And the side project

The scroll assignment I had to hurry up and do was a Golden Maple Leaf for Aelia Sophia, sweet sister of my heart if not of my blood.  The design is loosely based on the rune stones of the Urnes style.

Almost Finished

Back view

The coat (or garment as the archaeological reports call it) is about 90% finished.  I have about 3" of blanket stitching left on the front panel, about 20 buttons to make, and as many button holes then the outer layer of the challenge will be complete.  Here's a photo dump to show you my progress.  I'm very pleased with how this has turned out.

Hoggar wearing coat front view

a better though sideways view of the same sleeve.

inside view of sleeve and gusset overcast edge finishing of sleeve and shoulder of the coat.

shoulder seam with gusset inside view with detail of the herringbone edge finishing

Quick update before work

Thank goodness for SLUG camp at Harvest War.  I managed to finish 4 out of 6 seams; including edge bindings, on the coat.  I would have gotten more done but I ran out of linen thread and had to run up to The Needle Point Joint on Monday.  I am very pleased with the way these seams are turning out.  Smooth, even and all around COOL.  I'll try to get clear pics up soon. 

I also got a scroll assignment that needs to be done ASAP so I won't be working on ACC this week.  I should be back on track by next week.

My assistant

He also likes to borrow my tape measure and carry it around.    Thank goodness the other one doesn't like to help too.

Sleeves

I've been putting off working on Hoggar's coat for one simple reason.  I really hate sleeves.  I can never get them the right length, the right circumference,  they're too tight in the arm pit, Hoggar's hands won't fit through the opening, WHATEVER!  I repeat I just can't get them right.  Added to that I have to draft a totally wacky pattern that has two main parts and two gussets AND those gussets are no where near the underarm.  Strange. 

With this foreign configuration I pulled out the trusty pattern paper roll and drafted it on that rather than straight on the fabric.  It took about an hour and I had the usual math headache when I was done but the most amazing thing happened as I was sewing it together.  Everything fit together exactly the way is was supposed to.  Easing the sleeve into the arm hole was a breeze.  When Hoggar put it on it fit, well not perfectly, but it was comfortable and not binding around the under arm.  It is totally crazy.

 With the sleeves finished I've completed the drafting process, made a few adjustments and have begun cutting out the wool.  I intend to get that done today and start hand sewing the wool together before work tonight.  Since I'm hand sewing I might be able to (possibly, hopefully, don't curse it) finish this week.

Challenges yet to come

The little tiny guy sitting in the Anasazi Ruins is my nephew Marcus.  If I haven't cornered you and ranted about him you're gonna get it now.  Marcus came into this world at only 25 weeks gestation.While in the NICU he suffered from NEC (basically his intestines tried to rot inside his body; usually it's fatal) and when he came home from the hospital he had a SIDS episode that if my sister weren't awake and proficient in CPR for he would have died then too.  All that in just 16 mos of life.  Despite the poking with needles, the prodding, the constant visits from various specialists Marcus is happy, stubborn, sweet and a general joy to be around.  He has a smile that will light up the room. 

He also has  Muscular Dystrophy.     With the research right now the prognosis is wheel chair by 12, respirator by 30.  So as you're out and about this weekend if you see a fireman holding a boot please throw in your change.  Every penny counts.  Thanks.

Busy busy busy

I haven't been working on my ACC challenge much the past week and a half due to Hoggar's massive boat project.  Last year he brought home a "free to a good home." 1967 Johnson Surfer (that's a boat for those who don't know what I'm talking about) that had a few engine problems.  In the process of fixing the engine and checking it out he found the floatation foam to be full of water.  When the boat lived in Arizona water in the foam isn't a problem except for the extra weight the boat was carrying.  In Utah, where it freezes in the winter, a cracked hull is the inevitable result of any water trapped in a boat.  So he gutted the boat and waited for spring to start restoring it.

Jump ahead to this past wet cold spring that lasted until June....  We were planning on taking the boat down to Lake Powell for the annual Whole Famdamily Vacation and because the weather wasn't cooperating Hoggar was very behind on getting the new floor for the boat fiberglassed, the new floatation foam put in, the engine(which had been stored at a lovely place called Hansen's Marine.  I highly recommend them.) put back in etc etc etc in time for the trip.  So this past month I've spent more time learning how to fiberglass, play with two part expanding foam, and general boat building that I never planed on learning in my whole life.

FYI the boat did make it down to the lake and even got on the water; with mixed results but here are a few fun pictures of what happens when fiberglass resin goes horribly wrong.

 

 

When resin kicks too soon

brains

 

stuck brushes.

The damn boat at Lake Powell.

And so it begins...

Today I managed to get started on the coat for the ACC.  The final product will be a dark grey wool coat with all seams hand stitched with dark grey linen thread.  The seams will then be finished and reinforced with a herringbone stitch.  If things work out the way I plan it will also be lined with a lighter grey linen.  The extant garment (fragments) were not lined but I'm using the grey linen as part of the pattern drafting process so I might as well make a light weight version of the coat or line the wool with the linen.

the dark shaded area is the actual garment fragments.

I went from this

to this

Getting that far was a bit of a hassle.  Firstly the pattern in the book is on a 1:5 scale with everything in centimeters; this involves math and math is not a good friend of mine, and secondly although Varia taught me sewing by zen I still get lost on silly things like remembering to add seam allowance to the pattern.

Finally I got to this.



I still have sleeves to draft and cut out but that can wait until after I check ease of movement in the armpit area. 

I'll be using the machine to baste the pieces, fit it to Hoggar for adjustments, take it apart to cut the wool and we'll see what happens after that.

Photos of extant garments for the ACC

Sock with attached foot.

Coat from excavation.  The dark brown material is the actual piece found.  The other is part of the restoration.

Hat found at excavation

Getting started

This is more of a test than anything else.  Over the next few days I'll be posting information on the costuming project I'm going to be working on for the Artemisian Costuming Challenge.  I will be making an oufit for Ron/Hoggar as he's half the man he used to be.  I'll be starting with the outer garment required in the challenge.  A coat from the 1921 excavation at Herjolfsnes Greenland.  As soon as I can figure it out I'll post a picture of the extant garment.