Nicole Alderman

textiles
instruction, regulation, insurance, safety, etc

All natural materials, for examples linen/flax, hemp, nettle, wool, cotton, silk, grass, feathers, willow. Local/home-grown/harvested materials preferred over store-bought ones.

sand badge

mend a hole - quick darning
sew a patch
make a small pillow
make twine
weave a basket
do one of:
   - knit or crochet a hot pad
   - crochet or knit a dishcloth



straw badge
start a button jar (harvest buttons from old shirts) (required)

harvest fabric scraps for future sewing projects (required)

sew on a button  (required)

create a textile toolbox  or hussif (sewing kit) (the goal is to have all the sewing tools handy and easy to find at a moment's notice)(required)

mend a hole - invisible mending (pick one) (required)
- re-create knit fabric (possibly a sock) with knit-stitch darn
- reenforce woven fabric where it is thinning or starting to make a hole
- invisible mending a small hole or tear
- add a patch to torn fabric so that it is invisible from the outside

sewing machine maintenance (required)

make a small loom capable of weaving a belt  (required)

for the rest of this badge, you need 31 points

repairs list (required minimum of 3 points):
patch or darn a blanket (prettily) (0.5 points)
repair clothing like adding an invisible patch to a shirt  (0.5 points)
hem drapes/curtains (1 point)
hem trousers or skirt (1 point)
turn trousers into shorts (0.5 points)
add pockets to skirt or pants (0.5 points)
invisible darn a knit sweater  (0.5 points)
replacing the elastic or drawstring / repair or replace a damaged waistband on pants/skirt (1 point)
repair a hole in a pocket  (0.5 points)
alter the waist on skirt or pants to fit (1 points)
leather mending - patching or stitching (1 point)
  - gloves
  - shoes / sandles
  - bag / briefcase / suitcase / laptop bag
  - belt
  - coat
  - shearling leather like a fleece blanket, bed pad, coat, or other leather with wool still attached
leather maintenance (shoes, belt, bag, or another leather item) (1 point)
  - describe the kind of leather and the technique used for maintenance
   - waterproofing boots/shoes
   - cleaning leather shoes/boots/sandals
replace or repair the crotch in a pair of pants  (1 points)
sew the handles back onto a cloth shopping bag (or another cloth bag), reinforcing as necessary  (0.5 points)
repair pinhole tears in fabric  (0.5 points)
cover a stain with an applique or embroidered patch to make the garment look nice again  (0.5 points)
add a gusset to a garment (eg underarms or in the crotch) to make it fit better (1 point)
add a panel to a garment that's the right size in one area but too small in another, to make it fit (for example, add a panel in the bodice of a dress that's too small in the chest but fits fine from the waist down) (1 point)
add belt loops or suspender buttons to a pair of pants/trousers (0.5 points)
repair damaged lining fabric in a garment (0.5 points)
remove lint or pills from clothes (0.5 points)
fix a worn buttonhole (0.5 points)
remove damaged embroidery from a garment without wrecking the garment (0.5 points)
Unravels old sweater into yarn for other projects (1 point)


Upholstery list (required minimum of 4 points)
repair the pad on a padded chair (1.5 point)
repair the fabric on a couch (1 - 2 point)
deep clean the fabric on a couch or chair using natural cleaners (1 point)
repair a seat in a car (1 - 2 point)
add new fabric over the worn fabric on a padded chair (2 point)
add an upholstery cushion to a chair or stool (3 points)
make a firm, four button pillow (2 points)
make a bolster pillow (2 points)
Create a camping cot-sized mattress (tick) stuffed with natural materials like wool, cotton, hemp, seeds ( https://permies.com/t/54526/fiber-arts/Straw-Mattress ) (3 points)



Weaving List (required minimum of 3 points)

weave a belt (2.5 points)
  - use backstrap or tablet weaving techniques to weave a warp-faced belt long enough to wear.  Create a simple buckle out of two metal rings or use an existing buckle.
  - be sure to finish the ends and make the belt long enough for you to wear.
weave a leash for a dog, goat or other animal, at least two yards long.  (1.5 points)
  - Fold over one end for a handle
  - add a clasp to the other end.
  - at least ¾” wide.
weave a camera strap (2.5 points)
weave a cotton or linen hand towel (at least 16” x 20” after finishing) (4 points)
weave a small bag, purse, camera case (2-4 points)
weave a baby blanket (30” x 30” or bigger) (6 points)
basket weaving - seedling protection basket (2 points)
basket weaving - trash basket (2.5 points)
basket weaving - grocery grass basket (bottom of basket must be large enough to fit a dozen eggs in a cartan, laying down! and a jug of milk standing up) (6 points)
basket weaving - harvest basket (4-6 points)



Spinning List (required minimum of 4 points):

Prepare at least 250 grams (1/2 Pound) of wool: (3 points)
 
prepare at least 100 grams (4oz) of cotton: (2.5 points)
  - gin (remove seeds and detritus)
  - card into punis to prepare for spinning

prepare at least 100grams linen strict for spinning (2.5 points)
degum 50 silk cocoons and make hankies (way of preparing fibre for spinning) (3 points)
make a simple spindle (0.5 point)
spin 250g yarn (singles), wash and block the yarn - at least 400 yards (2.5 point)
spin 250g plied yarn equalling at least 200 yards (3 point)
spin twine - more than 50 yards (1 point)
twist rope - more than 25 yards (1 point)

Stickwork List (required minimum of 3 points)

Knit or crochet:
a jayne cobb cunning hat (2 points)
an adult hat (1 point)
matching scarf and mittens (3 points)
a pair of mittens (2 points)
a scarf (1 point)
a pair of gloves (3 points)
a pair of fingerless gloves (2 points)
a pair of socks (must be knit) (3 points)
a pair of slippers (1-2 points)
a (functional) grocery bag (2 points)
an adult size, long sleeve sweater. (8-12 points)
a baby blanket (30” square or more) blanket (4-6 points)
a twin-size blanket (8-10 points)
a queen-size blanket (10-15 points)


Sewing List (required minimum of 3 points):
cloth grocery bags (1 point)
pressing ham (1 point)
pajama pants (2 points)
skirt (2-3 points)
apron (1.5-3 points)
shirt (woven cloth) (2-6 points)
t-shirts (1.5 points)
Make a pillowcase (0.5 points)
sew a cloth mask (0.5 points)
a cloth feminine pads (1 point)
sew and stuff a doll or stuffed animal (1.5 points)
make a zokin (Japanese cleaning cloth with decorative stitching) (0.5 points)
make a leather thimble (0.5 points)
pairs of panties/boxers/briefs (1 point)
cloth diaper (1 points)
sew a bathrobe (2-3 points)
sew a tent large enough to sleep in (10-16 points)
waist-length coat or jacket (5 points)
knee-length coat (6 points)
duvet cover (1 point)
sew a tool roll to fit the tools (2 points

small quilting (traditional or boro quilting):  
- ]a christmas stocking quilted on one side (2.5 points)
- cozy (hot water urn, pot skirt ...) (2.5 points)
- pillowcase (2.5 points)
- Baby blanket at least 30x30” (5 points)
- small bag, quilted both sides (at least 15x15”) (3 points)

wax or oil cloth list (required minimum of zero points)

Create 3 wax or oil cloth for food storage (1 point)
create wax or oil cloth and use it to make a lunch bag (1.5 points)
sew a shoulder bag from oilcloth (2-4 points)
sew a rucksack from oilcloth (5-8 points)


dye list (required minimum of zero points)
Dye 100g (total - dry weight)  (2 points)
can be cotton or wool - cloth, yarn, or fibre.
prepare the fabric, yarn, or fibre for dyeing - clean and organized.  Mordant if necessary.
natural dyeing
without mordant - rhubarb leaves, stinging nettles, arbutus bark, or avocado pits,
with mordant - other plants list here
test for dyeing - wash with something white after it’s dyed and if the white is still white and the colour is still there, then woot!

felt list (required minimum of zero points)
felt a pouch or purse (2 points)
needle felt a figure--plant, animal, mythical, etc. that looks like the thing you are trying to make (2 points)
wet felt a scarf (1 point)
wet felt a hat (1-2 points)
wet felt 3 wool dryer balls (1 point)



leatherwork and fur list (required minimum of zero points)

xxx need to finish list and assign points

Belt
Wallet
Hatchet/axe head protector
Knife scabbard or holster (whatever they're called)
Cord for shoelaces or bolo ties
Wrist protector for bow and arrow (is that a thing anymore?
sheath
gloves
apron
watch strap
soft sole moccasins
soft sole slippers
leather bound notebook (1-5 points)

shoes list (required minimum of zero points)
shoes for this list include a hard sole and do not use petroleum based materials.

xxx need to finish list and assign points

hard sole moccasins
sandals
hard sole slippers
shoes with a hard sole
boots





(under construction)

(under construction)

My nice Softstar Merry Jane shoes had come unstitched! So, I stopped by the local craft store and bought the only awl and leather working needles they had, and got to work!

This is my first time ever sewing leather! I used the saddle stitch method shown in the first post of this thread.

Now for pictures!

This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the straw badge in textiles.

In this project you will mend a leather object with patching or stitching. The object could be:

 - gloves
 - shoes / sandals
 - bag / briefcase / suitcase / laptop bag
 - belt
 - coat
 - shearling leather like a fleece blanket, bed pad, coat, or other leather with wool still attached


You might find the saddle stitch useful, as it requires just an awl and two needles:


To show you've completed this Badge Bit, provide proof of the following as pics or video (less than two minutes):
– picture of your object before you mended it
– progress picture during the mend
– the finished, mended object

I think I've got it fixed now! Thank you!

(Yep, I totally went out and took the apple the kids had been eating and used it for this picture--and then planted it!)

"When you eat an apple, put the seeds in your pocket. Plant the seeds
when you see a spot. An apple a day could result in cutting your
carbon footprint 100 tons per year." -Paul Wheaton

Nicole Alderman,
I have merged your topic into this topic. I hope that helps.

I merged your stuff with the following thread. I hope that is okay by you.

I'm so sorry!

Trying to keep chicks inside is hard. We raised a chick inside for about a week--maybe 2 weeks?-a few years ago, and the chick soon started making a TON of dust from the bedding. We ended up moving her to the garage and putting hardware cloth on top of the rubbermaid bin she was in--if we didn't, she'd fly out!

Ducklings--even goslings--are a lot easier to keep in a bin in the house. They don't really escape, and they don't kick up dust. They do poop a LOT, but that just means you have to add more bedding throughout the day and change it frequently.

Do you happen to have a garage? We've often kept our ducklings in the garage, where it's a bit warmer than outside, and easier to have a big tub (my husband somehow snagged a giant white crabbing container that's 4x4x3 feet).

I'm so very sorry you lost chicks this year. Losing animals is so hard to go through, and not just for the kids.

One thing you can do when felting something that's getting too short in one direction, is to get it wet with hot water and stretch it longer that way. You can also roll it like you'd roll dough to make a breadstick (or playdough when making snakes ), and this kind of helps stretch it out more in that direction.

But, even with those tricks, I still often get my potholders turning out shorter than I wanted!

Amazing list!

I love how you have something on there for everyone's gift-giving style. I know when I go to baby showers, there's a lot of people (myself included!) that really enjoy giving certain things. Some people REALLY LOVE giving cute baby clothes, so even if I really didn't want/need new baby clothes (thrift store and hand-me-downs was good enough for me!), I put things on the list to make it fun for those people to buy baby clothes.

I also love giving baby toys, and figured other people might as well, so I added a bunch of wooden/cotton/wool toys to my list. Here's some of the wooden/natural toys I found. It's hard to find good ones--because even wood toys can be coated with paints or lacquers you don't want them chewing on.

wooden rattle



Teething rings (handy to put on linen or leather cord as a teething necklace)



These stacking rings are STILL a huge hit with my kids (who are now 4 and 7). I like the beautiful colors and the rainbow order



The same company (Wonderworld) also makes the little shape puzzle box:



and also a rainbow rattle



This wooden peek-a-boo was a lot of fun for both my kids and my nieces:



Another company we've bought wooden toys from is Plan Toys. They have blocks, wooden play food and play kitchen items, doll houses, and a lot more. This little rainbow car was one of the things we'd gotten for our son:



Some other places to look for natural baby toys:

Nova Naturals, which offers wooden toys as well as organic cotton toys, like this froggy blanket toy



(their store has lots of natural art and craft supplies, clothing, and a lot more, too)

Haba Toys, Melissa and Doug, as well as Hape Toys, all make wooden toys, but I'm not so sure about their finishes and stains/paints. It's been a while since I looked into such things! I feel good about buying them for my older kids, but some might want to do more research before getting them for babies who stick things in their mouths, or just because you want to make sure you're avoiding toxic gunk. The advantage to these companies (as well as Plan Toys) is that they are on amazon, and for some families it's easier to do an amazon baby registry.  (I.e. some families are a bit lower on the eco scale and really want registries through one store, like Target or Amazon. I think buying from small companies is so much better when possible!)

Another option is teething necklaces, made for the parent to wear. You can get them in all wooden beads, cotton-covered beads, &/or silicone beads. These were three I made for my kids and my nieces (I ordered the supplies from USA Silicone Bead Supply):

there's lots of teething necklaces to be found on etsy, amazon, and elsewhere