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Post by paweaver on Mar 16, 2008 21:35:53 GMT -5
Help! I've lost the spot where you were all talking about this. Question-- Do you use waxed or unwaxed linen thread? I fingerweave and thought that linen might work for this? Has any one tried it? I usually use wool. Thanks, paweaver
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Post by paweaver on Mar 17, 2008 9:13:46 GMT -5
I've also wondered about doing Crewel Embroidery on the leather bags. I have seen this done and it is beautiful. Would you use cotton or linen thread? It is amazing how much and how far the influence of the nuns in Canada's crewel work is seen in the flower patterns of the great lakes area and in other places.
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Post by beaudro on Mar 17, 2008 13:07:23 GMT -5
I'm not sure what conversation that was, but for what its worth Karl Koster knows so much about the great lakes it would be worth asking him on a few of his boards. My soonergirl bought that book "tidings from the 18th century", it's a good read and has alot of skills for a housewife around the great lakes. I know cotton thread isn't very popular at all, to be authentic linen thread is used on everything around re-enactors, in the 18th century cotton is very expensive and rare. Silk thread might be another option to use, it was commonly used. I only use linen thread, to sew clothing I have to wax it. It's a little hard to use, but here's a tip .. take your linen thread and find the direction that the fibers are laying down.. run your fingers both ways down the thread and it will pull up in one direction. Make sure you are running your beeswax in the direction that lays those fibers down. Most of the time it is wound on the spool backward and if you roll off what you need and lace your needle in that same direction the thread will bunch up and you can't get it through the fabric. If you lay it down with your wax it will pull through every time just perfect.
I hope this helps, it's a good topic to discuss, your on a good project.
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Post by paweaver on Mar 18, 2008 19:01:20 GMT -5
Help. I'm not familiar with Karl Koster. Which is great to find a new place to get infro. But can you get me a link to one of the places he is. Getting around on the web is not my strong point. I would rather bug the local library to get me in another inter library loan book ;D
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Post by beaudro on Mar 18, 2008 19:11:57 GMT -5
www.historicaltrekking.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=1 you might want to look around in there, susan wallace is another really good one on the subject also, I have put out a message on another board , i'll let you know what they have found. I hope you'll find this one to be helpful... karl is probably the most knowledgeable about anything to do with the great lakes region.
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Post by beaudro on Apr 3, 2008 9:50:57 GMT -5
Here is some good info on thread that might help , couldn't find this when you ask, but i ran across it again this morning. Linen thread in various colors (brown, bleached white, red, blue, drab, green, and yellow) has appeared on fur company inventories as far back as 1768. Fine white linen called "nuns thread" was listed in 1775. Fort Michilimackinac had "colored and black" sewing silk in 1820, and American Fur had linen in blue and red in 1840. Cotton thread did exist, though it wasn't "mercerized" cotton. White cotton thread was available in 1809, and by 1812 the Dark Company was making three-cord twisted cotton available in hanks. It wasn't until about 1820 that the JJ Dark Company began marketing thread on spools, rather in balls or hanks. An American Fur Company order of 1838 specifies dark spool thread. In the early 1870's Dark developed the ONT (our new thread) for machine sewing, and in 1871 the agent for the Brule Sioux requested needle, thread, and canvas duck for making lodges. This is one of those debate things maybe, for me I use linen, because i can get it and it looks homespun, although cotton was around at the times mentioned I can't get it that looks right today. For earlier times it's best to use linen if you want to stay authentic. There is always the idea that even though it was around it may not have been common for one to have until it became widespread.
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