revising the SWAP

In which our plucky heroine finally has a tiny bit of spare energy...

I have been sick since January, and most all of my vocation and avocation has fallen to the wayside. Currently working on the grey corduroy pinafore a few minutes at a time, since it was already cut out. Sewing already cut out "sewing kits" takes less brain power than cutting out new ones. Cutting fabric, like running the torch, or the kiln, or cutting metal, needs full brain/body function. Sewing a TNT pattern that has no surprise technical challenge, not quite as high on the food chain. The grey pinafore will be done in another day or two still needs the bodice and skirt attached together, and all the raw edges bound, as well as an additional layer of trim binding to help stabilise and decorate the hemline. That technique worked really well on the brown twill pinafore, and I may just start adding it into most of my sewing in one way or another.

※※※

Have been doing some more thinking about my 2017 SWAP components, and playing mix-n-match using post-it notes. The necessary bottom garments, which I have christened "petticoat pants" have been recalcitrant to be integrated (technically they do coordinate, but when I try and visualise the "outfit" they just seem irreleveant) I suspect that once I actually sew them, that they will prove every useful in the still cold weather we have currently...

I decided that a narrow band of stenciling along their hemline edges will help them coordinate better with the rest of my clothing. The blue one will get a brown stenciled border, and the brown one will get a black stenciled border; nothing fancy, but will likely help them coordinate with the tops and pinafores, and will also help me feel a little more enthused about working on them.

※※※

Have also an fun idea for an Alabama Chanin style cardigan jacket that I want to start working on. More cardigans and light jackets will be a great addition to my wardrobe. Blue top layer, brown under layer, black stenciling, grey stitching. Floral motifs on the body, and striped sleeves... vaguely inspired by this Gudrun Sjoden sweater, but in my low contrast dark value colors instead. If I can manage to finish this by end of SWAP, I will use it in place of my cave horse shirt jacket, thereby freeing up the "previously sewn" category to be used in either the tops or the pinafores probably for the black/cream floral woven top I made back in 2013, which will coordinate beautifully with the grey, the brown, or the black/cream pinafores

sometimes wishes come true

in which our plucky heroine finds that N.E.D. is the outcome...

It has been a very rocky week here at Acorn Cottage, between my worry about possible recurrence, and the actual additional medical fu of having viral bronchitis. Now am back home again after my consultation visit this afternoon with my oncologist - GOOD NEWS, all the test results came back normal! I guess with luck I will be around for a while longer!!

Tuesday tidbit - the shapely Viking apron dress

in which our plucky heroine, though still sick as a dog, stashes these instruction here, in case anyone is interested...

This simple to make, simple to cut out, patternless pinafore is based on cloth fragments from the Viking Age. We have almost no completed garments, but tattered fragments were tarred and used as ship caulking; said caulking, recovered from archaeological digs, has been interpreted to be parts of a garment like this one. What I like about this concept is that it is also basically a zero waste sewing project. Helpful nowadays, but much more important back in history when every piece of clothing was made from fibers prepared from the raw wool or flax.

page one of handout sheet


second page of handout sheet


Useful schematic of how this pattern works


worksheet for 3 panel apron-dress


worksheet for 4 panel apron dress

additional notes: It is necessary to make some thin shoulder straps, either from excess fabric on one edge, or from some complementary fabric. This pattern lends itself to embellishment. Since we don't usually hold our clothing together with brooches, unlike in the Viking Age, it would be simple to just stitch the shoulder straps in place fore and aft. For modern wear, any useful finish of the raw edges will do just fine, I usually serge the seams and bind the hemline and the top edge. The missing sheet of my handout is the one on early period seam treatments - here is some similar information, and some more useful seam tips... and here are some decorative seam embroidery stitches