Wool processing

On the wool front — I am reserving one big bag of wool (probably three or four fleeces) unwashed for a workshop in September, but besides that, I have 6 fleeces on what I hope is their final soak (that is determined by how nasty the water is after an hour - if it still looks like mud, it gets clean water, if t looks clean enough, I call it done) and ONE that needs to be skirted and washed. 

ONE more fleece!!!! 

Yea!!!! Because I have doctor tomorrow, and I want to not have to do lots of bending and lifting after that. 

Random thoughts.

Something to keep in mind. On a group I am a member of, just posted a handspun/handwoven/handsewn dress they had made. It’s incredibly simple, but beautiful. However, this is what screamed out of me. 

It took 180 spinning hours, 100 weaving hours, and 15 cutting/sewing hours. 

And she specifically says that does not count the hours it took to spin the sewing thread she used.  And that does not even take into account hours spent raising/caring for the livestock who produced the fiber. 

———

Now, I’m willing to allow that if this was a person who did these processes since she was a little kid, she might have been faster, but...

When you are thinking about the prices/relative cost of garments before the industrial revolution, think of that many hours of labor going into ANY garment. 

Wow.

Wool continues

All the fleece I have washed.  That’s only 4 of the 13 bags I brought home. Oh my!   I’m taking the day to do some inside stuff, and to let the fleeces dry so I can can start picking and carding on Monday.   

But yeh, four out of 13 bags done. Not even half. Are you sure you don’t want to come by and pick up some to save me from this?     

Ok, now inside I need to clean bathrooms, run the vacuum, wash sheets and other laundry, clean my kitchen... oh my! At least the air conditioning is lovely.

   #wool #woolcleaning #woolcleaning2019

Christmas stockings in July

Oh, and last week I started (and finished!) making these Christmas stockings after the sample from Kathy to model the stocking Betsy’s and Kathy’s mom made for them when they were little. And Betsy’s disintegrated a few years ago. So Kathy wanted a replacement for Betsy. So I made it for Betsy and Dad. 

I also lined them! Betsy said they will take better pictures later. 

Linen weaving project

Last week at weaving we planned my very first weaving project with linen, and today I measured out the 704 warp threads. 

First day of wool cleaning 2019

So... here is the pile of wool from Jacquie.  There are 10 bags, some very large, some small. The small ones are labeled “Shetland”, “babydoll” and “Flower”. 

I pulled out Bag 1, it had three (A,B, and C) fleeces. 

The two big fleeces (A and B) are fairysoft and don’t have much hair. I mostly just skirted out the dirtiest parts. 

—-

And then as I managed to get those three into the bins to soak overnight. I’ll do the actual washing tomorrow. 

Red, White, and Royal Blue

I like reading romances. I think it started because I wanted HAPPY, and the romance genre is partially defined as having a HEA(or at least a HEfornow), and I liked how people (women most frequently) who are frequently presented in media as not having agency almost always have agency. It tends to be a genre written for women by women which frankly makes me happy. I grew up reading science fiction and fantasy, and while there are SOME women authors, it is a field that seemed to be primarily by men for men.  I was so happy when I discovered the vast array of what romance contained.  

Now, I have developed some STONG frustrations with the field of romance novels, but I still primarily choose my reading material from it. And I was incredibly happy when m/m stories started being included. Some of my favorite authors primarily write these stories. Happy (or at least happily ending) stories about MORE people, how wonderful.  And I would love to read some stories that include people who have a similar mindset to me, I thought that would not be long become as popular, right?

However, I have, over the last little while developed a stong dissatisfaction with so much of the m/m field. They present themselves as queer friendly, where what they are is MALE queer people. But the only choices for women in many of these works is to be sexually interested in men.   There is such little representation of queer people who were born/raised female.

  I think it is absolutely absurd to deem something queer friendly or representative when only men are represented.   I love Cat Sebastian’s stories but my frustration with this boiled over when I was reading her books. Which is not to say her’s is the only one that I see this in, but it raised my boiling point. 

However, the book I just finished (Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston) where, despite the fact that the main protagonists are men, the women have agency, AND at least one of the main female characters is happily bi, and shows no angst over it. So not only did I get a good story, I found an author who wrote a good story, but she also did not do false inclusiveness. I’m so happy.

https://www.amazon.com/Red-White-Royal-Blue-Novel-ebook/dp/B07J4LPZRN/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=red+white+and+royal+blue&qid=1563231925&s=gateway&sprefix=red+white&sr=8-3

We, Johnny and I arrived here in MO Tuesday so we have been here four full days, very busy.   Aunt J went to great lengths to fulfill Johnny wish to play D+D with a group.  Today is our last day of this visit and their last day of D+D.  I don't play but I've been listening to them from another room and they certainly sound like they are enjoying the game, lots of laughing and thinking out loud.  I think Johnny is enjoying his gaming.  
I'm sitting here waiting for J to come back to put a pin in the hem of pants she made for me.  Very comfortable linen pants with big pockets on the side and the waist is at the right place.  I think I love them.
I finished reading The Midwife, the book for LWV book club.  It was good, interesting stories about the 1950's.  Hard to believe some of the situations were only about 70 years ago.  The world, medicine and technology has changed a lot since then.  I started another book, that is the reading for my church elder circle group, From Age-ing to Sage-ing, it hasn't interested me so far.  I'm only into the third chapter and hoping I get interested soon.  It is maybe too religious/spiritually for me.  I'll continue reading but at this point I'm thinking if it doesn't catch me soon the next few months of Elder circle may not interest me.

Technology thoughts, for two generations, my parents and myself, we worried about how much time our kids spent sitting in front of the TV.  I worried that it would make kids passive learners if they spent too much time watching TV, and that sitting indoors in front of a TV screen they were missing out on outdoor play.  Now I worry that young kids are speeding too much time on their hand held screens.  Some of the same concerns and that they lack interaction with other really people, oh and the violence concern.  I wonder will this be a concern of just one generation or more?  What technology will adults worry about in the future and how it effects the current generation of kids.  I hope I live long enough to see how my grandkids handle social interactions, work requirements for focus, compassion, all that stuff.
Then I was thinking about how technology effects me too.  Like the other day, I was reading a real paper book, and I started to swipe the page to turn it.  I did it several times before giggling at myself. I wonder if I had never had the experience of reading real paper books would I look at it like those young kids trying to figure out how to use a rotary phone before I figured out to turn the page?   Will paper books eventually not be in use?   Will archeological projects dig them up and wonder what they are?
When driving my car, using GPS sometimes I hear the directions, and if I'm not completely paying attention (yes, I know I should be paying attention but sometimes my mind wanders!) and it says turn right, I almost forget to look at the real road signs, or signal lights, and start to turn immediately.  This could be dangerous!  I need to pay attention, esp as I get older although I don't think it is a sign of getting older, I would have done it when I was younger, and I might not have noticed that I did it.
More to come.

Hugo’s Ruff - continues

First off, I completed the stitching on another ruff! This guy has been in the works since last summer, I was going along swimmingly, and then I hurt my shoulder and almost all handsewing projects got pushed aside. It was meant to be a super wide ruff, but I’m thinking that with the gentleman it is for, it might not quite do the “head on a platter” ruff that we were going for. It will be interesting to see. It will need eyelets sewn in the front for fastening, and a very good cleaning, and to be set, but it is much closer to done then it was last weekend! (I still only get about an hour or two of handsewing a day before my shoulder aches too much.) 

Ruff people. I have a question. I thought I have seen in some ruffs a line of stitching (much smaller) kinda like the red dotted line I put in the second picture, mostly to stabilize the ruff part to the neckband. What do you think about that?  #ruff #ruffs #16thcentury #17thcentury #17thcenturyfashion #16thcenturyfashion  #handsewing

Gertie Dress - fabrics

Today’s advice request. I have these two sheets that I’m going to make into sundresses. (Yes, I know there are issues with using sheet fabric, but I love the print on both of them) 

They are both thin enough that they need to be lined, but not with self fabric - the pattern bleeds though. 

I have white linen, or should I get some white cotton? Or should I go with a yellow cotton? Or something else?   or maybe gray or green? 

I am undecided...

(You should be able to see the pattern from the second layer in the first two shots.)

More working on the Gertie Dress

Awful pictures ahead! So, because I’m alone right now, the pinning is not quite right (I changed the dress to side opening so it’s possible for me to do a half assed pinning job), and the photography is sucky. 

But! It looks as close to perfection as I’m likely to get!!! 

I think I could angle the side darts down like 1/2 an inch? Just a little. And I’m a bit worried that while it first perfectly in this incarnation, once I make it in the fashion fabric and line it and put the zipper in and all that, it might be a bit too tight? 

But!!! It is a pretty good fit I think, AND the front of the armholes don’t dig in uncomfortably!   #dressmaking #memade #sewing

Working on the Gertie Dress, finally, Again

Butterick B6556, cut out to a size 18, but with a fba of 1.5inch on each side. Because I seem to have fairly narrow shoulders, so I need to go down a size or two from my bust size, to get the shoulder part of patterns to fit me. 

The main issue is it’s a back opening dress and I don’t want to fuss with that — though I’m VERY tempted to make it side opening.... huh, that would solve my problem with no one to poke me with needles... I might be changing some thing! 

#dressmaking #fitting #sewing #memade