[Steppes] Warlord tunic progress

[Maura Folsom]

wjwakefield at juno.com wrote:
> The handwritten notes were still with the tunic the last time I saw it. 
> They ONLY address color scheme for doing the design, not all of which
> proved doable in embroidery.  There is no discussion of HOW to get
> needles to go thru multiple layers of cloth with fusible interfacing in
> between, which has proved virtually impossible.

Just so everyone doesn't think I was ignoring the needs of the 
embroiderers who would be working on it, I feel it necessary to point 
something out. I really was trying to think of the needs of the people 
who would work on this item, within the narrow confines of the budget 
and the direction to copy the original as closely as possible.

I had done some of the embroidery before handing off the tunic, 
including some of the applique edgework, and I had no more trouble 
getting a needle through one layer of trigger than I did through 1 layer 
of trigger/1 layer of lightweight heat-n-bond/1 layer of color fabric 
(both green trigger and gold cotton). Sewing a leaf was as much of a 
pain in the a$$ as sewing the crest of the grice, which is done through 
applique'd material.

IME, the trigger is the hard part, as it's very tightly woven. When I do 
embroidery (which I detest, by the by, drives me so crazy that I end up 
doing it badly - and I still do it from time to time), that involves 
difficult base cloth, I always use a thimble. If it's very difficlut, I 
use a leather thimble, just as I would for sewing leather.

Also, there should not be any fusible in the green guards at neck, hem 
and sleeve-end. That's just layers of trigger (which I would not have 
used, except that I was directed to exactly copy the original tunic), 
though, IME, that's WORSE for embroidery. The fusible was the only good 
solution for keeping the appliques in place, and I used the lightest I 
could find. If there had been another way to put them on securely, 
without damaging the cloth or distorting the shapes (I tried 
fray-checking the edges, turning under, and basting down, but my test 
peices were WAY less than satisfactory) so that they would survive being 
handed off to numerous people before finishing, I would have done it.

Also I had heard one person voice a complaint (in person) that I should 
not have used an indelible marker to mark the fabric, and that I put on 
too many leaves. I agree that there are a distressing number of leaves, 
because it was very difficult and time-consuming to just copy them from 
the original tunic, but I had no control over the design. When I 
originally agreed to make the new tunic, I was asked to make a more 
authentic one with a similar design, but by the time I got it I was told 
to just copy it exactly (to save time and effort?), which has obviously 
proved more difficult.

Chiara's suggestion for using stilletto-type leather needles is a good 
one. It's what I'd do. Also, perhaps, next time there is a large 
embroidery that need to be done by a certain time, I suggest that it not 
be done on trigger, otherwise, allow at least 2 years for the work. I'd 
never done embroidery on trigger before and had no idea until it was too 
late how difficult it was. However, because of my relative inexperience 
with embroidery, I put it down to my lack of practice or my general 
dislike for the art, and left it to the more experienced embroiderers.

I am wishing I had never had anything whatsoever to do with this 
project, and I am sorry to have saddled everyone with this horrible task.

Lady Marguerie de Jauncourt