I have come back from the Medieval week in Visby, Gotland, Sweden. It was great as always. I never take many photos, as it goes against the historic feeling. But here I still have a few.
I brought some belts since some of my friends wanted to buy some. I ended up selling most of them without doing much except bringing them with me. It inspired me to add a new page to my blog “For sale“, since I have far too many belts and it made me quite happy to see them around the waist of my friends.
I also learned a new craft, to make baskets from grass.
I also convinced my sister to join me for the first time in 20 years.
I got happily surprised when I got some pictures of Sulawesi weaving using my patterns. It was from Marieke Kranenburg who organized a weaving get together. It looks great!
I feel really honored and somehow more motivated to draw new images and to add more of my existing designs to my blog. Thank you Marieke for sharing!! It made my day!
I like to use my “belts” for other things (except belts), so I made again a bag for a viking friend. I am happy with the bag, except the bag handels which I bought (and dont like all that much). I am thinking about how to make my own handels in the future.
The woven part is done with 24 motif cards + 6 border cards in wool. In the end I did 3 variations for the decorative part, but I chose the birds. Below are the other 2 variants.
I have advanced slowly on the weaving lately since I have been doing some sewing. I have added a page dedicated to sewing on the blog. Please feel free to check it out here.
Here is a preview of my current weaving project though, which is a mix of various animals.
After sewing my green coat from a 1950-pattern, I felt inspired to sew a 70’s coat with fluffy lining. So I found this pattern from 1975 on eBay and decided to use up some of my medieval fabric stash (diamond kypert?). I also bought some faux/fake fur (black curly, like a small lamb) for lining of the coat. I did use some regular lining in the arms though.
And here is the finished coat. Maybe not quite as stylish on me as on the super-thin models, but I still like it.
I have to add that sewing in faux fur is not ideal. It is slippery and the house gets full of “fluff” that sticks to everything (including your face and arms).
I like the viking style bags with wooden handles, and it is a good place to use some of my woven straps/belts. So I made a belt with the leftovers from my coat and then I did a Sulawesi style strap in thin wool in colors to match (green, white and brown). So here it is…
The strap is using 16 motif cards and 2+2 border cards. Most motifs are in my design page. If not, just drop me a note and I will upload it.
The woven part, with quite a lot of leaf variations:
It took me some time to finish and the main reason is that I decided to sew myself a rain jacket in the middle of weaving it. The results is here.
I have been working on this belt on and off for the last month or so, in paralell with sewing my coat. I do like the color combination, but I need to draw some new patterns for 16 cards. I seem to weave the same designs over and over. I do like weaving the edges in the classical diamonds pattern though. I find it adds alot to the overall impression.
Well, here it is. a bit more that 2 meters long, wool, 16 motif cards + 10 border cards.
I have taken a small brake from tablet weaving to sew myself a vintage coat. I found this pattern and I fell in love with this design from 1949.
I also have a stash of wool fabric that I bought for some medieval sewing project, that did not happen. I have been wanting to use up some of it and I realised that I had enough of this green quite thick wool fabric (since at least 5 years) and some black velvet (dating 20 years back…). I found some cheap sewing supplies in a second hand shop (the shoulder pads, thread and facing) which meant that the only new stuff I had to buy were the lining material, the pattern and the buttons (I keep searching on second hand for 4 nice buttons).
I am really happy with how it turned out. I only regret not finishing it earlier, since winter is nearly over in Switzerland. Also, I still have to add buttons (and the dreadded button-holes) to finish it off.
The pattern, originally from 1949
Me in my coat. I am already planning for a new spring jacket in 1970’s style.
Regarding learnings from this project, I have to mention a few points:
Sew the coat and the lining in parallel, to make sure they are exactly the same size in the neck, shoulder and back seams.
Make a first draft in cheap cotton (of the upper body at least). It made me realise I should add a few cm on the lenght of the upper body part and the sleeves.
Have the dicipline to stop when you are tired and continue the next day.
I have done some sewing this last week(s). First a real-life coat, which turned out really bad. I have not done ordinary sewing for very long.
So I decided to come back to my comfort zone and do a new Viking apron dress. I have wanted for a long time to try a version with pleats at the neckline.
I am happy with how it turned out. Now I can only wait for the outdoor season to start, so I can use it.
