tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59395964916116331892024-03-05T23:38:23.783-05:00Helene's Stuffhelenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06671036157073979471noreply@blogger.comBlogger175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-2023465954141170632017-10-22T21:36:00.000-04:002017-10-22T21:37:52.898-04:00Playing with string<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/36774478154/in/dateposted-public/" title="Stitching progress"><img alt="Stitching progress" height="500" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4445/36774478154_61d23b964a.jpg" width="281" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-27802516349498800972016-10-09T18:35:00.000-04:002016-10-09T18:35:15.670-04:00Long arm cross stitch<p> Here's some progress on my current lap project. Very soon, I am going to have to set the boundary lines and decide how I am going to finish the edge rows. However for now, it is some nice low-effort fidget work. </p>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/30222852735/in/dateposted-public/" title="Long arm cross stitch progress"><img alt="Long arm cross stitch progress" height="500" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5053/30222852735_b8a093babf.jpg" width="482" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-13980706492600536942016-01-24T18:24:00.002-05:002016-01-24T18:24:47.777-05:00Brickwork pouchThe last few bits always take the longest, but here is the brickwork pouch almost complete. I have one more tassel to go!
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/23841513684/in/dateposted-public/" title="Almost finished! One more tassel to go"><img alt="Almost finished! One more tassel to go" height="500" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1463/23841513684_97afe0746f.jpg" width="377" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-62891637313955685922015-11-11T09:58:00.001-05:002015-11-11T09:58:59.926-05:00St Martin Panel <a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/22526243758/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_0737"><img alt="IMG_0737" height="375" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/773/22526243758_f1a63f3955.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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Look at what I found! I have picked up the St Martin's panel again and this time I intend to finish it! Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-30758483256970960832015-10-29T22:31:00.000-04:002015-10-29T22:31:38.590-04:00Royal Gloves - Finished!And finally, here are lots of pictures of the finished gloves!<br />
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And finally I had this lovely pile of embroidery. We are going to pretend that both of the hummingbirds are facing the correct direction and proceed accordingly. Next we are going to sew the embroidery to the pieces of our gloves. The gloves here are actually mittens, because we are Vikings!<br />
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I just love my quilter's tools. Here I am using my block ruler and chalk pencil to get all the lines perfect.<br />
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And now I've ironed in my the folds for the embroidery piece. I used an ultra-lightweigh fusible called Misty Fuse. The fusible itself is like gossamer and floats on the air. It's good to tack things down and doesn't add stiffness to the piece. It's not so great if you have the ceiling fan on. I wouldn't use it without extra stitching though. I also have my trusty block ruler to line things up just right.<br />
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I pulled enough silk from the ground fabric to use it for stitching down the embroidery. Here are the teeny tiny stitches on the fold.
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And here is the embroidery all sewn down to my glove piece. Can we make it prettier? Yes!<br />
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I used the light yellow silk to lucet up some cording for a matching trim. Then I used the same silk to stitch down the tiny trim over our seam edge.<br />
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And here is one finished cuff ready to be sewn into a finished mitten!Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-78502449995968540512015-10-27T13:46:00.000-04:002015-10-27T13:46:58.331-04:00Royal Gloves - RhinoSven's heraldry is a rhino, which was an interesting design challenge. It's difficult to make larger creatures in the Viking aesthetic and have them still look "cool" to the modern eye. After a large number of drafts I finally was happy with this guy. The rhino was bigger and had fewer smooth lines than the hummingbird, so I went with a tissue paper template for the stitching pattern. Here's the template basted onto the gorgeous red silk.<br />
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I don't like the tissue paper, so it took enormous self control to leave it on while I stitched. Here's some stitching progress on my rhino. The color palette and thread are the same set as the hummingbird.<br />
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Finally, I was far enough along to pull off the tissue paper! <br />
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Nearly done....<br />
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And here is a slightly fuzzy picture of the completed rhino<br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/21900656424/in/album-72157657922856953/" title="20150919_192553-b"><img alt="20150919_192553-b" height="500" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/685/21900656424_30cdb6d525.jpg" width="457" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-13999190186755190392015-10-23T20:18:00.000-04:002015-10-23T20:18:55.669-04:00Royal Gloves - hummingbirdMy commission for gloves for the Royals of Ansteorra has been delivered, so now I can post my pretty pictures! The gloves were for Sven II and Antigone II and were given in court a couple of weeks ago. <br />
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I had a lot of fun with these, since I had a lot of latitude for design work. I decided to go with a Viking theme, since they both have some great Viking kits. I wanted to use their heraldry in a way that maintains the artistic aesthetic for the Viking age. I spent quite a bit of time futzing with the designs until I found something that I really liked. My inspiration was largely woodwork and stonework designs from the Viking era. Here is the hummingbird for Antigone.</div>
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The ground fabric for the embroidery was a nice Dupioni silk. I drew the hummingbird on the muslin that I was using to reinforce my silk and then basted the design to show on the front. Below are the front and back showing the tiny basting stitches. </div>
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I wanted a little bit of depth on the hummingbird, so the arc of the wing has a layered stitching underneath the satin stitch.</div>
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The stitching is in Rainbow Gallery Splendor silks, which is a spun silk. Both Antigone and Sven have white charges on their devices. The Viking aesthetic would have been lots of bright colors. I decided to take a bit of artistic licence with the colors. I chose a color palette with lots of colors, but then picked extremely washed out versions of the colors. My goal was to see lots of colors up close, but for the charges to look white from a distance. Here's a fuzzy progress picture of the stitching.<br />
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Here's another progress picture for the hummingbird. The fill stitches are a variety of colors and the outline is all in white.<br />
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I pulled some threads from the dupioni and used them for the eye embroidery. And here is the finished hummingbird!<br />
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Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-19364087930735064472015-10-20T19:33:00.000-04:002015-10-20T19:33:03.651-04:00Strapping new arms<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/21437766694/in/album-72157659665642721/" title="IMG_0561"><img alt="IMG_0561" height="375" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/644/21437766694_3efb351564.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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At Gulf Wars I picked up some new lightweight plastic arms. I needed to strap them, so I thought that I would share with you how I got it done.<br />
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First, here is what I am putting under my elbows. The sleeve is fairly tight and I am using it to keep my arms in place. The elbows are tied directly to the sleeve.<br />
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Here is my trusty strap cutter and the giant chunk of leather that hangs out in my work area. I've got the cutter set to the correct width for my buckles. I'm cutting four straps - two for each arm.<br />
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Here are some freshly cut straps and buckles. It's a start.<br />
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I'm fussy about raw edges on leather, so here I am beveling the edges to smooth things out.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/21439462173/in/album-72157659665642721/" title="IMG_0570"><img alt="IMG_0570" height="375" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/653/21439462173_3fa23a4a95.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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Compare the beveled edge on the left to the raw edge on the right. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/21437749904/in/album-72157659665642721/" title="IMG_0576"><img alt="IMG_0576" height="375" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/604/21437749904_d77327072d.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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The left strap has been beveled, smoothed, and waxed. Now you can really see the difference between the nice strap and the raw edges.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/21439456913/in/album-72157659665642721/" title="IMG_0577"><img alt="IMG_0577" height="375" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5824/21439456913_63674a34d7.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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Here are my trusty tools: edge slicker and beeswax. I used my anvil to hold the strap in place while I worked the edges.<br />
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After I finished the edge work, I oiled the straps with some neatfoot oil. The oil will protect and condition the leather. As an added bonus the oiled leather looks nicer. I've also riveted in my buckles on one end. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/22070534331/in/album-72157659665642721/" title="IMG_0581"><img alt="IMG_0581" height="375" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/635/22070534331_897594e939.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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I drilled holes for the initial placement of the straps. First strap has its first rivet.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/22070532031/in/album-72157659665642721/" title="IMG_0582"><img alt="IMG_0582" height="375" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5713/22070532031_5a1f883f1c.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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How do you keep things still for the hammering? Tape!<br />
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Needs more tape! I don't want the strap wiggling on impact.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/21437733724/in/album-72157659665642721/" title="IMG_0584"><img alt="IMG_0584" height="375" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/572/21437733724_70d63acb6d.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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The straps are riveted in and ready to punch buckle holes.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/21873674059/in/album-72157659665642721/" title="IMG_0585"><img alt="IMG_0585" height="375" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/647/21873674059_40066d178a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
All the holes are punched and the longer edges are trimmed off. All done!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/21437728574/in/album-72157659665642721/" title="IMG_0595"><img alt="IMG_0595" height="375" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5653/21437728574_a26ce827c5.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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Here are the arms with my gear. The yellow is some wool felt for extra padding. The purple lucet cords tie the elbows to the arms and point the elbows to the sleeve we saw in the second picture.<br />
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Gloves on and we are ready to go!Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-48912055221398231012015-04-30T13:56:00.002-04:002015-04-30T13:56:59.092-04:00Weaving checks!<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/17323774655" title="Weaving checks by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Weaving checks" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7708/17323774655_b111c90633_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
I'm having lots of fun weaving checks!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/17136222040" title="Weaving with metallics by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Weaving with metallics" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7689/17136222040_df8e772b5d_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
It was only a matter of time before I rummaged through my collection of metallics. Here is "Artiste" brand gold thread with black crochet cotton. This was my first project with the Artiste brand gold thread and I really like it. It's soft and smooth and still has a very nice shine. I had absolutely no problem with thread shredding.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/17137558859" title="Weaving with Kreinick Japan gold by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Weaving with Kreinick Japan gold" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7720/17137558859_76366d1233_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
Next up was the Japan gold, which turned out lovely. I wasn't sure how it would hold up, because the thread itself stretches out. I previously did some fingerloop braiding with it and the metallic loops were unmanageably longer after a while. I was super careful with the warp tension and fairly delicate with my weaving. The texture betrays a bit of warp difference on the gold, but the piece will lie flat so it seems an acceptable variation. Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-43626212500189138902015-04-19T12:49:00.002-04:002015-04-19T12:49:51.697-04:00More Inkle Loom FunI've been having fun playing around with my inkle loom. Because I love string, I have a lot of different options to play with around the house. The pattern print outs are from the "<a href="http://www.carolingianrealm.info/PatternGenerator.php" target="_blank">Inkle Loom Generator</a>" which is free to use from the blog "<a href="http://www.carolingianrealm.info/" target="_blank">The Carolingan Realm</a>." Here's some pictures of what I've been up to. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16889701648" title="IMG_0618 by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0618" height="210" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8798/16889701648_3687eaaa9d_m.jpg" width="240" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16571991664" title="Inkle weaving stripes by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Inkle weaving stripes" height="203" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5470/16571991664_defa52e317_m.jpg" width="240" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/17006913630" title="Inkle weaving by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Inkle weaving" height="201" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5322/17006913630_72530802fa_m.jpg" width="240" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/17194441675" title="Inkle weaving by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Inkle weaving" height="152" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7590/17194441675_6d042263a8_m.jpg" width="240" /></a>
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Also, here are some pictures from our Barony's Fiber Arts Guild meeting last month:<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/sets/72157651425100808/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/sets/72157651425100808/</a>Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-52954615419589677482015-04-09T09:30:00.000-04:002015-04-19T12:50:45.101-04:00GW Processional Picture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.bogpages.com/SCA-photographs/2015/Gulf-Wars-2015-Monday-and-Tues/i-KCGBDSN/0/M/IMG_0426-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.bogpages.com/SCA-photographs/2015/Gulf-Wars-2015-Monday-and-Tues/i-KCGBDSN/0/M/IMG_0426-M.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another great photo of the Bryn Gwlad crew in the procession at Gulf Wars. Picture is from Ursus in his Gulf War Mon+Tues Gallery ( <a href="http://www.bogpages.com/SCA-photographs/2015/Gulf-Wars-2015-Monday-and-Tues/i-KCGBDSN/0/M/IMG_0426-M.jpg">http://www.bogpages.com/SCA-photographs/2015/Gulf-Wars-2015-Monday-and-Tues/i-KCGBDSN/0/M/IMG_0426-M.jpg</a> ). Ursus takes fantastic SCA pics, I reccomend you plan on spending some time wandering through his site.</div>
<br />Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-71024707345009479692015-04-08T09:21:00.000-04:002015-04-08T09:21:10.330-04:00Inkle Loom Fun<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16882047380" title="Giant inkle loom by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Giant inkle loom" height="500" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8753/16882047380_1af9699bd9.jpg" width="281" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/17043625436" title="Weaving progress by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Weaving progress" height="500" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8714/17043625436_a1f11d41b2.jpg" width="281" /></a><br />
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I've had this inkle loom for a while and it's mostly lived in our demo box for hands-on demo time. This month at our Fiber Arts Guild meeting I finally learned how to use it for myself! Elen helped me string it up and showed me how to weave with it. I have a simple chain patter loaded and am almost finished. I've had a lot of fun with it and will definitely do some more.Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-91655647927883014252015-03-24T12:36:00.001-04:002015-04-08T09:32:24.779-04:00Giant Sparkly Banner Goes to Gulf War<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://scontent-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/p480x480/10565126_959521277421699_5453856638952494246_n.jpg?oh=2609f1787c1b14e5a3d1c5de0d9fdd7c&oe=55B1BC55" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://scontent-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/p480x480/10565126_959521277421699_5453856638952494246_n.jpg?oh=2609f1787c1b14e5a3d1c5de0d9fdd7c&oe=55B1BC55" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is Giant Sparkly Banner in the Opening Processional at Gulf Wars this year. Incidentally, I am on the left holding the banner and wearing my spiffy surcoat and matching hat! Look at all those pretty surcoats!</div>
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The picture above is linked directly to the picture, so here is the proper link for the photographer:</div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=959521277421699&l=6c5d73f50c">https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=959521277421699&l=6c5d73f50c</a>Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-11889935041363887012015-03-11T13:11:00.001-04:002015-04-08T09:32:24.763-04:00Handout - Surcoat Care<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've posted a new PDF in the handout section: "Care and Feeding of War Company Surcoats." If you are War Company member and you lost your flier, you can download it here.</div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8q00kR5D7ZiMjJzUHVBam1ldWc/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnY8bXp07zVCnBQ3s_5sDvf7Jsgj_Anumbvom011-veKxi32WsssOpejlJDRvcId9aM8M2OZoonvHQ3IAJRjDOIWS1sRSWrX5w8nwtHcrHRbBGdZ2wvmXpd8zyZI4N-P9k4hjlu4YSWHnw/s1600/Care+and+Feeding-icon.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-55011261062649019582015-03-11T10:02:00.001-04:002015-04-08T09:32:51.172-04:00Finished (for now)<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16758912796" title="Stack of finished surcoats by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Stack of finished surcoats" height="180" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8671/16758912796_ff9f918430_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16642177516" title="First batch of finished surcoats by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="First batch of finished surcoats" height="273" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8617/16642177516_7a78a4cfef_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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The pre-Gulf Wars surcoat assembly crunch is finished! Sunday night we finished 9 more surcoats and then 2 more on Monday. Last night I was able to deliver most of them to their proud new owners and there was some surcoat silliness at fighter practice. That brings our total to 17 complete! We have 3 more that didn't have a deadline, so they will be put to the side until after the event. The workspace looks so empty now! I have a new camera, so there will be some action pictures and a couple of group shots to show off our new awesome colors! Now to finish packing...Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-42639978843812458162015-03-03T08:54:00.000-05:002015-03-03T08:54:34.902-05:00Finished Byzantine Silk Swatch<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16639498642" title="Outlining is finished by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Outlining is finished" height="320" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7284/16639498642_7172e1e44b_n.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
Above is the entire design, with a Japan gold outline. I let it sit for a few days and felt it needed a bit more zing. After rummaging through the gold thread bin, I found some nice twist left over from Giant Sparkly Banner. I used this twist to add one more round of outlining and it really completed the design. Hooray!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16704510425" title="Finished stitching by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Finished stitching" height="290" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8632/16704510425_b34bb50645_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-40263128460837588442015-02-27T08:26:00.000-05:002015-02-27T08:26:09.317-05:00Laser cutter fun<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16662311145" title="Tablet weaving cards from the laser cutter by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Tablet weaving cards from the laser cutter" height="214" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8572/16662311145_4c749c3c23_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16474894910" title="Rigid heckle from laser cutter by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Rigid heckle from laser cutter" height="240" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8605/16474894910_fafb15cac7_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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A while back I got to spend some quality time with a laser cutter and I had a lot of fun. I forgot to take pictures of all the stuff I made, but I found these in my crafty piles recently. The first picture is some tablet weaving cards that were cut from thin stock. They measure 2.5 inches square (or about 64 mm square). The second picture is a rigid heddle that I made. It measures 5.25 inches (133 mm) wide and 6 inches (152 cm) tall. The gaps and heddles are about 1/8 inch (3 mm) each.Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-50696869344394815782015-02-23T09:57:00.000-05:002015-02-23T09:57:26.132-05:00Byzantine Silk Swatch<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16400475867" title="Fill for the leaves are done by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Fill for the leaves are done" height="320" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8580/16400475867_6cd0f05dcf_n.jpg" width="180" /></a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/15988013813" title="Starting the outline stitching by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Starting the outline stitching" height="282" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8632/15988013813_e5e678f0d5_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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I've been stitching along and making progress. The leaves finished up nicely and although the red isn't as full as I'd like on the stitching, the shiny silk lends some forgiveness. I used a fat pearl cotton to padd the border stitches and started in on the white.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16413278047" title="Satin stitch border is finished by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Satin stitch border is finished" height="180" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8665/16413278047_ec8087c3f5_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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And I finished out the border! The pearl cotton didn't provide as much loft for the border as I had hoped. I think that next time I will need a fatter stitch to give a bit more dimensionality. Just back stitching seemed so fat next to the leaves so I was afraid that a stem or chain stitch would add too much bulk, but I could have added more. I like the coverage on the border though and the contrasting stitch directions is a nice design element.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16624133495" title="Outlining with Japan gold by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Outlining with Japan gold" height="180" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8617/16624133495_3f9bba18df_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Here is the start of the shiny gold! It's finally coming together and starting to look pretty spiffy. I took an angled photo so show some of the depth that the silk shine adds to the piece. I've got a Kreinik Japan #7 here for the leaf outline and it has a very complementary shine. I fiddled with a number of gold options, but the Japan was really what I needed for all those curves and tiny points. I probably could have gone a teensy bit smaller and used a Japan #5 just because the design is so detailed, but I didn't have any #5 on hand and I am trying to pull supplies from my hoard. Although the #5 would have been a bit more delicate, the #7 works just fine and really isn't too bulky for the outline. Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-90850619163385673602015-02-20T17:47:00.001-05:002015-04-08T09:32:51.184-04:00New Handout!I've posted a new PDF on my Handout's page! Check out "Sewing a Perfect Rider's Split for a Surcoat." With the surcoat sewing parties, I have received a lot of questions on how to get those surcoat splits to lie flat and survive combat. I have finally gotten around to finishing up the "how-to" for everybody. Clicking on the icon opens the PDF on Google Drive, where you can read and download it. Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8q00kR5D7ZiZkRoOXNoMnNXWlk/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZfY3DjS75qzm7TT14Ky1ixEYNEDqJKQSsuMlKrp-ZuY1Hz800CoJ4yd7IDynRao2z_Gg1fqcqHHh0ItyVQgpDidsoV0TCDzwEmysl5ws3AtUPDgX2UOaSsnsjlQ-lRGSgv5U4706Ee6IC/s1600/seams-icon.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-76627002079300663892015-02-20T17:28:00.002-05:002015-04-08T09:32:24.773-04:00The Prodigal Surcoat is Clean!<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16561465751" title="Repaired surcoat front by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Repaired surcoat front" height="240" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7332/16561465751_eba0a503bd_m.jpg" width="135" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16537074786" title="Repaired surcoat back by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Repaired surcoat back" height="240" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8587/16537074786_f88873151a_m.jpg" width="135" /></a><br />
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After numerous repairs and lots of cleaning, the prodigal surcoat is looking mighty fine! I returned it this Tuesday to our War Company commander, who promptly took it back into action for melee night. I totally forgot to take a picture of it in action. I got some "oooohs" and "ahhhs" from folks who had seen the poor thing in it's original state. I am quite pleased with this project - an easy win in terms of getting surcoats of the project rack and a nice affirmation for quality control :)Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-43001490066823910132015-02-16T15:06:00.000-05:002015-04-08T09:32:24.767-04:00Repairing the Prodigal Surcoat<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16341520319" title="Sad stripes by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Sad stripes" height="135" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7445/16341520319_035994c6e0_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
My first task was applique repair. Here is a good example of a stripe that needed help. The linen has disintegrated in bits and the applique is peeling up. Some of the stitching has pulled loose. It is a very sad little halberd stripe.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16526758942" title="Stitched up stripes by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Stitched up stripes" height="135" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7430/16526758942_5e2cdc2f76_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
First, I ironed down the stripes and even sneaked a little bit of Wonder Under in bits that were completely pulled off. I stitched the stripe back down on the edges and added some darning stitches to keep ruffled bits tacked down. After lots of darning stitches and some more ironing, it's starting to look much better. There are still some little naked white spots where the black fabric is gone.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16340115668" title="Finished stripes by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Finished stripes" height="135" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7454/16340115668_9b169b35c7_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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Here is where I must confess that I pulled out the Sharpie laundry marker in black and just fixed the problem with a marker. It looks much better now though. I went through and fixed all the other applique bits and most of them were much easier that this stripe. There were a few spots where yellow fabric was gone so I had to do some extra darning and extend the applique stitch line into the halberds. <br />
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Once the applique was all fixed, I then started patching holes. I still have fabric left over that matches the original, so I had plenty for tiny patch pieces. There were a lot of holes that needed mending. After finishing all the holes that were big enough to require patches, I put the surcoat in for a good soak for some stain removal.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/15932169383" title="Soaking out the stains by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Soaking out the stains" height="240" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7363/15932169383_7d527044fe_m.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
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This is the surcoat after soaking for 6 hours in oxyclean. The water is really, really gross. I threw in a dye catcher to try to get some of the dinge out and hopefully pick up some of the armor grunge and leather dye. The dye catcher worked surprisingly well and is the dark gray blob at the top of the bucket. That dark gray absorbed a lot of color floating around in the dirty water.Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-63070034493127592912015-02-14T10:41:00.001-05:002015-04-08T09:32:24.770-04:00The Prodigal SurcoatOn the morning of the first great sewing day, I was starting to get a little nervous. We were making a lot of surcoats for a lot of people and I was beginning to sweat the details. But then, a little SCA magic happened....<br />
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My first batch of surcoats was made with my friends Rachel and Blaise. I wore my surcoat at that Bordermarch Autumn Melees (BAM) and Gulf Wars. Here is a picture of it all nice and relatively unscathed.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/4467210519" title="IMG_0410 by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0410" height="141" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2779/4467210519_00f3c83126_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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That's me in the court of King Owen and Queen Genevria at Gulf Wars. Anyway, I wasn't going to BAM the next year, so I loaned out my surcoat to a friend. As I missed more and more melee events, I kept getting asked by various people to borrow the surcoat and it got passed around. At some point, we lost track of who had it and I had written it off to the sands of antiquity. So, the morning of sewing day, Ionnes walks through the door and asks if he could add surcoat repair to the queue. He has this scruffy looking surcoat that needs repair (front on left, back on right).<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16527793525" title="Front of surcoat before repair by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Front of surcoat before repair" height="240" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8642/16527793525_ab856fbb0a_m.jpg" width="125" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16501761456" title="Back of surcoat before repair by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Back of surcoat before repair" height="240" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8669/16501761456_38b7fe2daa_m.jpg" width="124" /></a><br />
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The first thing several people say is "wash it first," but he had! We dampened it and ran it through the drier. We ironed it without mercy. The pictures above show our improved results. It's still pretty scruffy.<br />
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The stripes are falling off and a bit shredded. There are tiny wear and tear holes scattered all over. These little holes are pretty normal and familiar for the chivalric combat folks. The neck and arms holes are in need of some help.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16501772306" title="Wear and tear by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Wear and tear" height="135" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7282/16501772306_354e3ae8f2_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16341510609" title="Wear and tear by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Wear and tear" height="135" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7288/16341510609_fbfb198ede_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/15905215524" title="Edge wear by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Edge wear" height="135" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7343/15905215524_e89369148e_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/15907624563" title="Edge wear by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Edge wear" height="135" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8675/15907624563_1093f7b1ab_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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The construction of this surcoat is looking pretty familiar, so I look inside and there is a little mark in the front. This is my prodigal surcoat - returned home! Some laughing and a bit of discussion gave it some history. It's attended five years of melee events since it left me! <br />
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So now this scruffy coat has some perspective and it is in pretty good shape for five years of melees. The stitching has held up surprisingly well. The star applique is in very good shape and needs minimal maintenance. The stripes need serious repair. They are not just peeling off at the edges, the linen is disintegrated in some bits. The tiny little holes will need darning where they are getting big. <br />
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The most surprising thing I've learned is that "decorative" bias tape on the neck and arm holes is actually reinforcing those seams - and in some places is holding it together where the fabric has shredded. Now I know why we use that approach. We made our own linen bias tape and it still looks good and has worn really well. I think that it was worth the effort and probably extended the life of this garmet for at least a couple of years.<br />
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So, now I can say with some confidence that this little workshop makes some quality fighting gear :) Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-13341022722387506362015-02-09T13:19:00.000-05:002015-02-09T13:19:45.140-05:00New thread!<br />
I really wasn't going to start anymore new projects. I've buckled down and focused on knocking things out of my queue with the goals of gulf wars preparations. But appliqueing a gajillion halberds takes a half a gajillion spools of thread, so I just had to go to Joanne's. And while I was on task in the thread aisle, this little display lured me in and caught me.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16297996409" title="Thread display by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Thread display" height="135" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7327/16297996409_8ec77e35a6_m.jpg" width="240" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16296579318" title="Thread display, more colors by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Thread display, more colors" height="135" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7296/16296579318_faeb5d0a8f_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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How could I pass up filament silk at a good price? I could not. So, I bought two spools to play with, one in red and one in white. My intentions were a quick test of the thread so that I could decide if I really liked it. Once I had the thread it was really soft and shiny and "oh so" pretty! Also rumbling around in my mind was the desire to make something for a friend. These two motivations were all I needed as an excuse to have fun in the design phase. I found something I liked in one of my favorite design books: "Treasury of Byzantine Ornament" by Arne Dehli (published by Dover). <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16482595201" title="Design pattern by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Design pattern" height="240" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8635/16482595201_c1d057d37c_m.jpg" width="208" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16298397757" title="Template by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Template" height="135" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8616/16298397757_93901355dc_m.jpg" width="240" /></a>
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Above are a snapshot of the original and my template on tissue paper.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16296598008" title="Stitching the pattern outline by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Stitching the pattern outline" height="213" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8648/16296598008_bdcfe1b1eb_m.jpg" width="240" /></a>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16484315095" title="The stitched outline by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="The stitched outline" height="240" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7378/16484315095_656aa9e9a1_m.jpg" width="135" /></a><br />
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Transferring patterns to black fabric is always a challenge. I am ever the optimist - feeling that one day I will find a transfer method that make me happy. The truth is that the process is fiddly no matter what the approach. This time I chose to pre-stitch the outline from a tissue paper template. This method is popular with a lot of fine embroidery enthusiasts, especially on dark fabrics or fabrics that won't or shouldn't take a pen or chalk or other potentially messy options. <br />
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I shouldn't have used the silk on this step. It was so smooth that the template really didn't want to come off and the stitches got pulled around too much. After a bit of coaxing and pulling some of the stitches from the back, it finally looked good again.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16482587821" title="Stitching progress by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Stitching progress" height="217" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8654/16482587821_f0fe9da417_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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And here is the first bit of stitching. I'm doing laid work in the red with gold highlights for the couching. The gold approximately matches the detail lines from the original drawing. The filament silk is very shiny and as fiddly as filament silk is expected to be, but not really more. I'm planning on a slighly thicker gold for outlines and the border in white.<br />
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I hate progress pictures at this point. The silk is still a bit wonky. The couching is freshly done. The outline isn't in yet. The whole thing is just "off." I share them with you, my dear readers, because those who truly inspired me do the same. Pretty things don't start pretty. There is a magic point along the way where it all blends together and starts to look nice. Sometimes it doesn't actually blend and those projects are educational as well. I don't think I would have been brave enough to try some of the techniques that I've seen in project blogs if people didn't share these "in between" progress pictures. In that spirit, here are mine. I hope this one works. <br />
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(With that little aside, the red is lucious and the gold is sparkly, and distances are most forgiving - so I am optimistic)Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5939596491611633189.post-61849314772072269912015-02-08T14:59:00.000-05:002015-02-08T14:59:45.577-05:00Apron dress roundels<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/15855722243" title="Finished roundels by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Finished roundels" height="165" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7423/15855722243_6e2997b6c3_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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I've finished the stitching on my apron dress roundels! Hooray! There are two roundels, one on each side gore. The base black is silk and the stitching is a pearl cotton in a combination of stem stitch and chain stitch. Here is a picture of them flat for better detail.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/16449852916" title="Finished roundels by Helene von Braunschweig, on Flickr"><img alt="Finished roundels" height="135" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7380/16449852916_c6c3223ae4_m.jpg" width="240" /></a>Helenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232528806457215321noreply@blogger.com0