Pirate Kerchieves

These are the kerchieves for two pirates. They are right triangles, the catheti of about 80 cm. Edges were double folded and sewn. Steam iron helped me to get rid of wavy seams that occured mostly at the hypothenuse. Water's always good when fibre stretches :)

They're quite big, but it shouldn't matter. I wanted a black and orange one, I didn't manage to get orange canvas so I'll try to dye it with yellow color and see what will happen. I heard it shouln't work well as it's dyeing to a lighter color, but smeg knows.. :-)

Flame Sock Poi

This time I made a pouch first. When I think out a symbol according to the colour of the pouch I put it there, but recently I'm out of ideas. The sun's always OK :-)

This is poi for a friend of mine. She helped me find a new type, I'm happy as I'm getting bored making the same type of poi several times..
I tried something. I've wondered alredy whether it would be possible to sew from the threads of the fabric you're sewing. This was the perfect occasion as I wanted the "ironing" stitches not to be visible. After several examinations I found the only possible way - I put the thread as the lower one and a normal thread as the upper one. I sewed at the wrong side with the highest possible tension of the upper thread. Worked ;-)

Here they are my sugars. I'm really glad about the idea I and friend discovered. The fire imitation's perfect and I love bright colours at poi! (better don't listen to this narcissistic flow)

Green Trousers

New task. To make two pairs of trouser, two shirts and some accessories for a couple of pirates. I beginned with the trousers.
I simply copied a pair of trousers my boyfriend wears. I narrowed it and you can take a look at the pattern I got. Two mirror pieces of this.

If my camera wasn't an old lemon you could see that I sewed the trouser-legs first. Then I sewed the matching curves together. I serged it all.

I double folded the leg's end with help of my iron, then folded inside and sewed. I ironed the waistline like this and made a buttonhole before sewing. I pulled a gum inside through it.

This is it. When he tucks the legs in his high shoes it will look like a turkish sort of pants..

Twisted Gold

A friend of mine asked me to make her a hairdo for historical dance as she has her headcover broken. She gave me only a bunch of golden cords and a comb. I put the cord aside and started to twist her hair. I was attaching the "rope" to other hair only for five centimeters. Then I twisted braids separately.

I tied them at the back with a piece of cord. I took a longer one and as she was holding it on the forehead as a crown I took a head pin and pierced the cord with it so that I could use it as a needle. I tucked the cord in a reverse direction under the braids and tied.I had one piece from the first knot and two that I'd just gained. I took two cords as one and crossed the rest below the braids three times. Tied.

Suits her:)

Gothic Pointed Hat

One more headcover I had to make. The poined hat should have a coiffe under it.
When trying to find the right pattern I looked like a Roman soldier. From metal that would be a nice helmet:-D

When I eventually did it (I hate that work) the pattern looked like this. I marked the wished direction of the canvas threads. There were two possible directions od the binding, I chose the left one.

The pattern's upper part in fact turned out a part of circle with its ends bent a bit inside. I sewed it by machine and serged.

For the top not to be sharp I sewed a mm from the stitched line. It's kind of ironing that lasts:-)

The edges had to be done in hand. I double-folded them and brought the needle sheer to the fabric and repeated so that it would create diagonal stitches around.

The hat. It took me a lot of time to make this pattern. And a lot of nerves. Eventually I just took the coiffe pattern, made it bigger and with the sharp corner and added the lower triangle.

I cut it four times - twice from black velvet and twice from a rough gunny fabric that should keep the hat's shape. The gunny was outside when I sewed it.

I sewed the top similarly to the coiffe, but at both sides cause it was too thick. I liked the result:-)

I did the same from a piece of gold fabric and sewed these two similar pieces together as you can see in the picture. Then I turned it over and hand-sewed the hole. I added a decorative black lace and found out that I didn't fancy attaching the two layers of fabric in hand so that the inner gold wouldn't go out.

The hat mustn't be forced down on the head because it would wrinkle at the top line. It rather floats above head:-D

Beret Finishing

I took the band I'd made and had to do something with the ends for them not to unweave. I brought a needle like this so that the cords kept their position.

Then I laid one half of the thread down the band and twisted the other one around it all until it was fully covered. Then I made a knot. Nice:)

I attached the ends with some four or so black stitches. I also joined some of the big beads to the fabric with single stitches.

I liked the gold twisting and did the same with my feathers. I also sewed it to the beret and covered with a tissue so that the feathers couldn't interfere with my broidery.

I planned to add a gem bordered with sisha. It's funny that I had to see my own post to remember how to work it:-)
You can notice that I first marked the points where needle should pass because placing the gem on such a scraggy surface wasn't comfortable at all, so I did some of the stitches and then inserted it inside.

There's the result. Not the best one, but I gained some experience again:)

And I can't resist adding a photo of my model as a super-cool wild rapper in a beret :-P

Machine Gryffins

Surcoats should have gryffin sings on them. I spied at a dressmaker and found out how to make velvet applications.
I bought vliselin (fusible web) . After ironing it sticks. I ironed one piece on the velvet so that if wouldn't fray when I cut the shape. Then I took other piece and drew the picture on it (reverse).

I put these two one on the other, not glued sides together, and sewed along the line. I gained a lot of experience during this as I'd always sewn just rather straight lines :)
Mum bought me a special marker that disappears after some time, that's why you can't see the drawing (you could notice that it didn't fully match what's sewn :-D ). Then I cut it a mm from the stitches.

A gryffin prepared to become an application should look like this, if you don't look at the tail. This was my first piece and I reverted it wrong so that I didn't have enouhg space for this member:)

Ironed on the surcoat. I didn't move the iron over it, I rather laid it on the fabric several times not to affect the tiny segments. The main ironing took part from the wrong side.

Then the most demanding. Machine embroidery (I'd never thought I'd be able to do any).
If you pass the main need for this (experience and craft) I have several tips for those who'd like to try. When you want to turn and sew back, about 360°, don't forget that you'll get the needle on the wrong side - it will start sewing next to your line. You should bring the needle up and move the footer.

I had to sew tiny parts with sharp points. At things like claws I sewed faster so that there weren't a lot of threads and I didn't get stuck on a place. It doesn't matter because you sew back at these places and the stitches are doubled. When you accidentaly stay on one place you can temporarily increase the length of stitches (but carefully). Or you can just use your power to get it out, then it's better if you don't hold the fabric near the application, it could crouch unrepairably around it.

The fast arcs are done like tank driving. One hand on the fabric is moved forward and one backward in a circle around the needle. The faster you go backwards the smaller the arc.

Long curves can be done almost with one finger. You stick it to the fabrick behind the needle and a bit to the left or right. When you sew you can watch the fabric turning in elegantly. At the back of the creature in the shape of S I used this finger method, changing the fingers without stopping sewing.

When you sew you should have a little space left at the edge, the application can fray and your hand can shake, it's nice when no fabric's visible at the outer side of stitches (which I didn't manage to do everywhere).

Hooray, after several days they are completed!

The one in the center was a trial. I may use it for something else:)

Winding Braids

This is a hairdo I'm proud of as not all of my creations are beautiful to other people:)

I started with two Dutch braids. I split my hair in two halves and combed them. If you comb your hair in the direction it should end up, you can pick strands from it moving them as little as possible to get a neat updo. I braided near the lower end of hair and didn't add hair at the lower part of the braid.

I crossed the braids, twisted them like this and pinned at the center of each ring and at the end. Pins are hidden under the Dutch braiding.

"New" Recorder and Its Case

I have an old recorder, it has stains on itself where no paint's anymore. I decided to make a nicer one from it, that I could play at historical actions (with the old version I wouldn't dare:-) ).
So I took a knife and pretended I was peeling potatoes. It's preferable to follow the direction of the wooden threads.

When I finished, I rubbed in some almond oil and wiped clean. She looks great!

And as it's not so protected as when it was painted I've sewn a case for it. I took two long rectangles (the green one's from two parts just because I didn't have enough fabric). It was black duvetine and green cotton canvas. I sewed along the upper, right and lower edge.

Then I turned it over a sewed the open side. I folded it like this and sewed along the two sides. Now to the fastening.

I used press buttons for the first time in my life :-) I took these two button parts, bent the something over the desired place and hammered. Then I did the same for the other two, I just had to add a small plastic circle to the white thing before hammering.

Doesn't she look like a baby from my shawm? :-D

Breeches

While on a workshop of sewing and tabletweaving and so, one boy asked me to make him a pair of breeches. The leader of the workshop helped me with a pattern, which was very easy.
Two rectangles of the width of the thigh's perimeter, one about 8 cm. The future user showed me the desired length of the leg, then I measured the distance between his something and the lower end of the trouser-leg.

Then it was easy. Hand-sewn, the seams folded to look like French seams (I pressed it flat, folded the two parts to the middle axis and put together, pinned) and covered with a serging stitch.

The hole for a string has been buttonhole stitched, which I'm not particularly good at yet :-) At the sides I was changing the position of the thread slightly because of the rough fabric - so that it wouldn't fray out.

The breeches. Nice, simple, fast:-) By the way, I didn't fold the lower edge, it was the end of the canvas (on purpose).