Loes Hinse Gore Skirt Revisited

It has been at the very least ten years since I last sewed this skirt.  I'm not even certain the pattern is sold any more - I couldn't easily find a website for Loes Hinse any longer. But I still own several of her patterns. This is Loes Hinse Gore Skirt which comes in several variations, with or without godets. I chose to do the four godet skirt and have tried to give a close up of the inserts, but it's difficult with black on black. 

I made it in a stable knit, lighter weight than a ponte.  This skirt is beautifully drafted. The godets go in like a dream. I stitched on my machine first and then serged the edges. Everything fits like a puzzle. The top of the skirt is done with 1" elastic. I had to take about five inches off the length of the pattern as I'm only 5'2" and it was way too long otherwise. I made it up in medium and am thrilled with the result. It's not so easy finding quality skirts these days and I'm much more comfortable in a skirt than pants. I'll be making it in a lighter weight for the summer.

 

One Very Free Elephant

I'm continuing with the Ann Wood 100 Day Stitch Challenge and I am actually very surprised that I've stuck it out this long. I have always loved slow stitch but never done it. I also tend to be quite rigid and don't particularly like staring at a blank page. But here I am coming up on forty days. 

I love elephants and I love the moon so I thought I would combine the two in one of my pages. My first stab at drafting the composition is below.

So many of the striking elephant drawings have the elephant decked out in rich fabrics across his back and on his head and around his ankles. I had a beautiful piece of brocade that was a perfect match. However, I asked a very young family member if she liked it with or without the blanket. After a considerable time thinking, her response was, 'It depends, is your elephant free or in captivity?'

Naturally I was horrified to think I would be responsible for a captive elephant, so here is my finished page - one very free elephant!

 

New Stitch Book Page - Loss

 I lost a younger sister and brother over the past eighteen months so on one of my slow stitch pages I wanted to reflect grief. I've taken a heart and torn it (the way a mourner's ribbon is torn rather than cut. I then placed the heart together with mesh to represent that, although it may be mended, it will not be whole again. In the bottom left I've stitched a triskelion, or triple spiral. In Celtic it can represent birth, death, and rebirth. 

100 Day Stitch Book

 This year I decided that I wanted to try more hand stitching, and I wanted it to be random rather than purchasing a scene and following explicit directions. It is a big departure for me since I am a garment and home dec sewer primarily. I  never think of myself as being creative in the artsy sense but I really want to explore that side.

I have followed Ann Wood Handmade for a while now and each year she invites sewers to do a 100 Day Stitch Book. The goal is to stitch for 15 minutes a day, certainly more if you are so inclined. And, she encourages you to just start without a lot of expectations of where to go, rather pursue a sort of stream of consciousness with your thread. Of course, she does encourage you to be prepared with your pages cut and your threads and fabric pieces chosen ahead. 

So, I have dived in. I have a theme in mind, though I may stray. I want to have my pages reflect home and family and things that are important in my life. For my first page I decided to stitch a sort of representation of the Pemigewasset River outside our condo in Lincoln. For the river I used a handmade paper (not by me) and I softened it by kneading it with my hands oiled a bit with coconut oil. The paper has holes in it which, in my mind, represent the river rocks. I decided to add the tree, stamped in ink, and stitched just a  bit. 

I'm not sure I'll do a book with it. I may just have some of them hanging around my studio space so I have backed my piece and joined them with the blanket stitch. The linen in the piece is a piece of old French linen, so it is very slubby. I'm not unhappy with my first try.

February on the Pemigewasset - View From My Window

 

Pillows!

I haven't used the embroidery attachment to my machine in so long, I was afraid I was getting rusty. Below are two pillow I did for Christmas. The first, St. Nicholas, embroidered on vintage French linen, was a hostess gift for a special sister who hosted Christmas this year. The back is a soft velvet with one of my favorite hidden zipper applications. 

The "Jack" pillow is for a grand nephew. The embroidery combines designs from Hatched in Africa, their African Jewels collection. 

I very seldom follow recommendations for thread, I use whatever I have at hand that appeals to me, though I did stick to all rayon for St. Nicholas. On children's pillows, I like to use regular cotton thread since it is likely to get washed and dried, and I think it stands up better to wear and tear.  

Where Have All The Bloggers Gone?

 I got away from my sewing blog during a busy time in my life and when I came back, sadly I couldn't find many of the sewing and other creative blogs I used to follow. I have noticed lately that many of them have moved over to Instagram which I understand, but it makes me sad. I find Instagram reminds me of little, fast-moving sound bites, unlike the blogs which felt like a community that you could visit with over a cup of coffee. I've decided to try to come back to blogging and find others of like mind. I need a break from the fast lane! 

Another thing I have noticed is that when I want to look at one of the blogs I used to follow, I am forced to click on a redirect to get there. Anyone know if there's a solution to that. I've tried to find answers on the internet but haven't yet been successful.

Peace