I'm in no danger of being mistaken for a glover.

[bethzylla]

The next event I'll be attending is a Regency outing to the Fort Worth Symphony's Beethoven concert.  It's in about a week.  And since it wouldn't feel like a real event if I didn't heap tons of work on myself at the last minute, I figured I'd better make myself a pair of fancy evening gloves.

I started with Kwik Sew #2326, which is designed for stretchy fabrics.  My fabric is an off-white suedecloth and has a negligible amount of stretch.So, I did a LOT of slashing and spreading.  I also lengthened the fingers to match my actual fingers and allowed extra room at the glove top for my 'generous' biceps.


A lot of surviving gloves have embroidery.  I have a love/hate relationship with my embroidery machine, but if there's ever a time to get over yourself and just do it that time is when you need embroidered gloves!




My first hurdle came right away - literally my first seam.  I'd slashed and spread everything except the thumb!  Finger-sized thumbs just aren't gonna cut it.


Back to the cutting room for some slashing and spreading.  Oh, and more embroidery.


That's better!


From there it was a combination of tedious machine and hand sewing.  Seam allowances for gloves is 1/8" and that takes extra concentration.  I set the thumbs into the glove body by hand because that really is just easier, if more time consuming.  I have a special foot that helps get a true 1/8" seam allowance (in theory) but it does require you to sew 'backwards' with the edge of the fabric along the left side of the presser foot.


Still, I did have some issues that will need to be corrected before an actual wearing.


I think they'll be good enough for an evening event in low lighting.  One glove down, one to go!

Comments

[m-of-disguise.livejournal.com]

Ooo, I love how they're looking so far! The embroidery is such a nice touch. ^^ I was inspired when you first mentioned making gloves, and I bought some suedecloth to make my own, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. ^^; We'll see if they actually get made before the event!

[kaesha-nikovana.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Good luck with yours! They always seem to take longer to make than I think they will...

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

Amazing!

[kaesha-nikovana.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[bauhausfrau.livejournal.com]

Those are gorgeous! The gold embroidery is wonderful.

[kaesha-nikovana.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[joysdaughter.livejournal.com]

I've made gloves by hand - wouldn't contemplate machine, so well done. I must try embroidery next time, although not as beautiful as yours, I'm sure!

[kaesha-nikovana.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I think they'd turn out better and be less hassle by hand. If I were better at time management and working well in advance of a due date, I would have done these by hand. The layers (especially the finger insets) tend to slip under the presser foot, and it's impossible to see that until you've sewn it all. I've just got a few hand repairs to do this time, which I'm OK with.

[mala-14.livejournal.com]

So pretty! I admire your bravery getting into glove-making. I need to find myself a pair one of these days.

[kaesha-nikovana.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Sewing them myself has forced me to appreciate the skill that real glovers have.

[christylee.livejournal.com]

So pretty!

[kaesha-nikovana.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[jaelie.livejournal.com]

So pretty! I think it turned out beautifully!

[kaesha-nikovana.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[starrc.livejournal.com]

Wow, pretty! I think I have that same pattern. I can't wait to see the finished set with your Regency outfit! I might also have to hit you up for advice on machine embroidery, too, as I'm thinking of purchasing a machine soon. :-)

[kaesha-nikovana.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'd be happy to give you what advice I have on machines, but I'm by no means an expert. :)

[starrc.livejournal.com]

No expert opinion needed, I'm just curious what you like and what you don't like about yours. I'm asking everyone I know that has one those questions, to get a better idea what's out there!

[kaesha-nikovana.livejournal.com]

Well, I should preface this by saying my machine is now considered pretty bottom-of-the-line. But it was a cheap buy from a craigslist ad, and it's the same machine I was very first exposed to so I was already familiar with its features. It's a Brother PE-150.

I like that it has some on-board capabilites (mirroring, changing where in the hoop the embroidery will go, increasing or decreasing size by a small amount, and some monogram files loaded in on-board memory.) It does detect when there's a problem with the thread (breakage or bobbin has run out) but I've found it often doesn't detect this in a timely manner.

Which leads me into the things I don't like. After fixing a problem with the thread, moving forward/backward in the design to the point where the problem occurred is difficult. It's a serious issue in larger designs, as it only 'remembers' a certain number of stitches. The largest field it's capable of embroidering is 4"x4", which is inconvenient for me. I recommend buying a machine with as large an embroider-able field as you can. While many designs are offered in a variety of sizes, the larger versions tend to have more detail and 'wow' factor. Resizing designs is possible, but gets tricky at about 15% change. After that point you need to adjust stitch density in digitizing software, and finding something user-friendly is like finding a unicorn. I'd also prefer a larger and more detailed screen on my machine. I've also seen what's effectively a laser guidance system, so you know exactly where your design is centered (or where a corner is, etc.) That one feature could have saved me so many headaches!

I guess what it boils down to is buy the best machine you can afford. You won't regret having all the bells-and-whistles that comes with it.

[joysdaughter.livejournal.com]

I once made up a pair, already cut, in one day, although they didn't have embroidery, so they don't have to take that long. One bonus, they were early period, so the stitches could be on the outside.

[padawansguide.livejournal.com]

That looks awesome, but omg, that looks so difficult and fiddly!

[kaesha-nikovana.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It really is fiddly, but for me it's worth it to get 'the look.' ;)