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So, our church is always freezing and is extra so at the moment with the heating broken. (It's an ancient stone building from the 13th century and is way too big for the size of the congregation, and even in the dead of winter, it's colder in there than it is out of doors.)
The congregation dress for the Arctic, but the choir have to wear surplusses and albs and put up with it for the glory of God.
They see me sitting in my pew with my white fur hand muff, my hands clasped inside and so toasty warm that they are glowing, and they make a beeline for me after the service to tell me "That looks warm!"
So I decide that clearly what's needed is for me to buy some red material (to match their robes) and make muffs for the whole choir.
I come home and order a metre of heavy cotton (for the outside) a metre of red teddy fleece (for the inside) and a metre of thermal batting (to be hidden in the middle and give the muff that nice, round, plump look.)
Years ago DH had already been through the "That looks warm!" "I'll make you one," process, and I had made him an extra manly muff with army green fleece inside and camouflage fabric on the outside. But I had no idea how to do it properly, and I had just folded in the ends and seamed them visibly like some sort of amateur. (It kept him warm. He didn't care.)
But this time feels more public and I want to do it properly. So while I wait for the material to arrive, I find a website that gives me instructions on measurements and where to sew first and how to turn it out:
How To Make A Muff For Ladies And Girls
and I decide to make a practice one to see how it turns out.
As per the instructions, I grab some material from my stash left over from other projects and measure out a 17" by 13" rectangle from outer, inner and filling layers and sew them together in the order the website says.
What emerges is a very long, thin sausage. I can get my hands in it, but I have quite small hands, and it's hard to get them far enough in to touch each other. (Which they need to do if they are to share body heat like two MCs caught in a snowstorm.)
That's weird I think. Well, clearly it doesn't need to be 17" long, and it could do to be more than 13" around. Maybe I'll try it at 15" by 15".
So I delve back into the stash and make another one. Which is also too long and thin.
This is weird, I think again, it's almost like 17" by 13" is right, but you need to make the top the 13" and turn it out through the sides.
So I try doing that, and my third attempt results in a muff which is absolutely fine (and no visible seams!)
As you can see, the outer material of this is left over from my tartan dungarees, and the inner material is left over from the lining of DH's banyan.
On further consideration and like a flash of lightning, I finally realize that the original instructions had made a mistake in telling you to sew along the longer side first. You sew the short sides of the inner material and batting together (inner facing up). Then you place the outer material face down onto the pile and sew everything together along the long edges.
Then you turn it inside out and sew the inner/batting to itself, the outer to itself, leaving a hole you turn everything out of. Then you hand sew the hole closed.
The 17" by 13" dimensions were right the whole time. The instructions just told you to start sewing on the wrong edge.
So now my stash is much reduced, and I am ready to do the choir's ones as soon as the red fleece arrives.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2023-12-14 09:22 pm (UTC)From:I've had practice on sewing machines, but mechanical and electrical things in general just don't like me. If I've got someone sitting beside me to keep the thing running, it's fine, otherwise I'm faster by hand.
>> I just don't really trust glue to hold anything permanently. If I glued a thing down, I would want to sew over the top to make sure, <<
Good point.
>> so that would be a bit of a duplication of effort.<<
LOL I can't leave a seam raw except for those covered by turned collars or the like. I always wind up rolling or Frenching them.
>> Just like, I've given these muffs little loops where they can attach a wrist strap or a neck strap according to their individual preference. <<
Oh, good idea!
>> (I'll have to remember to tell them that, though. People can be surprisingly helpless around clothes, and not ever realize that you can tie a ribbon on here and make it more useful, or whatever.) <<
Yeah, a lot of modern clothing isn't very adjustable. When I make skirts for period garb, I use drawstrings, which can be any size waist up to the width of the fabric itself. <3
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2023-12-16 11:58 am (UTC)From:It has amused me no end to watch countless YouTube videos about how to make an 18th Century skirt where the lady in the video started with "I wanted to make a skirt that was adjustable so it would always fit whether you gain or lose weight," and then continued with "First measure your waist and make a waistband to fit." A bit contradictory!
As you say, my 18th Century skirts also have drawstrings (as well as overlapping front and back panels) and have gone with me up and down two dress sizes for years :)
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2023-12-16 12:09 pm (UTC)From:As one of my friends put it, all period garb is maternity garb.
>>"First measure your waist and make a waistband to fit."<<
LOL no!
>>As you say, my 18th Century skirts also have drawstrings (as well as overlapping front and back panels) and have gone with me up and down two dress sizes for years :)<<
Overlapping panels are clever. :D Most of my stuff is just shaped with simple drawstrings (skirts, chemises, etc.) but I've got a few that are done up with lacing.