Chemise and something new

Yesterday was a great day! I manage to do lots of different things but the day was still very relaxing. My chemise is better now. I sewed the neckline again and it looks better and I am happy because I can start doing other things now. I am planning to start making a partlet today or perhaps tomorrow. I don’t know yet.

But anyway, I have tried to learn how to do naalbinding (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naalbinding) for about five years now (I am not joking) and I haven’t understand it. I have started on doing it several times but I have had troubles on seeing the loops I guess. So yesterday I finally understood something about it :D and I am seeing the loops now! I am still not sure that my technique is completely right. I still don’t know how to use my thumb. So I don’t use it at all. I have to practise naalbinding a lot now because I am afraid I forget it if I don’t (it feels good to have a new skill to practise).

It is finished but…

During my Easter holiday I finally finished my hand sewed Italian chemise. So it is finished but I am not happy about it. I like the fullness of the chemise and I think the sleeves and the length of the chemise is pretty ok. But the neckline… Ok I admit that I didn’t put too much time and effort on sewing the neckband to the chemise (because I knew that I am not going to like the neckline when it is finished). But still it is very frustrating to know that I need to take the neckband away and sew it back again. I know that it is common that when you sew you might have to undo it and do it again. Sometimes you have to do it more than once. I just hate it! I want everything to be perfect at the first time so I can start to do something else. The neckband is not cut on the bias because I wanted to make some blackwork in it. Usually when cutting the neckband to the square neck hole you should cut it on the bias http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bias_(textile). So I really don’t know if I am ever going to be happy with my chemises neckline. We shall see. I will try to find mental strength to start it over again today. 

Assisi tablecloth project

Here are some pictures about my Assisi tablecloth at the beginning of the project. I don’t have any special deadline for this project. I thought that I can carry this with me to the SCA events and do it there also. It might be also that I can’t resist doing it at home because it is too much fun. I really have other more important projects to do right now (like my new renaissance outfit that I have dreamed about for long time).

   

Start

Ok, so this is it then. I don’t know what I am doing. I am not sure that I have time for writing a blog. But you never know. Maybe I will have enough time for this. Anyway starting a blog is something I have thought long time. I have thought that it is too hard. Ok, I admit that writing in English is hard for me because English is not my mother tongue. But if it get’s too hard then I will write in Finnish. Writing in English is good practice since I have lots of friends who don’t speak Finnish.

Finding out the name for the blog was also hard. And it was one reason why I haven’t started this earlier. And that’s why I thought that simple name is better than anything too inventive.

I have currently two bigger projects going on. One is to make 16th century Italian chemise (with little blackwork to its neckline) and an Assisi style tablecloth. I found couple of days ago an interesting link about Assisi embroidery http://www.stitchstitch.info/ . It is not easy to find information about Assisi and I was very happy when I found this link. There are other interesting things like something about blackwork at that site also.