, I become "that neighbor", who runs around the house in an Afghani Nomad dress.

.

Here's a bit of sobering information from the book. 

"In certain parts of Africa, wealthy families might honor their dead by wrapping the body with a multitude of fabrics  neighbors and friends also contributed cloth, and the size of the pile of cloth indicated the prestige of the deceased."

A most fitting passage for someone organizing stash..... although shipping my stash to Africa for the opportunity to be prestigious in death is not on my bucket list, so the lesson is, use your stash before you're buried with it.




Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Spanish Embroidered Panels...

In the mid 70s on a trip to Spain, my mother made friends with a woman who was a rep for a textile company.  They spent hours talking about fashion and sewing and the rep, shared her samples with mom.  They sold blouse kits, and embroidered fabrics used for shirts. The woman gifted a few of the samples to her.

The first was the blouse kit, which came in 5 pieces, consisting of back piece, two front pieces, a collar piece, and a piece that can be split to make cap sleeves.  The two embroidered front pieces have finished front edges, basted at the center front, ready for button holes, the collar and sleeve pieces  have tiny embroidered coordinating motifs. The sewer would need a pattern for the neckline, collar and sleeve. 




The next samples were shirt fronts and embroidered panels. The shirt front pieces are trimmed and turned under down the center front. I’m thinking some of these might find their way into yokes on tunics or nightgowns.  These might be incorporated  into my next garment project, I already have my favorites.





Saturday, March 16, 2019

But Why Are Dye Lots Important, White is White, Right? No....





This was an interesting observation.  I purchased two IKEA lamps years ago.  After living with them for a while, I started noticing when lit, they are not the same color.  I automatically thought, ah, the lightbulbs aren't the same color temperature.  I'll just leave them and when they burn out, I'll replace them with matching bulbs.  That didn't fix the issue either.   

The fabric is the same color but the white cardboard beneath is not. Even cardboard has color lots, who knew?



 How is this sewing related?  Here we have flannel again, two cuts of the same SKU from Joann's.  Since I'm putting up white curtains, this color difference will shine through a white fabric.  You'll see that they are different colors.  One is a blue white, the other a warm yellow.  There's nothing wrong with either but if they are hanging next to each other, you will see the difference.  So when embarking on your sewing projects, try to buy all of the fabric you need from one bolt.




Now, I was thinking about what I can do with these IKEA lamp shades, they no longer carry this lamp or the shades.  I was thinking of painting them black inside, but I like that they aren't opaque.  There may be a lampshade making post in my future.

Happy Saturday!

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Do Not Use Elastic For Long Term Fabric Storage - The Elastic Wrapped Bolt

About three years ago, there was a massive garage sale, a Bernina teacher, had decided to declutter.  I purchased all sorts of attachments and thread, and could not leave without some white flannel that I thought could be useful.  The sales area was set up with metal garage shelving, each bolt of fabric, neatly stacked and wrapped in plastic, two pieces of elastic holding the fabric in place.




Fast forward, today, the bolt was unwrapped, the elastic, which still had memory was taken off the bolt.   On it's surface, the elastic looked like a good idea, no pin holes or rust, but for long term storage, I wouldn't recommend it.


The marks went straight through to the backside of the fabric, and through layers.


Across the first 2 yards of the bolt.



The tape left less of a mark, but I wouldn't recommend it either.


There are more stains throughout the bolt, not happy.

Actually not sure how to tackle this, googling how to remove set in stains, the first Google result  recommends the following:

Soak set-in stains. If the stain has been there for a while, soak it overnight in a bowl filled with 2 cups warm water, 1 tablespoon liquid dish detergent, and 2 tablespoons Oxiclean. Wring the cloth out and rinse it well under warm water, then inspect it for any remaining stain before laundering.


Here goes.
I didn't follow the exact ratio here, this is more like 5 gallons, 2 tablespoons liquid dish detergent, and 3/4 cup of Oxiclean.  



Oxiclean was worked into the stains with a toothbrush.


Ugh, what are you stairng at?





This was left in the bin, with the lid overnight.

The following day, the stains had lessened but were still visibile.  I decided to stop working on it here, and just throw it into the washing machine.



I did not throw it in the dryer, and just let it air dry, the stains have lessened to a degree, there were some stains on the edges that I didn't see until now.  I had hoped to leave it in direct sunlight to lighten it some more, but it is overcast.  My mother, who could get any stain out, would leave white fabrics in the sun to dry, and mostly it took out those last little shadows..  She also used diluted bleach and would tackle the stain over days some times.

I'm not sure if it would have been better to just by pass the garage sale find and purchase a nice clean piece of flannel from Joann's.  During their February sale,  it was $2.00 a yard.  I'm saying I'm not sure which is better, because, I don't know how the two qualities compare to one another.  I've just recently found out, some flannel shrinks more than others, and if you are using it as batting or in a garment, I would like to find the one that shrinks the least, that looks best longest.  Once the flannel is washed, it loses that brushed quality, and forms pills.  If you look at an old flannel sheet, you'll see what I mean.

I may have to do a test on the different qualities of flannel available at Joann's.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Mini KonMari Session..... Apparel Fabric Storage

This little beauty was "organized" back in December, and by organized,


 I mean the fabrics were taken out of their bins, aired out and refolded to fit the shelf/bin.  I watched a "folding" tutorial that recommends, outlining the finished dimension on  a table surface, and folding to the boundaries, so that each fabric will fit the space. Since I knew, these fabrics were going back into bins, I used the bin dimension instead of the shelf.

Keep the fabric, this size :)

Freshly washed bins!!  Using the dimensions of the short side.



 This was not bad, but after hours of doing that, the top shelf suffered from my fatigue.


Organizing prefolded fabrics, went pretty quickly.



 The plastic bins were washed and air dryed for a few days.  I had hoped that leaving the folded fabrics on the racks  would work, but it's not practical to leave them this way, they are too unstable. 

Now that I've lived with this for a bit, it's clear, bulky fabrics can live in large bins, thin fabrics need a different size bin, or another approach entirely.

Chiffons - worked well in 15" x 10" x 6"  sized bins



Wools and Fleece went back into the 56 Qt Sterilite


The second shelf  will be dropped to make more space further up.  
This solution is customizable to an extent, which is handy.


Now with the shelf adjusted, I may have space to add another shelf.
The document boxes at Office Depot, are a good fit for the shelf, it will leave a little space on the end (see below).

In my old place, I had three bins on each shelf, arranged this way, they stick out from the front and back about 3", which is fine behind closet doors.  I am hoping to stick with two, so that one day in the future, I can make a cover for the bookcase, so that they look less "industrial", and I can roll it back into the sewing area.


Half way there...

Live to fight another day...silks, georgettes and evening fabrics are going to be the next round.

Monday, March 11, 2019

How Not to KonMari Your Fabric Stash

Youtube Channel Bernadette Banner demonstrates the angst we experience when trying to organize the stash.  Caution, this video may produce anxiety.

Click here.  How Not to Kon Mari Your Fabric Stash



If you are into authentic Historical Costume, and fine hand sewing, you may want to add it to your Youtube list.

I'm trying to KonMari my stash, but will not be producing any videos.  My apparel fabric stash is currently living in my bedroom.  I'm just not prepared to tackle that just yet.


 Happy Monday!!

Sunday, March 10, 2019

The Rolling Sewing Space.... Rolling metal bookcases

In the new house, the sewing area lacks wall space, but has plenty of windows and natural light.  I'm still moving my things in, and as you can see from previous posts, setting up with a mind to make certain, every tool, fabric, and machine has a designated space.  This also allows me to go through and declutter and test every machine. The other thing I am trying to do, is design the space so that it is easy to clean.  The area is visible from the living areas, and I want it to be functional and organized.  This is a tall order.  One solution is to put as much as I can on rollers.






All of the quilt fabrics and project boxes are on this metal shelf.  This has worked out really well.  I wasn't sure where to set up the iron, which has a tank that needs to be suspended above for the water to flow freely.  I didn't want to drill a hole in the ceiling, I had considered a shelf, or placing it in a bookcase shelf. That would have been acceptable if the ironing board, had a permanent home.  Regretably the AC unit took up the space in the laundry room, so it will be here, or in the closet when company comes.

What to do....



Instead, it is attached to the metal shelf with an S hook (you can find at Home Depot / Lowes),.


The shelf unit (Lowes), on rollers, houses all of my quilt fabrics, project boxes, ebay selling shelf, and two Bisley drawer units for a multitude of storage for fiddly bits (buttons, specialty scissors, pins, needles, tools)..  The Bisley cabinets are a bit pricey but I've had them for ages and they are a perfect fit.


When I break down the ironing area, the iron gets moved to the shelf, and unplugged, and  it can move wherever it needs to go.The rollers, are very sturdy.


The project boxes were purchased during a Joann's doorbuster sale at the start of the year, manufacturered by Artbin, they claim to be acid free, and are a very convenient size for quilt kits.







The other storage boxes, were existing.  They may be switched out in the future but for now, I will use what I have and see where we go..

Initially I did not like the metal shelves because the shelf surface was not a solid surface.  You can't place anything on it, that can fall through the rods of the shelf, however, the smaller boxes and drawer units work well here.  The other option is to cut a plywood shelf for it, and if you go the Metro shelf route I believe they have metal sheet shelves.  The other limitation here, specifically with these shelves, which are the standard, Lowes, $75ish, (plus for rollers), is that they have a weight limitation.  some of the shelves on another unit, bent.  I estimate, I had about 300lbs on them, way over the limit.  If you are thinking of stacking your boxes on top be forewarned.  You may need to upgrade to the heavy duty bookcases. Here the heaviest items are on the bottom shelves and the lighter boxes on top to make the unit more stable.  I want to eliminate the chance of topple. 

I am enjoying the idea that the future will be organized, less hunting for supplies, more time to be creative. Insert happy face!