study unpacking, and thoughts on what I am and what I'm not

[celticdragonfly]

So I keep meaning to post, but keep being too busy. It's not that I haven't been at the computer - I have, but almost never with my hands free to type! There's usually at least one baby in my lap.

I want at some point to get to post about the movie I got to go see yesterday, which was lots of fun.

We're trying to get some work done on the house today. selenite has started work on babyproofing the kitchen, as we hope to put up new gates and let Maggie have the run of a bit more of the house.

This evening, while Maggie was napping, we went upstairs to work on the study, unpacking it and such. We'd originally hoped to get a babysitter for this afternoon to help with this, but it didn't work out. We took Jamie up with us, but he mostly wanted to be held, and was afraid of the drill sounds from his Daddy working to replace the proper opening gate that's going across the study door. But we got some progress made.

Two big bags of trash out, and five boxes out. Mostly empty, but two with books in them - I'm looking at my tech support training books, and deciding which ones I'm never going to use again, and are mostly obsolete anyway, and being ruthless enough to get RID of them. I'm not going back to work in tech support again any time soon, and frankly, I'd as soon rather not go back into that at all, I think. I wouldn't mind doing-it-all for a small company, again, like I did at Pioneer. But HelpDesk work tends to suck, and although sysadmin jobs are better, they're just not hours for a family person.

One thing that struck me as we were going through boxes is how much I tense up and dread dealing with the boxes of sewing stuff. And I think I can finally verbalize why. I hate the sewing stuff. I am not a seamstress, I am not a costumer. And far too often, the assumption seems to be that a woman who does traditional crafts, especially in the SCA, must of course be a costumer! It's like the assumption is that sewing/costuming comes first, and things like spinning, weaving, lacemaking, knitting, etc are advanced extras that you put on top of that.

Well, it's not. I'm good at the other fiber arts, I pick them up quickly, I enjoy some forms of embroidery very much, too, but I am not a seamstress/costumer. I suck at it. I've never been taught, I've tried to pick it up on my own, and it hasn't taken. People assume I can just figure it out, and I can't. Mom gives me a serger and just tells me, oh, watch this video, and you'll be fine, and I'm not. I can't even figure out how to tell her that there's whole levels of "I just don't get it" underneath that I would need to learn before I could make sense of that video. I don't know how to fix the sewing machine I have, either. When I work on the fiber arts, I am enjoying it, it feels good, and it's fun. When I've tried to sew, to make a sewing machine work and figure out how to put clothes together, I've been miserable, stressed, and tense.

So the sewing stuff stresses me, because it's stuff I'm expected to be able to do, and I can't. And we need to have garb to be able to do SCA stuff, and I ought to be able to sew it for the kids, and I can't, really. And I have stash fabric that's not getting used. I wish I could adopt a family member who was good at sewing and not at some of the other stuff, and I could just keep 'em in handknit socks or something in exchange. (Heck, someday I'd love to have a big loom and weave fabric - and then talk somebody else into sewing it for me. That, or just weave dishtowels and airsaids.)

And the sewing stuff is all fiddly bits that's hard to put away and store and organize, anyway. I mean, we definitely need a trip or three to the Container Store for ways to organize my study, but a basket of fiber or yarn is a delightful pleasure to look at, and then I know I can do something fun with it and make something else delightful. Drawers of fiddly bits and sewing machine bobbins and attachments I don't understand are not joyful at all.

Comments

[kd5mdk.livejournal.com]

You got it at the end, I think. Just they don't need to be a family member. But just find some other local friendly costumer type, and swap socks or whatever for garb. Just because it wasn't made in your living room, doesn't mean it's invalid.

[quiva.livejournal.com]

ME ME ME!!! I'll swap socks for garb! ;-)

Seriously. I would. Despite the fact that we're several states away from each other.

Oh! Totally off topic...Are you familiar with the "Bob's Red Mill" line of organic products? I ask because they have Wheat Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free mixes (pancake, brownie, bread and AP "flour" were what I could find...) If you're interested, let me know. I have no problem experimenting to find BrendanBrownies ;-)

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Well, what kind of garb do you do, what kind of socks do you want, and where are you?

I think the Bob's Red Mill is the brand on the bag of GFCF flour mix I have in the cupboard, for next time I make pumpkin bread for the boyo. I've been getting The Gluten Free Pantry for muffin mix and plain cookie mix, and Arrowhead for chocolate chip cookie and brownie mix. I need a chance to make a Whole Foods run for more mixes, they're out in Arlington.

[quiva.livejournal.com]

Garbwise...Skirts and ankle-length chemises are easy as pie. I can make a nice bodice, but that requires personalized fitting. Knee-length trews are easy, as are pesant-type shirts (similar to the leine pattern you have on your website but...different). I'm working on an "Irish" dress (a bodice and attached skirt, front lacing).

I'd be willing to try my had at almost anything, including kid's clothes. My next question would be...how authentic do you need? I _can_ do things like drawstring waists and reinforced buttonholes instead of grommets but for ease of use and general wear and tear I usually don't.

I don't have may pics of my costumes but I'll try to post the ones I do have so you can see what I've done.

I'm in Ohio. As far as socks go...I'd kill for a pair of lightweight browinsh kneesocks. Or something that I can wear with reenactment garb.

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Well, at some point I want new garb for Karl and I, but we can coast on what we have - it's stuff for the kids I need. I have been making do with Brendan's handmedowns for the younger two, and I can keep doing that for Jamie for a while. I'd really like to get a) a child's Irish dress and chemise and ideally skirt, with deep hems so they can be let out as she grows taller, and b) simple trews and peasant shirt or tunic for Brendan, as he's outgrown everything he had. How much of that is a pair of socks worth?

I can do kneehighs, yes. I'd need to get a bunch of measurements, of course. Where and when would you be wearing these, how cold? I'm guessing I'd recommend sock weight yarn, fingering weight, in a wool blend - mostly superwash wool, with a small nylon content - holds up better than pure wool, and can be tossed through the washer and dryer - but I can doo 100% wool, too. Acrylic is nasty, not good for socks, unhappy feet. I can do heavier, DK or worsted weight yarn, if it's for a particularly cold occasion.

Here, take a look at some of my work
http://www.kelthaven.org/socks/
The solid color baby and kids socks are either DK or worsted weight yarn, the striped blue adult socks are sport weight, I think the rest are all sock weight.

Are you thinking of something like this:

http://www.hjsstudio.com/kneesock.html

More patterning?

[quiva.livejournal.com]

I've never made clothing for children but I'm more than willing to try. Brendan isn't a problem, just let me know what size he normally takes and preferred colors/patterns and any authenticity requirements you may have. I have not seen an Irish Dress pattern(and I truly hope we are working from the same mental picture) in Maggie's size...at least, not one that has any shred of believability for SCA purposes. I'll keep looking though. Skirt, no problem. I was going to put grow strips in anyway ;-) Would you like a light chemise for her too?

What is this worth? I'd be happy to just get the opportunity to expand my repertoire as it were...so a pair of socks is fine.

Socks: Yes, that link to the kneesock is what I'm looking for. More patterning might be pretty though (I really like that blueberry waffle pattern). I'd be wearing it mainly during hot weather so, what ever you think is best as far as weight goes.

Would you care to take this conversation to email so we can discuss fabrics, patterns etc? ;-) My email is in my profile.