Sewing in G/T
Fiber Arts | Knitting | Crochet
Sewing is one of those skills that exists in literally any representation of g/t, even if it's not emphasized! Most people wear clothes, and those clothes have to come from somewhere. If they're not being sourced from another place, like doll's clothes for borrowers, then giants and tinies likely have to make clothes for themselves! So long as they have a needle and thread, they can make and mend their own clothes and other articles.
As per the usual format now, I'll be going through examples of g/t sewing in media that I'm aware of, talk about some of the practical application in g/t scenarios, and provide some examples of what gives me real life g/t vibes in sewing.
Just a heads up, I am a relative novice with sewing compared to knitting/crochet, having picked it up only in the last few years. So if anyone more experienced has more ideas, please share them!
In Media
This time around I actually have quite a few examples of on-screen sewing in g/t that I know of, and as always I'd love if anyone would share others that aren't shown here!
The most practical example of tiny sewing I know of is the scene from Studio Ghibli's Arrietty (The Secret World of Arrietty) in which she and Homily are putting together very large bags in preparation for their move. Not only is it a nice quiet moment that starts to build the tension and seriousness of their situation, but it also showcases the difference in skill and experience between mother and daughter.
While appearing rather large in comparison to real life hand stitching, you can see that Homily's stitches are tight and even along her own seam. Arrietty's, on the other hand, are uneven, and within the scene Homily points out that some of them are too long and she'll have to start her seam over to make sure it's properly secure.
Homily is shown sewing in several iterations of The Borrowers that I've seen, as shown below. She seems to be mending things in the 1997 and 1992 versions, and I think 2011 Homily is running her needle through a ribbon, maybe making a ruffle? It's hard to tell since it's not exactly the focus of the scene, but it's clearly a way for her to cope with her husband very audibly getting into trouble.
And for once I have examples of giant sewing to include as well! @taters169 recently shared one with me in the discord, in a version of Gulliver's Travels I hadn't seen before. The Lilliputians pitch in to make him a new jacket!
Another, shorter example is from an old Disney short about Paul Bunyan, an American folk tale about a giant lumberjack. There's a brief scene, timestamped below, in which the town that found and adopted Paul as a baby came together to make his clothes. Not only does this include sewing, but there's also a big group spinning yarn to knit into cartoonishly large booties for him. Again, it's very short, only one shot in the whole thing, but it's nice to see those details included!
The Potential
Sewing has been around since the dawn of time, so there's really no reason why any giant or tiny couldn't have some access to it in some form or another, if they really try! Needles can be made from bone or antler if metal isn't available, and tinies can potentially use human-sized needles for their own purposes. Sewing needles come in many different thicknesses and lengths, so depending on the scale, they don't have to be too unwieldy. The smallest needles I've seen were quilting needles (shown below), but I'm sure if a tiny or giant is crafty enough, they could make their own.
As for thread, that can be sourced from loads of places! It can be spun from natural fibers, like animal hair or plant fiber or silk, or it can be repurposed. Giants could use spools of rope, and tinies could use some of the thinner threads available.
Similarly, fabric can be homespun and woven, or found and gathered and recycled. I think it depends on the kind of setting you're working with, and whether the giants or tinies live adjacent to human society and have to source things that way. If they live independently, then the former is certainly a possibility. The latter is the reason patchwork items give me major g/t vibes! It's a thrifty way to put clothes together when you don't have enough of any one fabric for the entire thing. The smaller the patchwork, the bigger I envision the person wearing it since I can only imagine giants could find very small amounts of fabric at a time, proportionally.
I guess that leads right into:
Real Life G/t Vibes
With regard to sewing patterns, Vibes are really open to interpretation. I often gravitate to simple garments that don't have too many bells and whistles. Adjustable garments as well, especially if one imagines a giant or tiny could have less access to fasteners.
I recently found a company called Matchy Matchy Sewing Club. I'm in no way affiliated with them. They're a US based company that sells cotton and linen fabric, and PDF sewing patterns. The patterns are designed in such a way as to have several panels, giving ample opportunity to mix and match fabrics into some very cute patchwork looks!
I will say that printing PDF patterns can be tough on a domestic printer, so if you can, I would find a service that can print patterns full size for you. I can't speak for international services, but I know that in the US you can use PDF Plotting and have patterns printed and shipped to you. I haven't used it personally yet, but from what I've heard, it's more worth it to upload several patterns to print at once to make the shipping worth it. If anyone knows of other services that work internationally or in other countries, please let us know!
Fabric choice is also a factor in g/t vibes. Solids are kind of a blank slate, but if there's any sort of pattern on it, I feel it kind of works like visual storytelling. For instance, Moda has a line of tone-on-tone fabric called 'Grunge' that almost looks pre-distressed, great to give one some rugged, well-worn vibes! In a similar vein, I'm a huge fan of their speckled metallic line, which is a fun and random-looking small scale print.
The scale of prints can do a lot to imply how large or small someone is, without being obvious enough to those not in the know. Small scale can give the impression of being big in comparison, while large scale has the opposite effect! Examples below, small scale Liberty Tana Lawn on the left, and large scale Robert Kaufman Organic Flannel on the right.
The thickness and texture of the fabric can also play a part. For example, cotton woven fabrics are much thinner and more drapey than typical quilting cottons, and there are lightweight canvases that are stiffer than typical cotton, but still usable in garments if one wanted to make something that looked like it was originally made for dolls!
I feel like I could go on forever about this, but I'll cut myself off there. What do you think? I'd love to hear your ideas and inspirations for g/t sewing! And if you'd like to chat with more g/t fiber folk, come join us on our discord!
45 notes
·
View notes