Not black blackwork!

I’ve done some more on my blackwork sample piece that’s not black, which I started with Liz Almond at the Spring Gathering a couple of weeks ago. The central motif was relatively simple to be able to spot mistakes before doing very much, and it was obvious which stitches were the ones that needed unpicking. The little square motif below was not so easy, in spite of looking small and simple. The diagonal stitches threw me a couple of times. There are four….. one down, three more to go!

Every time that I thought I’d cracked it, I made a silly mistake, so there was quite a lot of unstitching. Even on the fourth corner, I managed to do two stitches over three threads instead of three stitches over two threads. It looks right, the pattern is right, it joins up and nobody has spotted it (yet) until I’ve managed to find it again and point it out. So I’ve left it. I’d already finished off a thread and started a new one before I realised.

I then ended up spending quite a long time on Liz’s website, and reading a couple of blackwork books. I’m still struggling to make decisions on how to progress my Blackwork Palace Project which continues in Finished bubbles and more.

I thought I’d shown a photo of the outline finished, but it seems not. It stalled again here, which was one of the reasons I chose to do Liz’s workshop.

It will be in shades of blue, and I’ve gathered various threads.

I also looked at Sarah Homfray’s blackwork on YouTube. Some very useful basics, such as starting in the middle of each area to be blocked in, both vertically and horizontally, so patterns look even. She demonstrates how to work various diapers (patterns). This is the beginning of one of the patterns from Liz, but worked in one colour rather than two that she’d used. It’s come on slowly, but I think it will work for one of the towers.

I’ll test out at least three more diapers between the corners. In spite of taking the hoop off each time I finish working, the fabric is marking, so I intend to put the castle on a rectangular frame before continuing with it.

Dress progress

I’ve made progress on several projects this week. Nothing finished, yet, but optimistically hoping to finish my shard for Linconshire Textiles tonight!

The sari fabric dress has moved on considerably. It was just as well I’d waited for Alicia to come for a fitting of the lining before continuing with it, because the fit was just as on the mannequin, but one deep breath and the seams would have burst. It certainly went on Alicia more easily, but the lack of flexibility of the mannequin had made it tricky to get it on and off. She was delighted with it, the flow of the style and the Procion dyed colour of the lining.

I let the seams out, except on the centre front and centre back. The large stitches made them easy to unpick once I’d re-stitched with a smaller seam allowance of 3/8″ rather than the standard 5/8″ in dress-making, so gaining three inches overall and allowing for movement, and a good dinner.

Then for the scary bit, to cut out the sari fabric. Definitely measure twice and cut once, with lots of checking, no going back once I’d started cutting. It looks as if there is a lot of wastage, but the skirt is very full on the centre panels front and back, and I opted to have the pieces all going in the same direction, in spite of there not being an obvious nap or one way design on the blue. It did feel slightly smoother stroking in one direction. The fabric is in two folded down the length pieces. I’ve allowed as much as possible at the bottom of each piece, in case we opt to make it longer.

I finally plucked up courage to cut it out.

Then, to put in a concealed zip. I don’t think I’ve put one in before, maybe a sample, but even that was a very long time ago (35 plus years at least). I had a quick look at YouTube and the first one that popped up was by Angela Wolf “How to Sew an Invisible Zipper Step by Step”. Sorry I can’t get it to link, but it was really good and very clear instructions.

She recommends an invisible zipper-foot, which I don’t have, but she said it could be done with an ordinary zipper-foot. Once it was pressed it looked ok, but once you move you could see it, and the bottom wasn’t quite right.

For a bit of advice, we took it to run past Janet, who showed us one that she’d done. It really was invisible, just looks like a seam. She has an Jenome invisible foot that looked as if it would fit my Brother machine, and I could borrow that. We also talked through my other uncertainties, which stopped me from trying to solve them in my head at 3.30 a.m. like the previous night, but yet to try them.

The foot works a treat, when you have the seam open in the right way! Fortunately the fabric was forgiving and hasn’t left a row of holes. The zip is in at last. Five lines of stitching when it really only needed two! The first two with the ordinary zipper foot worked as tacking stitches and, left in, will stop any fraying. It was only the third row that needed unpicking. The rest of the back seam was stitched (right side, see below) with a pretty invisible zip (on the left). Ok, it needs a bit more pressing, but I was pleased with it for a first attempt.

There was limited time before Alicia was going home, and I wanted to get the seams joined so that I could check the fit. I repeated the 3/8″ seams except on the centre front and back, which again are 5/8″. I joined the shoulders to check for fitting, knowing that I would need to undo them again to neaten all the seams. I finished with 10 minutes to spare, the bobbin ran out on the second shoulder seam….. but no, the top thread had broken!

There was just time to put it all on to check the fit. The lining appears inside out, as it has to be put on first, and the temporary zip done up from the inside. Then the dress goes over the top. It fits really well.

It needs a good press. There’s still a way to go yet: the seams neatening, the modesty panel at the front sorting out, the dress attaching to lining at the neck and armholes, and the hems on both layers. But at least I can now continue with it.