Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Eighty hours later

It's finished. I don't really know what else to say about it after I spent what I estimate to be eighty hours making it, all by hand. (I even did my hair for photos - that's the level of respect it gets!) I was right about the binding - it just brings everything to where I want it to sit.

It might sit better across my back if I wasn't trying to quickly get into position before the timer went off on the camera!

The binding is sewn on with rosebud stitch. I spent a very frustrating time with google trying to find an explanation of rosebud stitch after seeing many examples on the Alabama Chanin Flikr group. So many people referred to it that I figured it had to come from one of the books and was probably also known as something else. An hour or so of fruitless searching later I gave up and sat down with a needle and thread in front of a photo on the computer and had figured it out in approximately 30 seconds.
I didn't want to bind the hem, but I worried that the areas of unstitched red would curl up too much once washed, so I did the same stitch around the hem to finish it off.
My fear now is that the knots will come undone in the wash. I was a bit nervous anyway because my thread (Molnlycke Goliath) is 100% polyester, not the cotton cored, polyester wrapped thread used by Natalie Chanin. (If I ever find that I'm buying in bulk!) A discussion thread on the flikr group covered this topic - someone using the same type of thread had had half her knots untie in the wash. As I told Keely, there are not enough swear words in the world to express how I'd feel if that happened, so I quickly did a few lines of stitching onto the sample I'd made of the rosebud stitched binding so I had several knots and tossed it in the washing machine. To my intense relief none of them came undone, so I'm hoping for the best.

7 comments:

  1. That is just beautiful. I like the rosebud stitch around the hem to hold the layers. You know there'd be no way I'd ever show my handstitching in a close photo like that.

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  2. This is truly beautiful. Well done! I really admire those of you who hand sew so beautifully.

    -Sewingelle

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  3. It's stunning. Wow! Gorgeous. Look at that detail. Indeed it would be tragic for all of that to undo in the wash, so good thing you had a sample. Do you have a mesh lingerie bag too? I put my hand washables in one and machine wash.

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  4. That is a couture piece, in every sense of the word. The colour is gorgeous on you and all that hand work has created a timeless piece. You look amazing, I hope you get to wear and enjoy it a lot, and the knots stay put!

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  5. The embroidered binding is a beautiful finish.

    I haven't seen poly/cotton thread sold here in years.

    Although I don't handwash many things, I think this would qualify!

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  6. This is so gorgeous. I am envious of your talent!

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