HNW - Drawn thread/facsimile patterns/mittens

[John Ordway]

Nan
- -- you've said you're doing a Viking-style apron in linen.  Wow! Where'd 
you get the linen?  I keep telling everyone here that linen is very 
expensive in the US as it is mostly imported ... true?  Would love to get 
the facts.
Where are you doing the drawn thread work on the linen -- across the top of 
the bosom, or all the way round, or .... I wouldn't worry about "doing 
something wrong" -- I am beginning to think there were a few basic 
patterns/stitches that were learned, and then each seamstress made up her 
own design from her basic knowledge.  I've gathered a lot of books, but 
can't find anything "totally" the same as what I am dong, but the basic 
stitches are the same.

Melinda (EowynA)
- -- how lucky that you are taking your Ukrainian openwork course.  I got a 
copy of such a course (from a Canadian group) from Bette Feinstein's 
wonderful book collection -- most of it is the same as what we do.  It was 
especially helpful to see the names of the stitches in "Latin" -- we're 
learning it all in Russian, and it's practically impossible to try and even 
translate it anymore -- I mean,
how to you translate/explain something that sounds like "rupp -te'- chi -- 
pool' - u - chok?"  ROFL
(that's one of the needleweaving stitches where you are working around a 
spoke and you have to weave back, and then go forward)
      Just out of curiosity, are you working w/DMC floss?  I'd love to know 
the number of the color Red you are using -- I keeping telling people  the 
red used is a "Slavic red" -- almost warm/orange, rather than cool 
Christmas red.  All the Slavic needleworks share that same basic red.  Then 
once you get into Turkey and the ....stan countries, you go to a deeper 
red.
      I do have some Ukrainian cross- stitch things, but I don't see any 
drawn thread work here except on tablecloths.  We hope to get to Kiev 
sometime before we leave in the next two years.  My teacher said when she 
was growing up when a girl sewed her lingerie and bridal lingerie it was 
automatically decorated with drawn thread bands, and often blouses were 
decorated with drawn thread.  Now it is seldom done, and most women under 
45 never have done it, although their mothers probably still could.
What I have seen of the teacher's is her class samples, but she often 
speaks of what she has at home of her grandmother's.  Hopefully I'll see 
those one day.
     What are you making your shirt out of and what thread are you using? 
 I'm using DMC white floss and Mettler 100% quilting cotton (it's 40/3) but 
for the cobweb design I'm doing it's a real pain -- the ply on the Mettler 
is twisted to the right (good for machine work) but not so good for this 
very intricate pattern.  The thread I work with just keeps getting twisted 
and stayed twisted.
But then again, I'll probably never do it again -- it looks very nice when 
finished, but you want to kill yourself when you are doing it!!  Our 
sampler is a 50 cm by 50 cm square -- there is a band all the way around of 
different needlewoven stitches/patterns, and then the inside is filled with 
different "quadrants" of stitch samples -- not all drawn thread, mind you 
- -- it's amazing how we've crossed the line into hedebo (sp), and other 
things.  But then again it's all drawn thread as you have to draw the 
threads out to set up the stage to do all the other stitches on.
      Where did you get your Modelbuch from?  Is it expensive?  I've 
stopped ordering stuff from Bette F. sight unseen as I have plenty of 
 books now -- what I lack is the time.  She does have some German things 
but I've not ordered them, although I speak some German.  The other book 
that is good for beginners and cheap is a reprint Mary Thomas Book -- about 
7.95 from Dover, the Mary Thomas's Embroidery Book. It has the best 
chapters (for me) on drawn thread  work, hedebo embroidery, filet darning, 
net embroidery and needleweaving.

Not to open a can of worms here, but I was very "intrigued" about the open 
discussion on this list of copying materials.  Are people copying materials 
that no longer have a copyright date? Or ...   I did see references to 
facsimile reproductions -- where does one get hold of those? <g>  In 
re-reading the posts I see that the Scarlet Letter has pattern books.  Can 
someone post their info for me?  They don't happen to be on the web, do 
they?  If someone would care to send me a copy of the catalog I'd be happy 
to send them a box of Russian sewing pins!

 I'm coming at this from the quilting side where copying books and patterns 
except for fair use (personal, that is) is a complete no-no.

In case I forgot to mention it, I also quilt, and knit.  I don't have much 
time for knitting, but my knitting love of the moment is the mittens from 
Latvia and the Baltic states -- very intricate, fun to do, and very warm. 
 It's no fun wearing gloves when the temps. get below 0.

BTW, where is everyone on this list from?  Anyone else like me overseas? 
 Must be some people from the UK here.

Glad to see that someone here is interested in nallbinding mittens.  I 
don't do them myself, but have seen them in use in Finland on people that 
have to be outside a lot -- they are VERY warm.

The different mitten  patterns from "Scandinavia" are very interesting. 
 Norway/Sweden seem to have the predominant patterns that we in the US are 
familiar with, and then there are all sorts of variants.  I can pick out 
the separate ones from Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States at a 
glance.  Do the Danes have their own?  What about Iceland?  Yet, of course, 
they all incorporate what we also think of as "Fair Isles."

This list is too much fun for me to have to wait every week for the digest. 
 I'm going to  have to get my computer guru/a.k.a. DH to undo me and put me 
back on "regular".

And Janis -- I haven't forgotten I promised you your bead book.  Hope to 
get it wrapped up (with a ga-zillion other things that need to be mailed) 
and put into our mail system on Monday.  It's a holiday here Friday (Great 
October Revolution Day) so it throws our schedule off this week.

If anyone answers any of my rambling questions, could they cc me a copy to 
my e-mail address until I get off the digest?  I hate waiting!! <gg>
Maryjo Ordway
Moscow, Russia
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