My Sewing Info

Trapunto in Italian means ‘to embroider’, in Latin ‘to prick with a needle’. It is also called a ‘stuffed technique’. Trapunto originated in Italy before the 14th Century. One of the earliest surviving examples is the Tristan Quilt on display in the Victoria & Albert Museum, made of linen, representing scenes from the story “ Tristan & Isolde”. It was made in Sicily during the second half of the 13th Century.

Trapunto is a whole cloth technique using two layers, with the padded under layer producing a raised surface on the quilt. Patterns include vines, leaves, and grapes. Straight line patterns are threaded with soft yarn or cord. Round shapes are stuffed with batting inserted through a slit in the back. After stuffing, the slit is whipstitched closed. A second fabric is added to the back and normal quilting done around the shapes. Or, a loosely woven mateial is used and thread is pushed through eliminating the need for a second fabric.

Trapunto appeared in the U.S. during the 1700′s and was popular during the Civil War.

A good source for stencils: stensource.com

More information can be found at Wholecloth Quilts: Subtle Beauty in Texture

My first introduction to sashiko was the Sewing & Quilt Expo in Atlanta. I took a class with Nancy Shriber from Contemporary Sashiko. Sashiko in Japanese means ‘little stabs’, and is familiar to Westerners as a running stitch in embroidery. It is a decorative reinforcing stitch, also known as functional embroidery.

Sashiko is done with white cotton thread on indigo blue cloth. Sometimes red thread is used for a decorative piece. The stitching is used to reinforce worn places on a garment, and to repair tears with patches. Patches are applied with sashiko, making the double layer stronger and warmer. Tabi, the split socks worn with zori (thong sandals) were reinforced with sashiko, as were drawstring bags. Farmers’ and fishermen’s work clothes were reinforced at the shoulders where they would have wear from hauling. Also, since they were very poor, their clothing would require patching.

Many patterns are from Chinese designs, but sashiko is known as a Japanese craft. The artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), published a book  New Forms for Design in 1824, inspiring many Japanese patterns. (from Studio Aika)

 Sashiko is different from Japanese embroidery. The embroidery is done in intricate patterns with fine silken thread, in traditional motifs, on silk. Originally only for religious ceremonies, it was later used as decoration  for it’s artistic value.

If you’ve never done sashiko, try it. The gentle rocking motion of your needle is very soothing and you will have a piece of Japanese art to be proud of. Just make a simple block, and turn it into a pillow, or do a panel as the center back of a jacket or a purse/tote. Check out Nancy Shriber’s site or Studio Aika for lessons and supplies.

For as long as man has known how to turn fibers into cloth, there have been quilts. The earliest quilted garment was found in a tomb in Egypt. Medieval knights had quilted undergarments to protect them from their metal suits of armor. Quilted garments were a luxury that  only the wealthy could afford. Even in Colonial America this was true. It was easy to weave a blanket because they were weaving homespun fabric for clothing.

In the mid-1800′s, New England’s textile mills started producing printed fabrics. This was used primarily for clothing and quilts were made from scraps and old garments. The colors were drab, and many women dyed their own fabrics using whatever they had at hand, such as walnut shells, plants and flowers. The women also had to create their own batts by carding unspun wool. However, most times old blankets were used.

As people moved west and homesteaded their new land claims, quilting preserved memories of loved ones left behind. Often quilts were made from scraps of clothing of loved ones. Memory blocks were embroidered with loved ones names, and these were given as going away presents. When settled, sewing was often a survival skill, making items for home use, with very little decorative stitching.

Once quilts were pieced, it was time for ‘putting in’, and that  meant an important social event.  Quilting Bees were opportunities for women to get together and visit, sharing food and catching up on news. It was also a chance to get together without their menfolk, and  they could speak freely with each other.

When Queen Victoria married in 1840, young brides wanted a dress like hers, and crazy quilts with rich brocades and satins and velvets became popular. When her husband died in 1861, somber greys and blacks started showing up in scrap quilts. At the end of WW I, quilters became interested in Colonial quilts, and created these patterns in florals and botanical prints. During the Great Depression, there was no excess fabric to be found, so scrap quilts became popular again. Feedsacks, flour sacks and sugar bags were were made from soft, woven fabric, and these were made into quilts, curtains, clothing, and dresses.

Today’s quilter can choose from thousands of quilt patterns, both contemporary and traditional, and a vast array of fabrics. Browsing the internet will also turn up many vintage fabrics along with feedsacks and colorful cotton sacks. Online auctions will have homespuns from the 1800′s, and vintage quilts are collectible.

Quilts remind us of our heritage.  The women in our past showed us that difficult times can be met with creativity. They persevered and worked with what they had. In this day, with the many choices we have, we need to remember them. Search for old quilts and quilt patterns. Try your hand at embroidery, and make a crazy quilt, or used home-spuns and make a colonial style quilt. Or make a memory quilt using your family tree as inspiration.

I just went shopping and I never left my kitchen! I received an email from Fabric. com  with their daily specials. They have patterns on sale and they always have fabric on sale. With my ASG membership I also get an extra 10% off, so my new membership is already paying off.

I bought some beautiful designer fabric. One is a lightweight wool blend with a little stretch that will make beautiful pants for fall. I also bought a wool blend knit, loosely woven to make a top, either in a T-shirt pattern or an unstructured  jacket. Just for good measure I also threw in a jersey print for a top. I already have patterns for these, but I couldn’t resist buying a dress pattern too.

Fabric.com is a great place to buy Dupioni silk. I have bought it when it’s on sale and made capri pants and shirts out of it. The colors are so rich and deep, and it sews beautifully. They have linens, and linen blends that don’t need ironing. There’s stretch cottons in a wide array of colors, and shirtings. There’s just too much to list.

They also have quilt fabric. You quilters can find batting, and other notions. They sell Brother and Janome sewing machines. They have organic fabrics, too! There’s organic cotton and knits, hemp, and bamboo, along with organic soy batting.

There are other fabric stores on-line, and I have purchased from quite a few. But, I always seem to go back to Fabric.com, and I am always happy with my purchases. I think the quality and price make for good value. And isn’t that so important in these tough economic times?

Yesterday I went to my neighborhood American Sewing Guild meeting. The neighborhood groups are part of the local chapters, ours being in Ocala while we are in Gainesville. There were ten of us since some people are still on vacation and spending the warm months in cooler climes. We discussed plans for future meetings and things we’d like to do.

After our brief meeting, we headed out to our local thrift stores. Since we live in a university town, thrift stores and consignment shops do very well. The students come into town and buy at the beginning of the school year, and at the end of the school year they sell all their stuff. So, there’s a good market here.

We had six shops on our list including Salvation Army, a hospice store, and a couple of consignment stores. The purpose of this outing was to buy something and remake it into something else. One girl bought a denim jacket, another some sort of boxes, and still another a beautiful blue suede jacket! I bought a chambray blouse, a blue window valance, a pair of child-size denim pants and a pink belt.

I’m thinking I will use the denim pants to make a purse and trim it with the pink belt and maybe something from my fabric stash. I have bamboo purse handles in a box somewhere, and I’m sure I have something with some pink to make a lining. The valance will be taken apart and will become a scarf or trim or sleeves for my blouse, along with some beads I have in a drawer. Oh! I want you to know I spent less than ten dollars for my four items.

At our September meeting we will all bring in our items for show-and-tell. It will be interesting to see what everyone will make, and I will be sure to let you know.

So, what do you have in your closet that can be made into something else? It’s the end of summer and time to start thinking  about a fall wardrobe and Christmas presents. The way the economy has been, many will be making their presents themselves, or not giving at all. Find new ways to look at an item. Jeans can be made into a purse, or pillows. The trim or ruffles on one item can be moved to another. Sleeves can be added. Sweaters can be cut apart and added to something else. One lady told me she had taken valances and made them into a dust ruffle for her bed.

We all want to be more conscious of the environment, so what better way than to reuse, recycle, and repurpose our old clothes?