Pockets & Pin Pillows

Second Post of the Day

Remember those bundles of fabric remnants that I was measuring and preparing for sale?

I kept some of the remnants to use for pockets.

There were leftover pieces of the camel/elephant block print that were big enough that I was able to get a pocket out of them. (And still have enough for a remnant bundle to sell.)

Having leftover fabric isn't a problem, it's having enough so that you can center a pattern strategically. In this case, I wanted the white camel stripe to be in the center where I would also put the slit so a hand could get access to the pocket's contents.

The same with the brown/red/blue block print - I wanted the slit down the oval prints and sandwiched between the narrow navy and brown borders.

That also took some finagling but at last I got it figured out successfully.

I'm pleased with how they turned out, but as I looked at the camel/elephant print, I realized that I was missing an opportunity to make something else with it.

Pin pillows.

Can't you just imagine a pin pillow or two with a camel or elephant centered on it?

I'm going to grab that remnant bundle and see if I can't do that later today. I think that would look really cool and sell well, too.

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Last call on the September Give Away! Comment on any blog post published Sunday, September 13 through tonight (Tuesday, September 15) at 11:59 PM ET. I'll spin to win tomorrow or Thursday.

Stay 'tooned!

The BigSisterMomofsixGrandmotherGreatgrandmotherTeacher's Other Task

Remember that post about how the sewing for Kalamazoo was completed? And then I found several more projects to work on?

Well, after I wrapped those up, I did get started on a green striped petticoat, but then decided to set it aside until after the event was over. (It will be the start of my Feast sewing. That begins as soon as KZoo is finished.)

A few days ago, I spoke with Ethan and found out what my volunteer duties were. The first was to keep an eye on Leslie and do some big sister bossing if she needed it in order to ensure that she did not overdo things. (She is having back surgery shortly after KZoo.)

Not a problem. This bigsistermomofsixgrandmothergreatgrandmotherteacher can boss around give directions to recalcitrant sisters with the best of them.

But his second request gave me pause. 

"Any assistance in helping Paisley with the girls, especially Friday night, is helpful as well. She will have things managed, but an extra set of hands never hurts."

Wait a minute. How could I do that? I'd be setting up Friday night and doing it without the help I've had in the past. 

But you know, we bigsistersmomsofsixgrandmothersgreatgrandmothersteachers are well used to thinking on our feet and coming up with creative ideas and solutions. And I think I came up with something that will be helpful to Paisley, make the girls happy, and be useful throughout the weekend even when I am not there with Paisley in person to help.

Grabbing a couple of the more brightly colored block print fabric remnants and some paper, back to the sewing room I went. 

I drew a pattern, cut it out and made a child sized pocket.

Using 1/4" twill tape, I ran it through the top, and then secured it right in the middle with some stitches so that the girls would not accidentally pull the tape all the way through. (Paisley did not need to worry about fixing her child's pocket in the middle of the event!)

I was really happy with the so-called practice pocket; it's now one that I will give the girls.

The second pocket turned out equally well, and again, I secured the twill tape so they would not come out. (Adults have been known to pull the twill tape out of their pockets, too.)

Bonus: I played bobbin chicken with the second child's pocket and I won!

Pockets finished, I then got busy with the next part of the plan to help Paisley with the girls.

Off I went to do a little shopping.

This was going to be fun.

Stay 'tooned.

18th Century Riding Habits: Piecemeal & Apace

"Piecemeal" is a good word for describing the sewing of the two riding habits. There are so many individual pieces that go into the construction of each one, some of which have to be completed before others can be started, while others can be finished individually and then await final stitching. 

My head is spinning! 

To help me with this massive project, I texted my sister and asked if I could run up to her farm and borrow some of her habits.

An armload of her jackets and waistcoats (pronounced "WES-kits) temporarily piled on the back of my living room couch. 

Seeing how they are constructed has been an enormous help to me as I figure out this pattern. (The more I get into the sewing, the more missing steps I am finding.)

Now I have riding habits piled on couches and hanging in closets, but I am so glad to have them to refer to.

Aside from the hems, the petticoats are finished. 

One of the habits is for Teacher Daughter Lisa, and she pops in after school for fittings.

I don't like sewing things piecemeal, but because I don't have time to waste, I have to. For example, I finished parts of the the jacket lining (above) but I needed Lisa to try it on for fit before proceeding. Since she can't come until school is out at 3:30, I had to set that aside and work on something else.

Both my sewing and my embroidery machines are getting heavy work outs, sometimes at the same time!

I am embroidering the pockets that will be worn under the riding habits. This 18th century Jacobean flower design has 84,000 plus stitches in it. 

A completed pocket. Pockets are tied around the waist and worn under the petticoat. (These were the forerunner of modern pockets that are sewn into our clothes.)

Another reason things are being made piecemeal is that we still need to choose embellishments and buttons. I have the waistcoat finished; now I need to add the trim (gold or silver?), buttons, and buttonholes. 

But I can't make the buttonholes until I know the size of the buttons.  So, I've set the waistcoat aside and moved onto another part of the habit.

The work continues apace. (A great 18th century word that is very fitting! Er, no pun intended there.) And my mind is spinning with all that I  have to do to finish these habits before October 9. 

Aside from the petticoat, I haven't even begun to work on the jacket and waistcoat of the second one. Any guesses as to who it might be for?