Back on track with the gloves

After practising some impressive acts of procrastination, I'm back on track with my gloves. I managed an eight hour session yesterday and four earlier today with the embroidery. I finished a bunch of pearls and lots of the purl on the center tabs of the first gauntlet. I'm going for some more time with the embroidery, though I may switch to the other frame and work on the background embroidery.
I also have the first of several books for glove making. It's the mainstream version of glove making, but I believe it's a good starting point. I also took some sample measurements from the gloves in the glove museum. I bumped the images up to match my wrist measurement and went from there. I have some other notes on the design basics of the gloves so later this week I should be able to sit down and plan out the gloves. I have also thought that I should try and make a model of my hand to work the fittings on. So far I'm thinking a frame work of dowel rods with a sand fill that fits into the duct tape double that I will make off of my right hand. Maybe for my display I might try one of those kits for making plaster casts of baby hands. I just can't see working with the plaster casts, the way the stuff flakes, leaves dust behind, not to mention the possibility of accidentally dropping and breaking the thing.
I also have the bobbin drawings to make up the templates for turning later this week with Mom, so things are moving along.

Still procrastinating, but in a good way

For some reason getting the embroidery out of the back of the car and into the office has been difficult for me the last two days. I spent my lunch time reviewing the Jane Bostocke sampler for patterns for the supply bags that will go into the sewing basket. I had pulled the V&A's photo of the sampler and it was too blurry to get any details. It just so happen that I had the photos from the trip on the iPod. I went through the photos and found a couple that I thought would work well. One was particularly intriguing with strapwork that is partially filled in with pearls and black beads. that one is perfect for the pearl bag. In looking at it closer, it has the center diamond filled with goldwork or should I call it laid couch work, over gold and silver threads, since the laid thread is nearly black on one (probably tarnished silver) and the other less so, which indicates it is gilted silver thread. That fits the whole of the rest of the project! I have to find something with a bee for the beeswax, and I think the strawberry patch with spangles through in will complete that set. The scissor case may be came the sheath made of the fine leather (scraps from the gloves) with a bit of embroidery.
It also occurred me that while we're turning lace bobbins, I should do some for the floss and maybe even a needlecase. I don't know, maybe I need two days with the lathe with Mom.
Anyway, lots of things to look at and plan. I did get the embroidery out of the car tonight and right after dinner, I should be able to do something finally.

King's College over

So the event is over, and I think it went well. There wasn't anyone, well, one late comer, to the bobbinlace class. I think that had a lot to do with the timing, first thing in the morning, having a sign-up and all that. Mistress Charla was the late comer and we had a chance to talk about bobbinlace stuff, it was nice. It would have been more fun to make bobbins, but you take what you can. The next two classes, the corset fitting and the rectangular construction ones were packed, beyond the ten person limit that I had set. It was a good thing. the Artist class was also well attended, more than I thought it might be. I had way less material that I needed for an hour presentation. it took a little more than a half hour and we did discuss things a bit as well. It was a good discussion, but yes, I needed more material. and lastly, the peaspod class. That was not packed, but I had five - six people and it went smoothly. We even went to the hall afterwards and I worked with several to help them get the ladder stitch. I didn't think it was a difficult stitch, but apparently, more so than I knew.

Now, I have time to take a breathe and get back to work on the gauntlets. They are calling for classes for the 30th year event. I'm tempted, but I think I should focus on my current project. Same thing with the achievement, I'd love to do it, but I think I should focus, focus focus!!!

One thing that is coming to mind, is the Artisan pavilion. That's the idea I had a while ago, of setting up a pavilion, having artisans to gather together to work, do classes, displays, things like that. I think rather than try to get it going after I have the parts together, I should try talking with some other people to get it started. I figure I need to talk with both artisans and laurels. I figure, with sponsorship of a few laurels, we can really make this work. So it becomes important for me to go to 30th year, even if I'm not presenting or fighting or anything else.

I'm going to crash now, still trying to catch up on rest I missed last week, and tomorrow at lunch I'll be embroidering once again!!

pictures of the gauntlets

I played with the bobbinlace again last night and ignore the embroidery, except for taking a few photos of the recent work.

This is the most complete one. (please ignore the toes, I was having a difficult time finding good lighting that wouldn't wash out the piece. There is a problem with working with white silk...)

The section to the far left is mostly done. There are a few more pearls to be added to the pink flower and the little circle still needs it's goldwork and pearls. once all the rest of it is done, I'll be adding tendrils, and spangles, which I still have to make, but since it's one of the last things to do, that's not a problem, yet.

This is the other gauntlet, with primarily the silkwork done, and just a bit of goldwork started. Those big coiling lines are with Grecian twist, something I inherited from a friend. After this project I am hesitant to use it again. It took forever to work! It's beautiful now that it is done, but it won't be my first choice in the next project.

well, now I am off to work on class stuff. I have my schedule of classes I'm teaching and I am booked every hour except one, sort of a lunch break, except, that's when the other lady is teaching bobbinlace making and I wanted to audit that class. sigh, food or lace?

Remember why you're playing with bobbinlace

This is one of the gloves with the painting pattern all done, ready for embroidery. I have currently completed all the motifs that are anything but "gold" on both gauntlets. I almost have the first two tabs complete on the first gauntlet. The purl takes a lot of time to do...

I still can't get the maiden net pattern, and rather than spend more time on it right now, I'm reminding myself that the reason I'm doing this lace at all is to make a trim for the gloves. I have already mastered a simple braid pattern that is charted from the extant gloves, so I don't need this net at this time. I need to learn to do picots and I think I could start to play with the real thing. Well, it wouldn't hurt to learn how to do a fan or spiders, those look like the lace patterns of the period, so those would be good to know.

Tonight I'll set up a basic training pattern on paper that I can pierce and work with, with fans, spiders, whatever filler I need, and, hopefully, picots. I have clear tape to cover the paper so it will last a while. I did find that both the tool I was hoping would work as a pricker and the cork I'd picked up for a pricking board, worked well for the job. The biggest problem I had there was telling if I'd got all the holes.

Well, off to work on more purl on the gloves. It is slowly coming together and I'm really enjoying it.

bobbinlace!

I was good at the meeting last night and worked on the silver leaves on the second gauntlet, so that work is starting to happen. it wasn't a lot, but every little bit... It was late and I was tired when I got home so I didn't want to pull it out again, so I picked up the bobbinlace stuff. I mean the pillow is right there and, and... next thing I knew it was after midnight and I could barely hold my eyes open! I figured out another ground stitch, one I had already did, though I didn't have a name for it and started on another, being maiden's net? I got the first line of the pattern done, but could tell the next wasn't working so I undid that which was wrong and left it for tonight. I am finding it very easy to pick up, though I still feel like what I've done so far is rather...messy? not as tight as it could be? Still, it's fun. I also now have four sets of bobbins on the cookie pillow. I figure that I should leave all of them on the pillow, just to show how the different weights work and be available for people to try them out. Since it's all practice pieces and nothing I ever expect to keep I don't have a problem if someone wants to do a few twists or whatever.

yesterday I came up with some ideas on doing some art for the house, involving the SCA/A&S stuff I've done and am doing. The first is a shadow box type thing with a gilded framed copy of Lotto's painting that was the inspiration for Lucretia, with Lucretia sitting off to the side of it. I don't know that I'll include anything else in, but we will see. I also have to determine if there will a background fabric/paint/texture. The second one I'm thinking about is a reproduction of one of the lacemaker paintings, put into a black velvet frame that is wide enough for a lace border to either be tacked or pinned to. The lace strip will then trail to a pillow at the bottom complete with a pins, pricking and bobbins.

anyway, other than putting together the notes for my classes (they are in two weeks!) that's what's on my plate right now.