The Fabric of Time

While sewing is the hobby that I do most often, I like to diversify my crafting. Crocheting is fun, though I rarely do it and have only made a few simple crocheted items over the past ten years. Despite this being a sewing blog, I'd like to feature some of the other projects I make. I crocheted this pair of baby mittens out of acrylic sport-weight yarn. The pattern came from Coats and Clark's "Knit and Crochet for Babies" (1962). I wanted to practice my crochet skills since I hadn't done it in a while, but then it turned out to be pretty easy. It only took about two hours to make these, and I really enjoyed it.

I'd like to start this post with the specifications of this 1860's chemise and drawers according to the Historical Sew Fortnightly ( http://thedreamstress.com/the-historical-sew-fortnightly/ ), as it's been a while since I participated and I'm excited about being a part of it. The Challenge: # 24, Re-Do, due December 2 Fabric: linen and cotton Pattern: 1860's chemise from A Most Beguiling Accomplishment: http://mimic-of-modes.blogspot.com/2012/08/pattern-time-1860s-chemise.html Year: 1860's Notions: thread, cotton crochet thread, lace, shell button, wool embroidery yarn How historically accurate is it? Maybe 80%? I think it's pretty good, since I did a lot of hand finishing and used natural fiber fabric and a pattern taken from an original. Hours to complete: not sure, maybe 20--I spent way more time on it than I should have... First worn: just to take pictures Total cost: $2 U.S.! All notions cost mere pennies and were in my stash. Now fo...

I'm currently making a 19th century chemise to use for reenacting. I just set gussets into it and want to show exactly how I did it for future reference and also to open discussion for different methods. Maybe there is a way that is easier or more effective. I welcome input! First, I cut these triangular gussets. They are four inches on each side. The lines mark the seam half an inch from each edge, wide enough to fell the seam to hide raw edges. Lines aren't necessary, but make it easier to align the gusset perfectly and also show exactly how I did this process. This is the slit into which I am inserting the gussets, cut along the grain. Notice how it is a cut slit, not an open seam. That made the process slightly more challenging since the raw edges of the slit were facing toward the gusset, in contrast to a seam, where there would be a folded edge facing the gusset. I set the gusset piece like so, right sides facing, and stitched...

 My winter ensemble This cape was a quick project before a winter living history gathering. It is made out of a coat-weight wool skirt that was already the size and shape that I wanted, so I didn’t need to cut any pieces. First, I hemmed the front edges. Next, I sewed darts on the top to fit the garment to my shoulders, and then I sewed on a collar made out of a small rectangle of wool. Total time was only 30 minutes or so. The skirt and several others like it were given to me by a friend, so my total cost was nothing. The cape is very warm and practical and makes a great layer over a paletot for Civil War reenacting. My cape Notice how the plaid does not match up at all in the front of my cape? When it was a skirt, it wasn't cut to line up. I knew this before I made the cape, but I really liked the colors. Oh well, it still looks good, just not great.  Frog closure Also, I made the collar on mine go all the way to the front edge of the cape so that the...

I just found these pictures of a scarf I knitted a few years ago for a friend. It's nothing special, but I thought it would be good to show it on my blog since I am currently getting back into knitting and trying to learn more of it. I want to be able to make really cool things like socks and hats. Knitting is beautiful; challenging yet exciting. You can do so much with it. Anyway, here is evidence of my limited skills up to this point: a simple garter-stitch scarf.

Not all of my sewing is historic in nature. I enjoy making modern garments, household items, decorative accessories, and more. Here are some photos of a comfortable cotton tunic I made for my friend Annie. We saw a similar garment in a boutique; she loved it, so I decided to surprise her by making one. I chose the fabric because it looked like a painting that Annie had made that was hanging in her kitchen. The fabric is 100% cotton, but I realized afterward that a better choice would be cotton gauze or something similarly thin, cool, and with more relaxed drape. I later made another tunic out of cotton gauze and a third out of a very drapey rayon scarf, both requested from my friends after they saw this one. It sure is delightful to sew for other people! The pattern of this garment is very simple. First, I made a rectangle large enough to fit comfortably without being a tent and long enough to hang to above the knee. Next, I roll-hemmed all four edges. Then, I cut a neck hole in ...

This weekend I made a tent for my cat, Neil. He loves to sleep underneath blankets, so I've been wanting to make him a tent for a long time. I got the idea from a homemade toddler gym that was made out of hula hoops. This child's tent craft project was also inspiring: http://obsessivelystitching.blogspot.com/2010/02/tent-week-day-two-hula-hoop-dome-tent.html . I tried not to make Neil's tent very complicated; I didn't want to spend much time on it, though I did want it to look presentable as part of our living room decor. To begin, I cut a small hula hoop in half, punched holes through the middle of each piece, and wired them together to make the tent frame. Then, I measured the sides and bottom of the outside of the frame to create the pattern pieces. I made them to fit over the frame to save the trouble of sewing in loops to thread the hoops through. This method also disguises the appearance of the hula hoop; I would have covered the hoops in fabric if they were ...

In my last post, I wrote about my St. Kateri costume, including the trade shirt. I wanted to add more information to my blog about how I made the shirt. I learned how to make rectangular cut shirts from my mentor Sarah when I volunteered at a historical museum helping to make costumes for its interpreters. That experience really kick started my interest in reenacting and historic costuming. I learned so much from it, and only wish I could still be volunteering there! Anyway, rectangular cut shirts are very simple and make efficient use of the fabric. Besides using this website about 16th and 17th century Native American clothing ( http://www.squidoo.com/my-17th-19th-century-native-american-wardrobe ), I found this great resource from The Renaissance Tailor that precisely outlines the process of making this style of shirt: http://www.renaissancetailor.com/demos_shirt.htm . I simplified it a little bit, but it's basically the same. I strongly recommend these sources to other c...

Rachel (left), a friend we met at the canonization, and me (right); October 21, 2012 in St. Peter's Square When I became a Catholic as a teenager, I took the confirmation name Kateri, after then Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. She became a saint last year. My friend Rachel has the same confirmation name and is also a reenactor and historic costumer—we met at a Civil War reenactment. We made plans to attend St. Kateri’s canonization and had the brilliant idea to dress as St. Kateri for the event. So, we set to work researching 17 th century Northeastern Native American clothing. Me modeling Rachel's trade shirt We had difficulty finding much information on the Internet, but this website helped us a lot: http://www.squidoo.com/my-17th-19th-century-native-american-wardrobe. We contacted its author, Jessica Diemer-Eaton, who gave us some useful advice. Her website is an outstanding resource for costumers! We also used this painting ( http://tekakwitha.info/articles/p...