It's been 4 years of near-total inactivity on my house blog, but there wasn't much to report. We've been on hiatus, my husband has been deployed a few times, and we are finally getting to get back to work on the old girl.

I've spent the intervening time researching things and making plans, and I have figured out a number of things about this house. Not one of those things, and none of my extensive research, has given me anything like an answer as to which architect or kit company she came from. Not a bit, despite having practically had a love affair with the online texts section of the Internet Archive, and spending way too much time with Google Books. So, in the spirit of warming up a cold project and slowly getting it into gear, I am going to ask you for some help. Here's my question for you:

Does anyone out there recognize this floorplan? I have yet to find a house with a 28 x 48 footprint with a 28x40 cellar/foundation. I made a few rough scale drawings of what the house looked like before three different additions were tacked (or frankensteined, in the case of the dining room bay) on, and before the porch was closed in and roofers removed the vent gable. I think I ought to have drawn the steps wider, but I have no idea what the original steps might have looked like.

Here's the only photo I have been able to find prior to the changes to the porch:

What we do know:

• The county tax assessor has a single sheet of manila with a tiny photo stapled to it, which I have been told dates from the late 1960s or early 1970s. The build date on the house, according to this document, is 1925. However, as records are incomplete, I have been told that could simply be a sale date, or the date the property record was recorded in the county office. Nobody knows.
• The younger daughter (Edith Heppe) of the family that built it visited the late former owner of the home about 15 years ago, and a statement about the house was written down from her childhood memories. We have this statement and I have transcribed it here. 
• Mrs. Heppe remembered it was built by her father, and her parents moved to Centralia in 1921, so it had to have been built before that time. 
• It's got Sears hardware throughout, and all the original millwork is directly out of the Sears millwork catalog. 
• It originally looked rather like an Aladdin, if you go by that little black and white photo. But it does not match any recognizable Aladdin plan, or even a footprint of any similar style of home, that I have yet found. Also, the interior millwork and hardware and NOT Aladdin.
• I've found a similar footprint in Wards and Chicago House Wrecking company catalogs, but nothing like this plan or style in combination with the footprint.
• It's got an odd arrangement of den/living room/dining room that is indicative of an earlier house, so really, the latest I would put it at is 1914.

In other news, I finally know what to do with the back bedroom. More on that, and the kitchen remodel, later.

Teaser: Saffron, a shawl for leaving the Maiden House

The pattern I've been working on for over a year, a screen-accurate copy of the red shawl worn by Saffron in Our Mrs Reynolds, is nearly ready! Watch this blog for updates regarding the release.

Thanks go out to my volunteer tech editor and the brave test knitters in the BigDamnKnitters group at Ravelry.

This pattern will be a free PDF download, available through Ravelry and my document shelf at Scribd. I will make announcements here, at livejournal, and on Ravelry.

Pinwheel Striped Apples

These are what we call "Pinwheel Apples" around here. They are, essentially, sliced apples reassembled using peanut butter as glue. These are great easy snacks for mom to make, or for kids to make with some adult help (like slicing).

They look really festive if you choose two nearly identical apples of different colors, like these:

To make them yourself, you will need:

• 2 apples as close in shape and size as possible
• nut or soynut butter
• a cutting board
• a sharp knife
• a melon baller
• something to serve them in ( I like to use colorful Ikea kids' bowls)

The first step is to wash the apples, then dry them and cut them in half along the core:

Using the melon baller, cut out the cores. Using the knife, cut out the stems and any remaining flower bits at the bottom of the apples.

You will have 4 nice clean apple halves and a pile of stuff to put in your compost.

Get rid of the compostables, and slice the apple halves into fairly standardized slices (a little variation is okay). Get out your nut or soynut butter.

Hold one hand cupped, and start reassembling an apple in your palm, using slices of alternating colors:

Add a spoonful of nut butter, and keep adding slices until you get a fairly complete apple. You should be able to maintain the alternating stripes of color all the way around, if you were careful about cutting your slices.

Press the completed apple together with cupped palms to help it hold its shape and set in a bowl or saucer to serve. If it's hot out, refrigerate for an hour or two before serving to help them hold together. Garnish with berries or other fruit (orange slices are also awesome).

This how-to is also available as a youtube video, with photos of more of the steps:

Enjoy!

The Original Reason for My Hiatus...

...was that I was doing a site design. This one:

 Heaven's Pavement is a promotional web site for the book of the same title. I coded it from scratch, and spent quite a bit of time with the site's owner getting the art just right and making the layout perfect. We went live right around Veterans' Day.

I didn't want to take time out from the design process to edit and post anything. Things began to gather. I got intimidated. I put it off a couple of weeks, with the very best of intentions.

And then, it was the Thanksgiving holiday. As everyone with small children knows, school holidays are not holidays at all for parents. For us, it was a full week of nonstop parenting and turkey wrangling, the latter of which went very well indeed, for my very first turkeybird  in over 16 years, and the very first I have cooked with my spouse.

I also made my usual pumpkin "pie" in a springform pan. This year, due to developing food sensitivities, it was eggless. It came out quite well, except that Eggless Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie needs about 48 hours, rather than 24, for the spice flavors to develop properly. It was great the day after Turkey Day and even better the third day.

Recipe for Eggless Pumpkin Cheesecake "Pie"


Ahead of time: 
Prepare and bake your favorite baked pastry crust in a 9" springform pan. I make a recipe for an 8" double crust pie , then put the crust bottom in and cut strips the same width as the pan is deep. Set them in the pan, sealing the seam with a little water, and crimp lightly close to the top. Line with aluminum foil folded lengthwise into a strip as deep as the vertical wall to prevent slumping and prick the bottom or weight. Pre-bake according to your crust recipe. Cool before using.

Ingredients:

• 3.5 cups cooked pumpkin
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 3 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp of egg replacer (or 4 tbsp cornstarch)
• 1 tbsp soy lecithin
• 1 package cream cheese
• 1/3 cup powdered milk
• 1tsp "pie spice"
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinches of ginger, nutmeg mace to taste
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup brown sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Mix all dry ingredients, then beat in all wet ingredients.
3. Pour into your pre-baked shell, and set it on a cookie sheet.
4. Place in oven, and bake for 25 minutes at 450 degrees F. 
5. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F for an hour and a half. Pie is done when a toothpick can be inserted and pulled out fairly cleanly.
6. Cool on the counter in pan.
7. Cover and refrigerate 48 hours.

Serve with whipped cream.

After that, I was just out of the groove. I have a couple dozen posts queued up, and partially edited, but I had let everything slide. Excuses aside, I think I'm back now!

Handouts are up at Scribd!

Exactly what it says! Check the widget in the sidebar for the current list of available handouts.

Frankenblogging Part 7: Medieval veils and other headwear

Author's note: The Frankenblogging feature is a republication of older content from my former personal webpage, with some annotations. It occurs every Monday morning. This one is late! My apologies.


Today's installment is made of a couple of pages from the old site. The first section is the short opinion/advice piece that grew into a larger research project, on 12th Century French women's court headwear, and the second is a set of pieces I wrote about buckram and other materials in making historic hats, closing with a tiny little thing I said once about straw hats.


A short observation on early veils

The early veil (think Norman Conquest - there are two ladies on the Bayeux tapestry wearing something that looks like this) seems to have been a smaller version of the roman matron's veil.

It's a large rectangle, worn by laying the centre of the long side over the head, crossing the ends over the front of the throat, and tossing them over the shoulders. No bands seem to have been worn with this style of veil, but keeping it in place would have definitely been helped by pinning it to braids wrapped around the head. It's very warm, as well, so if you live in a hot place, make it of thin cotton or linen, with a slightly open weave, to let air pass through. For winter, make it of wool or heavy soft silk.

A good place to get inexpensive, high-quality, premade veils (my early veil is exactly this item) is at Dharma Trading Co. They carry them in silk and cotton (though they call them sarongs).


Buckram and Elizabethan Hats
This is OLD, I wasn't as much of an expert as I thought I was, and this wasn't EVER my main focus of research. I can MAKE hats, and I was trained in modern millinery techniques (i.e. 1800s and more recent). Please have a look at the websites of those who do specialize in this period, like Sarah Goodman and Drea Leed.

I trained with a professional milliner (who is now retired) making reproduction hats, using traditional techniques and materials. I've done theatrical costume and I've also been researching and making documented period costume for over 10 years. Much of what is given below is based on my experience with the various materials.  

That last sentence is pretty accurate. It's practical advice on using modern materials, NOT AT ALL a piece on making authentic reproductions. Keep that in mind!

Period Usage of Buckram  No, not really about buckram at all. I didn't find any. See my cautionary note, above, PLEASE! This is another case of "Ive got a BOOK! Look! Expert! ME!" syndrome. 

Sigh.

I have checked my copy of _Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd_ (Arnold), and it seems that buckram was used in giving body and shape to clothes (as Pellon interfacings are used now), but not to hats, during Elizabeth's time. Stiff felt was used for shaping hats, which would then be covered with the fashion fabrics. I suggest Arnold's _Patterns of Fashion_ for more information (with photos of construction details on an existing example) on at least one hat (my copy is now gone and I have been unable to replace
it). Also, try the Elizabethan Costuming Page, as it focuses more on this period than I do, and may
have more information on where to look. The main downside to felt is that millenery felts are fairly expensive.

Modern Buckram

Modern buckram is made in a similar way to period buckram. 10-years-ago me seems to know SO MUCH about things I haven't really researched personally. Please ask someone who really knows what they are talking about! "Buckram" basically is now defined as a coarse-woven cloth stiffened with starch, and the meaning of the word has not changed very much over the intervening time, save that in the 16th c it also referred to the unstiffened cloth. If you want to use it for hats, you should look for and purchase millinery buckram as it is superior for hatmaking. It should, in any case, be reinforced with a millenery wire frame securely whipped down onto the buckram, in order to produce a reasonably sturdy hat. Buckram's main advantage is that hats made with a wire-and-buckram base are less expensive to make, and are lighter, cooler and tend to breathe better than felt hats.

Other materials (In hatmaking)



This is actually pretty good advice for people wanting to learn how to build hats on the cheap. I've used posterboard, plastic jugs, coathangers, cardboard pizza boxes (unused), cereal boxes, etc. Alternative materials are a great way to learn.


Now, if you are wanting to *practice* making hats (or if cost is an issue), lightweight posterboard is a reasonably cheap and practical alternative for working out shapes and fit before working with an unfamilar (or expensive) material or technique. Also, medium- or heavy-weight posterboard is quite sturdy for costume hats, and is often used for making headwear and props for theatrical productions on a smaller budget. A posterboard base can be covered with fabric and finished just as a buckram-and-wire base can, and I have a few 'practice' or 'stage' hats in my costume closet that are indistinguishable from the 'real' hats to the uninformed. I have found that using an equivalent weight of posterboard for a base structure is almost equally durable as an inexpensive sized felt.

All three materials (sized felt, buckram, and posterboard) are sensitive to moisture and will lose shape if they get wet, are crushed or damaged in any way. I suggest that you start out with posterboard to begin with, and, once you are familiar with the shapes, fitting, etc, you can then move on to a felt base hat. The successful 'practice' hats, if nicely finished, will do nearly as well as felt-based ones would for camping events, loaners, dress-up hats for demos, or other situations where one's best costume isn't really recommended anyway.

On Straw Hats
Wow, actual good advice without too much Authoritative Tone. Straw hats are nice, anyway. 


The basic woven grass/straw 'farmer hat' has been around for at least 2000 years. They are shown in many medieval illuminations of field workers. I have also seen Roman artwork depicting travellers and laborers wearing woven grass or straw hats of a very familiar shape.

I suggest, if you are unsure of whether they were used in your period, that you check contemporary artwork for images of travellers, laborers and other persons who might need protection from the sun.

Resurrecting the Bliaut Project and other signs of activity

So, today I am putting out a call for questions regarding bliauts, handout requests (a few are available online, but I have to mail or fileshare the rest), etc.

If anyone needs or wants copies of my handouts (these are the same ones from KWCS a few years back), pleasego download from Lulu.com (free, may ask you to register) or convince me to post them at Scribd (I have an account and have not yet posted anything). If you have the handouts and want to pick my brains for stuff not in them, please ask!

Direct links to the lulu.com pages:
Introduction to 12th century Western European Clothing for Women and Men
Serpentine Braids or Straight as a Scabbard: Women's Court Hairdressing in 12th Century Europe

I have a couple more that are not yet online, and one that is a handout version of the Adventures In Dagging project, done for a workshop. I will hunt those up and mail out copies on request.

I am also considering reworking my old "bliaut handout" into a more updated version, with the cheats (shortcuts in girdle making, mostly) as a separate section. Any interest?

I am duplicating this post over at my livejournal, so if you subscribe to it as well as read here, ask in one place or I might get confused ;)

Frankenblogging Part 6: Medieval Wire Jewellry

Author's note: The Frankenblogging feature is a republication of older content from my former personal webpage, with some annotations. It occurs every Monday morning. Annotations are in this typeface.

I wrote this a long while ago. Please excuse the 10-year-old, grainy, low quality digital photography. 


On Wire Jewellry in the Medieval Period

Good books on the subject:

Welch, Martin Discovering Anglo-Saxon England isbn 0-271-00894-6

has some information on grave-finds, including color pictures of a double pin connected by a chain and spiraled-wire beads. 

Ogden, Jack Ancient Jewellry (from the _Interpreting the Past_ series) by ISBN0-520-08030-0

Slim book, lots of information and illustrations. Ancient wire-making techniques, chains, etc. 

Egan, Geoff and Pritchard, Frances Dress Accessories c1150 - c1450 Medieval Finds from Excavations in London: 3 isbn 0 11 290444 0

In-depth catalogue and study of artefacts from the Museum of London excavations of the London waterfront. Lots of clear photographs, some colour plates, many detail drawings of jewelry, belts, pins and other accesories. Extremely useful to the medieval costumer for all the finishing touches. 


I've copied several pieces from this book, in particular two copper wire annular brooches, shown on p 254,
fig 164, artefacts 1340 and 1341. Descriptions of these artefacts and two further similar pieces (one in gold, from York) are given on p 256. The chapter of Hair Accessories is of especial interest. I've made several
of the decorative u-pins (p295, fig 196), and recreated possible original states of both of the nearly-complete circlets/headdress frames, which are made of silk-covered wire.

There are also spiraled wire beads and of course chains from Anglo-Saxon england, rome, etc, as well as a sort of naalbinding technique used to make chains from viking times to the present (although modern examples
are mostly from the Middle East and North Africa).

This is another clear case of "I've got a BOOK! I'm an EXPERT NOW!!!" I'm sorry. But, that said, these things are both documentable and easy to make with cheap and widely available materials, which makes them kind of fun to have references for. Hence my geeky excitement.

Jewelry and personal items made after items in Dress Accessories

A grouping of homemade reproductions of medieval period items.

Author's note: I took these with a terrible, terrible old digital camera sometime in 1998 or 1999, and the picture quality is just AWFUL. My most heartfelt apologies for that fact. I plan a new post on some of these items with new photos, as I still have most of them.

A grouping of homemade reproductions of medieval period items, this time with a wooden jewelry casket bound in incised leather.

Author's note: This "wooden jewelry casket" is actually a fairly nicely redressed 1950's or 1960's small mass-produced jewelry box. It's lined on the inside with tooled brass sheet and printed cloth. I think it's still neat enough to get its own future post. 

A full-size (1") and a double-size (2") reconstruction of a small double-spiral ornamented ring brooch in Dress Accessories (p 254, fig 164, artefacts 1340 and 1341). There are actually numerous examples of this type of brooch, in base and precious metals.

My versions are all in copper.

A conjectural brooch made with a flattened coil wired to two concentric rings and decorated with flat spirals at the compass points. It is all copper.

A reconstruction of a simple but effective little (1") flattened
coil brooch described and illustrated in Dress Accessories. It has no foundation ring. Mine is copper with an iron pin.

A first attempt to create a period grooming set (earspoon, tweezers and toothpick) after examples shown in Dress  Accessories.

This attempt at reproducing one is made from hammered copper sheet, cut and shaped, with fine brass wire wrapped around to provide grips. it is perforated and strung on a small chain, which depends from a brooch.

Hair or veil pins made after examples shown in Dress Accessories (p295, fig 196). They show the characteristic doubled-spiral decoration. The originals were made in copper, brass, silver and gold (if I recall correctly).

These I made in two sizes, all in copper. I have since made more,
in brass.

A draft of a conjectural recreation of the fragmentary iron wire headgear with silk-wrapped spiral brass wire decoration shown in Dress Accessories. These pictures are larger than the others to attempt to show the detail of the piece.

Mine is made of heavy copper wire for the base, instead of iron, because it is easier for me to get my hands on. The spiral decoration is made of brass wire, wrapped with cotton embroidery floss, which was then formed into the double spiral motif. The base wire was wrapped with the same floss, and this was used to secure the ends of the wire into smoothly covered loops. Finally, the decoration was attached by wrapping on a further layer of floss. The ends were sewn down to secure them. It is held shut with a matching floss tie.

I have not attempted to attach a veil to this piece because I'm saving the good translucent silk for the final product.


It is not known if the original is in fact a circlet or if it is
some other kind of head ornament, such as a veil frame. The original was found to have fragments of a  transparent silk veil attached to the spiral decoration, and one end of was formed into a hook or opened loop. The other end was broken off.

This is a reconstruction of the silk-wrapped iron wire circlet with silk-wrapped square knot decoration in two colors shown in Dress Accessories. Mine is made of heavy copper wire for the base, instead of iron, because it is easier for me find.

The base wire was wrapped with yellow-dyed unspun silk, and this was used to secure the ends of the wire into smoothly covered loops.

The ornamental wires are copper, wrapped with blue and red dyed unspun silk. These were carefully knotted around the base wire so as to form decorative square knots at regular intervals (about 1 inch apart). Once these were attached, red silk was used to smoothly
cover the ends of the decorative wires near the loops. Finally, the circlet is held closed by a silky cord tied through the ends.

The two circlets, together, and another image of the two together, on edge to show details.

Frankenblogging Part 5: 13th century Spanish male court dress

Author's note: The Frankenblogging feature is a republication of older content from my former personal webpage, with some annotations. It occurs every Monday morning. 

More old content, but this time, it is my notes and illustrations on trying to make heads or tails of some men's clothing in a Spanish museum catalog. The drawings are my drawings made to accompany my notes. I think this was originally written to share my notes with someone working on a reproduction and no access to this one, and at the time, best source.

A suit of Spanish Royal Clothes

These are my observations on a suit of clothes belonging to Fernando de la Cerda and dating to the 13th century.


Note: They are held in the textile collections of the Burgos Museum. The first link has a photo of the Saya sketched below.

Pellote (man's overgown): 

A detail of the fabric and a photo of the item in question before conservation (very sad! only shreds, really) are shown in the catalog, and it does not look as though the fabric is much stiffer than your average brocaded silk, though it may have been lined with something stiffer, perhaps linen, to give it body. There is extensive information with the photos, but I do not read Spanish very well and I can't tell yet if there was any lining, or evidence of a lining, found during the conservation process. I would make a test version out of a stiffish taffeta rather than cotton.

Was there some kind of stiffening to help the pellote hang correctly? The pellotes shown in surviving illuminations hang as if they have support, so I'm supposing there must have been something. This example may have had a two-layer linen facing at the hip, and a linen lining in the body to prevent stretching, but not being able to decipher the description of the pellote, I have no idea if they mention anything. The main thing
I know about grave finds is that any linen (or other vegetable fiber) that might have been there as underclothes or supporting linings tends to vanish. Silks and wools survive, but linen dissolves everywhere except Egypt, glaciers and bogs. 

Saya (man's undertunic):

The sleeve cut is unusual (to me, don't you love my generalizations?). It isn't shaped in any way other than being slightly tapered from shoulder to wrist. The seam is along the back of the arm, presumably so that the seam could be either decorative (as shown in the illuminations) or so that the heraldic brocade of the fabric on this particular item was not obviously broken at the seam when worn. It appears that the sleeve was sewn up first, then slit under the arm and sewn over the shoulder portion of the tunic body.

The rest of the tunic is constructed according to the usual method, except for a gap left on the left side that is laced shut, presumably for a good fit.

Manto (cloak or mantle):

A cloak (manto) made of the same elaborate heraldic brocaded silk, also belonging to Fernando de la Cerda. A discussion of the placement of the ties is (need to link to previous day's post).

Frankenblogging part 4: Medieval Half-Circle Cloaks

Author's note: The Frankenblogging feature is a republication of older content from my former personal webpage, with some annotations. It occurs every Monday morning. 

More Old Content! Please feel free to post comments, questions, and crticism :)

On the wearing of half-circle mantles

At least one surviving (non-ecclesiastical) example has two ties, one on either side, which are rather farther down than you would expect. This fits with my experience of wearing one, and actually helps to 'fit' the
garment to the body so that it stays.

My heavy, fulled wool, winter mantle is a pure half-circle, calf-length, and is worn opening at the front, clasped with a heavy double pin (bridged  by a chain of approximately 6 inches). It does not tend to slide down the back, but that is because the double brooch is pinned at shoulder level, /after/ arranging the cloak so that the extra cloth wrinkles up at the back of my neck (nice and cozy in cold weather). This is usually
about 16-18 inches down from the crease when the cloak is folded in half.

My summer mantle, being a little shorter and of finer wool, can be pinned to my gown with lighter brooches and doesn't wrinkle up much at the back of my neck because the lighter fabric drapes more easily across my shoulders. It is light enough that it can be comfortably pulled over my head (in the veil/mantle manner) if I need to do so. 

Note: This observation really has not changed at all in the intervening 10 years since I first made it. 

On decorating mantles

Virtually all of the surviving cloaks from period (And yes, I mean the whole 1000+ year stretch) that we have are decorated in some way. Some, like the 'Schnurmantel' and the coronation mantle of Roger II of Sicily are elaborately embroidered with designs that stand out from the base fabric, some are only 'trimmed' with embroidery (the Mammen cloak). The cloak from the Burgos collection is decorated in that it is made of an elaborately patterned textile of Moorish origin.

Due to artistic evidence of undecorated cloaks, I'd venture that lower classes wore them, and that these would be unlikely to have survived as they would be ideal candidates for recycling into other things (and also
because the richer garments were given into the care of the Church after a period of secular use, which helped to preserve them).

Half-circle cloaks were pretty much the norm from about 1100 on, although scattered survivals of the earlier rectangular cloak (mostly among poorer or isolated peoples) continued on for some time. The more extravagant 3/4 and full-circle cloaks seem to have evolved as weaving technology became more efficient, just like the rest of the world's fashion did. If you want easy, rectangular cloaks are very easy and practical, in that
they convert quite easily to blankets.

Frankenblogging Part 3: Miscellaneous notes on hand sewing and medieval sewing

Author's note: The Frankenblogging feature is a republication of older content from my former personal webpage, with some annotations. It occurs every Monday morning. 

More old stuff! Complete with only slightly repaired poor formatting and a less well-thought-out writing style. My newer notes are in this typeface. Enjoy!

Medieval sewing stitches
From _Textiles and Clothing_:

Running stitch (not recommended for bias seams or any seams that will take stress or wear as the fabric may shift and the thread may break or pull..)

Not really. Make them very small and regular and they are just fine. This was actually the most popularly used seam and hem stitch.

Backstitch (the most solid stitch and most suitable for modern fabrics, takes stress and wear well)

Used for heavy stress areas and embroidery.


Overstitched edges (good for selvedges or fulled edges)

This is also called butted edges.

Felling seams:
French seams are not described at all in _Textiles and Clothing_, but a flat seam finish is: The seam is opened flat and the seaming allowance is sewn flat with a running stitch (which is safe to use as it is not going to be stressed at all). For modern, unfulled fabrics, I would roll the raw edge under as I sewed the seaming allowance flat with the running stitch. Other methods, not found in Textiles and Clothing can be found
below.

Hemming stitches: 

There are three basic techniques shown in _Textiles and Clothing_:

1. Hem stitch is shown used on both a single and double folded hem. 
2. Top-stitching done in running stitch is shown on a single-folded hem hemmed with hem stitch. This would give a stronger hem, and reduce stretching on bias edges. 
3. Running stitch is shown used on single-folded hems.

Rolled hems are shown on fine fabrics such as silks and I suspect they may have been done on fine linen edges, although no examples have survived to prove or disprove this theory... Personally, I would use this edge on fine linen.

Sarcastic note about my own tone here: "I bought a BOOK! I'm an EXPERT!" Sigh. 

Facings and edge finishes: 

Necklines and open armhole edges were often faced with narrow silk bindings or facings on the straight grain. You could use inexpensive Habotai silk for these facings. They are sewn on with a fine running stitch. Lacing edges are finished with the same type of facing, with the lacing holes worked in buttonhole or whipstitch through the outer fabric, lining (if any) and facing strip. I'd use a doubled strip for my lacings, as I know how much stress I always put on them :) Buttonhole edges were finished with a narrow cardwoven band, about 4 cards wide, sewn on as it was woven ( the weft thread was the sewing thread). If you are going to the trouble
of handsewing anything that will have buttonhole edges, you should really do the cardwoven reinforcement. I'm working on a project right now that will have these edges on it. 

Some Handsewing Stitches


This is my own advice and therefore is less directive and "experty." However, that means that I felt that my little illustrations spoke for themselves. I think I need more explanation for these to be really practical. Or just more illustrations. 

And no, I can't really draw a needle. I'm better now, but not by much.

This diagram shows how to measure and knot the doubled thread.
Measure wrist to shoulder, cut your thread.

Thread your needle, then knot the two ends as shown.


Anchoring the knot in your cloth.

Running stitch

A good basting stitch, and a good hem stitch for lightweight fabrics.

Not very sturdy for seams. Unless small and close! Take small, neat stitches forward on both the front and back of your work. Can also be used for gathering up fabric.

Backstitch.

A sturdy seam stitch. Take long stitches forward on the back of the work (2x your desired stitch length), then stitch one stitch backward on the front of your work.


Chainstitch

Decorative and useful as a seam stitch. On the front of the work, punch the needle through near to the point where it emerged, making a loop. On the back of the work, bring the needle forward one stitch length and back up through the fabric to catch the loop.

Whipstitch

A hemming stitch, also useful for finishing seams and sewing down trims. Worked like running stitch, except that it it 'zigs' on the front and 'zags' on the back of the work. The second diagram shows how to trim one side down to ease rolling the seam allowance under for finishing.

whipped hem

Crossed whipstitch

Whipstitch worked double for durability. The second row is worked across the first, forming x's.

Oversewn or whipped edges

Use to join selvedges for a flat smooth finish. Take small, neat whipstitches all along the doubled edges. When finished, open flat and press.

Finishing a gathered edge

A gathered edge can be neatly bound by carefully whipping a binding onto it, being careful to catch the binding on both sides as you work.

Ladder stitch

Makes a strong, decorative join on two hemmed pieces of fabric. Stitches are worked in a figure-eight pattern (second diagram), going in one peice and coming out of the gap, then going in the other.

side view