And here I thought weaving in knitting ends was the most tedious job in the world! This is going to take me forever…
Category: Crafts
Craft projects of mine
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Weaving
Acquiring a new skill! This is addictive. I’m starting to regret not having enough room in my house for a floor loom… ☺️
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Bailee shorts
I need more shorts, I realised recently. Maybe I didn’t notice because I was working last summer? Anyway, it’s time to make some shorts. These are the Bailee shorts from Tessuti, and I made them in leftover fabric from the tiki wiggle dress I made 8 years ago. I had just enough material, though I did have to rotate the pockets and waistband off-grain. As usual with Tessuti patterns, they were mostly great but with a couple perplexing instructions. For example, the waistband piece is a long rectangle with a fold indicator on one short side, but the cutting diagrams show the long side placed across a fold. Well, which is it? If I do that, it’ll only be half as long as it’s meant to be! I followed my gut and did it the way that makes sense, but it was annoying. Anyway, they turned out wearable, which was all I wanted. The fabric is quite a thick cotton – almost a stretch sateen – so they don’t really drape, and they’re really more like Hawaiian shorts. I’ll do my next pair in a drapey linen to see how they compare…
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Intarsia
Okay, this is getting fun now! I’m sure I’ll be cursing when it comes time to weave in all those ends though. 🧶
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Textile protest
Threads of Resistance: “Knitting and embroidery are laden with stereotypes of domestic femininity – and the subversive potential for protest.”
Wonderful essay by Gemma McKenzie showcasing ways textile art has been used as a tool of protest by women. I was especially blown away by the embroidered scrolls of Lorina Bulwer – WOW. The rage!
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Pub knitting
“What? This is a perfectly normal thing to knit at the pub,” I sob into my beer while untangling 28 different coloured bobbins. 😭🧶
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Skill Trees
I had some fun today colouring in boxes on my Sewing and Adventure Skill Trees. Looking forward to filling in some more of these this year!
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Marimekko Arkie shirt
Starting the year with another finished project! I used the bulk of the remainder of my Marimekko Unikko fabric to make myself a Tessuti Arkie shirt. This is actually the third time I’ve used this pattern, and the last one was so roomy that I decided to go down a size in the body. I left off the pockets, and I moved the break point and top button up about an inch. Looks good, right? I was worried it would be a little too clown-like with the bright colour and large print, but I think it’s fun and suits me.
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Sleeve pinning
Peggy Olson knows that the best way to set in a sleeve is to use a LOT of pins. (I know some of you can do it with zero. I’m not there yet.)
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Marimekko Shirt
I’m certainly getting my money’s worth out of this fabric, aren’t I? I had just enough left to cut out another Arkie Shirt. I’ve gone down a body size on this one, and I’ve raised the break point an inch. I’m really pleased with how it’s turning out! This is the third one of these I’ve sewn, and each one has gotten better.
I also experimented with the tweezer method of turning out the collar on this one. It’s definitely sharper than the ones I’ve done in the past. Next time I’ll try the thread method…
