Jun 16, 2012
So what on earth led me into this gold work phase? We could start with my first trip to Tunisia in the 80s, when a friend’s mom dressed me up in traditional wedding clothes of Ksibet El Medouni.
Each town in Tunisia had its own bridal style. If you’re from Hammamet, you’d wear the Hammamet style wedding clothes. If you’re from Ksibet El Medouni, you’d of course wear something like this. There are many layers to their traditional clothing, which is topped with a long woven “malia” (this link gives you an idea of the variation of styles). Two things are common to all Tunisian bridal wear: jewelry and gold work.
This summer, I’m going to a formal wedding in Beirut. They are a lovely couple… so cute to see how excited they are about bringing their lives together. I’d love to wear something that reflects my ties to Tunisia. Goldwork certainly would be lovely.
Having perused all of those lovely books, I decided that whatever I make should definitely be something that I can wear again. This means real gold is out. Never fear, I’ve already started imagining a couple of projects where I’ll use the real thing. I have a dark teal silk mix fabric in my stash. Metallic machine embroidery on a “fouta et blousa” style two pieces ensemble is the thought of the moment.
Ok, I don’t think I’ll get this fancy, but step back and let your imagination wander
So think of me this weekend, making the muslin, playing with stabilizers and putting my sewing machine to work.
Jun 8, 2012
A variety of currents sent me scurrying to the library looking for books on goldwork embroidery. For those of you not familiar with the term, it refers to metallic embroidery of many genres. There’s a rich history of metals in embroidery, and of course, technology makes many of these materials accessible to the everyday embroiderer. My library system had several books with Western historic and contemporary perspectives.
"New Ideas in Goldwork" by Tracy Franklin
"18th Century Embroidery Techniques" by Gail Marsh
I also enjoyed reading Virginia Churchill Bath’s “Embroidery Masterworks: Classic patterns and techniques for contemporary applications.” And of course, even though it’s not gold work, this was irresistible:
Crewel and Surface Embroidery Designs by Trish Burr
Once this was gobbled up, I couldn’t resist and bought a copy of:
I’ve got a couple of projects in mind, and I’ve been trolling the Kreinik, Superior Threads and Berlin Embroidery sites for supplies. Mary Corbett has some interesting posts about her Tudor Rose goldwork project. Oh, dear, I feel a wave of metal embroidery coming on…
Jun 6, 2012
A barometer of culture and class, fashion has always reflected our values. The textiles in your life are, in essence, a reflection of your style and a statement of time and place. One of today’s guests on the WBUR On Point radio highlighted just how true this is.
Elizabeth Cline, author of “Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion” was today’s guest. Her travels in Asia, researching the factories and lifestyles of those who produce much of the world’s inexpensive clothing, resulted in a not surprisingly dismal report. It is all quite obvious…. how else can shirts sell for less than $20 or shoes at the same price? I haven’t read the book, but it appears that her analysis is on target, and it will be interesting to see how the larger manufacturers, retailers and fashion media respond to her journalism.
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this come up in public discourse. Last month, at the Common Cod Fiber Guild, Clara Parkes of the Knitter’s Review spoke about a Texas company which has become the last remaining large fleece processing plant in the US. She spoke of disappearing small lot dye houses. She reminded us that many of our favorite US yarn brands are simply distributors of products milled increasingly in China (although South America, Italy and Turkey still have a big stake in the game). She also shared some of the stellar U.S., British and European yarn brands who are holding on against the tide.
You are what you wear and what you create. Choose carefully.
Roving braids seen at the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival
May 10, 2012
Has anyone figured out how to create an additional 6 to 8 hours in a day? If so, please comment below. Spring sprouts projects!
I jumped on board for my first sail of the season last Saturday. 
There had been no time to choose a new project, so a sleeve to the Lily sweater on dpns came along. No needles were lost overboard!
My other knitting projects include commissioned Christmas stockings and corrections to the Level II of the Master Knitter Program. Now that I think about it, you could call theses two projects “treat or torture” respectively. In any case, these projects needed to stay on land.
Perhaps next week there will be time to fondle fiber and choose summer sailing projects.
As promised, here is the top to the “Signature Sunspots” quilt, which is waiting for me to reschedule my long arm quilting appointment. The back is a hodgepodge of fabrics… let me gently remind quilters to always square after every seam? I forgot this on one band. When the pieces get large, there’s a lot to remember. The signatures are on the vertical light blue bands.
As for garments, perhaps I can create them in my sleep, as I’ve heard happens in Hong Kong? My l’il gymnast has a big school dance in early June. She has requested a dress. We were in New York at the beginning of May and we stopped by Mood. She got to pet the dog made famous by Project Runway, and we chose some great fabric. Then there’s that skirt I drafted for the Drama Queen. She’ll be home this weekend and hopefully that will head out the door.
And to top it off, gold work embroidery haunts moments carved from the to do list. Oh, yes, more garments on my horizon…. my summer travels include a wedding in Beirut in July.
It’s all I can do to stop daydreaming about knitted sofa covers, punch needle trims, tassels I want to try and the possible.
So yes, anyone with ideas about how to create those extra hours…
May 1, 2012
No, not pick up lines! My favorite lines are found in textiles and on sailboats. In New England, the sailing season is six months long if you belong to a club. Now that the merry month of May has arrived, I am ready to combine my favorite lines.
This requires not only pulling out the foul weather gear, but lining up the appropriate knitting projects to go with sailing. My requirements:
- on circular needles
- able to fit in the front pouch pocket of wind breaker
- not too difficult of a stitch pattern
- no more than 2 colors
Anyone have any recommendations for this season’s projects?
