Simplicity 3994 - Karen Makes a Coat!? The Muslin

I found this pattern, Simplicity 3944, on etsy.  It's from 1941!  It cost 15 cents back then! 

It's a little bit of a weird pattern...at first I was freaked out because I couldn't tell whether it had been used & I thought that the markings on the pattern pieces had faded because I couldn't see any...then I realized that it had been used (there are markings in pencil & some lovely old-fashioned writing) so the pieces are ready to go.  But there still aren't any markings (darts, grain lines, etc).  I don't know how the original owner figured out how what shape & size the pieces should be and I can't tell if the 5/8" seams have been added.  

The instructions do say to add the 5/8" seam, so I'm guessing the previous owner did so.  

Not many markings on
the pattern pieces!

The patterns have only one mark, which you can see in the photo to the left. (It's part of the pocket.)

Can you see the G & the small & large dots?  I'm guessing the G & the small dots are clues; I'll look at the instructions more closely to see what the small dots mean.  I expect the large ones are just part of the pattern-making process.

Finally, here's the back of the pattern.  

I'm using an old sheet I got at the Salvation Army for the muslin...we'll see how it goes.  I still haven't decided what to do w/ my amazing double-sided fabric Marc Jacobs' wool from Mood: lined or unlined?  Reversible?  Is that even possible?  Or make contrasting cuffs & pockets to show the reverse?  I may have to head over the Allison @ Bits of Thread to help me with these decisions...

The Roommate Gets a New ゆかた (浴衣)

We lived in Japan from 1993-1994, teaching English at an eikaiwa (conversation school).  The Roommate got this yukata (cotton kimono) there and we both love it because of the writing and the graphic quality of that writing.  I have no idea what it says, but I love writing systems, and this satisfies on so many levels. 

However, it's wearing out.  The seams are holding up, but the fabric is worn through in many places.  I have new fabric for another, but am dismantling this yukata so that I can re-use it as lining for the new one (at least the parts I can re-use...probably just the lower half.  I started dismantling (okay, seam-ripping!) and then began to wonder just how long it had been since I'd washed it.  So it's in the dryer right now...just to be sure I'm working with a clean version.  

I dug out my Japanese kimono pattern book (see below), and have been using the proportions from that, along with measurements from the existing robe.  Japanese kimono use most of the fabric because the pattern pieces are essentially just rectangles; they're also fairly easy to make because there is not really fitting in terms of width, it's the length that has to be modified, depending on the wearer's height.  If you're at all interested in purchasing used kimono to re-use for fabric, it is a pretty good idea--you won't get a bunch of tiny pieces that you can't do much with.  Lots of rectangles, and the back is often one large piece, not 2 pieces sewn together.  

Very little wasted fabric with a kimono pattern!

I finished it!  I had lots of time (Hurricane Sandy means no work today or tomorrow), plus I couldn't go anywhere (not safe to be on the streets), and the Roommate was out of town (stuck in SFO & couldn't get a flight back), so it was a great time to work on a present that wasn't meant to be a surprise, but why not?  The situation definitely called for it.  

See what you think...he picked out the fabric.  I wanted to use one of my West African wax prints (thinking "What a crazy mix--African batik & Japanese clothing!"), but he didn't like that idea.  It's an Alexander Henry print (I was going thru my scrap box & noticed his name was on a LOT of selvages!), that I got from an Etsy Shop, Lucky Frog (Lucky Kaeru).

Nigiri Sushi Yukata

Hallowe'en Fun!

 Happy Hallowe'en! 

This is a quick & relatively easy project.  I wish I had time to do one for everyone at work!  

I found the pattern on knitpicks.com...

A Hallowe'en Knitting Guess What!

Look at this photo & see if you can guess what I'm knitting. It's for the roommate to wear to work. It's just part of the project...

I just finished the test version, which took about 1 hour of knitting, & when he tried it on he laughed out loud! I suspect his students will, too. I'll update this post in the next week or so & then you'll find out if you are correct or not.

Keep Calm & Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell

Speaking of fashion in movies (were we? of course we were!), here are a few outfits I love...two suits (and some amazing hats) from His Girl Friday, one of our favorites.  

This hat gets a few comments in the film...

Like Charade & Some Like It Hot, we've seen it over & over & it does not get old.  The dialogue is so snappy & fast that it's hard to catch it all; might as well watch it again and pick up what you missed the first time!    

I love this hat!

According to Clothesonfilm.com, Rosalind Russell's clothing for the film was designed by Robert Kalloch.  

I actually think these clothes don't look dated at all.  However, all these stripes--you'd have to be quite slim to get away with it.  

Thimbles!

I got home today after a much-longer-than-usual commute (final baseball game of the season in the stadium near where I work; shuttle stuck in traffic).  Yesterday, it was a "suspicious package."  I just need to give up on getting home & concentrate on the journey (or think of it as extra reading time).

Anyway, I got home & a new issue of Saudi Aramco World was waiting.  I do love this magazine, which comes out every other month and is free.  Sure, it's propaganda, trying to show the positive side of the Arab/Muslim world, focusing on history, the arts, and society.  I know that, but it doesn't mean the articles aren't beautifully illustrated, well-researched and always educational.  And do you really need to read about another mortar-bomb attack or protests over cartoons?  I spend the day at work researching topics like Hamas & its tactics since the Arab Spring, so no, when I get home, I'm happy to read about art or culture or history, especially as it's a part of the world the Roommate & I spent a lot of time in.

Photographs by William Isbister

Which is a very meandering way to say that an article in the latest issue is about a thimble collection!  Cool, huh?   Check out Little Thimble Big Journey for some great history & wonderful photos.  Written & photographed by William Isbister, who lived in Saudi Arabia for 11 years and obviously had the sense to collect an almost perfect souvenir.  Why perfect?  Small, used by individuals, not mass-produced, and a variety of styles & decorations means they look great on display.  And of course as textile collectors, I love the sewing connection.

Some things I learned: Crusaders brought thimbles from the Levant when they returned to Europe. The first thimbles were more like rings that fit over the first joint on the finger.  Thimbles used to have a little loop that could be attached to a chain.  Those are the first few facts that stuck!  Read the article to find out more...

Photograph by William Isbister

Now, this photo is quite interesting.  First of all, it's a man sewing in the Middle East.  Second, he's using a ring-like thimble.  And he's using a tension hook attached to his toe to sew.  I've seen these toe loops used in Oman, but for weaving (working the heddles).  I can't quite figure out how it would help you sew?  

Any ideas/comments?  Let me know...

From the Collection: Weaving - Bolivia & Ghana

I'm working on a few projects I hope to share soon, but in the meantime, thought you'd enjoy seeing more from our textile collection...

This first one is a saddle blanket from Bolivia.  It's extremely fine wool (in terms of gauge), but isn't that soft--it seems as though it'd be fairly durable.  Probably goat?  Definitely not one of the higher quality wools from the region like guanaco or llama or alpaca.  It has some amazing detail (see below). 

I also believe it was repaired at some point, not surprising for a blanket used on a pack animal.  However, the repair work is also pretty amazing--though it doesn't reconstruct the original pattern, it is as tightly woven, and looks quite sturdy.    

I really love the idea that this blanket had a utilitarian purpose, but was designed and crafted beautifully, even if it was going on the back of a pack animal!  So it protected the animal, and possibly made the owner happy every time s/he looked at it.  It certainly makes me happy when I look at it.

Another item decorating the living room right now is this kente cloth, from Ghana.  It's woven from silk & rayon (I think).  I feel like it's silk because of the luster, but that it must have rayon in it because it's fairly sturdy (we have another 100% silk kente that is fairly worn--silk is amazing, but fragile).  

If you've read my comments on weaving before you'll know right away that this is strip-weaving at its finest.  The strips are about 3" wide and are stitched together to make an eye-catching design.  Weaving on such a narrow loom means the loom is extremely portable and can be moved mid-project, then hung from a tree or fence post and used immediately.

Here are a few detail photos of this kente.  

Questions?  Comments?  Please leave them below.

Music:  The XX, "Angels," definitely Sunday morning music!