I’m sure there’s some golden rule of craft blogging – the moment you write a long “I’m going to do all these things!” post then somehow life conspires to ensure doesn’t happen and the blog goes quiet. So, ummm, yeah…

In short: winter happened. August in Sydney was mostly grey and rainy and cold, which often means that I go into hibernation, and we also had a bunch of social commitments on back-to-back weekends that meant that the extensive prepping that’s required to kick off my bigger sewing projects didn’t happen. And then I got sick for 2 weeks – a horrible, I just want to sleep exhaustion, which I’m still shrugging off. Again, not so conducive to the planned projects.

So, here’s some in-progress pics of a couple of things I did work on:

1. A shoe

My first ever shoe – still to be turned

I started on my first ever pair of handmade shoes, blithely insisting that it would only take a weekend… to the amusement of an experienced shoe making friend.

The picture above is the finished left foot, still to be turned. I’m 2/3 of the way through the right foot, although it’s not been touched since mid August. Maybe this weekend…

Then the plan is to get some pattens made, and have a late “Great Outdoors” HSF 14 challenge entry.

2. A woven napkin

One of the events we attended in August offered a 2 hour “weave your own napkin” workshop. It was very therapeutic, and I’m really happy with the results. It still needs to have its edges finished and then to be fulled in warm water. Task for October methinks. Certainly before Fields of Gold (the next major event we’re going to)

First ever non-tablet-woven item, with beginnings of first ever piece of German brick stitch embroidery

3. A piece of German brick stitch embroidery

I’ve been wanting to try this embroidery style for YEARS, but never had the chance. At the same event that the weaving workshop occurred I offered to run a “let’s work out how to do this stitch together” workshop, which was great fun, and meant I actually started. You can see the beginnings of it in the above photo.

I turned up with a kit for participants worth $15, including even weave linen fabric and 3 packets of silk thread, and some patterns printed from and then we started, helping each other through assumptions, techniques and trouble shooting. This style is not very appropriate for 1500s Low Countries gear, so will probably be gifted to someone.

4. Re-making a kirtle

This needs to be remade…

In 2012 I made a 1480s style kirtle out of some gorgeous gold linen, and apart from that obligatory magical first yay it’s finished! wearing I’ve never been entirely happy with it.

The sleeve head is too large for the armscrye, I’m a bit over the train which needs to be tucked up (part of the design), I want a couple of contrasting colours in there, the back is pleated in a weird way with a longer that necessary back waist seam, I boned the front edge incorrectly and the lining doesn’t work for me. But I love the linen and the cut through the bodice and I think it’s salvageable. So I pulled it apart. Entirely.

I’ve since purchased a burnt orange lining fabric, and a fawn coloured brocade to create a deep edge on the hem, and as soon as I have time to lay it out then it will be cut out, sewn back up again and become the late entry for the Yellow HSF 14 challenge. And a dress that I can love again.