Friday Fun Fact: Linen - and how to wash it!

Let's talk about linen!

Linen is made from flax, a woody bast fiber. Take a look at the stages needed to process flax into linen!

One thing about pure, natural linen: it can wrinkle. You can fight against this natural tendency by dry-cleaning, ironing constantly, avoiding washing, and never sitting down.

OR, you can embrace the wrinkles. Linen will soften with every wash, and rather then deep creases, you will have a softly textured appearance. It's part of linen's natural character and charm.

We recommend washing linen in cool or warm water by hand or machine. You can choose to tumble dry, to soften the linen, or hang it up to dry to preserve more of the crispness.

Iron your linen before it is fully dry. The dampness helps get rid of wrinkles! Of course, whichever method you choose, always pre-wash first, unless you plan to dry clean.

You can also choose linens blended with cotton or rayon to help prevent wrinkling. At Treadle, we carry a lot of different weights and blends for all your linen needs! Shop our linen here!

Check out all our Friday Fun Facts in the archive here!

Treadle Make Tuesday: Rebecca's Geneva Blouse

Every Tuesday we share projects from Treadle Yard Goods employees (a.k.a. The Treadlettes) and our customers and fans!

Rebecca made this Geneva blouse from a fantastic new Liberty of London print. 

She made a few adjustments to tweak the fit, and plans to make a few more! This v-neck style with a loose fit is perfect for spring and summer!

Liberty Tana lawn is a classic fabric that's lightweight, smooth as silk, and incredibly hard-wearing. With all the time and dedication you put into your sewing, you deserve to use a fine-quality fabric like Liberty!

Shop Liberty here!

Want to be featured on Treadle Make Tuesday? Send us a photo or tag us in your post! (We will always ask before we share.)

Friday Fun Fact: Liberty Tana Lawn

This week's Fun Fact comes from Threads Magazine! Check out the new issue at Treadle now!

 

Treadle Make Tuesday: Rebecca's Easter Eggs

Every Tuesday we share projects from Treadle Yard Goods employees (a.k.a. The Treadlettes) and our customers and fans!

Rebecca embroidered these sweet felt Easter eggs! The detail of her stitching always blows us away.

We have a great selection of wool felt and embroidery floss for you to make your own adorable eggs, or any craft you can imagine! 

Friday Fun Fact: Carrickmacross Lace

It's St. Patrick's Day! We're exploring the history of handmade Irish lace.

Of all the Irish laces, including crochet lace, Carrickmacross is my favorite. 

It was brought to Ireland in 1816 by a Mrs. John Grey Porter upon return from her honeymoon in Italy. She opened a school in Carrickmacross to teach the technique and it soon became a cottage industry.



This lace is made by combining several techniques: embroidery, applique, and needle lace.

It's begun with a layer of fine cotton net, usually machine-made. The net was laid over a pattern drawn on paper.

Then a layer of fine, sheer muslin (more like what we know as voile) was laid over the net and all the layers were basted in place.

Next, embroidery was worked in shapes outlining the pattern. Excess muslin and netting were carefully cut away, and filling stitches could be worked in the open areas. 

The result was a beautiful embroidered net with varying density and openness.

This technique is still practiced by lace hobbyists today! 

Have you ever made lace? Would you give Carrickmacross lace a try?

See more examples at The Little Lace Museum!

Check out all our Friday Fun Facts in the archive here!

Treadle Make Tuesday: Bernie's Vintage Shirt

Every Tuesday we share projects from Treadle Yard Goods employees (a.k.a. The Treadlettes) and our customers and fans!

Veteran sewist Bernie Graham made this classic shirt from a vintage pattern. It's full of great details! He sized this pattern up in our Resize Your Pattern class - watch for it in an upcoming schedule!  

Bernie used a red contrast fabric inside the cuffs and other hidden areas. 

Bright red buttons tie it all together!

Want to be featured on Treadle Make Tuesday? Send us a photo or tag us in your post! (We will always ask before we share.)

Friday Fun Fact: Hooks and Eyes

It's all about hooks and eyes!

There are many different kinds available, and they all have subtly different strengths. Here are a few of the most common.

At the top are trouser (or skirt) hooks. You'll typically see these on the waistband of dressier garments.

At center are the hooks and eyes you might be most familiar with. These are ideal for the top of a zipper opening or any place that meets edge-to-edge. Usually they're sewn with the tip of the eye peeking out just a bit from the edge.

At the bottom are hooks and bars. These are more discreet than basic eyes when edges overlap - the bars don't stick out and hide a little better!

Hooks and eyes have been around for a LONG time - they're one of the oldest known clothing closures! 

Take a look at these surviving medieval-era examples!

Hooks are such a basic closure that you could even make them yourself! Check out the historical sewing blog Katafalk to see more! Her photo below illustrates the steps in the process.

Treadle Make Tuesday: Grace's Cloak

Every Tuesday we share projects from Treadle Yard Goods employees (a.k.a. The Treadlettes) and our customers and fans!

Treadlette Grace made this gorgeous wool cloak that's straight out of a fairy tale!

Using the Kinsale Cloak pattern from Folkwear, plus a trio of luscious fabrics, Grace made an heirloom-worthy garment that's as cozy as it is beautiful. 

The outer fabric is a mossy green wool Melton from earlier this winter at Treadle. 

The lining is an irresistibly cheerful yellow floral print! 

The hood is lined with rabbit fur, which Grace meticulously pieced together from multiple pelts. 

The hood can be worn up, creating amazing volume, or down, creating a short capelet over the shoulders.

Friday Fun Fact: Shop Hop!

What's a Shop Hop?

So we've mentioned the upcoming Shop Hop, but what does that really mean? 

Several stores are joining together to create a fun event that supports local businesses! From the Shop Hop website:

The All Minnesota Shop Hop brings together sewing and quilting enthusiasts from across Minnesota and neighboring states. The event will run April 1 through May 31 in 2023. The All Minnesota Shop Hop Magazine is your guide to all things about the event, participating stores and sponsors. The Magazine also includes valuable patterns, projects and articles along with the official passport and maps.

Each participating store offers the exclusive Shop Hop fabric, along with other give-aways, raffles and prizes. Participants have their passport stamped at each store they visit to qualify for additional prizes. 

Learn more at the Shop Hop website!