Category Archives: Beadwork


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The Swabian Gown

About four years ago I finally finished the Swabian gown. It is a rather heavy cotton velvet and, while the skirt fits great, I was afraid to attach the top to it because it fits rather tightly and I was afraid I’d never be able to get it off again once the top and bottom were attached. So I wore it once, for about an hour, and then I went back to camp to change into something else because I was so over heated. By the time the winter events rolled around it no longer fit me. So I was looking for something in the closet, tried it on, and as long as I had it on, I had some photos snapped of me in it.


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Hand Sewing

I am currently in the middle of three hand-sewing projects:

  • Adding pearls to the hairnet I completed two months ago. It’s not going too bad but it seems like I can only add about 8-10 pearls at a sitting. At this rate it will get finished in a few years.
  • Smocking for the front of a tunic – I was looking for German construction instructions and found this lattice smocking. When I read the directions it occurred to me that I own a plastic stencil that looked very similar to the grid design and I had to know if it would work. So I traced the stencil and, sure enough, I got the desired result – not nearly as clean and nice looking but pretty close. It should take a few more hours of sewing and that will be complete.
  • Finally the German skirt.

The German skirt is coming along nicely.

First I cut out three panels of 60inch wide fabric and sewed those together (I had cut out four but only used three) and then I added pleater tape and pulled it to size and am now finished hand sewing it to a canvas band which will then get sewn to a belt so that the weight of the dress sits on the hips rather than my shoulders. If the smocking has taught me anything it’s that I really don’t have the time or patience for pleating without the use of tape. However – I should have stuck with the original plan to pleat the linen in with the skirt – in the end I decided that I was afraid that if they were pleated together then they would not flow as nicely and it would be a pain in the butt to try to clean. It is a very lightweight linen though so I will put it on a standard waistband which shouldn’t be too difficult.

Once the skirt is stitched up (which should be in the next day or two) then it can be hung so I can hem it next week. In the mean time I can get started on the top of the dress and hopefully my fabric purchase should be here by then. I’m excited to see if this gold fabric I ordered will work!


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Analyse the Old

This is the Great Pearl Monster, GPM for short, and I’m going to use it as the foundation for the design for the new dress. So what I liked about GPM:

  • It’s all in one piece which is so convenient and once its on there is no fuss and actually comfortable.
  •  The belt sewn into the waistband took all the pressure off the shoulders and put it on the waist.
  • One giant pocket
  • I always got so many compliments on it!

And what I didn’t like about the GPM:

  • The pearls made it so heavy. Also they took a lot of time to sew on (I’ve only had to make two small repairs so they are really sewn on well!)
  • The sleeves are very confining and I don’t want anything that tight again. Also afraid to carry things because of pearls.
  • The unattached bottom of the center section sometime rides up.
  • The belt broke.

There’s one A&S question I hate = If you had to do it all over again what would you do differently? So what am I going to do differently when I remake this dress?

  • Wool lined with linen. The last one was trigger (heavy cotton with some stretch) and while it was comfortable I suspect wool will be more comfortable.
  • Self lined skirt – the last one wasn’t lined but I always wear a skirt under it. I’m just going to pleat the wool with the linen.
  • Get a belt that is actual leather – the last one was pretty wore out when I sewed it in and now I’m going to try replacing it.
  • Big voluminous sleeves – not so big I can’t work but big enough that they will never be tight.

So I took a good look at how I made the last one (and I took some pictures) and I’m ready to dig into this project.

 


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The Pretty Version

In an attempt to pretty-up the dining room I went to work on the chandelier. First I ordered it new crystals because there were a few missing and I wasn’t all that fond of the smoky topaz color.

And then I started making beaded flowers for it. It’s been a couple of months and I like how it’s looking so far but I think I’m going to stop at this point. I’m thinking that the fixture needs to be painted white or cream with green accents so that it better matches the other fixtures we installed. Yes, that’s right, we also managed to install two of the other fixtures we had brought with us – one in the kitchen and the other in the entry hall. The remaining two will go in the studio and possibly the two we took out of the house. The new light fixtures make the place seem more light and airy.


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And Then I Moved

Several months ago I moved. I did bring most of my stuff with me because it’s easier to get rid of things after the move when I’m assured that I won’t be needing it at the new house. This line of thought is assisted by the fact that the new house is larger than the old one and we are building a studio/workshop that will also need to be furnished. In that regard I probably won’t be getting rid of much until that is finished.

I don’t think there was much that we changed at the new house either. We built some storage shelves and he’s mapping out all the wiring but we haven’t really changed anything. I did remove all the curtains and wash them and then hang them up in different locations – I don’t think any of them ended where they started! And almost all of the curtains I brought with me have found homes in front of windows.

I had already known we were moving when we remodeled the kitchen two years ago. Because I knew we weren’t staying, I made a conscious decision not to install some light fixtures I had purchased with specific places in mind and instead brought them along with the hope that I could incorporate them here at the new house. I have about four of them – all of the chandelier style. I had thought one would go in the new dining room but now I’m not so sure. I’ve decided to ‘pretty up’ the one that is already there.

And I’m doing that by coving it in beaded flowers!


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Final Dress Details

So – I made this dress. I made a hat. I did a ton of bead embroidery. I found a good chain that perfectly replicated the one in the picture. It seemed I had totally and completely remade this portrait with one small exception – I had not made my hairnet and had, in fact, had one that was not of a period method. I will fix that – I have nearly completed fixing that over-site. I have learned netting, I have acquired silk suitable for the project, and I have nearly finished the project. Stay tuned.


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Another New Hobby

In the middle of November two things happened – I taught a class at Fiber Arts and sat in on a class on hairnetting, which I didn’t stay for because it was a bit crowded, and got a bit warm. Being that I couldn’t then concentrate, I left. But then at Boar’s Head the class was offered again and this time I sat through the whole thing. I’m a lefty so I had to get a bit of personal attention but by the end of class I was just flying through it. I came home and made a hairnet. Most of a hairnet because I wasn’t sure how big to make it or how to attach it to the band.

Then in the beginning of January, at 12th Night, an advanced netting class was offered and I sat through that one as well. I learned how to do netting in the round and how to do a more period type increase. The resulting hairnet is in the picture – this one is black silk and probably near completion. I still have to figure out how to get them attached to the band but that should be the end of it.

Hubby is going to retrieve my pearl collection and then I will be able to sew on lots of little pearls so the resulting hairnet will look just like the painting that The German Dress is modelled after. I think that will then make The German Dress totally and completely complete.

Always nice to learn new skills!


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Teaching again

Last summer I entered the reliquary goat into an A&S competition and won. I was pretty happy with the way the documentation turned out; not to wordy and not to sparse. I was inspired to submit a class proposal for the Fiber Arts Symposium this coming weekend in Ames Iowa.

The class is a general look at the historical flowers with a concentration on the workroom photos since I can’t put those on the web. I will then spend time in the lab area so that anyone who wants to make flowers will have the opportunity to do so. I’m hoping for some good turnout because I don’t think I’m going to find another group of people so fiber orientated again.

I’ve wondered why this art is so little recognized and what I can do to let it become more known and practiced. It’s not difficult after all – just fuzzy.

I did load all of the instructional papers I’ve written and they can be found under the beadwork tab – Silk Papers.

reliquary-goat

 

 

 


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Wedding Flowers

 

I got married on April 28th and one of the things I did for the wedding was make all of the flowers. Beaded flowers! Lots of them: one bridal bouquet, two bridesmaids, three corsages, seven boutonnières. I got some help from my husband-to-be who did most of the greenery. It was nice having him involved in the project because now he knows what it takes to make beaded flowers. Despite the great quantity of beads I used, I still have a huge number so I’m sure to do plenty more bead projects.

There will be a whole page of wedding funnies in the near future.