Christmas Vacation Projects

[Black Dogg]

Better late than never !

I had a few days off between Christmas and New Year's and did a couple of projects while at the Cabin.

First up was a new collar for the pup. Her old one was five years old and had started to crack in a few spots. I sewed this one with Tiger Thread (as opposed to my usual 5-ply hemp) and have to say I really like it. Well waxed and doesn't fray even after a long seam. It lays really nice, too, for the English saddle stitch appearance. I'll definitely be getting a big spool of the stuff!

The second project is from the opposite end of the historic spectrum: Ever since I started handsewing, my personal "holy grail" has been to try it with hog's bristles. I finally found a guy on etsy who still sells them and got a package last month. Then I figured out how to make my own handwax thanks to a discussion on the "Honorable Company of Cordwainers" website (www.thehcc.org) . I found a lot of different recipes, but chose to stick with the simplest one; two parts pine rosin and one part beeswax. I got everything melted together and let it sit a couple of days to fully harden. It took me three tries to get the bristles attached (after making the thread) and start sewing. A bit different than needles, to say the least ! I got the hang of it after a while and finished the practice strip in about half an hour. Slower than usual, but it works! Now I'll just have to practice some more to be able to consistently attach the bristles. And then it's on to my first pair of shoes .

Here's a good video to see how it's done:  

And here's the pictures:

 

Happy New Year everyone!!

 

Black Dogg

Edited January 11, 2017 by Black Dogg