It's winter so lets go skating!

This weekend I've finished a pair of old fashioned Dutch skates. The word we use in Dutch for these kind of skates is Friese doorlopers, cos they originate from our northern province called Friesland.

This pair is made in commission for a lady who lives in that particular province. Her dollhouse is furnished in the style of the early 20th Century and she's dedicated to depict the customs of her region during that era. She figured a pair of skates like these could not be allowed to lack her house  :) And I fully agree, they will fit in só well! I'm thrilled to send them off soon.

There more pictures but I didn't put them up here cos that's just too many. But they depict the building-off, and all the steps it took to reach this stage. So if you want to see how they are build you may want to have a look in this online photo album. Hope you like them.

Have a nice Monday & enjoy,

inkle weaving on a Greta

What you see here is a Greta Loom. It's a tinny weaving loom, you can hold between your legs, to make ribbons and all sorts of (narrow) trimmings.  It's one of the many things I've learned when I took the classes Bonni Backe taught last summer, at IGMA's Guild school in Castine.

Today it's warped with with 6 strands of cotton sewing thread; orange, blue and white.

So i can now weave a ribbon that is approximately 1,3 millimeter wide. The aim here is to make an orange band, with a blue and white stripe. Unfortunately it would become to wide if i'd do that. Cos then I need an extra thread of blue, next to the other blue, and the same goes for the white thread, making it become way over 1,7 mm wide.  I might even need an extra orange to set the stripes apart... making it almost 2 mm.......


It won't do... just won't do, so this band is a compromise between size and looks. It's width is now in proportion to the original and the human eye will hopefully presume that the blue and white "dots" are lines.


Cos this ribbon will be used to tie new pair(s) of old fashion Dutch skates. Just like has been done so oft in the past.

 

Have a great weekend,