PEP Badge: Textiles

Some permies.com threads related to the sand batdge

https://permies.com/t/35697/fiber-arts/Growing-Rope-Cord
https://permies.com/t/25805/Stinging-Nettle-Urtica-Dioica
https://permies.com/t/66102/Cordage-materials-Lab
https://permies.com/t/64930/fiber-arts/Harakeke-Zealand-flax
https://permies.com/t/58819/fiber-arts/works-making-yarn-plants
https://permies.com/t/76550/fiber-arts/willow-basketry
https://permies.com/t/50840/fiber-arts/Nettle-Long-harvesting-stinging-nettle

   Not sure if this should go under textiles or wood working  for a PEP skill, but making a simple loom and weaving on it is a very helpful skill.  There are many different types of looms. Some are simple to make. Others would be more so. I keep meaning to make a Rigid Heddle Loom, I have made a pattern, just haven't actually made it yet. You can make a great deal of things on a Rigid Heddle Loom, I have wanted one for a long time but the cost it just to high for me right now. And when I know I could make it I can't justify buying one.  
 For a simple square loom,(pin loom) all you need are some nails and four pieces of wood.  You can make washcloths, pot holders, placemats, and even cloths when you sew them together.   Here is a Youtube that shows how to make one and how to weave on it.    
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjKM_YtUH5k
Ruby Stedman shows how to make one and weave on it.

Also an Inkle loom  is not difficult to make and you can make simple or decorative belts or straps for multiple things.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMUxG4W4_tM
Dave Canterbury shows how to make one in this vid

he is weaving on this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCPTWSZzpjk

this is a better one to show the steps of warping and weaving and how to advance the warp.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwHE-PSU9Yc

another on how to warp the loom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yy6saHjqC4

There are different designs when it comes to Inkle looms but they work basically the same way.  You can make the warp wider or more narrow if you want.  You can also make the strap/belt etc.  a loose weave by not "beating" the weft down as tightly or make it very firm if you compact the weft down.  The fiber you use also makes a difference.

We're thinking about adding this to one of the later badges https://permies.com/t/50910/permaculture-fiber-arts-tools/fiber-arts/loom

It's probably going to be a backstrap loom "weave your own loom" as this is the most affordable to make and has the most versatility to learn different techniques if the student doesn't have a big loom for the final level projects.

 I was thinking of a Back Strap too, but was afraid a newbie would look at it and "No way".  So I was trying to think of some simple methods anyone could do that wouldn't take long or cost too much to make. And get them use to weaving and seeing how versatile it can be.  And they could have a few items as a result.
 I also thought about stick/peg weaving.  All you need are some "sticks" or dowel rods and yarn/fiber.  You can make a base to put the pegs in by drilling holes the size of the dowels into a piece of wood.   You can make them as wide or narrow as you like.  I have made scarves, mats, rugs. even a jacket by sewing pieces together.  It can be made as a square/rectangle or made into a circle.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNRWYROgkMM

 Or tube weaving to make a cord. (Sometimes called tube knitting) So this may need to go in a different pace.  That can be done with a cardboard tube and some craft sticks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuvgnrVGaOc&t=483s

Maybe people could do a few smaller projects and work up to doing a larger one, so it doesn't seem to complicated at first.  

Not sure how many would want this, but  I also thought of working with leather.  Making a belt, bag, tool holders, Moccasins, sandals etc.
I am by no means an expert but after a back injury that left me with nerve damage in my leg and foot I could not wear regular shoes any more. So I learned to make Moccasins.
They can be very simple to very elaborate.
Or even working with rawhide, tanning it to make a workable leather.
I know this would not be something everyone would want to do.  But shoes and belts and the rest can also be made from other textiles. Like heavy canvas. (Or even  the faux leather made from mushrooms. I haven't used this yet but really would like too)
Or just learning to fix shoes/boots can save money instead of always buying new ones.
 

We've been thinking about making moccasins as one of the things for the straw badge.

One neat thing might be for someone to have garbed themselves from head to toe with things they made like a leather moccasins, sewn pajama pants, simple woven shirt, and a knit hat. Something like that.

I think Raven's gotten the Straw Badge about 90% done, but textiles is such a HUGE field, and there's just SO MUCH that it's hard to know what to prioritize for each badge!

The list mentions upholstered furniture. We were just cleaning out my mother's room at the nursing home (she was done - her passing is a relief for her) and the Personal Care Workers were shocked when I said that the small bookshelf we'd put there for her use was made by my grandfather for my room as a child. Yes, it's at least 50 years old, and still does its job! So... that makes me think that some sort of PEP badge for refinishing/repainting a piece of furniture and reupholstering a simple piece such as a chair or bench, might be really good. I told the Workers that if I had to buy furniture, I would look for quality second hand that's made from real wood and not buy the compressed sawdust crap that doesn't last. This sort of fits in with the whole re-use, ungarbage thing also.

I think I have earned the Sand Badge! I have:

darned a sock https://permies.com/wiki/105490/PEP-BB-textile-sand-darn#872867
sewn a patch  https://permies.com/wiki/105492/PEP-BB-textile-sand-patch#872869
made a small pillow https://permies.com/wiki/102584/PEP-BB-textile-sand-pillow#953600
made twine https://permies.com/wiki/105498/PEP-BB-textile-sand-twine#926449
knit a hot pad  https://permies.com/wiki/101122/PEP-BB-textile-sand-hotpad#838215
woven a basket https://permies.com/wiki/105756/PEP-BB-textile-sand-basket#941679

I submit the following BB for my Textile Sand Badge.

https://permies.com/wiki/105490/PEP-BB-textile-sand-darn#872369
https://permies.com/wiki/105492/PEP-BB-textile-sand-patch#955020
https://permies.com/wiki/102584/PEP-BB-textile-sand-pillow#954932
https://permies.com/wiki/105498/PEP-BB-textile-sand-twine#924986
https://permies.com/wiki/20/101122/PEP-BB-textile-sand-hotpad#872261
https://permies.com/wiki/105756/PEP-BB-textile-sand-basket#954929

I'm with Lyda. Working with leather should definitely be on the list. Making or repairing shoes seems like a fundamental skill to have - something everyone should learn. Maybe making a pair of shoes could be on the iron list. Repairing footwear could be on the sand list, or maybe straw. Toolbelts could be on the straw list. A bag with compartments could be woodlisted.

I've been a professional leatherworker for over 20 years now. I've never tanned leather, but making things - yes. Not sure how it works for the PEP process, since I've been too busy working on orders (making leather goods) to read up on it much, but am I right that submissions are being judged by people in the 'trade'? If so, I don't mind helping out with that, but only with the leather items. I'm no expert in any other textile.

K Rawlings wrote:I'm with Lyda. Working with leather should definitely be on the list.

Leather will probably feature in future badges.  

We left it out of the sand level so that it could be vegan inclusive.

Raven and I are working on the Straw Badge requirements. I'm trying to think of useful, relatively easy things people make with lacework. I know NOTHING about lacework! Anyone have a beginner-level lacework task (or two or three) that can be accomplished in 2-4 hours?

Nicole Alderman wrote:Raven and I are working on the Straw Badge requirements. I'm trying to think of useful, relatively easy things people make with lacework. I know NOTHING about lacework! Anyone have a beginner-level lacework task (or two or three) that can be accomplished in 2-4 hours?

Oof - lace is so small-scale. Would net-making be similar enough? Tie a net bag?

What about altering garments? My mother made a lot of her own clothes  when she was younger, dresses, jackets, blouses, pants, bathrobes... but even more than that she altered store-bought clothes to fit her, or work better.
Here's a few things she did:
Hemming pant legs/taking in a waistline. (she had short legs and of different lengths... how many hems I pinned or marked with chalk for her over the years??)
Altering cuffs/shortening sleeves/opening necklines. (she also had short arms, didn't like tight collars on T-shirts, or tight cuffs on sleeves)
Reinforcing knees, or adding pockets for knee pads. (after patching knees for years, you know  where the reinforcement goes... and the pants last longer/are stronger for never being torn in the first place)
Adding pockets. (some clothes don't even come with pockets, or they don't hold what you need held very well {like tools, or tech})

This was a necessity for her body type, but it also made thrift-stores, yard sales, and even department store shopping easier, knowing that she could make things fit...
(also super useful for hand-me-downs!!)

Becky Weisgerber wrote:

Nicole Alderman wrote:Raven and I are working on the Straw Badge requirements. I'm trying to think of useful, relatively easy things people make with lacework. I know NOTHING about lacework! Anyone have a beginner-level lacework task (or two or three) that can be accomplished in 2-4 hours?

Oof - lace is so small-scale. Would net-making be similar enough? Tie a net bag?

You might make a shawlette or maybe a lace cowl (to make the project as least time-consuming as possible. Also there’s a lady in Shetland (UK) who lace knitted her garden fence(!) and it’s just gorgeous (and functional). Use your Google fu to find...

I would like to suggest a breed study for one of the iron badge BBs (minimum 20 breeds, 8 of which must be “rare” or “heritage” breeds). Breed study must be from RAW WOOL ONLY (cannot buy processed/prepped/dyed wool). The work product for the breed study would consist of images of samples created from each stage of the study (raw staple, scoured staple, spun singles, plied singles (2-ply minimum in the form of washed mini-Hank), washed and blocked 4”x4” knitted swatch and 4”x4” woven swatch; all with labels attached with relevant descriptive data. All should be presented in some kind of notebook or other easily accessible and archival presentation method.

An extra credit option (maybe as a sub for another BB) would be to provide dyed samples of each breed, accompanied by notes on dyes and methods used, attributes of the breed which contributed to the final dyed qualities of the fabrics created (lustre, hand, mordants, dye chemistry, etc).

I have done this for >100 breeds, and I can’t even begin to tell you how useful it’s been to me over the years, as a reference. Plus they’re beautiful and very satisfying to look at just for ones own happiness and sense of accomplishment.

Another BB might be “teach at least one other person to spin (or dye, or prep raw fleece, or weave...)” work product might be short video clips of learner learning, and/or providing pics of finished objects made from the skills learned (by student)

I have a question: does all qualifying badgework have to be done specially for our badges, or can we submit work we’ve previously done?

By way of introduction, I raise sheep for meat and wool on my farm (Ovis Aries Farm) in Western Washington state and have done for 7 years, and I’ve been knitting and sewing for >40 years; weaving and spinning for 12. I also teach spinning, scouring (incl low-water, conservation methods), prep and dyeing of yarn. I started a Facebook group called “Cascadia Fibershed” (@CascadiaFiber on Twitter) as well, several years ago, which purpose is to connect, preserve and inform fiber producers and artists within my bioregion (Cascadia). Cascadia Fibershed is part of the CascadiaNOW! Network.

Thank you so much for making textiles and fiber an important part of the permie universe. I’ve dedicated the last 10 years of my life exclusively to textiles, most especially WOOL, in my mind the purpose being not just for its own sake, but as my contribution to a someday-community on my land. Textiles and fibers are an exceedingly deep and broad skill set, and are mostly ignored in this era of “fast”-everything. This site is new to me but it really gives me hope. Thank you!

Jay Angler wrote:The list mentions upholstered furniture. We were just cleaning out my mother's room at the nursing home (she was done - her passing is a relief for her) and the Personal Care Workers were shocked when I said that the small bookshelf we'd put there for her use was made by my grandfather for my room as a child. Yes, it's at least 50 years old, and still does its job! So... that makes me think that some sort of PEP badge for refinishing/repainting a piece of furniture and reupholstering a simple piece such as a chair or bench, might be really good. I told the Workers that if I had to buy furniture, I would look for quality second hand that's made from real wood and not buy the compressed sawdust crap that doesn't last. This sort of fits in with the whole re-use, ungarbage thing also.

Maybe a BB for an advanced badge could be caning a wooden chair seat? This skill combines knowledge of fibers, furniture making, woodworking and advanced basketweaving techniques. In some methods knot- and rope-making skills are also required.

Nicole Alderman wrote:Raven and I are working on the Straw Badge requirements. I'm trying to think of useful, relatively easy things people make with lacework. I know NOTHING about lacework! Anyone have a beginner-level lacework task (or two or three) that can be accomplished in 2-4 hours?

Nicole, what technique for making lace do you mean? Bobbin lace? Needle lace (also known as 'looping' or 'nalbinding')? And there's crocheted lace and knitted lace too.
Useful purposes for lace I can think of: doilies (to put your glass or tea cup on), a lace collar to make a dress or shirt look pretty.

A Solomon’s Knot is a fairly simple crochet stitch that I have used to create jute lattice for vining annuals. That could be early level lacework.

Write your own pattern in either sewing, knitting or crochet. This could have levels based on the difficulty of the pattern in and of itself.

I think you should be able to knit or crochet either a dishcloth or hot pad. I crochet everything and love crocheting to mimic knit.

Crochet a rug from old T-shirts

The possibilities are so vast here that a point system might be nice.

My old business Pinterest board could provide some inspiration: Dre’s Crochet on Pinterest

I’m happy to help with this one. :)

Nicole Alderman wrote:Raven and I are working on the Straw Badge requirements. I'm trying to think of useful, relatively easy things people make with lacework. I know NOTHING about lacework! Anyone have a beginner-level lacework task (or two or three) that can be accomplished in 2-4 hours?

I mentioned a Solomon’s knot crochet jute lattice, but a crocheted grocery bag would work too.

True lacework is very small and tedious, but with a larger weight yarn and larger hooks or needles you can do the same thing and get the feel for it.

Shuttle tatting is a beautiful skill that could work higher up.

Maybe textiles should be somewhat categorized by purpose and then you choose your craft to suit the purpose.  So....Crochet, knit, sewing and weaving can all create clothes or rugs...etc.

What practical homestead items do we need to create with textiles:

-kitchen items
-clothes
-outerwear
-blankets
-etc...

Then...how can we maintain (sand), learn to create (straw), improve upon & create (wood), and master (iron) these items.

More ideas:

Crochet or knit a swatch that felts down to a specified size (ie 2” x 4”)

Use X number of yards of Y weight yarn to crochet or knit something practical

Use scrap yarn to create something useful and aesthetically pleasing

Change another crafter’s pattern to suit your own needs

If I understand Paul correctly, it's important that each task have a useful finished object.  A felted square isn't really useful around the house, but if we called it a hot pad, then it is useful.  

The tricky part is finding the useful item at the end of the task to display the different skills.  

r ranson wrote:If I understand Paul correctly, it's important that each task have a useful finished object.  A felted square isn't really useful around the house, but if we called it a hot pad, then it is useful.  

The tricky part is finding the useful item at the end of the task to display the different skills.  

So then.....crochet or knit a cast iron pan handle cover and felt it to be a perfect fit. :) or crochet or knit a pot holder and felt it down to exactly 6” square.

I was just trying to help conserve yarn as there will likely be more than one attempt to get the right size. :)

Ryan Oeschger wrote:A Solomon’s Knot is a fairly simple crochet stitch that I have used to create jute lattice for vining annuals. That could be early level lacework.

Hi Dre. I never knew the Solomon's Knot before! So I looked it up, found some youtube videos on how to do it and tried it. Very interesting crochet stitch!

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:
Hi Dre. I never knew the Solomon's Knot before! So I looked it up, found some youtube videos on how to do it and tried it. Very interesting crochet stitch!

It’s quite versatile too :) If you’ve ever played the connect the dot game where you can’t go over the same line twice...You can create any geometric pattern you want within that frame of mind.

I make infinity scarves with it mostly, but it also makes a pretty jute lattice.

I've been thinking about the other badges for this and came up with some ideas. Knitting & crochet are my specialties (and I teach them to people), but I do all the other textile arts too.

First, I'm organizing ideas into 4 broad categories:

Sewing - attaching pieces of fabric, fur, or leather together with either a sewing machine or needle & thread

Knitting & Crochet - using knitting needles or crochet hooks to make shaped fabric from yarn

Working with Fiber & Dyeing - includes prep of raw fibers, spinning, netting, and dyeing

Weaving - using yarn or plant materials to make fabric or things

Second, I'm assuming the aim is functional over decorative. So I'm not including things like embroidery, cross-stitch, fancy patchwork, etc. I think participants should feel free to add decorative elements to their work though!

Third, I'll be including commentary in blue.


Straw Badge Aiming for about 10 hours per category


Sewing

Modify 3 garments to fit better (time 2.5 hours)
- Hem a garment (time < 30 minutes)
- Take in a garment (time < 1 hour)
- Let out a garment (time < 1 hour)
- Must be a "used" garment: thrift store, hand-me-down, etc.

Create something new from an old garment (time 30ish minutes each)
Do 4:
- Make mittens from a sweater
- Make a bag from a T-shirt
- Make a scarf fom T-shirts or sweaters
- Make a draft stopper from old jeans
- Make storage bins from old jeans
- Make a rag rug from old clothes
- Make a pillow from a cardigan
- Make unpaper towels from old clothes

Sew a full apron (time < 2 hours)
- Must have a pocket
- Must use a heavyweight fabric or leather

Make an 8" x 5" booklet (time < 1 hour)
- A minimum of 6 pages of paper Making paper might be a good "official" Oddball badge bit.
- Use leather or heavyweight fabric, such as canvas, for cover. Covers using fabric must be lined, either with the same fabric or a different fabric, so the wrong side of the fabric doesn't show.
It would be cool if people wanted to make a book big enough to be their Natural Medicine notebook!


Make a pair of pajamas (time around 2 hours) Pajamas are a good first garment to sew because they don't have a close fit, but do teach the basics of garment sewing.
- Pajama bottoms must be drawstring (no elastic waists)
- Pajama top must be loose-fitting, pullover type (not button-up)



Knitting & Crochet
Everyone should be able to make a basic square using knit or crochet. However, most people will quickly develop a preference for one over the other. Because of that, the following projects can be done as either knit or crochet, based on what the maker prefers.

Make a hat using bulky yarn (time < 3 hours)
- Show gauge swatch with measurements
- Use circular needles or DPNs (if knitting)

Make slippers using bulky yarn (time < 3 hours)
- Sew on a leather sole
- Vegan option: Sew on a heavyweight denim sole from old jeans?

Make an ugly potato sack sleeveless top using bulky yarn (time < 8 hours)
- Show your gauge swatch with measurements
- List the body measurements you will be using for your garment. These will be hip, chest, and back length. If you're biggest around the middle, you'll need that measurement.
- A scrap of paper showing your calculations for how big to make the top based on your gauge and body measurements
- Show the finished garment modeled on a real human


Working with Fiber & Dyeing

Clean a raw, greasy wool fleece (time < 1.5 hours active time)
- Fleece must weigh at least 1.5 pounds before any cleaning
- Skirt fleece
- "Scour" fleece using the suint method

Reclaim yarn from 3 old/thrift sweaters (time < 1.5 hours)

Dye 3 batches (any combination) of yarn, fiber, or fabric using plants (time 1.5 hours active time)
- Each batch must be a different color
- Batch size is 100 grams

Comb fleece (time < 2 hours)
While carding is great, combing doesn't require any specialized equipment. It can be done with a cheap dog brush.
- Ideally use the wool fleece you cleaned. May use a different fiber such as alpaca, dog, angora rabbit, etc.
- Must comb at least 100g

Additional 3.5 hours worth of BB to be thought of...


Weaving

Weave a wattle edging (time maybe 6ish hours?)
- At least 8" high
- At least 10' long
- The edging may be in a line (such as along a path) or in a 2'x3' square (such as a small raised bed)
- Use any combination of twigs/branches and other flexible-but-sturdy plant material for weft
- Use thicker branches for warp Making stakes might be a good badge bit to add to the Roundwood Working Sand Badge?

Weave a mat big enough to sit on comfortably (time maybe 3ish hours?)
- Use grass or other plant materials



Wood Badge Aiming for 55 hours per category
I would expect people wanting to earn the Wood and Iron Badges to be really into it and therefore willing to rent/borrow/buy/build any necessary equipment.


Sewing

Make a bag with an inside and outside pocket (time < 4 hours)
- Must be able to wear on the body (aka shoulder strap, crossbody, backpack, etc.)
- Must have a closure (drawstring, button, etc)
- Must use leather or heavyweight fabric for the bottom and strap(s).
- The exterior sides must use fabric you wove

Make a quilt that measures at least 60" wide and 84" long (time about 10 hours)
- Blocks for quilt top should measure 12"x12"
- Quilt top will be 5 blocks wide and 7 blocks long for a total of 35 blocks
- May be solid 12"x12" blocks or decorative patchwork blocks
- Use a pillowcase binding to sew the quilt back to quilt top
- Stuff wool or cotton batting in between quilt top and back
- Topstitch final seam
- Use yarn to tie quilt

Make a basic pair of pants (time < 2 hours)
- Must use a zipper or buttons (no elastic or drawstring waists)
- Must have 2 pockets (can be placed anywhere on the pants)

Make a basic T-shirt using knit fabric (time < 2 hours)
- Ideally use fabric reclaimed from a too-big T-shirt
- Can be long or short sleeve

Make seat and back cushions for a chair (time <3 hours)
- Cushions must have fabric ties to attach them to the chair
- The cushion covers should be removable (zippered, buttoned, or envelope style)

Make a pair of moccasins (time < 2 hours)
- Use leather
- Vegans may use denim or other heavyweight fabric

Need about 31 more hours of BB here...


Knitting & Crochet

Make a pair of thrummed mittens using worsted weight or heavier yarn (time around 8 hours)
- Thrums may be either wool roving or yarn scraps
- Must use yarn that you hand-dyed

Make a pair of thick socks using worsted weight yarn (time around 8 hours)
- Must have a ribbed cuff
- Must use yarn that you hand-dyed

Make a top-down sweater using worsted yarn (time around 24 hours)
- Must use yarn that you hand-dyed

About 15 more hours of BB go here...


Working with Fiber & Dyeing

Dye all yarn needed for knitting/crochet & weaving projects using natural dyes (time around 3.5 hours)
- Thrums don't need to be dyed.

Spin 100g of combed fiber into fingering weight yarn (time around 4 hours)
- Yarn can be 2 or 3 ply
- Finished yarn must measure between 19-22 WPI

Tie a net using 50 yards of handmade twine (time maybe 4 hours for making net???)

A lot more BB hours go here...


Weaving

Weave fabric for sewing (around 6 - 8 hours)
- Warp must use 100g of fingering weight commercial-spun yarn that you hand-dyed
- Weft must use 100g of hand-spun yarn (doesn't need to be dyed)
For reference, I recently finished a similar weaving. The fabric, after washing, measures 16.5" wide and 50" long.

Weave a wattle edging (time maybe 16ish hours?)
- At least 8" high
- At least 30' long
- In a line or as perimeter(s)
- Length can be broken up into multiple projects as long as they total 30' or more when added together


Lots more BB time here!


Iron Badge Aiming for 312.5 hours per category
Those looking to complete the Iron Badge in Textiles should be able to create a simple pattern that others could follow, sew & knit/crochet a capsule wardrobe, and create home goods.

Complete a basic capsule wardrobe:
* 10 tops
* 10 bottoms (pants/shorts/skirts)
* 2 dresses or 2 pairs of overalls/coveralls
* 1 lined coat/jacket
* 4 sweaters: 2 pullovers, 2 cardigans
* 10 pairs of socks
* 10 pairs of underwear
* 4 bras/bust support (if needed). May substitute 4 undershirts if bust support isn't needed.
* 2 hats
* 2 pairs of hand coverings
* A scarf, cowl, or shawl
* A full apron
- All knit/crochet items must be made using yarn that you spun or reclaimed
- A maximum of 20% of the fabric used may be new, commercial fabric

Make a small single mattress
- Stuffing options: wool, cotton, feathers, straw, other plant material
- Size measures 30" x 75"

Design a knit or crochet pattern for a non-fitted item (i.e., blanket, bag, shawl, etc.)

Design a knit or crochet pattern for a fitted item and grade it to at least 3 sizes (i.e., sweater, mittens, socks)

Weave a hammock

Weave a bench seat using twigs or another sturdy plant material


A ton more BB time here! And no, I didn't break this one down into categories.

I am submitting these completed BBs for the textile badge.

https://permies.com/wiki/30/105490/PEP-BB-textile-sand-darn#1081852
https://permies.com/wiki/10/105492/PEP-BB-textile-sand-patch#1046494
https://permies.com/wiki/102584/PEP-BB-textile-sand-pillow#1045808
https://permies.com/wiki/105498/PEP-BB-textile-sand-twine#1051523
https://permies.com/wiki/113969/PEP-BB-textile-sand-dishcloth#1045278
https://permies.com/wiki/10/105756/PEP-BB-textile-sand-basket#1083468

dawn west wrote:I am submitting these completed BBs for the textile badge.

https://permies.com/wiki/30/105490/PEP-BB-textile-sand-darn#1081852
https://permies.com/wiki/10/105492/PEP-BB-textile-sand-patch#1046494
https://permies.com/wiki/102584/PEP-BB-textile-sand-pillow#1045808
https://permies.com/wiki/105498/PEP-BB-textile-sand-twine#1051523
https://permies.com/wiki/113969/PEP-BB-textile-sand-dishcloth#1045278
https://permies.com/wiki/10/105756/PEP-BB-textile-sand-basket#1083468

congratulations dawn!

The posts about looms and weaving are very interesting. I also wonder about including other forms of people powered textile machinery. For example, a treadle or handcrank sewing machine, or a non-electronic knitting machine. These are all fairly easy to find on the secondhand market, rewarding to refurbish and get working again, and make useful objects much quicker to produce. If you’re going to hem sheets, a treadle sewing machine is a blessing!

Kevin Wilson wrote:The posts about looms and weaving are very interesting. I also wonder about including other forms of people powered textile machinery. For example, a treadle or handcrank sewing machine, or a non-electronic knitting machine. These are all fairly easy to find on the secondhand market, rewarding to refurbish and get working again, and make useful objects much quicker to produce. If you’re going to hem sheets, a treadle sewing machine is a blessing!

The badges are set up so that people can do them with the tools they have.  Be it a sewing machine, needle and thimble, or an antique treadle.  Not everyone has room for more equipment.  

But we have a forum all about textile tools https://permies.com/f/336/textiletools
I agree, we need more knitting machine threads.  

So if there was a "knit a sock" BB, it would be OK to do it on the knitting machine? Cool. (There is a heckuva learning curve on these machines, golly gosh.)

I'll start a knitting machine thread over on the Textile Tools forum

Kevin Wilson wrote:So if there was a "knit a sock" BB, it would be OK to do it on the knitting machine? Cool. (There is a heckuva learning curve on these machines, golly gosh.)

That's a great question!
I don't know.  
I can see that they both take the same amount of skill, but one takes considerably less time so it might be it gets fewer points.  I'll ask Paul next time we do a meeting on this.

I’d imagine there would be the same difference in time taken between hand sewing and machine sewing, too.

People who are experts at hand sewing can be amazingly fast at it (a Japanese lady I knew 40 years ago). People who have never used an electric sewing machine before, can be incredibly slow at it as they learn. The goal of PEP is for people to learn new-to-them skills. I think it's important to encourage people to note the time they spend on projects and be clear about past experience with the task being demonstrated and personally, within reason, the scores can reflect that information. Just my opinion!

There are places where "machinery" can speed up a process enormously, but there are also places where machinery can remove the joy from a process. I was given a mechanical knitter from a lady who found she was *much* happier hand knitting. I learned enough to operate it, and then I gave up also - if I didn't give it my 100% attention it was waaayyyy too quick to mess up badly. I don't knit - better at crochet, but haven't done it in years either - but I would do either by hand before I'd go back to a knitting machine. I would not give up my electric sewing machine (although if I was somewhere and asked to sew on a treadle, I'm betting I could enjoy that) and it gets frequent but not consistent use (I've made *lots* of face masks recently) but I'm quite prepared to do hand sewing for small things that would work just as well done by hand. I totally see the benefit of people developing both sides of these sorts of things, and the precise skills required are different for each.

Kevin Wilson wrote:The posts about looms and weaving are very interesting. I also wonder about including other forms of people powered textile machinery. For example, a treadle or handcrank sewing machine, or a non-electronic knitting machine. These are all fairly easy to find on the secondhand market, rewarding to refurbish and get working again, and make useful objects much quicker to produce. If you’re going to hem sheets, a treadle sewing machine is a blessing!

You're right they are easy to find second-hand. But to refurbish such a machine isn't easy at all! Repairing machines is a totally different skill than textile skills!

Different skills, yes. For all the crafts we do though, wouldn’t you say tool maintenance is a basic part of the craft? Gardeners sharpen their hoes and fiddle with their seeders, woodworkers sharpen their chisels, spinners fine-tune their wheels.

The majority of machines, even ones that look really terrible, need nothing more than cleaning and lubricating to get them going again. These things were made to last. A smaller percentage are missing some parts and need them replaced, or need a simple maintenance procedure carried out. The rest need more extensive work. But there are so many out there that you can pick and choose... just reject the ones that need too much work and wait for a better one to come along.

Now, if you live in a really tiny isolated community you may not be able to do that. But in my ferry-access community of about 20k people, there are way more machines floating around than I would expect. Once word gets out that you’re interested, they start showing up on the doorstep (literally). The most I’ve spent on a used sewing or knitting machine so far has been $60 on my first treadle. More than half the ones I have, have been free.

And there is information freely available in many places on the Net on how to do the work needed. People to coach you through the process, troubleshoot problems, source parts and celebrate success. (Sounds like Permies, eh?) Nor is this a guy thing, most of the people doing this are women.

I’m guessing all this applies to looms and spinning wheels as well, but I haven’t got tangled up in those (yet?) myself so I  can’t speak from experience.

For me, apart from that fact that I do enjoy tinkering with machines, some of this is about scale. We have the luxury right now to pick and choose what to make or repair and what to buy. Most of us don’t choose to hand hem our sheets, as people did before sewing machines. In a more resource constrained future, simple machinery will be very worthwhile as a time and energy saver. I do think it’s worth knowing the skills and worth rescuing the machines from the dump, which is where many of them are headed when folks can’t find someone who wants them.

Sorry, I didnt realise this was going to get so long!

Kevin you're right we need tools and we need to keep those tools in the right condition to use them.
To knit I need my knitting needles, which I keep in a special wooden box under the right conditions, so I'll be able to use them whenever I need them (for all of my life).
For sewing I have a sewing machine as well as needles to sew by hand. I know how to keep both of these in order. But if ever the sewing machine gets out of order (although I doubt, it's an old Husqvarna), then I'll ask someone else to repair it. Repairing a sewing machine (or a knitting machine) is a mechanic's work, not part of the textile crafts.

I can see both Kevin's and Inge's points of view. Inge wrote:

Repairing a sewing machine (or a knitting machine) is a mechanic's work, not part of the textile crafts.

The problem is that it's getting harder and harder to find people skilled in adjusting and repairing sewing machines, and finding one who's local is becoming more difficult as the experienced ones retire and few young people are taking their places. I see a role in the PEP badge system for acknowledging both sides of this issue. I'd be perfectly happy if my "machine oriented" hubby would take more interest in how my sewing machine works, but there's one feature that's been non-functional for months and I'm pretty much at the point of trying to tackle the problem myself, as he's got too many other priorities on his plate. If I were to do so and manage to repair it, getting a badge bit for it would be cool. Whether that badge bit was under "textiles" vs under "small equipment repair" wouldn't bother me. My understanding - although it could be wrong - is that there are some "required" badge bits and some "do one of 3" sort of bits to allow for individual needs and interests. Hopefully the program has enough flexibility to meet both points of view.

Jay Angler wrote:I can see both Kevin's and Inge's points of view. Inge wrote:

Repairing a sewing machine (or a knitting machine) is a mechanic's work, not part of the textile crafts.

T... Whether that badge bit was under "textiles" vs under "small equipment repair" wouldn't bother me. ....

That's what I mean. That would be a Badge under 'small equipment repair', not under 'textiles'.