TDIPT Mercantile update tonight, 7pm CST




Did you all here in the USA, well minus Arizona...remember to set your clocks ahead yesterday? I hope so :) I am so ready for spring! Just a wee little update this evening, one dollye and the very first of my new tiles~ do you see it in the picture above????
Ohh I am certainly addicted to making these~ if I had a kiln, I would be making them in porcelain, (I want some for my bathroom!) but since I don't, I have done them up in mache~ these really are special, and I am so excited to share them with you all. I hand press them from antique springerle cookie molds and presses~ I have been collecting the modern reproductions for quite a few years and they really are special~ all reproductions of early hand carved cookie molds dating back to the 1600's. I hand paint each, and glaze them to make them each unmistakeably 'Diamond K Folk Art'! This one I am offering this evening is a c1820 Beidermeier Garden Ladye, and she is quite large~ almost 4"x6", not including her hanger. These look wonderful hanging on a cupboard door~ I have painted this one to resemble my favorite powder blue Wedgwood.

Lets Start~ a c1600 embroidered smock for Marguarite

I have done alot of research into what sort of smock I want Marguarite to wear under her bodies....must be period correct of coarse, and be able to be worn under a gown or jacket with a low neckline. I love Janet Arnold's books~ she was such a gift to us, and did more for research of early 16th-17th c clothing than anyone else. I am utilizing her Patterns of Fashion, Volume 4 for the smock I am making. Pattern number 71, which is an embroidered smock c1575-1600. I would have liked to use a later period smock, say, 1630's ideally, but couldn't find one in the cut I was looking for~ as in, LOW neckline. This smock is quite full, but I am using a really sheer natural fiber ramie, so I am not worried about any bulk under the bodies. IF you are going to use a linen, I would definitely cut out a few panels in the body, to make it more fitted. Above is a view of the smock as Janet sketched it out~ I will be following the pattern fairly closely, and yes, using this same embroidery motif.

Here you can see that mainly, these early smocks are just comprised of rectangles~ very simple in construction. I cut my pattern from paper, and fitted it on Marguarite, making adjustments for her unique body type~ basically, there is a front and back, 2 sleeves, 2 small bits that go over the shoulders, and 2 square underarm gussets.

Typically the fabric would be embroidered first, then stitched together...but alot of the embroidery is over the seams on this one, so I am embroidering the underarm gussets first, then am going to stitch it all together, and embroidering it last. The most embroidery on this is on the sleeves, and I want to be sure the fit is correct and perfect, before I go spending a ton of time on embroidery that may get put into the trash. I am drawing the motifs on with a lead pencil, which works quite well~ my fingers rub it off, and by the time I am finished with the motif, the lead marks are all gone.

The original smock was embroidered in a salmon color filament silk~ I am color coordinating Marguarites outfit, so picked a nice shade of blue that will look nice with her bodies. I am using soie ovale~ a flat untwisted filament silk, but as you can see, it is quite heavy off the spool~ if you ask most folks they will say that it cant be divided, but I have found that if I fray the end a little with my thumbnail, it separates quite easily into 6 strands...sometimes I get a 7th.

Here is one underarm gusset complete~ each motif takes me about 2.5-3 hours to stitch...ridiculous isn't it?! They are so small, and I am doing a back stitch~ now the original would have been done in a running stitch, as in, if stitching a straight line, worked one direction, then turned, and worked again the the opposite direction to make a perfectly smooth line....but I find my scale and thread just too weensie to do the proper technique. I still get a quite pleasing effect, very delicate with just a hint of color~ am liking it so far!

A Valentine's Day Update~ I hope you all are having a wonderful day~ Tilly would certainly love to meet you, hope you will take a moment this evening, at 7pm CST, and stop in to the TDIPT Mercantile and say hello!

One Little Two Little Three Little Piggies.............


I apologize for not posting on the blog sooner! I am swamped already this year~ a great thing! We are finally getting the blizzards that we should have had last November....and look at my little sweeties!!! Yes, Yetti & Blanket(our Great Pyrenees) are proud parents of 3 wee little pigs... which actually, aren't little at all~ they're HUGE! Just 13 days old, eyes open yesterday, two boys and a girl. Weighed the biggest one, the girl, FIVE POUNDS yesterday! I call her Gloria, she is the one on the right. Her brother Gary is on the far left, and my Jack is in the middle. We are going to keep Jack, the two brindles will be watching over someone else's flock.

They are so rolly polly....if they aren't eating, the children each are always holding a little pig....and see, Auntie Dixie is always hovering over them when Blanket gets a break and goes outside. We have kept them inside since they were born, as we have had in the 30 and 40 BELOW zero temps. I have also, drum roll.....got the taxes DONE, so will be getting all the info for this years fundraiser drawing up SOON! Not to worry, if you have bought anything this year, you will be entered! This years goal is very focused~ extremely focused actually. All the proceeds of my Folk Art sales will be going towards purchasing a climate control unit for the large counter display case~ I have been stripping the layers of paint off since last October!

Its looking pretty good, have the back to do yet, the sliding doors are giving me fits, as they don't come off....but its getting there. So much elbow grease...whew! I am using a non evaporating bio friendly stripper~ it works really good actually, just takes a while longer than the more potent ones.

For those of you who are making up a smock with me, Ill be posting on that soon too~ I'm so far behind! Nearly everyone has their fabric already so we should be all set to start :) It's ramping up to be a really GREAT year, and I'm seriously really looking forward to sharing it with you all~

Heartes Desires.................

It is the heart and not the brain
That to the highest doth attain,
And he who followeth Love’s behest
Far excelleth all the rest.

~~~~HENRY W. LONGFELLOW

I hope you will stop in at the TDIPT Mercantile tomorrow, 7pm MST~ BB, Pyotr and I would love to hear from you, and I will also have 4 sets of my glass glittered candy heartes available for your special Valentine~

Just Dance

'Please send me your last pair of shoes, worn out with dancing as you mentioned in your letter, so that I might have something to press against my heart.'

~ Goethe

Happy New Year!