Saxony Wheel

My husband gave me an early Christmas gift this weekend.

We went to Mt. Morris, NY to buy a spinning wheel that I'd been looking at for months, only to find that Tom Cook of the Nunda Historic Society had snapped it up a few days before.  I'm very fond of Tom, so I won't be upset, and I hope the wheel finds a good home there.

On went the hunt for a good treadle wheel for me though.  We went through all of the antique shops on Main St. visiting & chatting & talking to no avail.  I was told twice "you are the first person to ever ask for that."  Then we went to Letchworth Barn Antiques down the hill and the moment we walked in the door, she was there.  The Yarn Angles sang.  Much like the Great Wheel in the basement, I looked up & knew she was coming home with me.  She gave me a lovely splinter the first time I laid hands on her.  It was meant to be.

Dusty, dirty, missing parts, a bit chipped, desperate for a drink.
But she went around, the treadle went up & down, the tension screw worked, the wood is sound.

It's missing the top of the distaff - no surprise there; and the entire flyer mechanism, which is disappointing as I'll have to find one that will work with the machine.  The drive band is long gone & would have needed replacing anyway.

Unless the graffiti carved into the top of the table is actually a maker's mark, I can't find one... to me it looks like an adolescent's idol defacing, not the work of a careful craftsman.

Dusty Wheel in her new home

Gunked up mechanism
due to old oil & paint (yes, someone painted the bearings)
Wheel pegs missing, but it works without them.

The Mother, maidens, tension screw & distaff base

other view of maidens & distaff base

The footman kept slipping off.
That's the stick that connects the treadle to the wheel.

I washed the wheel with Murphy's Oil Soap and gave it a good cleaning, polishing, and waxing the next day ... oiled the bits that needed it.  After chipping off the years of paint & old oil (yes, someone once painted it white), it whirrs around like a champ.

Happy shiny wheel!

She really needed a drink

cleaned & oiled

Have to figure out how the flyer assembly
attaches.  There aren't any holes for it.

Some ugly paint is still there. 
I haven't decided what to do about it.

Edge of the wheel.  Double drive band.

John also bought the Box of Parts, which came with the purchase, but none of them go with this particular spinning wheel.  Happily, one of the maidens will work wonderfully as a direct drive for my Great Wheel, and the extra spindle just needs a bit of care to be fully functional again.

Box o Parts

It should be quite an adventure!  The first leg of this journey will be finding a flyer mechanism (spindle, flyer, bobbin, etc) that works with this.  Then a drive band (easy), then either making or finding a distaff.

I think this is my favorite diagram so far...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/93685979@N00/galleries/72157627888287428/

Making More Stuff

I wanted to do some lovely, witty blog post about all the stuff I've been making lately, but that's just not going to happen this morning.
So here are some pictures with short captions.  I may have posted some of these before, if so... sorry.

Roman Brachea (Breeches) for my friend Mr. Scott.

Super-simple Roman drawers.

Padded Gambeson for my husband (this is #2, which seems to be working as it should).

1-2-3 Fight!

Italian sleeves for Lisa (I didn't make the dress)

Sleevies!

18th c. stays from scrap fabric for Sam.

1715-60 Stays

1790-1820 outfits for the Delps

1790-1815 Waistcoat

1790-1810 Tailcoat

1805-1815 Dress

1805-1820 Pelisse

The dress & waistcoat were made this spring, the tailcoat & pelisse this fall.  Odd book-ends to my Medical Adventures, which are (hopefully) over.

There were a few other things that I can't seem to locate the jpg.s
I need to have a "finishing" day for a good number of garments that are >this< close to being done, but need accessories, buttons, hooks & eyes or hems. 

1829-33 Dress

1829-33 Dress with Pink Ruffle of Awesomeness

 Post-surgery & post-mini-stroke, I decided to get back to "work" as soon as I could to troubleshoot the areas I'd have difficulty with.  Math was a big one.  Reading comprehension, balance, coordination & speech were all effected.  I've had to learn to slow down, in speech, typing, thought, action & self-expectations.  Full Steam Ahead isn't working because -- no steam.  Everything has gotten better, but a few areas still need a lot of work (reading comprehension - I can write, but reading directions is a real pain - literally.  Memory - I just plain forget to do things, or have obvious gaps that I know happened but can't recall at all.  Some physical things like precision hand work & turning around & stepping to the side, I lose my balance or get dizzy... and my emotions are about on par with a 4 yr. old, which is better than the 2 yr. old I was a few weeks ago... sometimes I still can't see things, or rather, my eyes work fine, but I don't understand what I'm looking at)...
But oh how far we've come!

Perhaps I should call this my Rehabilitation Dress as it presented me with numerous problem solving issues and a multitude of mistakes that required constant change of plans, rip-out, re-do, calm-down, it's OK.  The final price will never reflect the number of hours that went into this, and I'm a bit "eeh" on the finished product, but it was good for me.  It will fit a human being & she will look lovely in it - which is what matters.

This dress re-taught me my multiplication tables, addition & subtraction.  The day I was able to divide by 3 in my head was pure triumph.  Reminding myself how to do something as simple as gathering vs. pleating was a joy, because I'd forgotten how.  I wrote out directions for myself to follow.  I re-read them to see if I understood... I re-adjusted plans based on the yardage available & re-purposed several things to make the dress better than the original plan would have been.

There are some problems with it, for example: the neckline & sleeves do not fit in with the modes of the time.  While both are correct, I'm not sure a high neckline was ever paired with short sleeves.  I may cut it down at a later date if I can't find an example of this configuration.  The roller printed stripe/floral was almost always paired with long sleeves.  The fact that I was 2 yds short of the fabric I needed... well, sometimes these things happen & if I hadn't already cut it, trusting that the yardage on the tag was there, I'd have chosen different fabric.

Construction process:

Piped & pleated fronts

I'm going to skip over the front pleats & piping for now, only because explaining how I did it is making me dizzy.  I promise I'll fill in later... but I will say that if I ever do this again, I'll cut them individually & stitch them on that way - it's more fabric conservative & less likely to be the wrong direction.

Piping pinned on Back & Side Backs

Stitch the piping on the back seams (note: the CB seam should have been on the fold, not a seam - I got my wires crossed when cutting & didn't have enough fabric for a re-do).  This is not incorrect, it's just not the way I wanted this particular dress.

Bodice with way-small armholes

The bodice stitched together.  The center front bottom is raw here because that gets turned up & hand-stitched so that the pleats maintain their form.  In the future, I'd do this a bit differently, using the individual pleats, vs. a big piece of fabric.  One very tricky thing about this pattern is that the "normal" size of armholes doesn't apply.  The armhole is actually down on the arm, not at the shoulder, so it seems to be way too small, but is, in fact, the right size.  (This played with my head quite a bit trying to remember that)... but it DOES work.

Sleeve with piping & cuff

I changed my mind about the sleeves three times.  The first ones I cut were pink linen, full-length & mimicked the inspiration dress quite closely.  Once I decided to go with brown piping (I was out of pink), I switched over to this tan-ish linen that matches one of the tan bits on the bodice.  I'm not unhappy with it, but I'm not Super-Yay about the change in plans.  The piping & cuff match the dress.

Bias Strip for Hem Decoration

Due to a 2 yd. fabric shortage, I couldn't have the length of skirt I wanted with the bias ruffle out of the stripe/floral.  Alas.  Cry.  Weep.  Agony.  Creativity!  So I took the scraps & cut them into stripes & flowers, stitched them together with pink linen & did a bit of quilting magic for the hem.  By doing all this fiddly stuff I got the look of the diagonal & a fussy hem that pushes the date of the dress back just a bit in style... more in line with the late 20's than the early 30's, but then museums are full of transitional elements.
So, if you want something like this, sew strips of color together, press seams & cut on the bias.  Sew bias edges together to form a straight seam (you'll have to line it up on the straight & use a ruler to determine where to sew it - this was 1"-1.5" down the first strip depending on the width of the next one).  Try it, you'll see what I'm talking about.

Decorative Hem Construction

Next was assembling the hem on the base fabric (mint green cotton - yuck) to extend the hemline to an appropriate length (10" longer than my fabric).  I used a row of brown piping, the patchwork bias strip, several rows of piping between the brown & the green, and then a Pink Ruffle of Awesomeness.  There was much changing between the regular presser foot & the zipper foot to accomplish this.  It made me rather dizzy.  For the ruffle, I evenly pinned the fabric on & then hand-gathered it as I stitched vs. using thread to gather it in.  This is more efficient on very large pieces that don't require perfectly spaced & even gathers.

The World Needs More Pink Ruffles

The finished hem in all its Pink Ruffly Awesomeness... 
(I do wish I could learn how to make these pictures turn in the direction I want them).

It still needs a belt & a corded petticoat to go under it... maybe a pelerine just for fun.

_____________________________________________________
 
[In case you are wondering why I'm going on about personal medical stuff, well, I can't separate it out from my creative process.  It's now part of who I am, and it's a struggle to deal with it - I'm finding new mental land-mines every day, and working to overcome the things I've already found.  To get myself back to being ME, I can't deny or ignore it... so, Dear Readers, I'm afraid you'll have to read about my brain damage along with the Pink Ruffles of Awesome.]

Cloth Flowers

Real Quick, then I'll refine this later, but as I don't know when "later" will be - I'm info dumping on you Dear Readers. Forgive me.

I'm making a ball gown right now: The Daffodil Dress. A flight of fancy perhaps, and I've been keeping it in the back of my brain for a while, waiting for the right opportunity. This is it.

But I hit a snag... no good directions on how to make cloth flowers. Oh, plenty on the pansy-type things... just cut & sew. But nothing on the origami jobs that I wanted to make. So, here yea be. These are quick & dirty, cotton bias tape in 1" wide and 1 1/8" wide, but any width will do.
You can fray check or leave raw. If you are going to fray check, do it first, your life will be a lot easier.

Buds:

1: cutting bias tape lengths














2: Folding the "triangles"
(for whatever reason the directions photo is turned funny. Grumble - it's not fixing)









3: Tucking in the ends (really part of 2 because we are still folding)
if you don't tuck the ends in it puffs out like the ribbon flowers below & looks funny in bias tape.






4: gather & stitch buds
The first one here looks like I haven't tucked the end, but just wrap the thread around to the other side to get that to lay down.














5: cut "paper" wrappers out of tan/gray cloth, roll & stitch.

You could also glue them, but I think you'd still have to stitch it.









Ta-Da!



Oh, wait... but we aren't done! The flowers have to bloom!




Flowers:
(You will need 3 pieces of bias tape: 2 cut on an angle for the outer petals & 1 rectangle for the central tube)
6: cut pieces & fold
view from the top so hopefully that clears things up a bit.








7: pinch, gather & stitch petals & center tube together.
When you pinch them, try to pinch the tube first, then wrap the petals around it. It'll make a nicer flower than if you pinch it flat.








Ummm... pretty now.









8: Place & wrap the bias tape "paper" bit and stitch it closed. Leave more on the end than you will need. This is the same size as the one above.

Ummm... pretty. Maybe a bit like a crocus, but it'll work out.










Here is the unfinished dress (I'm waiting for the yellow silk to get here for the sash because the cotton is "blah"). I placed the flowers around the flounce, placed the wide grosgrain ribbon with them & then stitched it all together. Have to tack a few flowers in place, but otherwise the dress is done. It's not quite as over-the-top as it should be for 1815, but I'm very happy with it.

I have no idea how well or poorly it will wash.

I'll leave you with some links on silk flowers & ribbon flowers.
A fellow blogger: http://fashionribbonwear.blogspot.com/2011/01/silk-rose.html
HG t-v: http://www.hgtv.com/crafting/ribbon-photo-album/index.html scroll down for the flower part & ignore the picture frame.

Medieval Torso Control - or not?

So, really quick; a very short overview of medieval women & the use of body-shapers (or not) in my limited digital pictorial references.

I went on a whole tare about how you can pretty much tell when a woman (or man) is wearing a corset-like garment / form altering garment / supporting garment, and when they aren't as long as they aren't wrapped up in a blanket. This was inspired by an offhand comment in a book where the author said, "women didn't use support" and those always/never statements just send me over the edge especially when they aren't always true.
I fully admit that I'm just dipping my toes into this era, so I could be making quite a few mistakes - but this is how we learn... through analysis of existing information, interpreting that information based on what we know & adjusting that interpretation as new information becomes available. Yay history!

Let us start with my early images of corset/altered/supported figures, which may or may not be subject to artistic interpretation, and why I call it a corset (even if it's not a true corset)

1130-60 Angers Cathedral, sculpture at West Door.
Accounting for individual body type, the way the dress falls off the hip area suggests the end of a stiffer, body shaping garment over a natural form. The waist is clearly cinched in a bit & the rib cage has been smoothed by her corded belt??? The flattened shape of the chest leads me to believe it's either a cross-bound bust line or a cut corset type garment that divides & lifts the bust, as the elevation relative to her armpits is slightly higher than natural while being well within the range of what a corset is capable of producing.

I favor the idea that the corset aspect of the undergarment was built into a full-length dress and accomplished with stiffer linen fabric, cording etc.

1130-60 Chartres Cathedral, sculpture at ?? door.
This is a more natural form, but I believe that her breasts are bound in a straight wrap. The girdle serves a similar function as the one above in tucking in her waist from rib cage-belly, which is then clearly natural from belly-button to hip line. This look could be accomplished with a slender figure & heavy material without close-fitting support garments, but it's more easily accomplished with than without.






Now, let's talk about indeterminate figures. Maybe, maybe not?

1170-1199 Alfonso VIII, Queen Lenor of England (oddly enough one of Alfonso The Great's many-great grandson's is one of my friends, doesn't mean anything, but it's a fun factoid).
I have no idea if Queen Lenor of England is wearing torso support or not, but nice shoes!






1170 Hunterian Psalter, Eve Spinning
I could go either way with this one. She could be wearing a lightly supportive under-dress that helps the outer cote lay well, or she could be loose for ease of breast feeding... though my friends who have done so tell me it's not really so nice to be "free" at that time because you leak all over, so considering the value of clothing in that era, I'd lean towards some kind of absorbent binding to protect the outer garment from milk stains.





1170 Hunterian Psalter, Women
Lady in the blue cloak, no clue. The yellow/cream cote could very well be something similar to the Chartres sculpture. The ridge at the hip line could be a natural result of her pose or a belt hidden in a fold of cloth. As the bustline is hidden by her hands, it's difficult to tell if it's natural or higher.







1180 Hortus Deliciarum, Grammatica
HOLY WONDER BRA, woman!
I put this in the "I don't know" category because her torso is semi-natural, but the bustline is quite high up there. Easily accomplished with an over-the-shoulder bra type garment or a supporting under-dress similar to what many scholars suspect was worn in the late 1300's. She is wearing a cote underneath the pink surcote, you can see the blue/white at her wrists.
While this could be artist interpretation, I seriously doubt it... there is another image from the Hortus Delicaiarum that I don't have in digital form that shows a much more natural bustline.
BTW, I love the standing collar on this, but I can't imagine fighting with those sleeves all the time.

1220-25 Peterborough Psalter, Mercy & Truth
I'd actually put these in the "no support" category. The forms move naturally, the underdress is clearly loose at the armhole, but the reality is, I just can't tell.








1230 Villard de Honnecourt Sketchbook
Again, simply too many over-clothes to tell. It could go either way. But I'm a fan of the wedge-shaped sleeves that are fitted in the forearm. From what I've been reading, these were often whip-stitched on for the day & then un-stitched at night.
Also, that cloak with the "choke you" rope if you don't hold on to it? Annoying, but pretty.





1270-1322 The Temptation, A Dancing Couple by Master Ermengault
Again, could go either way, but it may surprise you to know that I lean toward a fitted bodice on the under-dress or some form of support. Reason being is the way the folds fall off her chest.. just a touch high for a natural form and the placement leads me to say a straight horizontal binding that creates a sports-bra effect. Could be artistic license, but I'm thinking body-shaper.
Oh, and I want to make these outfits for me & my husband. They are cute & we'd look good in them.


1321 The Book of the Laws of Ancient Kings, detail of The Wreck of the White Ship, English (wish I remembered what site I got this from, it was a fantastic article).
I lean towards bound/supported only because I know exactly what a bust that size looks & feels like when swinging free on a moving boat - NOT fun. Not that anyone here looks like they are having any fun. But I'm also going for support garment due to the horizontal strain across the outer garment that would be created by a tighter bound under-dress.

PS, this is what happens when you drink & "drive." Don't drink & drive - not on land or at sea.



Now, Let's look at unsupported figures:

1250 Maciejowski Bible, Jephath's daughter laments
While these are quite similar to some of the images above, I put these in the "unsupported" category because the girl's torsos are quite natural & their bustlines are at the mid-chest level where a young A-C would naturally fall. Bellies are quite natural, and the way the cloth bags out above the belt says "unsupported torso" to me.
This is not saying they aren't wearing under dresses & smocks under the cotes.





1250 Maciejowski Bible, Woman
I've put this woman in the "unsupported" category because of the way her chest falls into her waist with little or no wrinkles in the dress, which then curves naturally around her belly. It's a lined dress, but loose enough that it doesn't provide any support of it's own.








1250 Maciejowsik Bible, Levite (lady in the pink)
Again, I'd say "unsupported" due to the natural level of her chest. The fullness is under her armpit, where it would be without support. However, I think she's wearing an underdress to help smooth the line of the pink outer garment.



Wasn't that fun?
And now, I must go.


Edit: 8/17/12 - yes, I'm going to refer you to the later bra article again, but it's a perfect example of "never say never."  http://www.historyextra.com/lingerie