Heritage crafts

[wario]

I'm glad I'm not the only chap on here who is trying to correct his ignorance of clothing manufacture.
Trying to get the hang of basic tailoring, starting with massive heavy overcoats, which won't frighten the horses.

I'd been worrying away about The Blighty of the Future for a bit. "Austerity" (or the " bread and dripping for anyone not a hereditary landowner" doctrine),  intense fuel poverty (a constant in the Isles, from at least the early bronze age), back to dense urban flats and so on for anyone not being used directly as an arable peon.
And the probabilty of not just food, but footwear and proper clothes becoming really, really expensive again.
The end of the centrally heated office, and back to the trolleybus and the bike, spending hours of the day dying of undernourished exposure on Auld Reekie's streets going from freezing hovel to frigid workplace.

So I've been sorting myself out as much quality woollen cloth, linen and sewing stuff, Gutermanns threads, as I can conveniently squirrel away about the place. Peach has at least two (there may be more, I don't care to dig into her mountains of ... just ... stuff too much) well-'ard 1960's fancy sewing machines, and I've been grabbing buttonholers, tweed matchers and any other crazy attachment that'll fit. Not bothered with a handcrank one, parents had one, total PITA and one-trick pony, I find handwork quicker.
And patterns from all over, for things like those oilcloth raincoats Aussies wear, suits with weskits which if made from sort of 16oz tweed might stop me and the kids freezing. Obviously oiled-wool jerseys and wool trousers for work. Peach is a pretty fair knitter. Still have to buy decent boots, and luckily they still make them in this country. Only thing I'm struggling for would be decent felt hats. And bicycle clips

They've already shut just about every broadcloth and tartan mill in Scotland, still get old bolts surfacing on the 'Bay, but the prices are getting insane.
Not long before the Huddersfield ones go, now the FIRE economy has gone lumpy side up and the demand for flash suits has shrivelled. Never to reopen. Cloth suited to a British climate where one is limited to one 4"-deep bath a week and all laundry done by hand, with soap made from seaweed or something, to be as available as a suit of milanese plate in the Unsustainable Future, I fear.
 

Mmm, bark soup, and sawdust for a mattress. Can't wait.

[Skinty]

Knittings one of these things that I have lined up to do. Got a book, a couple of needles and some wool laying around but didn't really have the patience to try and do it properly. It's time will come though. Blokey thinks it will be great for me because I have (had) this habit of throwing a hair comb into the air rotating a couple of times before catching it and doing that repeatedly while I sitting at my laptop thinking.

We're currently drowning in stuff at the moment with nowhere to store it because we're renting a house full of someone else's stuff. Not to mention that we need to save our money because after this year our future is uncertain. Otherwise buying some decent clothes that will last a lifetime would be on my mind. I wouldn't mind going off to Harris and seeing if I could be decked out all nicely.

[Steve Cook]

I'm glad I'm not the only chap on here who is trying to correct his ignorance of clothing manufacture.
Trying to get the hang of basic tailoring, starting with massive heavy overcoats, which won't frighten the horses.

I'd been worrying away about The Blighty of the Future for a bit. "Austerity" (or the " bread and dripping for anyone not a hereditary landowner" doctrine),  intense fuel poverty (a constant in the Isles, from at least the early bronze age), back to dense urban flats and so on for anyone not being used directly as an arable peon.
And the probabilty of not just food, but footwear and proper clothes becoming really, really expensive again.
The end of the centrally heated office, and back to the trolleybus and the bike, spending hours of the day dying of undernourished exposure on Auld Reekie's streets going from freezing hovel to frigid workplace.

So I've been sorting myself out as much quality woollen cloth, linen and sewing stuff, Gutermanns threads, as I can conveniently squirrel away about the place. Peach has at least two (there may be more, I don't care to dig into her mountains of ... just ... stuff too much) well-'ard 1960's fancy sewing machines, and I've been grabbing buttonholers, tweed matchers and any other crazy attachment that'll fit. Not bothered with a handcrank one, parents had one, total PITA and one-trick pony, I find handwork quicker.
And patterns from all over, for things like those oilcloth raincoats Aussies wear, suits with weskits which if made from sort of 16oz tweed might stop me and the kids freezing. Obviously oiled-wool jerseys and wool trousers for work. Peach is a pretty fair knitter. Still have to buy decent boots, and luckily they still make them in this country. Only thing I'm struggling for would be decent felt hats. And bicycle clips

They've already shut just about every broadcloth and tartan mill in Scotland, still get old bolts surfacing on the 'Bay, but the prices are getting insane.
Not long before the Huddersfield ones go, now the FIRE economy has gone lumpy side up and the demand for flash suits has shrivelled. Never to reopen. Cloth suited to a British climate where one is limited to one 4"-deep bath a week and all laundry done by hand, with soap made from seaweed or something, to be as available as a suit of milanese plate in the Unsustainable Future, I fear.
 

Mmm, bark soup, and sawdust for a mattress. Can't wait.

Hi Wario

If any copies of those patterns are going spare, I would be every interested in them. I would need to offer you something in return and I have in mind a series of DVDs called 3DWD (Third World development). These DVDs contain literally thousands of pdf documents written up by the world health organisation over many decades. They include stuff from how to set up your own brick kiln to how to raise rabbits, how to grow every kind of concieveable food, how to make your own generator etc etc etc. Literally everything you can possibly think of in terms of self sustainable living

Except, clothing manufacture.

I know, I've looked through every bloody one of them!

Anyhow, if you wanted to do a swap of a copy of the CDW3 (there's about 5DVDs worth) for some copies of clothing patterns give me a mesage on this forum's messaging system.

[MrPin]

Very nice Steve. Natural dyes are great fun but wildly time consuming. I got as far as actually getting a blue colour out of woad

Didn't realise that was still in fashion, but I haven't been north of Lactodorum for some time, except for that adventure beyond that wall!

[Skinty]

I have in mind a series of DVDs called 3DWD (Third World development). These DVDs contain literally thousands of pdf documents written up by the world health organisation over many decades. They include stuff from how to set up your own brick kiln to how to raise rabbits, how to grow every kind of concieveable food, how to make your own generator etc etc etc. Literally everything you can possibly think of in terms of self sustainable living

Except, clothing manufacture.

I know, I've looked through every bloody one of them!

Where did you get them Steve? Sounds like a brilliant item to have in one's collection.

I'm trying to buy a collection of books that will prove useful in a post-oil world. I figure start now and build up the collection as and when you see something that's missing or that could be useful.

[Steve Cook]

I have in mind a series of DVDs called 3DWD (Third World development). These DVDs contain literally thousands of pdf documents written up by the world health organisation over many decades. They include stuff from how to set up your own brick kiln to how to raise rabbits, how to grow every kind of concieveable food, how to make your own generator etc etc etc. Literally everything you can possibly think of in terms of self sustainable living

Except, clothing manufacture.

I know, I've looked through every bloody one of them!

Where did you get them Steve? Sounds like a brilliant item to have in one's collection.

I'm trying to buy a collection of books that will prove useful in a post-oil world. I figure start now and build up the collection as and when you see something that's missing or that could be useful.

Hi Skinty.

The guy who produced them used to work for the WHO. When he left to set up his own third-world charitable organisation, he lifted a copy of their entire database of educational documents spanning several decades of work. I got in touch with him via a forum I was frequenting at the time (about 4 years ago). He kindly made a full copy of all five (it could be four, it's been a while since I had them out) DVDs and posted them to me. I would be more than happy to make a fresh copy for any of you guys on here. I don't expect anything in return. Just the cost of the DVDs plus postage.

[Steve Cook]

Just finished the spinner last night. When I say finished, I mean mechanically. It needs a major filling and sanding prior to painting up before it looks decent.

In any event, mechanically it works great. I've stuck a photo up here and will post a video of it in action shortly.

[Skinty]

Wow!

Now I come to think of it I do remember hearing how my grandad got fed up of having to hold out his hands while my nan used them to twirl wool around them somehow before knitting with it. So he made some mechanical device for her to use. They're both dead now so I'd have to ask my mum about it.

[Steve Cook]

Wow!

Now I come to think of it I do remember hearing how my grandad got fed up of having to hold out his hands while my nan used them to twirl wool around them somehow before knitting with it. So he made some mechanical device for her to use. They're both dead now so I'd have to ask my mum about it.

That would be a skien winder  I think skinty. It's used to wind the newly spun wool up prior to washing/dying. Other folks wind the wool up into balls and knit with it undyed. Then when the item is knitted, it is given a final wash and then dyed as a garment.

Skein Winder & Swift Demonstration

[Steve Cook]

One spinner finished with the first thing I have kintted from the wool I have spun from it. It's a scarf. I think I will leave it undyed cos I'm lazy.

Next up I'm going to spin enough wool to knit a hat, mittens and jumper to go with the scarf

[Steve Cook]

It's my intention to produce a detailed set of plans for building the wool spinner so that anyone else can build one if they want. I'm happy to put those plans on here if folks wanted.

[Skinty]

Sounds great! Helps make this site a resource that people can find useful.

I took photos when making my home grown pasta sauce today and will be uploading them in time.

[Guy de Loimbard]

Wow!

Now I come to think of it I do remember hearing how my grandad got fed up of having to hold out his hands while my nan used them to twirl wool around them somehow before knitting with it. So he made some mechanical device for her to use. They're both dead now so I'd have to ask my mum about it.

It used to be common to unpick good-quality knitted garments to recover the wool and then re-knit - e.g. taking a worn adults jumper and re-knitting it for a child. Typically the wool would be re-washed, dried, and then re-wound into balls - using a relative for holding skeins would be a common thing.

[Steve Cook]

Just managed to obtain a set of plans for a drum carder. This is a device whereby the wool is combed and prepared for spinning. Normally this is done with a set of hand carders. These are very much slower and less efficient than a drum carder. They are what I currently use. The reason being that a good quality drum carder costs well in excess of £200. I calculate Ican make my own drum carder for about £100. I will also have the added advantage of knowing exactly what components are in it and so can maintain it cheaply over the years.

In order that folks can get an idea of what I am on about, I have included a photo of a set of hand carders and one of a drum carder.

Hand carders



Drum carder

[littlemoo]

Wow!

Now I come to think of it I do remember hearing how my grandad got fed up of having to hold out his hands while my nan used them to twirl wool around them somehow before knitting with it. So he made some mechanical device for her to use. They're both dead now so I'd have to ask my mum about it.

It used to be common to unpick good-quality knitted garments to recover the wool and then re-knit - e.g. taking a worn adults jumper and re-knitting it for a child. Typically the wool would be re-washed, dried, and then re-wound into balls - using a relative for holding skeins would be a common thing.

I used to do this when my children were small.  You could get good jersyes at a jumble sale and just unravel them.  It was more tricky to get the kinks out though.  I used to wind it round the back of a dining room chair - old fashioned wooden spar back -- as tight as I could to get the kinks out.
I always look for fresh looking knitted items at car booties.  If they have never been washed then they unwind very well and crochet up nicely for a bed spread.  Helps keep your heating bill down in winter to have one on your knee while reading. You just keep going in rounds till its the size you want.  Real wool is always best - aran wool is great for spreads.