gdp's Comments

Scrapiana : Mystery Singer sewing machine

Thu, 18 May 2017 10:30:45 +0000

Thank, Keith. Hope you manage to find one.

Scrapiana : Golden mending

Tue, 16 May 2017 12:17:04 +0000

Thanks, onesmallstitch! Just looking through old mending posts for Mend It May (you might want to check out the Facebook Group of the same name) and found this - sorry I didn't reply to you sooner... That's a long wait! Hope you've managed to try some golden mending in the meantime.

Scrapiana : Golden mending

Tue, 16 May 2017 12:15:32 +0000

Oh, fantastic! Really sorry for this extremely belated reply, Uphllly - your comment got lost in the noise, somehow.

Scrapiana : Golden mending

Tue, 16 May 2017 12:14:34 +0000

Aha! Several of us great minds thinking alike, Mimi, though certainly no less great for that! I'd love to see how you got on. Thanks for the comment. :)

Scrapiana : Mystery Singer sewing machine

Fri, 27 Jan 2017 19:24:19 +0000

Sorry for my slow reply. Have you tried the Singer site, Luis?

Scrapiana : American embossed wooden thread reels

Sat, 7 Jan 2017 11:29:59 +0000

Thanks, Nancy! I really enjoyed seeing the spools in your post. Now, there's an update on its way shedding just a little more light on these embossed items. Watch this space!

Scrapiana : Undressed: a brief history of underwear

Sat, 21 May 2016 09:36:49 +0000

Thank you, Nancy! Underwear is a really fascinating subject, offering deep insight into social values etc. We have a family story of my great-grandmother making her own drawers out of feedsacks (and I mean the ones with proprietorial writing stamped on them - this was long before the pretty ones!). The book I mentioned is excellent in its detail and a really fascinating read.

Scrapiana : Undressed: a brief history of underwear

Sat, 21 May 2016 09:32:27 +0000

I'd have loved to have shared images, Katy, but it was not to be. Who even *reads* words anymore...? But seriously, I hope you get a chance to see it over the next 10 months or so. Well worth it. But Eleri Lynn's book is also wonderful, with great structural drawings too, so almost as good - if not better, in some ways.

Scrapiana : Mystery Singer sewing machine

Wed, 30 Mar 2016 10:09:35 +0000

Thanks for taking the time to provide your valuable insight, Alan. All really interesting. Do you remember your time at Singer fondly? Were they good to work for? It's great to know that this machine created a chain stitch - I'm assuming this would be rather like the one used on sack seams? I've encountered a few similar-sounding seams unpicking coffee sacks to make rag rugs. This particular machine is long gone now, but people land here occasionally looking for carpet stitchers, so they should find your information very useful. Thanks again.

Scrapiana : In with the old

Wed, 20 Jan 2016 16:43:47 +0000

Ive now seen your revived hexies, Katy - that's a lovely selection of shirtings. Look forward to seeing how you fare with them - and whether you can retain your enthusiasm. The frenzy of work etc is already taking it's toll for me so I'm going to have to play catch-up...

Scrapiana : In with the old

Fri, 15 Jan 2016 10:58:32 +0000

Yes, finishing is probably not the point of patchwork, I'm beginning to see! Though one can take that to extremes (and I have). Please do dig out your stalled diamond/hexie project - I would love to see it and encourage you along. Oh, yes, yes, yes, the American Museum's textile collection is packed full of inspiration. If you fancy a joint trip, then I'm game. Diaries out...

Scrapiana : In with the old

Thu, 7 Jan 2016 22:45:18 +0000

Perhaps handwork is something that doesn't mix so well with the demands of having small people around, Katy. I put away my patchwork completely for decades - and not just because pins and needles were such an obvious hazard. I think one is physically sated too by all that carrying, holding, hugging, feeding, comforting... You may need slightly emptier hands to have an appetite for EPP. Teething! I had forgotten that particular joy... A peeled, frozen banana makes an interesting, soothing object to rub against sore gums. You can also try the bulb end of an entire spring onion - a Native American remedy, allegedly. The shock of the new flavour alone might bring some temporary relief. I tried it with mine (probably a last act of desperation) and can't remember what they thought of it, though they're both reasonably adventurous eaters now, so maybe nothing is lost. :) Wishing you good luck with all that. xx

Scrapiana : In with the old

Thu, 7 Jan 2016 22:32:25 +0000

You're a super-quilter, Betty! Wow, I'm so impressed. Picture of your beautiful squares quilt received safely - thank you! Other readers here will just have to trust me on that. ;) OK, I'll keep plodding onwards. Thanks so much for the encouragement. xx

Scrapiana : In with the old

Thu, 7 Jan 2016 13:39:36 +0000

Oh, Penelope Tapestries! Yes, I completed a small one featuring a horse back in the 1970s. That really typified the girl's Christmas gift of the era, I think. I'm so sorry to hear about your sister, but being able to finish some of what she left behind sounds - to borrow a word you've used - cathartic. Your bedspread must be quite extraordinary and makes my measly 500-piecer look like child's play. Did you quilt it eventually too or leave it at that? Thanks for dropping by and commenting - I hope we'll have further interactions, here or on Twitter. :)

Scrapiana : In with the old

Wed, 6 Jan 2016 14:05:26 +0000

Thanks, Carys! I wonder who those makers were? Most of us find ourselves custodians of somebody's else's unfinished craft projects at some point, so that sounds like a really interesting idea. Glad that you've rescued your mum's patchwork. Yes, those pieces of genuine patchwork - culled from old clothes and other relics - are precious mementos.

Scrapiana : Kintsugi at the Pitt Rivers Museum

Thu, 17 Dec 2015 09:59:40 +0000

Oh, so disappointing, Katy! I've posted a comment over there...

Scrapiana : Kintsugi at the Pitt Rivers Museum

Wed, 9 Dec 2015 10:11:43 +0000

Oh, what a pity. I couldn't follow that link, Katy (link was broken) so want to try posting again? I went to your blog and scrolled down a way but couldn't find it that way either... So tell me what went wrong? Just wondering what stage it all went awry. Where was the kit from? What a pain, anyway. My sympathies. :(

Scrapiana : Gifts for stitchers

Tue, 8 Dec 2015 12:17:14 +0000

Yes, the scissors are probably best bought for oneself, Carys. One can hint for a very long time... ;)

Scrapiana : Gifts for stitchers

Sat, 5 Dec 2015 12:50:45 +0000

Wow, those are the business! No, I was thinking of these, Lizzie: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_KzG-kc4DII/Tqsw5HAj4vI... (can't find anyone selling them) which are fine, but nothing like the wonderful Wonder clips which look like serious toolage. Oh, please. Scrapiana's nothing fancy - just putting the odd bit of making and mending out there, like so many others... Looking forward to following your mending adventures. :)

Scrapiana : Gifts for stitchers

Sat, 5 Dec 2015 11:59:44 +0000

Thanks for that great suggestion. Are Wonder clips the ones a lot like hair clips, Lizzie?Great for binding and holding bulky layers together on an edge where pins become unwieldy. Laine St Pierre: crewel wool can also work well when you need finer strands, though not on areas of high wear as it doesn't have the synthetic component. And thanks for signposting your blog with so many great mending and darning examples. We're obviously kindred spirits! I particularly like your WIP (or should we say MIP: mend in progress?) jeans. :D