Tracy Livernois, Eugene Weavers Guild, Eugene, OR
Name/Description: Linen Peasant Coat.
Made For?: Woman
Size: S
Fabric Construction: Woven
Fabric Construction – Other:
Woven Structure: 8 harness twill variation using natural color linen and rayon with random stripes of rust. I wove this on my J-made floor loom.
Yarn Details and SETT: Warp was a 100% linen (from Robin and Russ, made in Scotland), it was a 2 ply @ 4,200 ypp; this yarn was from a weavers’ sale and in my stash for several years. Interspersed with linen warp threads are several warp threads of rust colored 10/2 cotton. The weft is a 4 ply natural color rayon/linen blend @ 2900 ypp, also a 2nd hand yarn from my stash. The Project was a bit of a stash buster. SETT was 30 epi.
Handspun Details:
Stitches:
Special Treatments:
Textile Finishing: I washed the fabric several times with cold water in a front loading washing machine, line dried and then ironed a couple times.
Textile Challenges: It was the 2nd time I had tried tying onto a previous warp and it was a bit scary getting all the knots through the heddles. Tying on allowed me to design the stripe pattern as I warped as I had a limited amount of rust yarn. 42 inches wide by 3.2 yards long, it was a bit heavy for the washing machine, but thankfully it didn’t break the machine.
Garment Construction: I generally followed a pattern but did increase the seam allowance and added Hong Kong seaming to control fraying. I hand sewed the bottom hem.
Lining: I did not use a lining, although if I made the coat again, lining might be easier than the Hong Kong seam finishing. I did use an old linen orange table cloth (from my mother) as fabric for pockets and neck lining; I get pleasure out of recycling!
Special Features: The original pattern does not call for a closure but I added one to add interest to the simple garment. I purchased the knotted closure at a local shop.
Pattern: Lotta Jansdotter “Pilvi Coat” from her book “Everyday Style”.
Garment Challenges: This was a challenging fabric for me, a fairly novice seamstress, to work with. It had lots of body, a mind of its own with stripes to boot, and did not always cooperate. I especially had trouble with the lower hem, redoing in several times.
