So I finished the hams. There was a lot of work in the stuffing and closing, perhaps half the total time, which surprised me. And they're not without their faults, but I think that they will serve me well.
The planer shavings work well. Because of the small, uniform size, I can continue to mold the shape as things shift around inside. You had mentioned the benefits of a slightly squarer ham. I think that I will be able to reform mine to whatever shape a projects requires, within reason.
Given all of the effort, I could have used a more robust fabric for the cover. The wool I have is fulled so it shed a little from the rough handling during the stuffing process. It will be fine long-term, but I tore the sewn tack through the cloth when I went fishing for the end of the opening of the skeleton layer. It may have been overstuffed and overstressed but it also appears that such a soft cloth is somewhat destroyed by all of the fine stitches at the tack. This was for the long ham where the seam is flatish (not on a corner as it is for the round ham) and difficult to sew without a curved needle. I used a baseball stitch again to close that seam and reinforced the area with a separate, hidden stitch. It should last longer than the cloth...
I am in no rush to make more hams at the moment but I would like to source some moleskin for future projects. No one is selling any in the US and I wonder if you have some suggestions from the UK. I have seen it from some cloth merchants for fancy prices... I am wondering if there are more utilitarian options.
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This was a great project. It catered to my current level of cloth mind, the inflated. I also really enjoy making my own tools.
Thanks for all the hard work.
Hams are looking fantastic Matthew, awesome job! I sourced moleskin from mood fabrics in NYC.
The website is very inconsistent, much better to visit the retail location. Ask for Elliot in the cotton section, great selection in colorways, only had 2yards of heavyweight (which I grabbed ; ). Allways call in advance and be pretty detailed in what you want.
If you're interested maybe they can mail it to you, dosen't hurt to ask.
Your hams look great! You're being hard on yourself for your first attempt.
I thought I had seen moleskin cotton/poly blends on Etsy but now I can't find them. Here's a few more links from Etsy, Mood Fabrics (USA), and EBay. Germany company (kbA) on Etsy sells 100% organic. Mood Fabrics has .5 yard left but with a crackle laminate.
I just checked some of the sites that Reza suggested. Using the link Moleskin fabric UK buy brought up Croftmill which has a good supply.
Stunning cotton moleskin fabrics just in. (croftmill.co.uk)
Moleskin Pool Blue Organic Fabric Kba - Etsy Canada
Ultra Soft Fleecy Moleskin Upholstery Fabric for Curtains - Etsy Canada
Fabric Pure Cotton Rib Moleskin Carmine Solid Hard Wearing - Etsy Canada
Jay Godfrey Black Moleskin with Gray Crackle Laminate - Laminated & Waxed - Other Fabrics - Fashion Fabrics (moodfabrics.com)
Teal Moleskin Fabric 3 Yards x 44" Suede-like no stretch | eBay
I find it shocking that we Canadians and Americans have to look to the UK and Europe for much of our supplies. I'd appreciate it if you keep us informed about the source you finally decided on.
Sandee
Matthew, the hams are beautiful!
Well done man! I'm so happy to see that you not only ended up with good results, but also enjoyed the process.
How firm are they?
Moleskin can indeed be difficult to find.
Please try the following for affordable moleskin:
- Yorkshire Fabric
- Chapman Group
- Brisbane Moss
Or try to Google: Moleskin fabric UK buy
This usually brings up smaller fabric shops with less expensive moleskins.
Let me know how you get on.
Reza
International School of Tailoring