Art, beauty and well-ordered chaos

Medieval Torso Control - or not?

2012-01-11T05:54:00.000-08:00

So, really quick; a very short overview of medieval women & the use of body-shapers (or not) in my limited digital pictorial references.

I went on a whole tare about how you can pretty much tell when a woman (or man) is wearing a corset-like garment / form altering garment / supporting garment, and when they aren't as long as they aren't wrapped up in a blanket. This was inspired by an offhand comment in a book where the author said, "women didn't use support" and those always/never statements just send me over the edge especially when they aren't always true.
I fully admit that I'm just dipping my toes into this era, so I could be making quite a few mistakes - but this is how we learn... through analysis of existing information, interpreting that information based on what we know & adjusting that interpretation as new information becomes available. Yay history!

Let us start with my early images of corset/altered/supported figures, which may or may not be subject to artistic interpretation, and why I call it a corset (even if it's not a true corset)

1130-60 Angers Cathedral, sculpture at West Door.
Accounting for individual body type, the way the dress falls off the hip area suggests the end of a stiffer, body shaping garment over a natural form. The waist is clearly cinched in a bit & the rib cage has been smoothed by her corded belt??? The flattened shape of the chest leads me to believe it's either a cross-bound bust line or a cut corset type garment that divides & lifts the bust, as the elevation relative to her armpits is slightly higher than natural while being well within the range of what a corset is capable of producing.

I favor the idea that the corset aspect of the undergarment was built into a full-length dress and accomplished with stiffer linen fabric, cording etc.

1130-60 Chartres Cathedral, sculpture at ?? door.
This is a more natural form, but I believe that her breasts are bound in a straight wrap. The girdle serves a similar function as the one above in tucking in her waist from rib cage-belly, which is then clearly natural from belly-button to hip line. This look could be accomplished with a slender figure & heavy material without close-fitting support garments, but it's more easily accomplished with than without.

Now, let's talk about indeterminate figures. Maybe, maybe not?

1170-1199 Alfonso VIII, Queen Lenor of England (oddly enough one of Alfonso The Great's many-great grandson's is one of my friends, doesn't mean anything, but it's a fun factoid).
I have no idea if Queen Lenor of England is wearing torso support or not, but nice shoes!

1170 Hunterian Psalter, Eve Spinning
I could go either way with this one. She could be wearing a lightly supportive under-dress that helps the outer cote lay well, or she could be loose for ease of breast feeding... though my friends who have done so tell me it's not really so nice to be "free" at that time because you leak all over, so considering the value of clothing in that era, I'd lean towards some kind of absorbent binding to protect the outer garment from milk stains.

1170 Hunterian Psalter, Women
Lady in the blue cloak, no clue. The yellow/cream cote could very well be something similar to the Chartres sculpture. The ridge at the hip line could be a natural result of her pose or a belt hidden in a fold of cloth. As the bustline is hidden by her hands, it's difficult to tell if it's natural or higher.

1180 Hortus Deliciarum, Grammatica
HOLY WONDER BRA, woman!
I put this in the "I don't know" category because her torso is semi-natural, but the bustline is quite high up there. Easily accomplished with an over-the-shoulder bra type garment or a supporting under-dress similar to what many scholars suspect was worn in the late 1300's. She is wearing a cote underneath the pink surcote, you can see the blue/white at her wrists.
While this could be artist interpretation, I seriously doubt it... there is another image from the Hortus Delicaiarum that I don't have in digital form that shows a much more natural bustline.
BTW, I love the standing collar on this, but I can't imagine fighting with those sleeves all the time.

1220-25 Peterborough Psalter, Mercy & Truth
I'd actually put these in the "no support" category. The forms move naturally, the underdress is clearly loose at the armhole, but the reality is, I just can't tell.

1230 Villard de Honnecourt Sketchbook
Again, simply too many over-clothes to tell. It could go either way. But I'm a fan of the wedge-shaped sleeves that are fitted in the forearm. From what I've been reading, these were often whip-stitched on for the day & then un-stitched at night.
Also, that cloak with the "choke you" rope if you don't hold on to it? Annoying, but pretty.

1270-1322 The Temptation, A Dancing Couple by Master Ermengault
Again, could go either way, but it may surprise you to know that I lean toward a fitted bodice on the under-dress or some form of support. Reason being is the way the folds fall off her chest.. just a touch high for a natural form and the placement leads me to say a straight horizontal binding that creates a sports-bra effect. Could be artistic license, but I'm thinking body-shaper.
Oh, and I want to make these outfits for me & my husband. They are cute & we'd look good in them.

1321 The Book of the Laws of Ancient Kings, detail of The Wreck of the White Ship, English (wish I remembered what site I got this from, it was a fantastic article).
I lean towards bound/supported only because I know exactly what a bust that size looks & feels like when swinging free on a moving boat - NOT fun. Not that anyone here looks like they are having any fun. But I'm also going for support garment due to the horizontal strain across the outer garment that would be created by a tighter bound under-dress.

PS, this is what happens when you drink & "drive." Don't drink & drive - not on land or at sea.

Now, Let's look at unsupported figures:

1250 Maciejowski Bible, Jephath's daughter laments
While these are quite similar to some of the images above, I put these in the "unsupported" category because the girl's torsos are quite natural & their bustlines are at the mid-chest level where a young A-C would naturally fall. Bellies are quite natural, and the way the cloth bags out above the belt says "unsupported torso" to me.
This is not saying they aren't wearing under dresses & smocks under the cotes.

1250 Maciejowski Bible, Woman
I've put this woman in the "unsupported" category because of the way her chest falls into her waist with little or no wrinkles in the dress, which then curves naturally around her belly. It's a lined dress, but loose enough that it doesn't provide any support of it's own.

1250 Maciejowsik Bible, Levite (lady in the pink)
Again, I'd say "unsupported" due to the natural level of her chest. The fullness is under her armpit, where it would be without support. However, I think she's wearing an underdress to help smooth the line of the pink outer garment.

Wasn't that fun?
And now, I must go.

Oh boy... I bought a Great Wheel...

2011-12-30T14:46:00.000-08:00

For those of you on FB, you already know (yeah, yeah; groan)...
I bought a Great Wheel! EEEEE!!!! (and OMG, what was I thinking???)
I was sure Mom would kill me, the thing is huge. She said, "if you didn't buy it I'd have killed you." Whew.

So, without further ado, meet my new toy. It's not in working order yet, so no name. Apparently it's a "thing" to name your spinning wheel. Go figure.

(please forgive the blankets, you couldn't see the wheel for all the other wooden furniture in the basement)

It has a double drive head, also known as a Miner / Minor, (I'm not 100% on the spelling, I've seen it both ways in different books & as it's the guy's name, I don't know which one is right). That head can be replaced with a direct drive head, which suits me fine as I can use that at earlier events should I ever be so insane as to tote this thing on the road with me - and we all know I'll do it someday. Need to find some replacement spindles though.

Everything seems to be in good working order - I had to replace one spoke on the drive wheel, reinforce one leg socket with wood filler & sand rough edges on the wheel itself and the base to reduce the likelihood of splinters (which I got the moment I picked it up).
I reconditioned & re-stained the bits of newly raw wood with a nice walnut stain that matches the original very well.

Next is getting out the wax to give everything a nice buffing, then oiling the various movable bits & replacing the drive bands/strings - which I've learned to do just today - in theory.

The bearings that hold the spindle on also need replacing, these are made of braided corn husks or leather (hear Gail parrot what she's learned) - nothing was there when I bought it. I'm going with leather as I have lots on hand. The ties that hold the Miner wheel in place also need replacing, which you can see here. Fortunately, I have plenty of linen thread as well.

The truly lovely thing about this wheel is that everything comes apart except the drive wheel, so if need be, I can pack it to an event.

There is some minor damage like chips out of wooden bits, but so far, everything works. We will see how things go once I get the drive bands on & start trying to align everything. Unfortunately for me, the paper label on the drive head has mostly fallen off. There are a few tiny & very dingy letters showing at the very bottom which I have carefully avoided when cleaning.

From what little I understand about this monstrously huge piece of equipment, you can spin anything on it except warp yarn due to the tension necessary to make that strong yarn. I don't know if this is true, but I don't really care, the drop spindle can handle that - no problem, should it ever become necessary.

Speaking of the drop spindle, I'm down to fairly consistent thread-thickness yarn from the Finn fleece. I'm learning a lot, no longer doing the park & draft thing except when I have to splice, I'm finally spinning at a decent clip. Adding hand cream to my finger tips did wonders for the yarn. Lots of carding and pre-drafting made an amazing difference. My poor little dog slicker brush is about dead.

Once I get a good bit of thinner yarn, I'll measure it out & dye up various colors, probably this spring. Most of the dyestuffs I have now are yellow, green, gray, brown or red.

So if you were wondering how I was spending my Winter Holiday, it's being covered in sawdust, wood glue, stain & wax in the basement with my Moon-cat who is totally in love with "her" fleece and has hidden a sizable chunk in a chair cave, which she spends all day guarding... like a furry little black dragon with some stinky, greasy treasure. Seriously, I've had to deliver breakfast to her 3 days in a row just so she'll eat something before we give her her medicine. I'm a bit jealous right now.
And poor Shadow, he can't find a lap to sit in because when I finally sit down for the night I'm leaning forward with the spinny-thing & always telling him "not now BugHead." At first he thought it was fun to watch, now he gives it dirty looks. I've had to put it down & pay attention to him several times to avoid the Punishment of Puke.

On that note, I'm going to go socialize with my family & kidnap my cat from her Treasure Cave because I'm feeling the need for some quality time with the people I love.
-Never mind, it's t-v time...

2011-12-28T14:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays Everyone!

(sorry I'm a bit late, internet issues).
Drive safe & sober, or drink then have someone who is sober drive safely for you!

Early 1800's stays

2011-12-22T05:17:00.000-08:00

Here's some info on early 1800's stays & corsets, a bit of "how to," a few originals from the Met to drool over & my most recent finished products.
(pictured left, 1810 corded corset that I just finished & still have to wash the pencil markings off).

Basic Observations:
1: Most stays / corsets from this era were made from cotton or linen, were simple fabrics in white, brown, cream or neutral colors. Embroidery, threadwork & cording as decoration were common. Cording also serves as a structural element.
2: They were genuinely underwear. Never intended to be seen by anyone other than the person assisting you to dress or undress.
3: Surviving examples of front & back lacing stays/corsets seem to be about equal.
4: While this style lifts the bust up it does not constrict the waist - some cuts & construction can smooth the torso.
5: Wide spaced shoulder straps have a tendency to slip off the arms - very annoying.
6: Separate busk pockets (sewn on separately) are as common as built-in busk pockets (between the 2 layers).
7: Single layer corsets were very common.
8: Divorce corsets (with busk separating the bustline) were as common as shelf-style corsets (single bust with cleavage), at least in surviving examples. Fashion commentary says the divorce corset was most popular.
9: Short Stays were more common 1790-1815... Long stays/corsets were more common 1810-1840, but both seem to have been worn throughout 1790-1840.
10: Adjustable drawstrings at the bustline seem equally common as a fixed band.

Sources:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a fantastic collection of stays & corsets - worth browsing.
http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections?rpp=20&ft=corsets&pg=1&when=A.D.+1800-1900
Interestingly enough, my great grandmother used to make her living (a good living) by making corset covers. She would crochet the most beautiful designs, tat lace & sew it all on the fine linen base.

This is a great example of a nursing corset? with squared off gussets
it's listed as 1810-50, American.

http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/80037324?rpp=20&pg=2&ft=Corset&when=A.D.+1800 -1900&pos=27

(if anyone can tell me how to make a link of a picture, that would be fantastic).

Speaking of squared off gussets, here's how...
1: cut Y slit.
2: lay triangular gusset to align bottom stitching line with the base of the Y, stitch across leaving the side seam allowance open.
3. Flip gusset up.
4. Flip gusset over so right sides of fabric are together & first side of slit is aligned with side of gusset. Stitch that side.
5. Open up & flip to other side, stitch
6. Press open & top-stitch to outer fabric (not gusset) for maximum strength.

Most Awesome American Corset Ever... if you like folk art, which I do.
http://www.metmuseum .org/Colle ctions/search-the-collections/80003157?rpp=2 0&p g=3&ft=Corset&when=A.D.+1800-1900&pos=43

I love this one for so many reasons, not least of which is the simplicity of the cut. But that embroidery is just fantastic!

Anyway, you get the idea... after perusing that site - now go make something.

Here are some that I just finished making, which are currently listed on my For Sale page.

1790-1820 Transitional Stays / Short Stays
Double layer of cotton twill (it's coutil or as close to it as I've seen recently - though it wasn't sold as that). Some cording, lightly boned, laces in front. Bound with brown cotton.
Measures 34.5 bust, 30 underbust.

1810-40 Corded Corset
Double layer of cotton twill, lightly boned with cane, some cording in the front. Spiral laces in back. Adjustable front with a separate busk pocket that buttons closed.
Measures 42 bust, 32 waist, 42 hips. There should be a 2"-4" gap in back between the laces.

1810-40 Simple Corded Corset
Same as above, but it's single layer, unreinforced except for the back. It has a wooden busk in a separate pocket, adjustable top & 2 bones at center back for stability.
Measures 37" bust, 28" waist, 37" hips

1810-40 Simple Corded Corset
Same as above, but has pink binding & a waistband reinforcement. This was a fun addition that gives it just a touch of "extra."
The bustline on this is quit low, so it's suitable for the 1798-1808 era with the "I'm falling out" look.
Measures 40" Bust, 31" waist 46" hips

The nice thing about this style of stays is that the hips don't have to be "filled out" for the stays to fit.

Here's a quick how-to adjust the top of this particular style. (It's pretty self-explanatory, but I took the photos, so why not?)

1: Lace stays up the back.

2: Tighten bust drawstrings to fit.

3: Adjust shoulder straps & re-adjust bust drawstring.
Button busk pocket flap.

At this point, the only thing you may have to re-adjust are the shoulder straps as you take the garment off & on... but probably not.

Personally, I like the shoulder straps to be placed "in" just a bit farther than what is historically accurate, they don't slide down quite as much & I have full arm movement. I also prefer the adjustable vs. fixed straps because I gain & lose weight from my shoulders most often.
I also like the over-bust cut more than the 1/2 bust. It limits my evening-dress options, but I feel a bit better that I'm not going to flash anyone if I bend over the fire. My Regency Era dresses also tend to be high-necked day-dresses & informal wear, so the low-cut isn't as much of an issue... but if you attend Jane Austin balls, you may want to consider the lower cut.

I'm torn between the full length stays with the busk & the shorter Transitional Stays. I like both for different reasons. The full-length stays/corset provide nice support & structure beneath the dress for my full-figure build... but the short stays are divine on hot days.

ATT: Items Stolen from Lord Nelson's Gallery, PA

2011-12-07T10:58:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers, Friends & Fellow Living Historians,

Several items have been stolen from Lord Nelson's Gallery in Gettysburg, PA. Knives, quill work sheaths, warclubs and a pipe tomahawk.

Please take a look at his blog post & keep your eyes out for the items on e-bay, or even on a trade blanket.
Be sure to check back to his blog to stay updated.
Let's help Mr. Lower recover his items.

http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/2011/12/stolen-items-from-lord-nelsons-gallery.html

Spinning - Fleece #2, Finn Sheep

2011-11-26T08:33:00.000-08:00

This isn't a tutorial, just a brief post on the 2nd fleece that I'm having a blast with.

It's a Finn sheep, much finer & shorter wool than the Dorset that I started with. The locks average 3" - 5" long. They have a delightful crimp & flick carding is super-easy. None of this "picking" business that happened with the Dorset (which is nice too). Once the wool is carded it's almost invisible. Kinda cool.

I scoured the whole fleece (it was small) all at once, 3 washes, 3 rinses. It came mostly clean.
It dried in 3 days in the basement, unlike the Dorset which took a solid week even with being set in the sunshine on 90+ days.

I'm pulling each lock individually, flick carding it, then flicking a bunch of locks together to get a good pre-drafted bunch. Pre-drafting into loops, then spinning on a high whorl drop spindle.
The final product is coming out like a mid-weight embroidery floss, or crochet thread.

Only problem I've had with it is that if it breaks, it's nearly impossible to splice because once the fibers are aligned they like to stay that way & don't want to grab on to the un-spun bits, even with brushing it out again. So I'm working with shorter bits, which is fine.

Duck Tape Dress Form, Part 1.5: not quite done

2011-11-24T07:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just want to put a note in here that I'm still working on my husband's body double.

The issue I'm having is that as the Great Stuff spray foam dries it is sucking/pushing the duck tape form in various directions. Not horribly, but it's not all pretty like it was. It is much harder & more durable than the other things I've used to stuff forms with, but the way I did it this time is not how I'll do it next time.

That's all... I'm still hoping for a usable form.

Eat lots, sleep well!

NOTE: it's bad. Really, really bad. DO NOT USE SPRAY FOAM! After $60 in materials & many hours of work the distorted & deformed results aren't pretty.
I may try to "save" it, but still deciding if it's worth the extra effort or not. I'm leaning towards not.

I will post the "how to" bits right up to where it went wrong, then I'll post "how not to" just for ironic giggles.

Duck Tape Dress Form, Part 1: the model

2011-11-21T04:48:00.000-08:00

A moment of silence, please, for my husband's old Dress Form.
The John Doll is dead, Long live The John Doll!

So, yeah. The old John Doll is officially toast. "He" doesn't stand up anymore. It leans so far back that I can't get a decent picture to save my life, even with the shoulders propped on the wall. It was a good run, nearly 4 years for something that shouldn't have lasted 2.
My wonderful husband (who either really, really loves me or is tired of being pricked with pins), agreed to stand for another dress form. Yay!

As promised, here is how I make duck tape dress forms (Part 1).

1: Supplies & Tools
Get thyself a willing model who will neither whine, complain nor press charges after not being able to move for 2.5 hours.
Get thy model a sacrificial t-shirt (preferably old & stained).
Get thy model an entertaining movie to minimize whining & complaining (Alice in Wonderland).
Thy model must have comfortable shoes.
Get thy model to the lavatory before the taping begins! (and yourself).

***Your model should stand straight with their hands on their hips. This helps to keep pelvis, back & shoulders aligned & will make your life much easier in the sewing room. Lift hand when necessary for taping.***

You'll also need several rolls of duck tape (preferably different colors - it'll make your life much easier). We went through 6 small rolls.
Scissors.
Some form of flat, flexible outer bracing: cane, plastic boning, zip-ties, etc.
A center pole of some kind (most important): PVC pipe, broom handle, dowel, etc.
Cross-bracing material: wood, cardboard, wooden hanger etc.
Something to fix the cross-braces with: glue, screws, tape, etc.
Something to reinforce it with: more cane, cardboard (heavy & cereal box), more duck tape, etc.
Stuffing: shredded paper, polyfill, scrap fabric (heavy), spray foam *Don't do it Past Gail! You'll regret it!*, plastic bags, whatever.
A sharpie marker.
Band-aids - these are critical!
Light weight fabric that you can easily pin to, needle, thread.
Hot glue gun & glue sticks that actually fit in the gun.

Keep in mind that you don't want this to get too heavy, but you need it to be sturdy. Decide ahead of time if this is going to be a shelf-sitter or a hanging design.
Mine is going to be a shelf sitter.
In "Part 2" I'm going to use spray-foam for a (hopefully) sturdy body around a lightweight wooden frame.

2: Taping Basic Body Lines:
First, mark the center Front & Center Back in pieces of duck tape. Don't try this with one long piece, use 4" - 12" pieces.

Next, tape the chest, waist & hips. Tape the front & back first, then pull the t-shirt in at the sides. Be consistent, what you do to one side, do to the other (unless you know it was wrong).

3: Cross-marking the Body:
Put X of tape across the shoulders at the Center Back & across the chest at Center Front.
Also diagonals above the chest around the underarms, sides of the belly, etc... anywhere that is "in" needs X taping. Anywhere that is "out" should still be t-shirt (breasts, belly, shoulder blades).

4: Taping "With the Body"
Continue around in the X patterns or just diagonals... like walking up or down a hill (easier to take a diagonal than go straight). Tape the underarms & shoulders, small of the back, belly, etc.

Anywhere that is "out" (breasts, belly, shoulder blades) use shorter pieces of tape in a herring bone pattern. If the tape starts to buckle, use shorter pieces, or cut the tape lengthwise & overlap the ends so they lay flat. It doesn't have to be perfect, but the fewer creases you have to fight, the better.

5: 1st Layer Done.
When the torso is totally covered with duck tape, let your model walk around... you take a break too. No bending, twisting or stretching, that will distort the shell.

Leave the shoulders fairly open at this point, that way your model won't be totally encased for a while.

6: Outer Supports
I'm using 1/2 round 1/4" basket cane (same stuff I use for stays) to help support the outside. It's flexible, easy to use & sturdy.

Tape the center back down the spine. You may want to do 2 of these one beside the other for maximum support.
Tape 2 across the back (try not to cross the canes in the same place - this will reduce bulk).
Tape one either side from just over the shoulder down the outside of the shoulder blade to the bottom of the shirt.
1 on each side from underarm to hem.
1 on the outside of the chest, from just above the shoulder (overlaps/next to the one on the back), to the hem of the shirt.
2 crossed over the front just at the bustline from shoulder to hem.
(You are actually going to end up cutting through the front braces, you can re-brace this later)

Basically, brace it anywhere you can that makes sense on that particular body.

7: 2nd Layer
Now, start covering the shell with another layer of duck tape. Use a different color so you can keep track of how many layers. Overlap each piece so it forms a harder shell.
I start with the shoulders because it's very important to get that done as soon as possible.

Start building out the shoulders & hemline.
Go right to the bottom of the hemline on the t-shirt, you can always cut stuff off later.

8: Get Embarrassing Photo of Husband In Hot Pink Duck Tape Shirt!! (this is the most critical stage of the whole process).

Oh, also, put some cross-bracing across the shoulders, that will stabilize the weight-baring portion of the dummy... it'll also make it impossible for Poor Husband to move.

Take a break... a short one.
You may notice that at this point the duck tape has eaten the skin off your fingers. This would be past the time when you want to put band-aids on. The tape won't stick to the band-aids & it'll save your skin.

Before moving on to the third layer, make sure all the tape is actually laying flat. Smooth it with your hands (gently) and press down any bits that are sticking up. If it's a friend & a sensitive area, ask them to do that.

9: 3rd Layer
Cover pretty Hot Pink with Boring White.
Again, start at the shoulders & work as fast as possible. By now you are both saying "ow, ow, ow!" He because he can't move, you because you have no skin left on your fingers.

Really pay attention to areas that need reinforcing. Build out the shoulders, neckline & hem. Fill in the waist a little extra. This is a stress point & what you lose in measurements you will gain in stability.

10. 3rd Layer Done!
Take a step back, let your model walk around. Look for any weak areas & fill in last-minute gaps.

Your model should be in massive amounts of pain about now & you should barely be able to rip more tape off.

Isn't it pretty? OK, let's get him out before he calls the paramedics.

11. Draw your "Exit Line"
Very important to actually DRAW THE LINE. Don't make it neat. You will need the marks to line up the cut-away to re-tape it in a few minutes.
Or be neat & make cool little cross-marks to help line it up.

Plot the line where it breaks as few supports as possible, and will be easy to cut. Usually in the "low" or "in" spots. Avoid any sharp curves, they are a pain to tape up.

(See that little half-smile? It's because he knows he's getting out in a few moments).

12. Cut Me Out!
If you are cutting over bare skin, make sure your model "sucks in" and that you put your fingers between the scissors & your friend.

Don't Cut Your Friend!
Don't cut your husband either, he knows where you sleep.

If you are working over a bra or corset, make sure you don't cut that either. Girls get a bit testy when you cut their underwear. Also beware belt loops, etc.

13. Actually Getting Out
Take your cues from your model. You want to get them out of this with as little bending & deformation to the dress form as possible. Remember, they can move, the dress form can't.
It took me & Mom holding the shoulders up & John sliding out by kneeling down to get him out of this.

BEHOLD! My husband has escaped! (he literally threw his shirt on & ran for the door to get dinner - we were both starving by then).

14. Sealing the Escape Hatch
Now, you've cut this giant gaping HOLE in your pretty dress form, you've got to tape it up. This will take 2 people. One to hold it in place, one to stick the duck-tape band-aid on.

Start at the top, line up the cut & tape it. Overlap your tape marks as you go to the bottom, but Do Not overlap the edges of the dress form.
Now, CAREFULLY tip it & gently support it and tape the inside of the slit.

Set it back up.
Cut 8" long supports to lay beside the ones you cut. Overlap the cut in the same direction and tape. This will stabilize that section of the dress form again.

It's pretty fragile right now, so you have to work fast & gently.

15. Stabilizing the Dress Form.
Tape the neck line from the outside in. You may have to cut a slit in the duck tape to get it to lay flat on the inside. This is important because you are going to be sticking your hand inside there several times & you don't want it to deform.
Do the same with the hemline. Go ALL THE WAY to the bottom of the hemline.

After you do that, take more cane & tape/wrap it around the bottom edge of the dummy. This will give it some horizontal support & help it to not distort too much as you handle it.
Cut long cereal box cardboard strips & tape them to the inside bottom edge. This will add further stability to the bottom without adding outside bulk.
Once that is done, check that the shoulders are even & the front/back is straight (not leaning one way or the other). Even it up by cutting "low" areas off. Re-tape for stability.

On the shoulders, make sure the tape is evenly spaced (same on right as on left) and cut the sleeves off. Wrap tape from inside to outside to create a smooth armhole.
Bend some cane around the top of the shoulders & the edge of the armhole for added stability. The shoulder area can't possibly have enough support - this is what holds the clothes up.

When you are sure the dress form isn't going to collapse while you sleep, stop for a while, clean up, (save the duck tape rolls - you'll need those!) & go to bed.

The rest will be continued in "Part 2: finishing a duck tape dummy," (or something like that).

A Few Odd Things

2011-10-28T17:03:00.001-07:00

Some random thoughts have been binging around in my head lately... I've had a lot of time to think, read, etc.

On a personal & business note: I will be unable to hand sew for the next 3 or 4 months... you have no idea how much this pains me. I'm willing to forgo one of my favorite past times & a major part of my business to maintain good health, but I'm not happy about it. It has to do with pressure points & some wacky nerve/muscle things, which I hope will be stable enough in a few months to resume my favorite activity. The restriction is temporary... just annoying.
I am still sewing on the machine & have started looking for a good hand-stitcher to fill in for me. So far, cutting has not been an issue as the scissors don't press against that point.

So if I can't do it, I'll blog about it!
This is the Good Housekeeping diagram for a buttonhole stitch, it was printed in the 1950's, and again in the 70's... so for MY ENTIRE LIFETIME, the buttonhole stitch has been a "C" wrapped under the needle.

Not to say that this is how I make a buttonhole.

Not to say that it's "historically correct" for anything other than the 1950's - 1970's... but it is a buttonhole stitch.

Hope that clears some stuff up....

But then, this is also a buttonhole stitch / blanket stitch from the embroidery section of the same book, which clearly shows a single forward wrap, which is actually how I end up doing most of my buttonholes depending on thread weight, fabric & how well I can control the knots (those doubles are a pain, especially with hand quilting thread).

I'm coming from an embroidery background & old habits die hard. Maybe I'll get good at the double wrap when I can play again.

********************

On another historic note, I've seen some strange rumblings regarding 18th c. modesty cloths, shifts/chemises & other ladies accessories "always" being pure white. Sigh. This is just not the case & since pictures are worth 1,000 words, here you go!

This is "The Recruiting Sargent" by John Colette, 1760's.

Check out the lady bending down to hand the older lady something... and what is this? A striped modesty cloth, you say? The woman next to her has a plaid cap, though I admit it could be a "hood."

And peaking out from under the sad young lady's hat - Behold! A pink cap with white lace! OMG I think I just fainted.

My, my, what do we have here? Yet another Colette! 1763 The High Life Below Stairs (fantastic play if you ever get to see/read it)...

THREE ladies in the same room all wearing colored cloths! Heart attack! Heart attack!

From left to right, the modesty cloths are madder with flowers (could be embroidered, could be printed), Striped (same as above?), and what looks like black with white dots, though it may also be blue as indigo was quite popular then.

I wonder if the lady doing the wash is about to yell at the poor but enthusiastic singers?

On a side note, check out the show/book "Threads of Feeling" from the Foundling Hospital in London. Amazing exhibition which I wish I could see in person, but will have to be satisfied with books & websites.

1780 Man Harassing a Carrot Seller, I think by Rawlandson, but not sure.

You can clearly see that her stockings & skin are white, but her modesty cloth is not.

Please note that her apron is also colored, thankfully no one has been silly enough to make a statement about apron colors.

1730, Phillips, Tea Party, Detail

While I'm not 100% sure that the yellow thing around the lady's neck is actually a modesty cloth, it functions as the same thing & sure isn't white. From the small image, I think it looks like a line of rushing for a fichu... though again, I'm just not sure.

These women are slightly higher class than the folks above, so it's not just poor people wearing colors... though they do lean towards them more than the upper-crust ladies.

1738 Yikes! Stripes! Chardin's Kitchen Maid has a blue & white striped modesty cloth. It's lovely & I want it. I also want her lined pet-en l'aire / "sack back bedgown" (yes, I made that up, but it's better than arguing about who wore what when it's clearly a sack format in shortened form on a working class French gal).

Also: note the spiffy chopping block, cleaver, interesting pots & pans and cool ladder-back chair!

Last, but not least...
1745 The Chocolate Pot by Liotard
This just happens to be one of my favorite paintings for obvious reasons.

Check out the pink cap (and yeah, I know how screwed up the color on this image can get... doesn't change the fact that her cap is colored).

Also note that her hoop is a small, round hoop vs. a large bell or oval. The look could also be accomplished by multiple petticoats & a bum roll, but I really think it's a hoop.

That isn't all that's been flitting around in my brain, but it'll do for now. A bit of provocation, a bit of history & some really pretty pictures to go along with the first 2!

Decaf does not agree with me.

2011-10-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

UUUHHHHH.....
That was the sound of a costume zombie rising from the muddy grave.

I'm finally back in the sewing room & delighting in the company of my machine, iron, needles & thread. Of course, just now I'm at the computer on my lunch break pondering the multifaceted world of Historic Sewing... and all the good & bad that comes with that.

Like: how mean should someone be when "kindly" explaining to someone else that ALL buttonholes were ALWAYS sewn using the TRUE buttonhole stitch (wrap thread twice) vs the blanket stitch (wrap thread once)? With a "so-called expert" thrown in to twist the knife.
And then how should one respond when one was sewing on heavy wool with heavy thread & a "true" buttonhole stitch was impractically bulky? Hrm... ponder, ponder... yet I admit that the ancient post was indeed misleading and I have since learned that a "true" buttonhole stitch is basically a French Knot, pearl stitch, or countless other "wrap it twice" techniques. For the 18th c... Sigh.
I hate forum flotsam.

And: Is it NOT OK to learn? Is one not allowed to make mistakes? Really? I mean, we all start somewhere, right? So if you are starting out on a path of research or growth in your hobby/field of study, are you not permitted to say some stupid things on occasion?
Why should someone be condemned for saying something today in contradiction to something they said 2 years ago? Do findings not change?
Are we not permitted to change our minds?

I just get so tired of the Mavens squishing the newbees (or the not-so-newbees), especially with "always" and "never" statements. Please prove it. PLEASE direct me to your primary sources. I would love to read them! I really do mean that.

Anyway... please, if you are a long-time living historian, of whatever flavor... be kind to the new kids on the block. Gently guide them, hand them books vs. dragging them around by the back of the neck or hurling expletives at their heads.

Then: there's the issue of sewing vendors/sellers using copyrighted patterns for the bulk of their inventory when they know it's wrong.
Let us just say that most pattern makers are really great people & deserve your respect both financially & intellectually. Just because "no one can tell" once the final piece is made, doesn't make it right. ASK them. Chances are they will give you permission to use their patterns.

Failing that, learn to draft patterns like I do... or learn to drape! (I'm quickly discovering the wonderful world of draping). Work from originals with permission & if you "can do it that way" please DO.
"Don't steal" is one of those things that is a basic moral. Obtain it, observe it & abide by it.

First Yarns

2011-10-18T04:42:00.000-07:00

Sit back & let me spin a yarn...
I figure so many of you are really sick of reading about icky wool on my pretty clothing blog.
Too bad, I've got another one.

I'll keep it short & sweet with lots of terrible pictures.

Essentially when I was at the Eastern Primitive Rendezvous (ie, Bog of Eternal Stench) - whole other post there! I picked up a drop spindle from Carol Leigh. Oops. BIG mistake (as she giggles with maniacal glee). I also bought a "how to spin wool" book, which I neglected to read past the "these are the other fibers you can spin zzzzzzzz...." section. I did eventually read it, but well after watching countless YouTube videos on how to use a drop spindle & screwing up a few ounces of Dorset (big loss, see Gail's heart break)...

So here's what I "spun" and I'm not unhappy with it. Once I learn to card & draft better I think my threads will turn out much nicer; but it's fun & an excellent evening t-v activity which doesn't use the same hand movements as sewing! Yay!

This is the very first bit of yarn I've ever spun. Icky, huh? It's actually really soft, but some of it is un-spun, other bits over-spun, totally chunky to super-thin... a general first-time disaster! Love it.
Oh, and it still has burrs in it - not something you want to give to someone you actually like as an undergarment...

First bit of yarn (finished): natural 2 ply Dorset that I scoured the heck out of & somehow managed not to felt before spinning. It has already been through a mordant, so whenever I want to dye it I can just wet it, submerge it & go.

I may send this to my friend Cori... there's enough to knit a funky potholder, maybe. haha. (and I do actually like Cori, but she's got a wicked sense of humor about these sorts of things).

Here are the 2 yarns drying & getting stretched in the laundry room. NOT the best days for drying anything. I was shocked, Shocked I Tell You, when I found out that you finish yarn by essentially felting it & then beating the heck out of it. Basically, you spin your yarn, ply it (or not), then let it rest for a few days, then you run it under HOT water with soap (Dawn is fine - again), then cold water & then you Slap It Against A Wall and hang it out to dry. Now, I've heard some crazy lady say it's like "giving it a nice day at the spa after it's been through so much." HA! More like adding insult to injury. But it really does come out nice.

Here is the finished yarn from the sumac dyed wool that I though I'd felted & wrecked. I was wrong, it's fine. So the deal is that the first batch of green inner bark sumac dye absorbed any & all resin from the dyebath & got quite nacky. After it was totally dry & carded it's not that bad. Still a bit crinkly, but spinnable & it washed out soft. No big deal. My yarns are still super-chunky & not that even, but the single ply is holding together, relatively even & Mom says she can actually use it for something. Amazing.

I think, but I'm not sure, that the chunky comes from the long staple fiber (5"-7") and me not pre-drafting it out thin enough. May also have to do with not having my hands far enough apart (short draft vs. long draft).

Oh, funny here:
Because Yours Truly didn't bother to read any actual books before totally messing up the first couple times, Yours Truly has learned to, quite naturally, spin widdershins. Somehow it fits me perfectly.
I just hope Mom doesn't kill me when she tries to knit with this stuff.

Sumac Bark Dye on Wool & Linen

2011-09-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

As a first serious attempt at natural & mordant dying, I don't think it came out too badly. At least not all of my pretty wool bits have been turned into nasty little brillo pads... though some have. -This is coming from a person who has thrown canvas into a barrel of walnut gunk & called that dying - yuck.-

One thing to remember when dying wool: Heat + Agitation = Bad.

Here's how this color was achieved:

1. Peel the green bark off of sumac trees, (Pholem & Cambium). We just cut them down, they grow like weeds here.
2. Separate the brown bark from the green.
3. Dry the green.

I used 2 trees worth, or 1 mid-size cardboard box, about 12"x16"x12" for one pound of wool.
The bark wasn't pounded down, so this is an inexact measurement.

Weigh out one pound of dry wool (or other fiber).
Put in mesh bags, about 75% full so the wool has room to expand - Don't stuff the bag.

Mordant:
4 oz (8 tbsp) Alum
1 oz (2 tbsp) Cream of Tartar
Dissolve in a large pot of water.
Add wet wool
Heat for 1 hour between 160 & 180F.
-Never over 180.
Let sit overnight to a week depending on directions.
-This was 48 hours.

Apparently the fiber will only absorb so much mordant, so it's not a big deal. It does add weight to the fiber, so it's important to weigh it before, not after. Also important not to use too much mordant.

Dye:
Soak the bark in water, just covering the top. Soak overnight to a week depending on the dyestuffs. I soaked this for a week in plain water.
(Some people have said to add rubbing alcohol to help release the color, I didn't try that.)
Boil it. Pour/strain colored water off into another container, add more water & boil it again... about an hour. Once color stops coming off, you can throw the spent bark away... or dry it again if it's still giving color & you have all the dye you need.

I let it sit for 48 hours and as it sat the sap formed into resin at the top, which I was able to skim it off. I honestly have no idea how this is handled commercially, if at all. But it was very sticky & I really didn't want it on my fiber.
You can see the resin at the edges of the stainless steel bucket, it's reflecting the light strangely.

The bottom of the bucket had some really gross sediment. NOT what you want in your fiber... pour slowly & skim the rest of the good dye up in a bowl or ladle.

Dying:
In a large stainless steel pot (that's what I used here - the metal of the pot will change the color), add in the dye & the mordant fiber.
Heat to 160-180F for 1 hr. or longer until you get the desired color or until the fiber won't take any more or until the dye bath is spent.
Check it every 20 minutes - Do Not Agitate!

Rinsing:
Fill a large bowl with hot water, transfer the mesh bag of dyed fiber into the bowl of water & let sit.
Pull the bag out, dump the water, repeat until water runs clear.
The first batch took 4 rinses, the second batch took 3 rinses. I let it sit for about 10 minutes each rinse.

Drying:
Spin out the excess water in salad spinner or washing machine spin cycle (I have no issues with this at this point, it's as clean as anything else that goes in the washer).
Spread out to dry according to fiber type.

I put scraps of linen in the mordant & dye bath at the same time as the wool. Different fibers will dye different colors even with the same dye process.

After mordants, like rusty nails, copper scrubbies, vinegar, etc. are added into the last dye bath to change the color. I have not tried these.

Ummm... it's so pretty... like a Ginger Cat or a Pomeranian.

Adventures in Wool: Step 2, Scouring Fleece

2011-09-04T11:55:00.000-07:00

In the last post I talked about 100%, just off the sheep, raw wool and how to clean that stinking mess.

Only after you have fully skirted the wool should you even think about dunking it in any kind of water at all... so if you have any bits of anything pickable in your lovely fleece, go back & see the post on skirting. Really & truly, it's best to have all that stuff gone before Lady Lovely Locks takes a bath.

So, without massively disturbing the lock structure, make sure all the VM, tags, bugs & hopeless dreadlocks are gone.
They are gone?
GREAT!

Materials:
mesh laundry bags / strainer / container with a way to drain water
Dawn Dish Detergent (blue) / Laundry Detergent / critter shampoo
2 Totes, basins, washing machine, sink or bath tub
vinegar
drying racks / screens / towels
a place to dry wool.
rubber gloves
salad spinner / spin cycle on washing machine / screens

Grading:
- First step in scouring your wool is to break the fleece into chunks & grade it according to hair/wool type & the amount of cleaning it needs. (If you are using a bath tub you can leave it in whole fleece form). I am NOT using my bath tub, or my washing machine at this point in time... so I break the fleece into chunks according to type & dirt level. Approximately 8"x8" chunks of lock structure - Do not disturb the lock structure!
- Really dirty bits go in one pile, cleaner bits go in another (or like fiber with like fiber).
Note: I was using the term classing and the correct term is grading, but you can still read more about classing here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wool_classing
http://www.wikihow.com/Class-Wool-in-Your-Own-Shed and
http://www.sheep101.info/201/woolmarketing.html
You can also grade based on where the wool grows on the sheep. Butt Socks are made from britch wool (the back legs) and are the best socks - so I've read. It's tough wool. Put that in its own bag until you have enough to do a batch.
"The nice, even staple wool that grows on the sides of the sheep is what spinners love" - apparently... that was a quote.

Really Dirty Bits: Pre-soaking
Sheep are nasty, dirty, filthy critters. Even the clean ones. Some of their wool/hair is much dirtier than the rest of it. When (not if) you run into some very dirty, very nice quality wool, it should be pre-soaked.
- Fill a basin (tote) with cold water & add some Dawn Dish Detergent, Laundry Detergent (no bleach, no color safe), or critter shampoo. NO SUDS!
-Let the water go still
- Put the wool bits in mesh laundry bags loosely & carefully & gently lay them in the water. DO NOT AGITATE! You may have to very gently sink the bags. (in theory it shouldn't felt with cold water, but it's best to get in the habit of not poking at it).
- Walk Away!
- Let soak over night.
- Gently remove laundry bags in the morning & let drain.
- Repeat OR Dry on a rack / towel / screen OR proceed to scouring.

Scouring:
To spin in the grease to to spin nice clean wool? That is the question.
Quite frankly, you do what you want. Me, I wants clean wools.
- Put wool in mesh laundry bags & set aside.
- Fill tote with hot water (you may want to boil some water on the stove to further heat the scouring water if your heater is like mine... the recommended temp is between 120F & 160 F, but never over 180F).
- Add detergent of choice (not soap! soap = felt).
- Let the water go still
- Gently set the wool into the hot water, gently push under if necessary (usually it just sinks)
- Set timer for 15-30 minutes & WALK AWAY!
- When the timer goes off, come back, check the temp. If it's still hot, set timer again & walk away. If it's cooled off a little, gently remove the wool & either re-heat the water & add more detergent (if it's not gag-inducing) or change the water.
- Repeat until water runs clear or mostly clear.
- Gently remove from water, let drain in bags.
- Conventional wisdom says this takes anywhere from 4 - 8 baths. The Dorset was clean in 5 baths.

I used about 1 large bottle of Dawn to clean the Dorset (long staple, lots of grease, chunky locks).
Avoid agitation at all costs. Don't even pour more hot water in the tote when the wool is in there. Take it out, set it aside, give it a warm-up & then put the wool back in. No dunking, no poking, no swishing. If using a bath tub, gently move the fleece to the back of the tub, drain & then slowly refill.
Heat + Agitation = Felt
Maintaining lock structure will help you avoid felt for as long as possible (until you want it to felt).
Apparently if you let the water cool down after the lanolin has been heated off, it will re-adhere to the fibers & become a sticky mess. How this doesn't happen when you pull it out to drain & it cools off then is a mystery to me, but I'll bow to conventional wisdom & just pass it on. Don't let your water cool.

Rinsing:
- Hot water into the clean tote.
- Gently place mesh bags with fleece into rinse water.
- Let sit 15-30 minutes. Walk Away.
- Check temps & water cleanliness.
- Repeat until water is clear & wool floats.
- You can add a little vinegar to the last rinse water, supposedly to condition the wool. I'm not sure this has any effect, but again, conventional wisdom.
Rinse water can get progressively cooler & it won't hurt anything - your hot water heater has probably given up by now anyway & is filing a complaint with OSHA regarding unsafe & unreasonable working conditions.

Drying:
- Remove wool from rinse water & let drain in mesh bags (spin in washing machine).
- Remove from mesh bags & set out on a screen, towel, tarp or rack OR spin out in salad spinner. I just set it out on screens and tarps to let it dry in the sun.*
- Make sure it's DRY. Wool holds a lot of moisture for a very long time.
- Continue to maintain lock structure, as in, "don't pull it all apart!"
It took about 4 or 5 days of screen drying & tossing about for my Dorset locks to dry. Note that I did not spin the water out though.

Once it's dry, if it needs to be scoured again (it's sticky or still really dirty, you can do that now, or you can wait until after the pre-carding, or even after carding or spinning - if you want to spin in the grease**)... but no matter what, that lanolin must come out before it's usable because after a couple years (months) it will harden & stink. Think "nasty old gym bag that you forgot about in the closet for 8 months."

At this point, after everything is dry, you are ready to pre-card the wool. It's no longer raw wool, but may (in some cases) still have to be scoured again.

Funny notes:
*Controversy over "drying in the sun." Where, pray tell, do you think the sheep lived for the last year? A few hours in the sun aren't going to hurt that wool one tiny bit. Nor is it going to hurt my sweater if I wear it out in the daylight. They aren't vampire sheep after all, the wool isn't going to go up in flames - though it does, occasionally, spontaneously combust. Just so's ya know... which could be explained by vampire sheep... possible.

**"In the grease" vs. "squeaky clean" folks are quite territorial about their spinning, felting & dying methods.
Amusing, but for my purposes "squeaky clean" is the way to go. As I'm not sure if I'm going to use this wool for spinning, batting, stuffing or dying OR how soon I'll get to it; I'd rather have it be clean.

Storing at this stage:
You can store the wool in cloth bags at this point - the feed bags from before should be OK if they aren't too dirty, mesh bags, or muslin bags. Store in a cool, dry place. Not in plastic. Don't compact the wool, let it be "fluffy."

Adventures in Wool: Step 1, Skirting Fleece

2011-09-04T07:50:00.000-07:00

Long time no post. This summer has just flown by, and in other ways it has dragged - I'm in no rush for it to end despite the leaves starting to turn & fall.

I wanted to put one of those nifty word-list things along the right side of my blog. You know the ones that you click on the big or little word & it takes you to related posts? So cool. Love them.
No deal. This template doesn't support that. What it does let me do is label the post at the bottom by the comments & you can click on that to go to related posts! Yay!

I recently took a small detour from sewing when a family friend gifted me with 30 -yes THIRTY- fleeces. Raw fleeces. From sheep. Smelly, dirty, nasty, BaBa Black Sheep and oh does he ever have some wool. There's more if you want it. It's free, but you have to come get it. And I mean that too. Please... take some! (I'm offering the raw or skirted fleeces - you have to wash your own).

The sheep are hair (not a spinner's friend), Dorset & Finn. The Dorset & Finn are absolutely lovely. The hair is OK for batting, which is fine with me, I do more quilting anyway.
I learned A LOT about sheep, fleece, VM "vegetable matter" (a.k.a. vile muck, veritable mess, very manky), lanolin, "tags" (poop & grease - eew), shorts (second cuts), wool vs. hair, skirting, classing, scouring (ie washing - don't agitate it!), BTW is your Tetanus shot up to date? What gloves fit, how much hot water our heater holds, drying, picking, flick carding, ticks, burrs... oh boy...

Moon LOVES fleece. She's officially left me for the sheep in the basement.

I am not in any way a professional here, I'm just sharing what I learned after making some BIG mistakes.

So, without further delays, I'll tell you How To Skirt a Raw Fleece.

1: DO NOT just pull it apart & toss it in hot water! NO! Bad plan... bad, bad, bad plan.
ask me how I know this... that stuff does not "just fall right out."
2: DO get yourself the following equipment & prepare for one of the grossest things you will ever do (and the most fun).

Tools & materials for skirting wool:

To make the mess
- skirting table (how to build one) OR
- large wire rack
- Sawhorses to set the rack on
To contain the mess
- 2 plastic tarps, the kind that are waterproof & can stand up to some abuse.
- trash bags
- trash can, in my case a big pink tote
To keep you clean (ha)
- rubber gloves
- work clothes; pants, long sleeved shirt, shoes, socks, head scarf or at least a hair tie
- safety glasses (you really want these)
- dust mask; I admit I couldn't tolerate the mask & took it off.
Go for the Hazmat suit & call it a day!
To keep your clean fleece clean
- clean feed bags or cloth bags - NOT plastic bags!
Other
- paper & pen to label the skirted fleece in the bag(s)
- soap & water for hands & face
- tissues or paper towels to blow your nose
- other clean clothes before you ever go in the house
- work apron
- scissors
- broom & shovel (not a dust pan, a shovel).
Location
- NOT YOUR HOUSE!
- an outbuilding or outside is preferable. This makes a genuine mess.
- a place to store the skirted fleece, again, not in your house!

Initial Skirting:
(it will be gross)
Initial skirting should be done on site by the shearer / Shepard - but it may not be. Belly wool shouldn't even come into the main part of the fleece, but it may. So when you go see the Shepard, and are confronted with that Giant Mountain Of Manky Wool you will know what to tare off right away.
A good fleece (so I've read) will stick together even as you pull it off the pile (or out of the pile - which will then fall on you - wear long pants, long sleeves, gloves - it IS a barnyard).
- Immediately remove poop tags. These are generally located at the back end of the fleece.
- Pull off any truly heinous belly wool, it'll be right at the edges & will look like something off of a homeless sewer hippie in a bad episode of Law & Order - NOBODY gets that grungy, nobody. Except sheep, apparently.
- Bag that nasty, mucky, smelly thing so you can move on before your friend tosses the next fleece on your head. Go ahead, fill the back of the truck! There's lots more where that came from.
Don'ts & Do's
Don't take anything that's wet unless you have a place to dry it or can soak it right away (soaking is different from scouring). Wet = mold, mold = trash.
DO NOT TAKE THE RAM! ask me how I know this...
Don't take anything that is hopelessly messed up or falling apart.
Do not take a fleece that is super-dirty from the cut side. Waste of Time.

Do educate yourself on the fibers you want to use & look for those characteristics (under the grunge) hehe.
Do take fleeces that are holding together & look relatively clean from the cut side.
Do look for a Shepard who raises sheep appropriate for what you want to do (and keeps them clean - those nice little coats are just so cute).
Do look into a breed that isn't Merino. Yeah, it's the best but give another breed a chance too.
Do look into paying someone like these guys http://www.woolyknobfibermill.com/ to do this stuff for you! (or at least tell you how).

OK, so now you've got this heaping, stinking pile of greasy, vm-encrusted mess (in feed bags no less)... what do you do with it?
Well, you don't just toss the whole thing in a tub of hot water! Oh NO!

Skirting:
I did this a bit differently than it's done commercially.

Laying Out.
- First, I laid out 2 or 3 fleeces on the downwind tarp at a time (or on the floor of the little outbuilding when it was raining).
- Then I looked for the head, sides & back.
- Remove any remaining poop tags.
- Remove heavy areas of VM (vegetable matter) from the neck area.
- Remove any obvious grease tags - these look like that L&O sewer hippie's dread locks & if you squeeze them grease actually comes out (I think I just threw up a little there). DO NOT try to clean them, they don't clean.
- Remove any obviously stained areas, no point in keeping them if they don't come clean.

Throw the fleece!
- Throw the fleece cut side down onto the skirting table! It's fun. You'll like it. It'll bounce.
- cut side down, grab ahold of it & shake it a little.
- flip it over & take any obvious VM or second cuts off (short hairs that are a re-buzz on the hair cut), any remaining grease or poo tags.
- Shake the heck out of it with the lock side down. Super gross & tons of... stuff... will fall out. I mean TONS - your fleece will lose about 1/4 of it's weight right here.
- Repeat many times.
Now, the fleece is going to start to get loose & kinda fluffy & may start to fall apart a bit. This is where I separate out the different hair types & give myself smaller chunks to work with. If you are selling the fleece, you will want to keep it in one piece (apparently).
- I divided the fleece according to wool types: breech wool (back legs), nice wool (clean-er), and manky wool (pre-wash). About 15" x 15" chunks, or however they divide. (the one pictured is still in that chunk, but you can see the different hair/wool types clearly).
- Back on the table & shake, shake, shake.
Note: when shaking, keep it DOWN. Don't pull it up in the air so that awful mess goes in your face... it's a movement of the wrists & elbows, not the shoulders... get it?

Monkey Picking!
- Remove any left-over bits. Don't eat what you find.
- Maintain the lock structure! Do NOT pull the locks apart! Yes, get the ticks & burrs out, but don't separate those locks, you'll need them later. ask me how I know this...
- Shake it again both sides until it goes light & fluffy, you'll know.
(What's pictured here is actually cleanable, but if it's worse, get rid of it.)

At this point it should look like something you might not be afraid to touch with your bare hands if you have a sink & soap in the near future. Perhaps the cat won't need a bath after rolling in this fleece.

And you are done skirting! Congrats, you just did one of the grossest jobs on the face of the planet! Well done. I'm proud of you.

Storing
- If the fleece is still intact, lay it down, lock side up & then fold the ends in. Roll the fleece into a bag & label it.
Sheep Breed
Name (if it has one)
Date shorn
Date skirted
Date scoured
Date carded
Date dyed/spun/etc.
If you want, just for kicks, weigh it before & after to see how much stuff fell out of it.

If the fleece is in pieces, you can either group like with like from different sheep or keep it all in the same bag & process it as one fleece later. I suggest, if it's in pieces to group like with like even if it is from different sheep; that will make scouring & further processing much easier.

A single fleeces yields a lot of wool. Much more than the original volume, considering that it has lost over 1/2 its weight in the skirting & scouring process. I think what it loses in weight, it gains in puff.

Making a Leather Thimble

2011-07-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

Upon request I'm doing this tutorial on how to make a leather thimble.

This is my old, worn out thimble that is no longer effective... see the new one below!

I'll preface this tutorial by saying I hate most commercial thimbles. I know many of you probably love them, but I always get stabbed. They are never where I need them to be, always too big (except Great Grandma's, which I do use), always slip around, never hold the needle & I'm bloody more often than not with the confounded things. Also, I have fingernails & no, I'm not cutting them short.

So, here's how to make a very handy leather thimble that will last about 3 months if you hand sew all the time. Make up a bunch at once because if you are like me, you'll leave them scattered all over the place (which really freaks people out because they can look just like severed fingers out of the corner of your eye).

Materials:
thin leather with the skin (suede won't do) I prefer split pig.
sewing machine
thread
scissors
your finger!
marking pencil (optional)

1. Using the thinner more flexible parts of the leather, find a suitable piece & cut it off. It should be larger & longer than you will need. Direction does not matter, scraps are just dandy for this!

2. Wrap it around your finger & pinch it so it's snug - not cutting off circulation, but not slipping around either. Since most leather has some give, tight is better than loose, but you can always run another stitching line down it to tighten it later if you are nervous.

3. Machine stitch that line. Stop before you get to the end.

4. Put it on your finger & check the fit. If it needs adjusting, do that now. It should be snug, not turning your finger blue, but not falling off. The end is open & not fitted. It should extend well beyond the end of your finger.

5. Fold the end back & see where it bends naturally.

6. Cut along the fold lines, stopping before the crease (you will need this area to be solid when you are sewing). Depending on how flexible the leather is you may have to make several cuts to get it to lay smoothly, but do the 2 main ones first.
- image one shows where the crease & cut are (at the tip)
- image two shows the tabs straight out from the thimble.

7. Cut the excess on the end off straight, just beyond your finger (by about 2mm) so it sits neatly on the top of your fingernail or back just a bit if you have short nails. There should be some overlap in towards the pad of your finger, but not excess.

8. Cut down the center, stopping as soon as you have room to split the tabs onto either side of the seam.

9. Fold those tabs up & stitch them in place one at a time. Don't worry about holes in the leather, your thimble will wear out before the stitches pull out.

10. Your finger should be totally enclosed at this point, from just below the middle knuckle to the end of your finger. The overlaps on the pad of your finger should be smooth & comfortable.

11. Trim the excess leather on the top seam to 1/8" - 1/16".

12. Cut a scoop out of the bottom for the inside bend of your 2nd knuckle. (above)

13. Note the placement of your last knuckle bend, take the thimble off, fold it in 1/2 & cut a small wedge out of that inside bend. Repeat with the 2nd knuckle if necessary. This should give you full range of motion. Don't cut too far up to the side, you will need that leather for protection from the sewing needle.

You should have full range of motion at this point. While your leather may have been flexible before, the cut-outs make it much more comfortable.

14. Round any edges that might catch the thread. You will find out if you missed any as you sew, don't be afraid to clip an end here or there as needed.

Finished leather thimble as I sew with the side of my middle finger.

Hopefully I didn't offend anyone with any unintentional hand gestures...
Hopefully this is helpful to those few souls like me who sew with the side of their fingers rather than the tips.
Happy Fingers = Happy Sewing!

Van Dyke Trim & Pinking

2011-06-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

I just completed an adventure in massive amounts of trim on a dress for an 1812 event at Genesee Country Village & Museum in Mumford, NY. (I got to be a tourist vs. an exhibit!)

The inspiration was this 1815 fashion plate of a bathing dress. The pattern was an 1810 dress bodice from Cut of Women's Clothes & the bottom from Patterns of Fashion. It's a wrap dress.

I used 3 different trim techniques to create the dress, 2 with success.

The first, on the upper portion of the dress is Van Dyking, or Dagging. The techniques are the same... I think these are also called Lappets when they are made individually.

I did not make them individually because I'm not insane... though if you had limited fabric this would be the way to go!

First, cut your fabric double-wide & you can either sew on the fold side or on the open side if you want a tube as a finished edge. This is good if the trim will be on the outside of the fabric. That is what I did here. I use Prismacolor pencils to draw on the fabric as it washes out (most of the time). In this case, 1" triangles were sewn by machine on cotton twill.

Next, cut the excess off, to about 1/8" seam allowance, and then clip the inner corners so they turn (not shown). You may want to fray check close clips. If you don't clip the inner edges, the shape won't turn properly (ask me how I know that after I got the first one all turned - duh!).

If it's open, just turn it, if it's in a tube, turn it with a tube-turner or a string on a bodkin (dull needle).
I use the tube turner (you can buy one at JoAnn's or similar store).

Using the end of the tube turner (has a nice dull point), I poked the points of the van dyking out & wiggled things around until it was nice & flat.

Iron flat.
This can be stitched on the outside, gathered a little, laid flat, sandwiched between seams, etc. In this case I used it on the front apron as a flat-felled seam & on the bodice front between the outside & the lining. I lightly gathered it for a nice stand-up row of trim that ended up looking like sunflower petals.

Tip: if your fabric is flimsy you may want to add a lightweight interfacing.

The second technique I tried was binding the edges with single fold bias tape. This did not work out & I ended up cutting it off, but you can see the potential here.

If I had finished it by hand I think I would have loved it, but I just can't stand machine stitched bias tape. Call me a stitch counter, but it just drives me nuts. Yet I don't mind machine top-stitching. Go figure!

The final technique I used was pinking. This ended up being an excellent choice for the finish on this dress.

On a single layer of fabric, draw the template on with colored pencil.
Tip: draw on the backside of the fabric just in case the pencil doesn't come off... so far it has, but there's always an exception...

Fray check the cutting line & let dry.

With pinking shears or a pinking punch (if you can find one, let me know where!), cut the shapes carefully. If you go over the lines, fray check again.
Tip: pinking shears are notoriously painful, I wear a knit winter glove when using them. It saves my hands & lets me use a little more force when necessary.

Here is the "finished" apron with 2 types of edging on it.
You can gather fairly heavily, depending on the type of fabric you use, but let the pinking & van dyking stand out on its own.

Tips:
- Sew lace on the edge of the van dyking.
- Cut fancier shapes if you have the patience, it will mimic the 18th & 19th c. shapes better
- Find pinking shears that cut in different shapes from the modern "vvv" format.
- Budget for at least 4 bottles of fray check! (open a window).

Sumac Dye, Part 1

2011-06-18T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today I began an adventure that I've been waiting to start since about mid-winter when the idea popped into my brain. You see... we have an abundance of natural dyestuffs growing all around us & simply don't use it because we either A: don't know about it, B: don't want to take the time/effort/energy to do anything about it... then there's always C: don't wanna.

I wanna, so I am.

After combing the internet & bookshelves for info on this stuff, I found that sumac is a decent dye material. Not perfect in color or fastness, but it has a wide range of colors & it's not like I have a shortage of available materials... that stuff IS a weed around here.

Sooo... I grabbed meself a little axe & hacked down some weed-trees. The barn is a bit easier to get into & I have some raw materials.
Of course, I had help...
For those of you who don't know, this is Clyde; a Cool Cat. He helped me chop trees down, strip leaves & made sure all the leaves went in the right box.

At this stage (June, new buds, fully leafed out), sumac has a main trunk with a couple branches & suckers with leaves. So I've read, it's the right time to harvest leaves & inner bark. Leaves can be harvested any time after they are fully grown, but the inner bark is soft now. Berries can be harvested after they are ripe.

I pulled the suckers off the main branches & stripped them of leaves, leaving the leaf-stems intact. This is fairly easy as the leaf stems are on alternating sides. Holding the branch upside down & doing a "spin & pluck" motion, it took me about 30 minutes to reduce the pile into leaves, trunk/branches & suckers.

Please note: I made a serious miscalculation of leaf-mass to box-volume.
PS... Clyde helped.

Now, very important, when Humans are stripping branches from trees for inexplicable reasons, Kitties must lay on their feet to make sure the Humans don't topple themselves as they are precarious, top-heavy creatures anyway (always tripping over things - like Clyde).

OK, so the pile is now reduced to 3 things: leaves, suckers & branches... and Clyde.
That's still only 3 because Clyde counts as one - always.

The main issue was finding a spot to dry the leaves. It takes up quite a bit of space & I didn't want a place where birds would mess things up. I settled on Punky's house (sad), and spread the leaves out on a canvas tarp to dry. I set the suckers upright in a few buckets to dry in case I find that they can be used as well... no harm in tossing them out later.

I will have to toss the leaves around every day until they are completely dry or risk mold. I should have some drying racks if I were doing this "properly," or I could have bundled the stems & hung them (from what?), but this seemed like a good solution for now.

Leaves will dye several colors, brown, yellow & gray depending on fabric & mordants.

The next step in this adventure, the one I'm really after was skinning the branches for their inner bark. It's the bright green inner bark (Phloem) that we are after and it's fairly easy to get if you have a shady spot & help from Sweetie Pie.

I will admit that the sources weren't clear if I was supposed to take the Cambium too, so I did. It'll either be filler, or useful.

This dyes a bright yellow or a yellow-green.

2 different ways of doing this: stripping the bark with your fingernails, or using a knife. I found that I preferred to use my nails. Stripping from the top down worked best, as did removing the brown outer bark. When I removed it from top-down, it didn't take the green bits with it.

I'm not sure it's necessary to strip the outer bark, but all the info I found said the green inner bark is what is used. As it separated relatively easily, I figured I'd leave the brown bits off.

They are now compost.

NOTE: the Pith or most inner bark at the center of the tree also yields a bright yellow dye. Had I known this, I'd have split the sticks open. Alas.

After 3 trees & a huge pile of sticks this is what I'm left with, 1/3 of which is in the dehydrator right now... the rest will have to be laid out on newspapers for the night.

It took about 4 days of the inner bark being laid out on paper for it to dry. Fortunately we had nice, dry weather for those days. If the humidity had been up it would have taken longer.

7/21/11
The sumac leaves are completely dry. They may have been dry for a while, but I've had my hands full with other things & I figured they weren't going anywhere.

Easiest way to strip the leaves was to get a plastic grocery bag, set it open on the ground and one leaf at a time.
Holding the main vein I pulled it through my fingers & the leaves came off nice as you please. I was limited to one grocery bag because the dry bits are sharp! (also, the bird who built her nest in the building was having a fit that she couldn't get to her babies. Prettiest nest I've ever seen, she used the sumac berries & stalk bits to build it.)

Back inside (100 in the shade today), I crushed the leaves & put them in a gallon bag. 1 grocery sack = 1 gallon in the end.
I put 2 handfuls of leaves in the bowl, crushed with a glass first & then ripped & crushed by hand. The leaves were rather silky & crushed easily. No splinters.
I did not powder the leaves because I figure that whoever is doing the final dying can handle that.

Dating an Image

2011-06-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

WARNING:
If you get freaked out by disturbing images, skip this post. Go read a pretty dress blog right now.

Well... I gave you fair warning...

OK... not quite what that title sounds like considering the image in question, you DO NOT want this creature anywhere near you.
(Forgive me, please; the allergy meds have given me a most wicked sense of humor).

A few days back, a fellow blogger & FB friend, Matthew Innis, posted this lovely image...
(AAH! My Eyes!)
Which, if you have a very odd sense of humor, or want to permanently scar small children, you can buy...
from here:
http://internationalart.waddingtons.ca/14june2011/catalogue/40/0043/ (Dear Waddington's, please don't yell at me, I'm trying to help sell this delightfully creepy thing at a very affordable price).

Just to be super-helpful, you can "view details" in a lovely little magnifying window on this site. (you may want to turn that feature off to help preserve your sanity).

The oil painting is dated 18th / 19th c... but I know for sure that style of stays wasn't really worn until 1805, but more commonly in the 1810's, by 1820 they were all over the place and were worn well into the 1840's. (I love how the stay string is dipping in the chamber pot).

So... not 18th century - definitely 1st 1/2 of the 19th century.

The lady's bedcap style fits beautifully into the 1810-30 time slot.

That thing (cap) the mutant spider monkey/"gorilla" is wearing... I have no idea. It may well be a 1780's cap drawn up or even a tame 1830's frilly frippery that is being masked by the horrible grinning visage directly beneath it.

The silver spoon could date any time in the 1700's or 1800's, but there is a little deer like figure stamped into the end.

Generic end-of 18th beginning of 19th c. footstool... no help there. It is a bit Neoclassical.

The end table might be of some assistance, but the details could be up to interpretation.

I'm not sure about the bird cage, (please note the mangled, decapitated bird body & the blood spatters next to it - you are most welcome, BTW... Yes, of course you may be excused to run to the bathroom, don't forget the mouthwash).

The bed & chamber pot are too generic, as are the fireplace & grate. Basic 18th c. & early 19th c.

The horse statues could help, but I'm no good at knick knacks... input? One looks a bit oriental & they are probably blackwear ceramics - that knowledge is long gone from my college days as an art history major - I fail this question.

The bottle & glass at the foot of the bed could be helpful, but again, this is not my area.

The most compelling item might be the cooking pot (with a steaming mix of ???). I think it's copper (who can tell from paint?)... It has a riveted handle that looks to be made from a curled sheet of metal. Cook wear is so NOT my thing.

A more definitive date is much desired by the (disturbed) parties in question, so any information is welcome.

Logically speaking, items can exist prior to the painting, but cannot have been first made after it was painted. (discounting the Star Trek theory, of course).

Theories about what it means are also most welcome!

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did & that I helped bring a little ray of dusty sunshine into your world.

Here's your brain bleach...

hrmmm... perhaps not the best image considering that we know what happens after she goes to bed.

Let's try these...

Sweetie Pie is still around, still having kittens & still battling her numerous offspring for the prime real estate of the porch.

And this cute little thing is Lavender. She's Sweetie Pie's Granddaughter and has the most interesting dark points.

She is super-friendly & can't decide between being petted or eating.

2011 Original Northeastern

2011-06-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

The 2011 Original Northeastern was a fantastic event this past week. My complements to the staff, you guys did a great job.

I saw many good friends, made some new ones & really had a wonderful time.

I got there on the early set-up day & it was already packed - ended up camped directly in front of the Silver Springs (water tanker), which my tent hid nicely. I believe it was the shortest trip to the Lou I'd ever had. Tents were packed in rope to rope & there was no cutting through anywhere.

An odd phenomenon I've noticed is that when the hooters are screened in people slam the doors & make a general racket, but when they are left uncovered people are polite & close the doors quietly. Perhaps it's psychological & we remember when we are seen coming & going. No one wants to be "that guy" who makes a mess or slams the door at 3:30 a.m. On the flip-side, the porta-johns were fully visible in our 18th & early 19th c. encampment. I guess, all things considered, I'd rather have to see them than hear them - that's why Photoshop was invented.

I tip my hat to the porta-john folks, they were clean, well stocked & had hand sanitizer in every stall (I didn't have to carry a bottle in my pocket) and the truck was quiet! My only lament is that the regular stalls are never wide enough to easily maneuver in big skirts; it's always a careful process avoiding the Dreaded Pee Pan on one side & the toilet paper covers on the other. When paniers/hoops are involved the only solution is the Handicapped Head.

My Princess Bed was absolutely delightful. I still have to finish the uprights & paint the wood, but I was so happy. It kept the bugs out, the wind out & I got to wake up to cute, fuzzy critters & flowers every morning. It also provided a place to toss mending garments or things I needed quickly without having to search through every box & disrupt the whole store... and a place to hang my cloak.

Turtles were a pretty common critter, along with spiders, dragonflys, tiny crickets, butterflys & several kinds of birds. I had one wasp one day, but the nasties were kept to a minimum... dog ticks (yuck) were awful, and whatever bit up my legs I'd like to eradicate because they were on fire for several days, not so bad after 2 hot showers. Poison ivy absolutely everywhere, which I managed to avoid until packing up & helping a neighbor rescue their fly as it blew down.

This little speedster was chased by 3 kids right into my tent. He headed for the back corner & hid under the table for a bit. Then we let him out under a mudflap & off into the woods he went, one boy left trailing while I distracted the girls with pretty dresses. I thought he looked especially nice on my rug. The only reason I got a picture is that I'd been photographing the store.

The rug... I love the rug! I hated rugs & tarps for the longest time. Now I'm a fan. The tarp kept the moisture out (a little) & the bugs away, and the rug kept the tarp down & slip free. Putting a canvas cloth over the tarp never works for me, I always get a heel caught & trip. This was perfect. Now I just need 3 or 4 more. It did leave a slimy mess underneath it, but the mildew smell did not come home with me.

I'm a huge fan of the peg racks & displaying the clothes in a historically appropriate way, but unfortunately they don't display well. People are so accustomed to seeing clothes on hangers that few will take a garment down to look at it or try it on. And I'm forever straightning things - though it beats unpinning from the hanger, or having to bandage my customers after they rip themselves open on a pin.

I'm not 100% sure this is the greatest idea or if it's hurt my sales. Choices are purely fabric based "ooh pretty" vs. garment based, and you can't see what you are looking at right away - this format demands that one be interactive & take one's time, which folks are not used to doing.

One good thing about this system is that those with 1/2 an oz. of patience will allow me to help them & select clothes that will fit & look good on them.

What I have yet to figure out is how to display the sleeveless waistcoats not on a hanger. They don't stay on the pegs & don't look good in a pile. I'm open to suggestions. The table seemed to work better this time around & I can't figure out why. I did keep putting the books back in the box, which may have helped. I would like to set up the shelves in this corner as it will provide additional display space & a place to set piddly little things that are so tempting to set things on.

I've noticed the strange tendency to either sit or set drinks on my box-shelves right on the garments. I think I need a drinks table just outside the door. Apparently the rug is another tempting drink-holder & an excellent place to kick said drink over. More signs, that's the ticket.

Stacking the boxes on top of each other helped with the no sitting thing, but encouraged the drink-setting thing. I'm also open to suggestions there.

We had a motley selection of weather, but mostly it was HOT. Some days so hot no one could even think about moving... so hot that I actually stripped down to stays & petticoat (scandalous)... so hot that I resorted to a wet modesty cloth. Monday we had some damp weather, and on Wednesday we watched Tornado Clouds boiling over our heads & in the second wave of storms they actually opened up & there was a bit of a funnel forming. Thankfully it passed over us, though others in the area were not so fortunate. The sky was gray in the first wave, orange in the second & a beautiful soft yellow in the third - rather discomforting.

Between the bouts of rain, the girls puddle jumped & got quite muddy; everyone cheered them on. When it's like that, you might as well take your joy where you can find it because the Great Bad Thing will either happen or it won't. One thing is sure about the weather, it doesn't care what you say about it.

This lovely young lady was the one who won my gift certificate & we settled on something like this archery dress from 1820. I think she'll look lovely in it & I'll get to see someone running around in an 1820's dress. It will have detachable sleeves & I'll replace the pink with a different color, perhaps white or cream... maybe not so crazy on the hem.

As a closing note, Chuck, Hannah & Kayla; this is the poem I'm ashamed that I couldn't remember seeing as how I knew it by heart in 6th grade & could recite it off of any soda or beer ingredient list for years... and now that I read it again, I think I was a truly macabre child because I loved this thing to pieces.

The Cremation of Sam McGee

by Robert W. Service

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge

I cremated Sam McGee.

Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows.
Why he left his home in the South to roam ‘round the Pole, God only knows.
He was always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell;
Though he’d often say in his homely way that “he’d sooner live in hell.”

On a Christmas Day we were mushing our way over the Dawson trail.
Talk of your cold! through the parka’s fold it stabbed like a driven nail.
If our eyes we’d close, then the lashes froze till sometimes we couldn’t see;
It wasn’t much fun, but the only one to whimper was Sam McGee.

And that very night, as we lay packed tight in our robes beneath the snow,
And the dogs were fed, and the stars o’erhead were dancing heel and toe,
He turned to me, and “Cap,” says he, “I’ll cash in this trip, I guess;
And if I do, I’m asking that you won’t refuse my last request.”

Well, he seemed so low that I couldn’t say no; then he says with a sort of moan:
“It’s the cursed cold, and it’s got right hold till I’m chilled clean through to the bone.
Yet ‘taint being dead—it’s my awful dread of the icy grave that pains;
So I want you to swear that, foul or fair, you’ll cremate my last remains.”

A pal’s last need is a thing to heed, so I swore I would not fail;
And we started on at the streak of dawn; but God! he looked ghastly pale.
He crouched on the sleigh, and he raved all day of his home in Tennessee;
And before nightfall a corpse was all that was left of Sam McGee.

There wasn’t a breath in that land of death, and I hurried, horror-driven,
With a corpse half hid that I couldn’t get rid, because of a promise given;
It was lashed to the sleigh, and it seemed to say: “You may tax your brawn and brains,
But you promised true, and it’s up to you to cremate those last remains.”

Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code.
In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart how I cursed that load.
In the long, long night, by the lone firelight, while the huskies, round in a ring,
Howled out their woes to the homeless snows—O God! how I loathed the thing.

And every day that quiet clay seemed to heavy and heavier grow;
And on I went, though the dogs were spent and the grub was getting low;
The trail was bad, and I felt half mad, but I swore I would not give in;
And I’d often sing to the hateful thing, and it hearkened with a grin.

Till I came to the marge of Lake Lebarge, and a derelict there lay;
It was jammed in the ice, but I saw in a trice it was called the “Alice May.”
And I looked at it, and I thought a bit, and I looked at my frozen chum;
Then “Here,” said I, with a sudden cry, “is my cre-ma-tor-eum.”

Some planks I tore from the cabin floor, and I lit the boiler fire;
Some coal I found that was lying around, and I heaped the fuel higher;
The flames just soared and the furnace roared—such a blaze you seldom see;

Then I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee.

Then I made a hike, for I didn’t like to hear him sizzle so;
And the heavens scowled, and the huskies howled, and the wind began to blow.
It was icy cold, but the hot sweat rolled down my cheeks, and I don’t know why;
And the greasy smoke in an inky cloak went streaking down the sky.

I do not know how long in the snow I wrestled with grisly fear;
But the stars came out and they danced about ere again I ventured near;
I was sick with dread, but I bravely said: “I’ll just take a peep inside.
I guess he’s cooked, and it’s time I looked;” . . . then the door I opened wide.

And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar;
And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and he said: “Please close that door.
It’s fine in here, but I greatly fear you’ll let in the cold and storm—
Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee, it’s the first time I’ve been warm.”

I cremated Sam McGee.

Quilted Petticoat Update

2011-05-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

It feels like it's been forever since I updated about my quilted petticoat. Progress has been slow & spotty with fits & starts, but I almost feel like the end is near. Perhaps only 1 or 2 more years (hehe).

I've been considering the wisdom of going insane & using trapunto to make the flowers pop up (literally), but then I'd be obligated to use stippling in the background & I'd be 40, fat(er) and too busy with family to bother going to reenactments. So I think that's not an option until the quilting is done.

The 2 central motifs are done, the 2 side motifs are drawn in & one is almost finished.

The next thing to do (after those flowers & vines are done) is to figure out where my pocket slit is going, stitch that in, cut the excess batting off at the top & then mark the petticoat for the latticework at the top. Once the latticework is nearly complete, I will stitch the side seam together & cord the bottom to hem it & put the waistband on.
OR I'll sew it together & deal with the loop-issue to get the latticework straight.

A note on long-term projects: If you know it's going to be a "forever" kind of thing, take the time to do it right from the beginning. That machine stitched hem at the side is going to drive me absolutely nuts. I'm sure I'm the only one who will ever know (except for y'all), but that's beside the point. In my fever-flu state I clearly was not thinking clearly. Come to that, this is my "sick" project, so I'm sure I've made some very poor decisions along the way.

- If you do something like this, put a muslin lining between the batting & the silk, it will help a lot (the batting won't pull through as much).
- Use real silk thread - totally worth the cost in a long-term project like this.
- Buy more than enough thread & reserve it (because JoAnn's doesn't carry this color anymore!)

So, on that note, I'm done with my break & must get back to packing for this event.
"On the Road Again..."

We Are Always Learning

2011-04-28T02:30:00.000-07:00

The day we stop learning is the day we stop breathing & turn into cold clay.

As people interested in history (whatever aspect of history we are fascinated with), we know there is always more to learn... there is never an end to what we can find out, explore, analyze, reanalyze, interpret, interpret correctly, put in context, experiment with, etc.

Some comments on FaceBook & various forums over the past few weeks have made me realize that some people don't understand that any field of study is a continual learning process... this is why it's called "a field of study" even the experts continue to learn. I certainly don't know everything there is to know about fashion history from the day God trussed Adam & Eve up in animal skins! (post-fig leaf fad, of course - the change being spurred on by an intellectual & spiritual revolution prior to the migration from the Garden of Eden)...

While I have a fairly good grasp on the evolution of fashion in Western Europe & North America from about 1300 through the present day; my field of study is middle-of-the-road time frame & rather sporadic-- it's what catches my attention from day-to-day. I've concentrated on the late 1600's through 1839, mostly English & French influences in America, though I've gained an interest in Dutch fashions as well... wait, now that I've learned a bit about the 1780's Irish that looks pretty cool... and the Elizabethan era is just so nifty...
You get the idea.

Some people (like my friend Missy Clark of Barkertown Sutlers) pick an area of study & stick with it. She knows just about everything there is to know about 1740 to 1780 clothing of the working class on the Eastern Seaboard (Middle Colonies)... everything from spinning to weaving to dying to making the clothes (yes, she uses a machine - we all have to eat), she knows the cut of the uniform in this year & how the lapels changed color here & here, and why and how much it cost to reissue those jackets... she has a portrayal of a peddler woman with a cart where she actually sleeps under her cart (super cool BTW, if you ever get the chance to go to one of her talks, do it).
I can say with absolute certainty that she's come an awful long way since 1988, puking in the bushes when she first met my mother -- who was shoulder deep in a cow's uterus at the time... "Mom, Hannah's mom is here to meet you! I'm sorry Missy, she's a little busy right now." Ha!

Other people, like myself, ping around like crazy because there is just so much to love.

In the reenacting & living history community, not everyone picks a character & sticks with it. Some people do & that's great; others float around in the various years of an event, each day perfect unto itself. Not all husband/wife teams match... he might be a longhunter from the mid-18th century, she might be wearing an empire dress from 1813. It all depends on what you love & how you choose your portrayal.
Historic costumers might make a dress out of polyester & never give it a second thought; the fabric is perfect in appearance... or use metal grommets to lace a pair of stays - and that's just fine! Dare I say the word "Steampunk"? Is it "farby" or "fun"? It all depends on the event.

Thanks to http://nativeamerican-art.com/native-american-clothing.html and http://www.halloweencostumeideas.com/girls-american-indian-princess-costume.html for the 2 images!

Some people don't mind machine finished clothing, others wouldn't touch it... that's fine too. Some hard-core Thread Counters (and I use that term with affection), wouldn't be caught dead in a garment that isn't 100% hand spun/woven/sewn - from flax they grew themselves or their own heirloom sheep.
Some people are so enthralled with the past that they build their houses and fashion their lives in a way that reflects a slice of history... others just go have fun at an event or 2 when they can get the vacation time & like watching costume flicks.

When someone in a field of study (here fashion history) asks a question in a public forum, it is not because we are totally ignorant & "can't claim to be an expert - how dare they!"... remember that even the "experts" don't know everything... it's because we want to learn more. It's that desire for knowledge that leads us down new & interesting paths. If we never ask questions, never explore new things, how can we grow as historians? If we sequester ourselves, isolate our learning, how can we say that we are open to new information?
If you closet yourself & do not share knowledge, how does this help us grow? It doesn't. If you never open yourself to criticism & the possibility of being wrong, how can you correct your mistakes?
On the flip side, going public with an admitted lack of knowledge (some would say ignorance in a snooty tone), that does, indeed, open us up to criticism.

It's a risk I'm willing to take. I am 100% willing to be wrong in my quest for good, accurate, right information. And I have the integrity to admit when I am wrong... (please, no one read that Livingston County News article from February - that wasn't my fault! it was so far off, I sent in corrections & it got slightly better, but OMG was that a disaster! Misinformation coming from "me" when it was the reporter who completely misunderstood & took things out of context & jumbled stuff up to make it sound "good." I should scan the article just to make official corrections).

I don't claim to be a leading expert in my field - I have made a career that manages to pay the bills through intensive study & really hard work, that doesn't just border on obsessive, it hops over the line & skips away into the land of "she never shuts up about old dresses!"
I have to refresh my memory on occasion: what understructure was worn with that gown & what was never worn with it? (bum roll, dome hoop, "serving platter" hoop, kidney hoop, oval hoop, pocket paniers, hip pads, etc)... it makes a difference to me, and honestly, I can't remember all of that off the top of my head all the time! What shape stays were worn at this time? What's the proper terminology for that technique & who used it, who made it, how common was it? This thing is super-cool, but was it isolated in Italy, or did it spread through the continent & into the Americas? Was the gown a la Turk worn in America? (because I want to make one, but don't know if I can sell it at an event)... Can I make this garment this way because it works better, or does that destroy the historic integrity of it?

I am beginning to explore the early 1800's a bit more...

The discussion on early 1800's chemises was fabulous... I corrected a mistake (in my brain) on the difference between a Regency Petticoat & the minor changes from shift to chemise, with the help of some people who have experience in that time frame... much more than me! Thank you.

A few weeks ago, I was making a doll dress in my (ha) spare time... after the 2nd try, I realized that the dress was a bib front, not a wrap dress... after all this time of reading pattern plates & sewing, I still made that mistake. Yes, I wasted several hours of my weekend & about 1/4 yd of fabric... OK, 8" of fabric... but still.
Even after years of sewing, study, reading the "experts" books, talking to people, giving talks - I still made that mistake. So sue me, I'm human. Humans are allowed "oops" moments... especially when dealing in doll clothes that have no impact on your life what-so-ever. But nice to learn of my mistake on poor Farby Phoebe vs. on someone's $20/yd material! Now, because of that hours-long mistake, I can make that bib-front dress in real-sizes, correctly. Yay! I learned something! Amazing.

See how that works?

Beaver Hats

2011-04-20T04:14:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from 2 "Centuries of Costume in America, Volume I" by Alice Morse Earle, which can be purchased used or new by clicking on the title... (I recommend the pre-1970 version as it hasn't been gutted of all the original quotes). I actually recommend any of her books, she's highly entertaining!

From chapter VII, "caps and beavers in colonial days"

"The Turk in linen wraps his head
The Persian his in lawn, too,
The Russ with sables furs his cap
And change will not be drawn to.

"The Spaniard's constant to his block
The Frenchman inconstant ever;
But of all felts that may be felt
Give me the English beaver.

"The German loves his coney-wool
The Irishman his shag, too,
The Welsh is Monmouth loves to wear
And of the same will brag, too"

-"A Challenge for Beauty," Thomas Hayward

"The vogue of beaver hats was in important factor in the settlement of America.
The first Spanish, Dutch, English and French colonists all came to America to seek for gold and furs. The Spaniards found gold, the Dutch and French found furs, but the English who found fish found the greatest wealth of all, for food is ever more than raiment.

Of the furs, the most important and most valuable was beaver. The English sent some beaver back to Europe; the very first ship to return from Plymouth carried back two hogsheads. Winslow sent twenty hogsheads as early as 1634, and Bradford shows that the trade was deemed important. But the wild creatures speedily retreated. Johnson declares that as early as 1645 the beaver trade had left the frontier post of Springfield, on the Connecticut River.

From the earliest days both the french and English crown had treated the fishing and fur industries with unusual discretion, giving a monopoly to the fur trade and leaving the fisheries free, so the later constantly increased, while in New England the fur trade passed over to the Dutch, distinctly to the advantage of the English, for the lazzy trader at a post was neither a good savage nor a good citizen, while the hardy fishermaen and bold sailor of New England brought wealth to every town. For some years the Dutch appeared to have the best of it for they received ten to fifteen thousand beaver skins annually from New England; and they had trading posts on Narragansett and Buzzards Bay. Still the trade drew the Dutch away from agriculture, and the real success of New Netherland did not come with furs, but with corn.

The fur trade was certainly an interesting factor in the growth of the dutch settlement. Fort Orange, or Albany, called the Fuyck was the natural topographical fuyck or trap-net to catch this trade, and in the very first season of its settlement fifteen hundred beaver and five hundred otter skins were dispatched to Holland. In 1657 Johannes Dyckman asserted that 40,900 beaver and otter skins were sent that year from Fort Orange to Fort Amsterdam (New York City). As these skins were valued at from eight to ten guilders apiece (about $3.50 and with a purchasing value equal to $20.00 to day), it can readily be seen what a source of wealth seemed opened. The authorities at Fort Orange, the patrons of Renssalaerwyck and Beverwyck, were not to be permitted to absorb all this wondrous gain in undisturbed peace. The increment of the India Company was diverted and hindered in various ways. Unscrupulous and crafty citizens of Fort Orange (independent handelers or handlers) and their thrifty, penny-turning vrouvs decoyed the Indian trappers and hunters into their peaceful, honest kitchens under pretense of kindly Christian welcome to the peltry-bearing braves; and they filled the guileless savages with Dutch schnapps, or Barbadoes "kill-devil," until the befuddled or half-crazed Indians parted with their precious stores of hard-trapped skins and threw off their well-perspired and greased beaver coats and exchanged them for such valuable dutch wares as knives, scissors, beads, and jew's-harps, or even a few pints of quickly vanishing rum, instead of solid Dutch guilders or substantial Dutch blankets. And even before these strategic Dutch citizens could corral and fleece them, the incoming fur-bearers had to run as insinuating a gantlet of buschloopers, bush-runner, drummers or "broakers," who sallied out on the narrow Indian paths to buy the coveted furs even before they were brought into Fort Orange. Much legislation ensued. Scout-buying was prohibited. Citizens were forbidden "to addresse to speak to the wilden of trading, " or to entice them to "traffique," or to harbor them overnight. Indian houses to lodge the trappers were built just outside the gate, where the dickering would be public. These were built by rates collected from all "Christian dealers" in furs.

But Indian paths were many, and the water-ways were unpatrolled, and kitchen doors could be slyly opened in the dusk; so the government, in spite of laws and shelter-houses , did not get all the beaver skins. Too many were eager for the lucrative and irregular trade; agricultural pursuits were alarmingly neglected; other communities became rivals and the beavers soon were exterminated from the valley of the Hudson, and by 1660 the Fort Orange trade was sadly diminished. The governor of Canada had an itching palm, and lured the Indians -- and beaver skins-- to Montreal. Thus "impaired by French wiles," scarce ninen tousand peltries came in 1687 to Fort Orange. With a few fluttering rallies until the Revolutionary times the fur trade of Albany became extinct; it passed from both Dutch and French and was dominated by the Hudson Bay Fur Company.

So clear a description of the fur of the beaver and the use of the pelt was given by Adriaen van der Donck, who lived at Fort Orange from the year 1641 to 1646, and traded for years with the Indians that it is well to give his exact words: --

"The beaver's skin is rough but thickly set with fine fur of an ash-gray color inclining to blue. The outward points also incline to a russet or brown color. From the fur of the beaver the best hats are made that are worn. They are called beavers or castoreums from the material of which they are made, and they are known by this name all over Europe. Outside of the coat of fur many shining hairs appear called wind-hairs, which are more properly winter-hairs, for they fall out in summer and appear again in winter. The outer coat is of a chestnut-brown color, the browner the color the better is the fur. Sometimes it will be a little reddish.
"When hats are made of the fur, the rough hairs are pulled out for they are useless. The skins are usually first sent to Russia, where they are highly valued for their outside shining hair, and on this their greatest recommendation depends with the Russians. The skins are used there for mantle-linings and are also cut into strips for borders as we cut rabbit-skins. Therefore we call the same peltries. Whoever has there the most and costliest fur-trimmings is deemed a person of very high rank, as with us the finest stuffs and gold and silver embroideries are regarded as the appendages of the great. After the hairs have fallen out, or are worn, the peltries become old and dirty and apparently useless, we get the article back, and convert the fur into hats, before which it cannot be well used for this purpose, for unless the beaver has been worn, and is greasy and dirty, it will not felt properly, hence these old peltries are the most valuable. The coats which the Indians make of beaver-skins and which they have worn for a long time around their bodies until the skins have become foul with perspiration and grease are afterwards used by the hatters and make the best hats."

"One notion about beaver must be told. Its great popularity for many years arose, it is conjectured from its original use as a cap for curative purposes. Such a beaver cap would "unfeignedly" recover to a man his hearing, and stimulate his memory to a wonder, especially if the "oil of castor" was rubbed in his hair.

The beaver hat was for centuries a choice and costly article of dress; it went through many bizarre forms. On the head of Henry IV of France and Navarre, as made known in his portrait, is a hat which effectually destroys all possibility of dignity. It is a bell-crowned stove-pipe of the precise shape worn later by coachmen and by dandies about the years 1820 to 1830. It is worn very much over one royal ear, like the hat of a well-set-up, self-important coachman of the palmy days of English coaching and gives an air of absurd modernity and cockney importance to the picture of a king of great dignity.

(1552-99 Portrait of King Henry IV of France, attributed to Francois Bunel)

The hat worn by James I, ere he was King of England is shown on page 220. It is funnier than any seen for years in a comic opera.

(1590 King James I of England & VI of Scotland)

(King James I, post-1603, I will try to find a hard date for this image)

The hat worn by Francis Bacon is a plain felt, greatly in contrast with his rich laced triple ruff and cuffs and embroidered garments.
(this is not the image Mrs. Earle is referring to, but I cannot find it on Google or in a book... it's the one that is a full bust with ruffled cuffs, but the hat is, unsurprisingly, the same).

That of Thomas Cecil on page 230 varies slightly.
(again, this is a different image than the one in the book, which I believe may be a print of this painting. The ruff & hat are the same, as are the doublet & ribbon, the gown differs slightly. This is Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exter 1605). Many thanks to http://thepeerage.com/p394.htm for the images & fascinating information on English Peerage.

Two very singular shapings of the plain hat may be seen, one on page 223 on the head of Fulke Greville, where the round-topped, high crown is most disproportionate to the narrow brim.

(go here for more info on Fulke Greville)

The second, on page 225, shows and extreme sugar-loaf, almost a pointed crown.
(again, this is a different image from the one Mrs. Early has in her book, this drawing is much clearer & shows the hat better. For more info on James Douglas 4th Earl of Morton, go here).

A good hat was very expensive, and important enough to be left among bequests in a will. They were borrowed and hired for many years and even down to the time of Queen Anne we find the rent of a subscription hat to be L2 6s. per annum! The hiring out of a hat does not seem strange when hiring out of clothes was a regular business with tailors..."

... (here she talks about clothing bequests & hangman getting the clothes of the executed)...

"Old Philip Stubbes has given us a wonderful description of English head-gear:--

"Hats of Sundrie Fations"
"Sometymes they use them sharpe on the Croune, pearking up like the Spire, or Shaft of a Steeple, standying a more, some lesse, as please the phantasies of their incomnstant mindes. Othersome be flat and broad on the Crowne, like the battlementes of a house. An other sorte haue rounde Crownes, sometymes with one kindle of Band, sometymes with another, now black, now white, now russet, now red, now grene, now yellowe, now this, now that, never content with one colour or fashion two daies to an ende. And thus in vanitie they spend the Lorde his treasure, consuming their golden yeres and siluer daies in wickednesse and sinne. And as the fashions bee rare and strange, so is the stuffe whereof their hattes be made divers also; for some are of Silke, some of Veluet, some of Taffatie, some of Sarcenet, some of Wooll, and whiche is more curious, some of a certaine kinde of fine Haire; these they call Bever hattes, or xx.xxx. or xl. shillinges price, fetched from beyonde the seas, from whence a greate sorte of other vanities doe come besides. And so common a thing it is, that euery seruyngman, countrieman, and other, euen all indefferently, dooe weare of these hattes. Fore he is of no account or estimation amongst men if he haue not a Veluet or Taffatie hatte, and that must be Pincked, and Cunnyngly Carved of the beste fashion. And good profitable hattes be these, for the longer you weare them the fewere holes they haue. Besides this, of later there is a new fashion of wearying their hattes sprong vp amongst them, which they father upon a Frenchman, namely, to weare them with bandes, but how unseemely (I will not saie how hassie) a fashion that is let the wise judge; notwithstanding, however it be, if it please them, it shall not displease me.
"And another sort (as phantasticall as the rest) are content with no kinde of hat without a greate Bunche of Feathers of diuers and sondrie Colours, peakying on top of their heades, not unlike (I dare not saie) Cocksecombes, but as sternes of pride, and ensignes of vanity. And yet notwithstanding these Flutterying Salies, and Feathered Flagges of defiaunce of Vertue (for so they be) are so advanced that every child hath them in his Hat or Cap; many get good living by dying and selling of them, and not a few proue the selues more than Fooles in wearying of them."

"Notwithstanding this list of Stubbes, it is very curious to note that in general the shape of the real beaver hat remained the same as long as it was worn uncocked."

...
She then goes on to discuss hats being worn indoors, in the presence of royalty or not, etc. Hatbands are next and other hat decorations, such as gloves, feathers, flowers, etc.
She talks about the steeple-crowned hat & red cloak at the time of the witch trials & how that style has forever been associated with the "witch" of today.

One other interesting quote from this chapter dealing with fur hats;--

"In 1672 an association of Massachusetts hatters asked privileges and protection from the colonial government to aid and encourage American manufacture, but they were refused until they made better hats. Shortly after, however, the exportation of raccoon fur to England was forbidden, or taxed, as it was found to be useful in the home manufacture of hats."
...

A Very Pretty Month

2011-04-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

1800-1810 Reticule,
Cotton & silk; lined with cotton, acorns of ? material.

I must confess, I did not want to hand this bag over.
Luckily I made 2 more!

Loving the blueberry!

Romantic red to go with the other petal sleeve dress!

1800-1810 Ball Gown
Whitework cotton with silk ribbon edging

For a Jean Austin Ball in May.
Changes were: tucking up the front lower sleeve petal so it curves in & moving the buttons out a little.

This was the most fantastic fabric! You can find it at JoAnn's for about $12.00/yd. They have some truly fantastic embroidered cottons & linens right now

Regency Petticoat (aka, slip)
this was the first try, which did not come out as I wanted. It has a button placket in front and does not support the bust as it should have.

The 2nd attempt was much better with a drawstring under and above the bust, and squared off shoulder straps and a back facing.

1730-50 Dress
Burgundy Linen (yes, I dyed it!), lined with handkerchief weight cream linen. Facings have a stiff cotton interlining. Front can be pinned or laced (preferably not with nylon ribbon)

Navy blue linen petticoat & giant pockets.

The dress is hand finished, cuffs are self-lined & tucked up to shape.

1730-50 Sleeveless Waistcoat
Cotton twill (jean cloth, aka denim), lined with cotton canvas

Buttons! I finally found good pewter buttons! Thank you Stitches in Tyme! Go visit their web site, Bruce & Darlene are great people & carry very good quality products.

A small rant on buttons: I love that we have many talented people in our Living History community who make pretty buttons, but a button must also be functional. That means, a needle & thread must be able to pass through the shank (ie; it can't be filled in with sharp metal bits), and the shanks must be smooth or they will cut through the thread like a knife rendering the garment un-close-able. The backs of the shanks must also be smooth or they will wear on the fabric from that side & tare it up, rendering the garment useless. So please, by all means, make pretty faces, but "back it up" with what really counts: what's underneath!

Life Happens

2011-03-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

1810 cotton dress, will be listed on For Sale page.

Occasionally "Life Happens" and everything changes. January, February & March were just that... Life Happened & everything changed. Work was interrupted, personal health suffered, emotions in shambles. And then we rise from all of that for a new day, and go on. Perhaps not better, perhaps not stronger - just changed.

1715-60 Stays, custom.

Things are slowly getting back to normal.
I'm fine one day & the next someone has pulled my plug. I've slowly gotten back into my exercise routine, though it's nowhere near where I want or need it to be; I just can't push myself that hard this soon. Yesterday & the day before I was skipping around like my usual maniac self & today when I woke up I felt utterly drained.

1790 Stays, will be listed on For Sale page.

Last week I worked part time & seeing the sewing room was good. I also took it easy & was careful not to over-do it. This week I made it through a few full-time days without taking to my bed & I can't tell you how happy that makes me.

1715-70 altered stays, modern wear, custom

The order pile, which should have been done early last month is getting trimmed down slowly. With any luck & barring further complications or disasters it will be completed before my first event - hopefully before my customer's first events, but who knows? Certainly not me -

1805-15 petticoat, Museum Fine Art, Boston
My trial version with squared neckline

I won't have much time for stock before my first events, but fortunately we have a decent inventory already.

1806-09 Evening Dress, cotton, will be listed on For Sale Page

All things considered - finances, stress, time, interests, event schedules - I'm taking a long break from custom work & concentrating on Ready To Wear garments. 2011 is booked anyway & I think 2012 (at this point) may be a custom-free year. I, of course, reserve the right to change my mind on a case-by-case basis...

1830's chemise, chemisette, sleeve puffs & corded petticoat

One thing that March has taught me is how incredibly important family & personal health are. A job is just not worth some things; even a job that I'm so passionate about. No matter who I risk disappointing or angering; my family, the people I love, are 1000 times more important than someone's waistcoat or dress.

I intend to enjoy my family to the fullest. There comes a point where one has to ask, how much money is our happiness worth? Some, surely, because we can't live without it, but how much does it cost us in joy, love & life?

Cravat Pads, linen,
will be listed on For Sale page
Custom

I also have every intention of fully enjoying this event season, of seeing people who's company I delight in, making some really wonderful garments & meeting new friends.

1700's engagentes, will be listed on For Sale page

As of right now here is our event schedule:
Original North Eastern, Mass.
LBC's Joey, NY
KLR, NY
NRLHF's NEPR, NY
NRLHF's EPR, VA
NRLHF's SEPR, SC?

1823-27 Frock Coat, custom

Depending on sales & stock this may change, I may add or subtract events as we go along. I'm also looking for an event or 2 between the EPR & SEPR as there are 3 weeks to kill and it's quite far from home - perhaps not worth the drive twice.

The thought of going west is tempting & I've never seen the Mississippi River... we will see.

1740-50 Mantua XIV from Cut of Women's Clothes

2011-01-31T09:07:00.000-08:00

The 1740-50 Mantua from Cut of Women's clothes, diagram XIV is not a true mantua, but a mid-century English Gown. Sleeve flounces vs. cuffs date it more toward the 50's than the 40's, though both styles were worn throughout the century to varying degrees.
Cuffs dominated the early part of the century, while flounces were Queen from mid-century on.
The back is cut all in one & pleated to fit. The front has one single pleat each side.
Sleeves are generous, but if you have large upper arms, add a bit to width & height as some of the sleeve becomes the shoulder cap.
The gown should be worn over a small hoop or paniers; basket paniers should not be worn with this gown, though they would be better than nothing. Hip pads or a small rump would also be acceptable.

Bobbi, I've outlined the parts that you will have to finish.
For everyone else, this is a bare sketch of a tutorial & you must have some sewing experience because these are not step-by-step instructions. By no means is this the only way to sew this type of gown & variations in style will demand different steps.

1. Stay stitch all edges

2. Sew backs together, press, stitch seam over or welt

4. Mark pleat lines for front & back with tailor's chalk

5. Sew CB seam together, press. Set aside

6. Sew front darts. Welt seams

7. Back Pleats:
A: lay out back on table & pin pleats in place

B: line up lining & CB seams, pin in place.

C: pin side seams of dress & lining together.

D: carefully fit lining to dress, pinning critical points together (shoulder, sleeve points) & pleat the excess lining so fabric lays flat.

This shows how to ease the lining fabric into pleats (try several different lay-outs to see which works best for your lining).

E: hand stitch lining fabric in place, catching only lining layer.

At this point, set dress on a dummy to check the fit & make sure pleats are laying well.

F: Machine / hand stitch CB seam, side-back pleats of outside through all layers, including lining. DO NOT stitch pleats nearest side seam yet. If you like, you can stay stitch all around the outside, stopping before you get to the side back pleat at the bottom.
G: Set aside.

8. Front lining:
A: sew lacing & boning tabs together with buttonholes or eyelets and a boning channel to help the front lay flat.

B: sew front facing to front lining, turn & topstitch.

C: sew lacing tabs to inside of front lining.

D: stitch lining to fronts from armhole to front-skirt.

E: Set aside.

9. Sew side skirt to side back using French seams or welted seams.

10. Sew side skirt to side front skirt - leaving 9" open for pocket slits. Or place a placket where you want pocket slits to be once you've located them (this will depend on how wide your panels are).

11. Sew side front to side back on bodice. press & welt.

This is what the dress looks like right now...

12. Pleat skirt to bodice & stitch. Pleats should all face toward the side. Mark Center of the slit & skirt, then pleat toward that.

13. Pin outer back pleat to skirt while on dummy over proper undergarments.
This is really important!
Stitch outer back pleat down.

14. Stitch shoulder seam from armhole to neck point (allow pleat to fall free & be set in place later).

This is the dress at this stage.

15. Sleeves
A: sew side seams of sleeves & linings, press.

B: sew bottom & top edges of sleeves & linings together, right sides out.

C: Sew hem on flounces. Stitch flounces together in place.

D: Gather & stitch flounces onto bands.

E: Sew band onto bottom edge of sleeve. Turn other edge over & stitch that.
Decide if you want a clean edge or topstitching on the outside. This will tell you what side to stitch the band on first & what side to finish last. If you want topstitching showing, stitch to the inside first as seen here. If you want hidden stitches, stitch to the outside first & slip stitch the band on the inside.

F: set sleeve in armhole & stitch in place.
Once you check the fit & position, make a 2nd stitching line on the inside of the first (toward the edge of the seam allowance) to reinforce the seam & tack down the pleats. This helps take pressure off the outer seam & reduces fraying if you toss it in the wash.

Here is the dress at this stage.

16. Front Pleat
A: Pin lacing tabs back. Pin pleats in place (on table or dummy)

B: Starting at bottom front up to sleeve cap, stitch through lining, STOP at sleeve cap (first white dot).
C: Topstitch single layer of fold to end of sleeve cap (red dots). Stop. (White is shown continuing on - DO NOT continue yet).

Note on image: this shows the white arrow going down, go up from CF.

Ironed back facing.

D: Pin back facing in place & adjust front pleats (the unstitched part on the back shoulders) to meet squarely so no raw edges show.
E: Continue stitching through all layers of pleat beyond the sleeve cap.
F: Topstitch back facing through all layers along sides & bottom. Overcast through lining layer only on the inside (you can do this now or when you stitch the front facing).

17. Turn facing over & pin in place on front pleat. Pin carefully. Stitch through bottom layers, do not catch top pleats (IE, your stitching should not show except at the very bottom where there are no pleats). This is best done by hand. Check how it lays on a dummy.

18: set up dummy or have a friend help you pin the hem to length over hoops, paniers, etc. Stitch hem.

19: press all pleats in place.

How to lace the stomacher:
1. lace from bottom to top either cross or spiral.
2. pin stomacher to outside of lining facing.
3: pin front facing to stomacher on inside, weaving pin in & out.
Tabs on the stomacher may be helpful.

1928-1941 Coat Repair

2010-12-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

I don't usually do repair work on vintage clothing because, quite frankly, it's more trouble than it's worth, (for someone like me who enjoys making things from scratch). I'm also far from a professional when it comes to these things.

But....

One of my camp friends asked me to see what I could do to save her "1890 Persian Buffalo coat" and for some insane reason I agreed.
Said coat sat in a pillow case on my shelf awaiting it's turn for a few months & didn't stink too badly... Then the docket was up & out of the sack it came.

Now... for a very good restoration, one should separate the fur from the lining, make all necessary repairs to the hide, fur & seams, matching & patching with fur as close as one can get; then repair the lining and stitch everything back together. Critical seams (armholes, etc.) should be reinforced with twill tape or similar fabric.
This was not to be.
First, there were past repairs that were quite sound & stitched right to the lining.
Second, time constraints & cost concerns prevented this approach.

So, the plan of action was this:
Find leather of a nice color & patch from behind the fur, saving as much of the fur as possible & make the coat wearable & look good. No major changes, no overhauls.

Leather found (split elk in a beautiful cinnamon brown) with too many flaws to use for anything else.
Damage assessed & diagramed (10 major holes or splits in the hide with about 10 more minor ones).
Patterns for patches made (cut paper & numbered with directional indicators; up down, front, back).
Leather bits traced & cut.
Let the patching begin!

My main concern was that the shoulders were completely blown out. Most of the leather along those seams was rotten or so damaged by past repairs that it was not salvageable... an entire patch about 12" long & 4" wide was missing from the left shoulder. The right was completely shredded. The shoulder seams were reduced to thread & powder.

Various holes & splits threatened to undo the garment at the least movement... but the leather was, for the most part, sound. It was being held together by a lovely orange embroidery thread, green cotton thread, tan button-hole thread and, of all things, fishing line!

I removed one "repair" and rotten bit at a time, so the coat stayed mostly intact throughout the process.

Starting with the left shoulder, I pinned in the patch, stitched it on with running stitches near the outer edge of the patch & then whip stitched the fur edges so they laid flat.
Next, I patched holes across the shoulder & neck seams; mostly by whip stitching with huge Frankenstein whip stitches to keep tension to a minimum & grab as much material as I could.
Repaired the splits under the arms.
Reinforced the armholes on the body side with leather & tacked the padding back onto the fur so the shoulders regained their beautiful shape!
Laid the sleeve cap over the shoulder & stitched it on (again with big ol' Frankenstein stitches). Made sure it was sound & pulled the hair up to cover the threads.

The right armhole was a bit trickier (the whole right side of the coat is dry rotted). At first I thought it was in better condition than the left, but once I removed the excellent fishing line repairs (they really did hold it together well), the utter devastation became apparent. Everything was crumbling. The whole right sleeve was in the process of blowing out, the leather was cracking & splitting.

New solution...

Because the leather couldn't handle twill tape stitching I thought "what about band-aids?" (fabric & glue). Looked it up & figured it was worth a try. So I cut linen patches to size & using fabric/fiber/plastic/metal/etc. "not sensitive to heat or cold!" glue made myself some long-lasting band-aids for this poor beleaguered sleeve. After the first 2 patched dried & I had carefully repaired the armhole on the coat body, I thought "this just might work!"
The sleeve cap was in danger of shredding with another hole & I just couldn't see it standing up to having thread pulled through it. So I glued pieces of linen bias tape along the edge to stabilize that too.
Moving on while that drys.

The bottom fronts both had L tares. The first was a simple patch & whip. The other was in similar condition to the sleeve: "band-aid" and let dry. Amazingly enough after the glue had dried I was able to just whip the tares together & no patch was necessary... though I think this might qualify as a "patch & pray."

Right armhole was stitched back together (the glue made the leather a little stiff, but not bad at all), small whip stitched repairs in the cuff, chest & belly were made & Ta-Da! Finished coat...

It's now in the "freezer" (the van at 20F) for 3 days to kill any mites, after which time it will become well acquainted with fresh coffee grounds to make it smell much better.

All done!

Except...
It's not 1890. It's not baby buffalo.

What it is is 1928-1941 Angora kid goat fur/hair. Most likely made by Clearfield Furs of Clearfield, PA or Buffalo Bill Fur Farms of Cody, WY, or any number of other fur coat producers of the 20's & 30's.
The coat has the characteristic straight sided cut of the 20's & 30's, which was not seen in American fashion prior to 1917. (vs. the gored, fitted, darts & curves of the 1890's, 1900's & 1910's).

(if these are your -- very cute-- angora goats, I want some to eat my weeds... and if you'd like me to remove the images I will. Got them from Flicker & didn't have any notices that they were copyrighted. But seriously, I could use some goats to combat the weed issue... and they are cute).

It has elastic inner sleeves to keep the cold air out, which was done starting in the late 20's and continued into the 1970's... why, oh why, have they stopped doing this??? Even though the fabric doesn't match, it's original to the garment.
The collar is very much in the style of the late 20's & 30's, (vs. the stand-up, huge, fun shapes of the previous decades).
The shoulders have the delightfully squared off look of the late 20's & 30's, but not quite the blocky solidness of the mid-1940's.

The American Bison was nearly extinct by 1884, with an estimated 500 individuals roaming free. By 1890 there were a few select ranchers breeding captive herds to preserve the species, but their hides were not routinely used for garments at this time... however, there were literally 100,000's of tanned hides stockpiled in warehouses throughout the US & Canada. Now, it's possible that a few of these (30 or 40 yr. old) hides were used to make this coat, but that is unlikely.
(isn't he cute? If this is your --really cute-- image & you'd like me to remove it, I will. I got it from Flicker & it didn't yell at me).

However, goat, sheep, & exotic animals (cats, monkeys, etc) were common coat material in the 20's & 30's.

Many thanks to Darlene, Barbara, Carol & Betty for helping me brainstorm about what kind of fur this was & when the coat was made.

An Interesting Month

2010-11-26T14:00:00.000-08:00

October & November have been a rather interesting months in my life & business. Here are some images of the garments that we made...

These are both 1840's outfits, we made the coats & waistcoats.
Thank you to the Frazier International History Museum for sending the pictures along! (Dashing young men, aren't they?)

I spent most of October bouncing between being terribly sick & hyperactive. A positively unbelievable amount of clothing was produced & shipped out. Despite the head-cold, it may have been one of my best months ever.

November was a little rougher. The cold lingered (the cough has yet to depart) and a new & rather uncomfortable illness set in. My Dr. freaked out & sent me to some specialists & for blood tests and all of them said "there's nothing wrong with you!" Which was wonderful news to me, despite feeling like death warmed over on some days & just peachy on others. A good dose of garlic seemed to fix what ailed me & I'm continuing on with this plan until I find something better. Vampires beware.

Work in November has been rather disorganized, but constant. I've based my schedule more on how I'm feeling that day than who is next in line, though I have managed to keep to the general outline. I've made many patterns, cut about a dozen orders & have been bouncing around sewing various things according to my energy level on any given day. On high energy days I wrestle with the larger garments, on bad days I curl up with my hand-sewing projects. I'm looking forward to the week when everything is miraculously finished all at once!

The quilted petticoat is progressing quickly, I've been devoting a couple hours to it in the evenings while "watching" t-v. The top border is more than 1/2 finished and I'll soon have to decide how to proceed with the middle section... or I'll just work on all those straight lines on the lattice-work top...

I've been messing with various cuts & angles for Canadian Caps. Playing around with "how to make a fur pom-pom" and if it's better to put cording inside the fur strips or leave them on a natural fold. What weaves work best & which fabrics to avoid, (don't use very stiff material, it doesn't turn). One must also account for the space fur takes up when figuring out how large the bottom has to be. The next one I'm going to try will be seams on the outside covered with fur... this might work better than the cording & bag-lined version. We aren't quite there with the design, but I'm getting closer. By the time I figure it out, I'll have enough test hats to give away as Christmas presents. My failed attempts are still very cute.

Quilted Petticoat... 4

2010-10-22T19:12:00.001-07:00

I finished the last repeat on the bottom border of the quilted petticoat tonight.

Now I have to decide what to do with the rest of it. Considering that the bottom border took me a year to complete, I'm not sure if time or design should win out.

I'm willing to put it to a vote!

The options are:
A: Lattice work (diamonds) for the whole top.... you know... "XXXXX": fast.
B: A central motif of flowers, etc with lattice work on either side: moderately fast.
C: cockle shells: "(((((((": moderately fast.
D: Central motif of flowers, etc with cockle shells on either side: time investment.
E: continue the floral motif for a really long way & finish the top with "(((" or "XXX": serious time investment.
(this almost resembles the NY governor's election!)

I have every intention of wearing this thing on the first muddy day at camp. OK, not really, but it'll turn out that way...

The 3 options here are basically the same: "E"
Yeah, I'm crazy.
This motif would continue almost to the top, maybe hip level before the XXX or CCC would take over. I think I'm going for the XXX because it was a little more common judging from the examples I've seen... and I can be lazy & just draw it in with a T-square.

The vines are following a basic circular pattern so they can match up fairly easily. The final petticoat has 8 central flowers and 8 garland repeats. In this design it would have a front & back medallion higher than the 2 sides. I like the symmetry enclosing the flowing vines.

I'm still up for input & suggestions.
(BTW, the darker bottom design isn't quite what's on the petticoat now... the real quilting is a little more open, spaced just slightly wider & is rather even from one end to the other).

Here are the petticoats I used as inspiration:

Mid-18th century silk-satin lined with linen, this was the original inspiration petticoat.

I don't recall where the petticoat is, but judging by the lovely gray background, it might be the MET.

I liked the 3 crown design that serves as the border & background between the lattice work & the actual design, but preferred the puffiness of the petticoat below.

18th century quilted petticoat that was for auction or sale a while ago on some site... I did not save the information. This is also silk, the waistband was linen if I recall correctly. I don't remember what it was lined with. The quilter used trapunto and stippling to create that wonderful raised design.

I especially like the outlining stitches used to give the vines & border some puffiness, rather than just defining them with the stippling like in the petticoat above.

You can also see that the quilting ends just before the waistband and the petticoat has been folded over rather than cut off. This would ensure that a 2nd owner could lengthen or shorten it without damaging the work the quilter had done.

The third petticoat is from the Williamsburg collection. It is also silk with a linen backing. The top has been extended with brown linen to reduce bulk at the waist & perhaps to lengthen it for a taller owner.

I'm not as crazy about this design as the others, but I do like the spacing of the lattice work on top. It's just a little larger & provides a bit more texture than the smaller diamonds.

Featured Gown

2010-10-05T13:21:00.001-07:00

As a favor to a friend I'm posting a gown that I made for her here. You can find it on the "for sale" page of our web site with all the pricing info, etc.

This was worn once by my best friend & maid of honor to showcase her lovely ink art.
She partied hard, but there are no stains, runs or tares in the gown.

Due to a pressing need, she must sell it and I've agreed to list it for her. So if you want to look as fantastic in this as she does & can pay the asking price + shipping, please contact me either through the e-mail address here or the contact info listed on the Oakhill site under "contact us."

The Curiasse bodice top is a cotton / synthetic blend in a gold tan & pink brocade with a lovely historic pattern that dates back to the mid 18th century, lined with olive linen. It is boned and closes with many buttons.

The hoop skirt has a pale gold faux-silk (polyester) base and a neutral green sheer striped overskirt that is edged with pink ribbon that has a beautiful gold floral pattern.

The 120" hoop has a drop-waist, is made from tan cotton & has white ruffles up to the hips, the ruffles are mystery fabric.

As a side note, a full-grown man can fit under the whole thing without wrecking the line of the dress. What can I say? it was a great party. And I'm the boring one in the family!

The outfit can be worn with or without a corset, which is not included.

It is dry-clean only.

This is an excellent buy for anyone getting into mid-19th century dance as long as you aren't particular about fabrics.

It's also available just in time for Halloween.

The top could double as a work-place vest if paired with a button-down shirt and flowing skirt.

Bad Customer, No Cookie!

2010-09-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

I just found out that my nightmare customer is a recurring theme in the lives of other historic seamstresses. Thankfully I can say "no" to this one quite easily. I really think we need a black-list for PITA's, history of non-payment & general harassment.

It's really important to those of us who re-create these garments that they be:
1. correct
2. durable
3. beautiful
4. well made

...We all try really, really hard to make what you (the customer) wants. Most of the time we manage it. Sometimes we don't. These things happen... not very often, but they do happen.

But occasionally there are individuals who can't be pleased. No matter how hard you work, how many times you re-make an already perfect garment, how many hours you put in, how long you research, how many times they approve (and then change) the design... they will never be happy.

There are customers who will actually yell at you. Yes, they will yell, scream, holler & sometimes swear, I even had one physically threaten me (over a coat, people! over a coat).
Before you can even send their money or fabric back to them they will call the BBB... they are on the phone bitching before the lady at the post office can stamp the package. They will call or write to whatever powers-that-be to tell them just how much you suck. They will send hate e-mail, hate mail, trash you to every other professional in the business.
There are customers that are soooo nice until they turn into rabid dogs.

These are the people who make us just want to quit. These are the people who (even if they are right - technically), make those of us who sew want to throw our hands up in the air & say "forget it, I'm just sewing for myself now."

Here's the thing: seamstresses are human. We love our jobs. But we are overworked, severely underpaid & these things take time. Once you add in the sheer volume of garments & customers that we work with in a year, there are bound to be a few things that don't work out. I'm sorry for that. Truly I am. I will fix it. But I may not be able to fix it this month... maybe not even next month. Heck, I'm booked into January right now!

I understand if someone isn't happy. Occasionally I'm not happy. If it's my fault I will do whatever I can to make it right. But for goodness sake, read my Terms & Conditions, understand that I'm not making these things in China or Mexico, I don't have a 6 figure bank account... (I'm lucky if I've got a 3 figure account).
Being yelled at by you on the phone or e-mail is not going to get your garment sewn any faster... no, I can't make the fabric supplier ship that stuff any sooner, nor can I make the button guy cast any faster (he's got a backlog too). Nor am I going to make customers who ordered well in advance wait longer because you want your stuff for the end of this week.

As to the non-payment thing... it's quite upsetting. Those of us who craft your beautiful clothes work very hard. A dress takes an average of 10 hours to sew... by machine. Never mind the hand work, design work, fabric prep, fabric cost (...5-10 yds!).

A man's suit takes 2 or 3 days. A pair of breeches is 5 hours start to finish. That's 5 hours of my life plus materials ($20 in buttons alone) that you just stole from me. And no, I don't have a spiffy insurance policy that will pay me for "that kind of thing." It's just me here, with a sewing machine, scissors, needle & thread.

That literally takes food out of my mouth, literally doesn't put gas in my tank & there's half a day of pay that you took from me. For what? a pair of pants that I'm only charging you $65 for? WTH man, this isn't Walmart! I don't keep a slave in the basement!

I do this because I love it. I sew for you because I enjoy your company, I love the sport & have a true passion for history. I'm not asking for an arm & a leg ( I just want them measured correctly). I'm asking for a fair price (a reduced one at that), so you can play toy soldier on your weekend off. I'm asking you to pay me for my material, my time & probably a little bit of my blood too.

I get blisters, muscle cramps, sometimes I can't move my hands on the weekends, sometimes my whole arm goes numb from working on the sewing machine, or doing repetitive motions wile hand sewing. I stay up for hours researching garments & fabrics & weaves & history of economics so that I know what I'm talking about. Do I always remember? Nope. Can I always get tow cloth (not in North America I can't... and btw, if you've made it this far in the rant & know where I can get tow cloth, please tell me!).

There are few things worse than having someone walk out of your store with something you worked so hard to create & later finding out that they gave you a stolen credit card number, or wrote a bad check. Even worse is "I'll pay you the rest later" and they never do... what a betrayal of friendship & camaraderie.
Nothing leaves my store now unless it's paid for. I'm sorry to the rest of you for that, but promissory notes & credit cards will reserve the item, but they will not buy it until I know that money is in my account.

And it's the same people over & over!

Which leads me back to the desire to have a black-list.

I hear the same things from my seamstress & tailor friends... same people again & again. C / S / M didn't pay me... M is a total PITA... P yelled at me & sent the garment back.

Normally I don't let this stuff get to me. It's just that this incredibly talented & wonderful seamstress (who's work & blog I haunt) may be quitting because of this horrid customer, who I've had bad experiences with. Everyone I know who sews has & she's actually made 2 seamstresses throw in the towel. She's not a bad person, she's just a terrible customer! Which somehow makes it worse. I don't want her to sink a 3rd ship.

Please check out Lauren's blog,
http://americanduchess.blogspot.com/
it rocks.

Not just a dummy!

2010-08-19T05:55:00.000-07:00

Eventually real people wear the clothes I've made. Here are some pictures. I'll add more as soon as I transfer the images from the other computer. Usually I'd save as a draft, but that option seems to be gone... so bare with me.

Joe & Jessica

1780 English Gown with matching petticoat

1800 - 1815 outfits

Brian as "Free Frank"
1829 gentleman's outfit.

Jori in her 1880 "Pirate" polonaise. This was a gift that she gave back to me after she outgrew it... I'm still looking for a little girl to gift it again.

She still tells me about the pirate festival she wore it to.

Tanya in an off-the-rack 1780 English Gown that fit her like it was made for her.

Sara in an 1860's outfit. The hat took longer than anything else.

Bobbie in an off-the-rack gown that my mother modeled in in a previous post
She is also wearing paniers that were made for this dress... I'm working on a version that sit up higher.

Diane in the green gown with thistle stomacher. I'll post it there too. I have to figure out how to make 18th century rumps so the English gowns get filled out correctly.

1780 Sleeve Puffs

2010-07-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

There are many types of trim on gowns & suits of the 18th century. The white sleeve puff of 1780 has always interested me. Though I looked for a pattern, I never found one. The "ah-ha" moment came with the last English Gown that I made. I needed a way to cover up as much fabric as possible (my customer loved it, I hated it... in the end it was quite pretty), without using flounces / engageantes as she's not a fan of them.

Sleeve Puffs are most often seen on English Gowns, Polonaise dresses & jackets... anything with a fitted back. They are rarely paired with flounces, though I've seen a few museum examples set up this way; I'm not sure if this is modern interpretation or historic fact. Puffs do not appear to be as common as flounces or plain cuffs.

My best guess as to who wore them: upper house servants, the lady of the house & upper class ladies who preferred the polonaise styles.
By the time the garments filtered down to the lower and working classes, most of the lace & other decorative elements would have likely been removed, reused and/or sold... this trim is difficult to keep clean & would have to be removed for laundering, making it unlikely that a working woman would bother to fuss with it... though it doesn't require pinning up like flounced do.

Sleeve Puffs, (if anyone knows the proper name, please tell me!), are made from lightweight fabric; muslin, lawn or even fine lace netting... usually white, that is cut to shape & gathered up into puffs on a sleeve. Very similar to decorative cuffs or an outer sleeve. Gathered lace can also be stitched in the center & left loose on top & bottom. This was usually done in layers and often accompanied the puffs.

Ruching, silk or paper flowers, lace, ribbons, bows & all manner of other stuff could be piled on top.

This is the formula I used:

1. Measure the "cuff" of the sleeve: 12"

2. Measure the uppermost portion where you want the puff to be (bicep). 14"

3. Measure the distance between these 2 marks up the arm. 3"

4. Decide how full you want the puffs to be & multiply by 2 or 3.

I prefer loose gathers, so I'll multiply by 2.

Cuff: 24"
Bicep: 28"
Depth: 4" - 8" (this leaves room to make the puffs... I figured 1:3 ratio)

5. Draw the pattern to proper measurements & cut on the straight or bias (whichever looks better)
(please note, the above drawing is upside down from how you attach the puff - refer to the purple marks)

6. Sew puff ends together.

7. Finish the edges... I just turned them over rather than rolling them. This reduced bulk & the raw edges are encased at the end.

8. Run gathering stitches along the top & bottom edges.

9. Divide equally up & down into as many gathers as you want & run gathering stitches along those lines. The more lines, the more depth you will need (3).

10. Pin in place & gather onto the cuff. Stitch in place.

11. Pin & stitch each row, moving up the sleeve. Make sure to squish the fabric down so the puffs are evenly distributed. (you may want to pin at the top marker; -bicep- so you know where the next stitching line should fall).

12. Finish the last row so the puff lays horizontally around the sleeve.

13. Add any lace or trim.

14. Repeat with the other sleeve.

Oakhill Clothiers Website

2010-06-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Oakhill Clothiers Customers,

We have a new website! It's at the same address, so no need to change bookmarks if you were so inclined. Go check it out & let me know what you like about it & anything that isn't working (there are a few pictures that aren't uploading & must be replaced).

As of right now, we are booking NEW orders in December. Please do not ask for an earlier date as we cannot accommodate you; it's not fair to our other customers.
We will not be booking orders over the Winter Holidays (Dec. 23-Jan 4). All machines will be shut off & all pins left in their cushions through this week.

Gail Kellogg Hope
Oakhill Clothiers.

Green Gown with Thistle Somacher, 1750-80

2010-05-15T02:34:00.000-07:00

The green gown with thistle stomacher is finished!

This is my 2nd to last "it's taken forever" project from last year, and it feels sooo good to be done...

And she likes it!

I won't go into how to make yet another English Gown.

The gown is made from a light to medium weight linen that was a lovely acid green which I over-dyed to this fantastic grass-green. In sunlight, some of the yellow undertones still show up, playing very nicely with the brighter green in the stomacher.

It's lined with a lightweight but stiff black linen to give it shape & a little more substance. The bodice is lightly boned, laces in front with space for the stomacher to fill in the gap.
The skirts have a slight pick-up in the back via loops & ties, but can be worn long.

The cut & style are what I would call a remade gown or a later gown with earlier hold-overs, which was done all the time; rather like a middle aged or older woman saying "just look at what those kids are wearing today!" and a young woman looking at Grandma's gown and thinking "yeah, if I change THAT and this, it'll be perfect!"

The bodice is totally separate from the skirt, as in the 1760-80 cuts, the false pleats & sleeves are 1750-60 with their generous ease (she'll be able to move her arms), and the braid trim on back is very 1760-80.

The entire dress is hand finished with green or black cotton thread.

As in everything I do, if I had it to do again I would change some things.
The back would be cut in one with the skirt (which I may start doing with most of my English Gowns as it gets rid of the odd shape that the detached skirt makes at the point... and that I have to fuss with to get it to lay right...)
The braid would have tassels on the ends, and the sleeves would be a little more decorative... perhaps a cuff, flounce or more braid.
I would pair it with a black linen petticoat.

"Simple" was the customer request, and I think I achieved simple and elegant all in one.

The next few weeks promise to be very, very busy and involve lots of multitasking, paperwork and perhaps some electric saws & wood glue. Then I'm off to my first event!

End note: packing for my first event. The wooden clothes rack is finished & will go on the first test run this week. I'm hoping it will work much better than the hangers. We shall see...

Production line update

2010-05-12T03:19:00.000-07:00

Since sleep is elusive, I'll update the "what I've made" section here. This is a fraction of what has passed through my shop in the past 2 months, but it's been fun!

There have been several English Gowns and several more still in-progress.

I keep saying that I need a small dress doll, but I REALLY need a small dress doll. I've had a slew of orders from the size 1 to size 6 range recently, and my smallest dummy only goes down to size 8.

And isn't my mother lovely? This gown will have a matching petticoat shortly, and I will probably make a shift with ruffles to go with it as well.

This was a test dress for another gown that is much more labor-intensive. And in the works right now. It has paniers, a stomacher, and those false pleats that hang loose & pin in place so no matter how pregnant you get, it still fits (not that my mother is going to get pregnant, but it's one of the benefits of this kind of dress... built in maternity).

Many, many stays have gone out, come back & gone out again... actually only 2 pairs have come back: 1 because the lady found out she has heart trouble & the other because it was a "this may fit you, but probably not" kind of thing... that one is in the mail right now.

I'm exploring a new stays pattern. Diderot's 1776 lightly boned stays with the cross-pieces in the front. Not sure how well they will hold up, function or support various bodies, but we'll find out! I have to make a test version for myself before I launch into this with both feet.

Only a couple waistcoats in the past few weeks, as I've been stuck in pretty-ruffle land for a while now.

Speaking of Pretty Ruffles, my mother has been making ruffled shirts like crazy. Now she's on to pants, but I think she was going a bit loopy with all that foof.

This tailcoat is another 1808 version, gray wool with white linen lining. I dubbed it "The Manta Ray" as it looked like one of those lovely creatures heaped my cutting table. I kept doing double-takes.

I've also made a lot of "small" garments for ladies. Shifts, petticoats, pocket paniers,
(this is all the same outfit, it's just that with the paniers it doesn't show the lovely ruffles on the sleeves.)
I loved this green when it was all laid out... but it ended up looking very military when it was done... very Korean War. Ah well, the red & white striped & bright yellow ones made up for that & the lady I sold them to loves them.

The pink dress from the previous post, of course.
I'm also working on an acid green cotton pelisse from about 1818 as a test garment for a customer.
I've broken the 1/2 way point of the bottom border on my quilted petticoat. Yaay flu! (No, no, I really didn't mean that. Flu bad. No flu).

I'm not working as fast as I possibly can, but I am working as well as I possibly can. I've slowed down just a little, taken my time to get things done properly & started trusting my instincts a little more than the numbers. It seems to be working out quite well.

Last night I re-worked our calendar & found out that we are realistically booked right through September. (Technically August, but September is reserved for the Eastern). I'm not sure if this makes me very happy or a little flustered.

Oh yes, and our web site is a bit wonky right now. Our web master is working to fix it, but it may be a few days before everything is updated... so just in case you bounce between sites, our new order date is October unless you've made prior arrangements; the For Sale page is almost totally out of date, and I have a whole slew of pictures to post in the catalog, but most of you have already seen them here.

1830 Pink Day Dress

2010-03-31T11:19:00.000-07:00

My wonderful 1830 Pink Day Dress is done or nearly so.

I'm so absurdly happy with this dress! It's completely over-the-top foofie, candy-box Romantic Era sappy perfection. I really feel like this is a case of "bigger is better." I can wear this with or without my early 19th century stays & both ways are comfortable & stay on well, the main difference being where my bustline sits & how upright I'm forced to be.

I can't decide if I feel more like a slightly daft but incredibly beautiful woman, or a little 5 year old girl twirling around in a new Sunday Dress.

This is certainly NOT a hot weather dress. It will be perfect for those damp, rainy camp days when you'd do anything for another layer.
The complete outfit: shift, stays, chemisette, corded petticoat, stockings, shoes & dress; weighs 15 lbs. No wonder all those women were labeled as 'delicate flowers'... not only did they dress like flowers, they were exhausted from carrying around all that fabric! And Heaven forbid One fall in water, One would surely perish!

I am still looking for the "right" pink silk to make the piping for the skirt border & belt. The stand-in is a mauve cotton belt and no border. Once I find the right fabric & buckle, the belt will be stitched on to cover the skirt-top join.

This dress has an amazing freedom of movement. I've rarely come across this in historic dresses. I feel like I could play baseball or kickball in the thing, though I would not want to try mountain climbing in the skirts... hiking; yes, cliff-hanging; no.

I did decide to forgo the sleeve supports. They are impractical in my profession & the idea of turning sideways to walk around my camp-store is not a happy one. So much in the same way as paniers & bustles are out, so are artificial balloon arms.

The Inspiration:
I decided to make this wonderful pink day dress from an 1830 fashion plate.
Before I started this project I wondered if it would be "Pretty in Pink" or "3 Day Old Cotton Candy."
My friend Missy decided it was "Taffy" while helping me pin up the hem, though "Strawberry Ice Cream" was another suggestion.
Whatever the case, it will not fare well near a camp fire or soot.

The Pattern:
I used the 1834 Day Dress out of Cut of Women's Clothes (see the "1830's D ay Dr ess" post) as the base pattern. I changed some things, like lengthening the front & sleeves so I could gather them up, reshaped the sleeve to have more taper & poof. I also shortened the back a little to raise the waistline so it would be more "1830" than "1834."
I used the perline pattern from an 1827-29 dress in Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion and altered it to have those lovely petal points (Missy calls them Fairy Wings)... though I lengthened it way too much.
The chemisette comes from Patterns of Fashion, and is very similar to the 1800-10 version, but the collar is my own design.

Materials:
I found this fantastic pink linen at JoAnn's for $3.50/yd.
The lace was off of a trade blanket, $5.00 for a whole bunch of cards (thank you Burrito Bob!).
The lining is osnaburg scraps in a nice cream color.
The belt is a little too narrow as I chose the smaller buckle (the black thing looked terrible, I'll have to find a different buckle later). It is made from cotton canvas scrap that is dyed a brown/violet. After I find a better buckle, I'll use a darker pink silk.
The Chemisette is 100% white linen with 3 rows of ruffles, not quite a "8888" ruff as I didn't have enough fabric, it's more "~~~."
The cotton cord for piping is a thicker jeweler's cord than I use for the stays.
Everything is sewn with cotton thread, either pink or white.

The dress took 6 1/2 yds of 60" wide linen. The bodice was only 1 yd, the sleeves take 1 yard each (smaller sleeves would work well too), and the skirt was 3 widths of 40" long.
1 yd of the osnaburg (approx) for the lining.

Basic Sewing Process:

1. I cut lots & lots of bias tape out of the scraps & sewed it all together.
To get decent bias tape, you need at least 16" square, though it doesn't have to be square.

2. Made the piping.
To make piping:
Cut & sew bias tape.
Using a zipper foot, lay the cording inside the bias tape, fold in 1/2 over the cord.
Stitch as close to the cording as possible without catching it.
Ta-da!
You now have bias tape with a good seam allowance... trim to 1/2" or 5/8", whatever you prefer.

3. Sewed the bias tape & lace onto the perline pieces.
I finished the bias tape & stitched the lace on at the same time.

4. Overlock all body pieces.

5. Sew gathering stitches on bodice fronts & front 1/2 of 'dart', and on the lower part of sleeves.
Add piping to the elbow side of the sleeves.

6. Stitch up front dart without piping.

7. Sew the back(s) and back linings together (I added some piping to the back, it's really just one piece), and sew the sides & backs together.

8. Sew piping on one front only (the side that's going to be on top).
Sew the front lining on the fronts with the zipper foot so you can make the seam tight to the piping.
Clip the ends of the piping so everything sits right & you have room for the other seams.

9. Stitch the side & back of the lining to the lining fronts & then stitch all the shoulder seams together. Make sure everything is lined up right or you'll have a real convoluted mess.

10. Finish the bodice seams around the waist & neck, turn through the armholes.
Press like crazy.

11. Top-stitch all the edges & seam lines, being careful to line things up correctly... bone on the lining at this point, if you are going to.
For this garment, the bones are on the outside of the lining, not the inside. My best guess is that they were removed for washing. I did not add bones to this dress.

12. Stitch the armholes closed. (Normally I'd say to sew the lining over the raw edge of the sleeve, but in this case that would be too bulky).

13. Gather & sew the perline onto the bodice.
Be sure to mark the top of the shoulder so everything lines up correctly... the shoulder seam is several inches down the back, so try it on & mark it!

14. Sew the main sleeve seam, leaving 3" open at the cuff so you can get your hand in (you can add buttons, laces, etc. to close them).
Finish the cuffs (I used bias tape to finish the edge).

15. Sew gathering stitches by hand along the sleeve cap.
Gather the sleeve into the armscye, pin & stitch.
Check it before stitching again for reinforcement.

16. Sew the skirt panels together, press. Finish the placket(s).
Double-box pleat the skirt into a band. Stitch the band onto the bodice or bodice lining.

There are several ways to do this:
A. I chose to have one 12" placket with a slight overlap on the inside of the bodice. It closes with ties on the waistband (I was going to use hooks & eyes, but decided to go for a more adjustable waistline).
B. You can also stitch 2/3 of the skirt onto the bodice and make a drawstring to tie around the waist like an apron in front. Leave a maximum of 14" open at the sides or it will blow open as you walk (very irritating).
C. Stitch the skirt with waistband onto to the bodice with no overlap. If you do this make the placket about 8" deep.

This is where I was when I first posted.

17. Sew hooks & eyes on the front every inch. Make sure the fronts overlap far enough to stay closed & line up correctly.

18. Stitch ties on the skirt waistband & inner waist of the bodice.

19. Stitch ties to the mark at the shoulder seam & a few inches above the back of the elbow to make the sleeves the correct length. Tie these together & adjust as needed (be careful when you put the sleeves on... this can be tricky).

20. Have friend Missy mark the hemline while wearing the dress... this is very important!
Hem the dress.

This is where I am right now and this may be all I do... but I really want to complete the project as per the fashion plate.

21. Add any trim to the skirt.

22. Stitch the belt onto the side & back seams of the dress. Make sure it covers the bodice/skirt break.

Make hat.
Make corded petticoat.

Dress like a China Doll.

How to Sew Eyelets

2010-03-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

Eyelets & buttonholes have been one of the most common means of holding one's clothes on... for a really, really long time.

Before 1800, hand-sewn eyelets were regularly used in bodies, stays & corsets for women, and occasionally on men's clothes. French Eyes & grommets were not widely used until the mid to late 1800's & hand-sewn eyelets continued to be used long after machine cams were developed to make them "easier."

When you need a hole in a corset or similar garment, (one that is going to take some stress), it has to be a strong hole. Therefore, the threads cannot be cut or split, they must be separated or spread. If an eyelet is purely decorative, use the machine cam; it's faster & very consistent.

There are several methods of sewing eyelets, this one works quite well for me.

Making Holes:

1. Mark your holes with a removable marking tool (fabric pen, chalk, etc.)

2. Carefully poke a hole with an awl. The awl should be large enough to make the desired size eyelet, but not so large that it splits the threads of the fabric.
Some splitting may occur, but try not to create rips.
Re-open the holes with the awl prior to sewing each one to "neaten" the edges as they should tend to close back in.

Sewing Eyelets:

Turn the garment so as not to strain your hand; plan on a lot of re-arranging.

3. Lose your thread between the layers of fabric & secure it with the double-loop knot on the wrong side of the garment.

4. Pass your needle & thread to the right side of the garment & start your button hole stitch by looping the thread around the needle once, in the direction you are going. Do not change direction.

5. Continue around the hole, at a consistent distance (1/16" - 1/8") to create a star-burst pattern in thread. Pull each thread tight, but not so tight that it wrinkles the fabric. The edge of a circle should emerge. Each thread should be about 3 threads apart in the weave of the fabric.

6. Once you finish the circle you can either go around again for a classic 'finished' eyelet, placing the second row of threads between the first...
OR
pass the thread to the back side & complete the eyelet as in step 7.

7. Insert the needle between the layers of fabric next to where you started & make a circle of thread around the eyelet (between all your stitches). This adds a little stability to the eyelet. DO NOT pull it tight.
This is optional, but it works to secure your thread & shape the eyelet.

8. Either lose the thread in the fabric or go on to the next eyelet between the fabric layers.
*Only move from one eyelet to another if you know you have enough thread to finish. Never make an eyelet out of 2 separate threads (it works, but looks terrible).

Finishing the Eyelet:

9. The eyelet will be much smaller than a workable hole, so gently re-open it with an awl. This will help to re-shape the hole & make it look like a beautiful eyelet. (if you pulled too tight, you may have to use a smaller awl).

Unless your fabric is fraying badly NEVER use fray check on an eyelet. It makes it stiff & uncomfortable. If the fabric is fraying, go for it (test first).

I've found that this type of eyelet, sewn with Hand Quilting cotton thread will last for several years without repairs.
Different methods will suit different people & projects, so make sure you know what style you want on a garment before you invest the time & effort.
If you have a lot of these little darlings to do, take regular breaks to save your hands.

How to Sew a Binding on Corsets or Stays

2010-03-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

One of the easiest & most common ways to finish a pair of stays or a corset is to sew a binding on the raw edges. This can also be used for necklines, cuffs, hems or any other raw edge that you want to cover.

Historically, this could be thin leather, fabric that matched the lining or the outer fabric, or a completely different fabric.

Bias Tape:

I prefer to cut my own bias tape as most commercial bias tape is polyester and comes in a range of terrible colors.

To figure out how much bias tape you will need, use a flexible measure tape along the edges of your garment. Add up the yards & then add a few more.

1. Cut matching or complementary fabric for bias tape. You should have several yards more than what you need in case it has to be torn off later (this happens a lot... especially when there is little to spare). I prefer to cut it the width of a wooden yard stick, laying the yard stick down & just drawing my lines that way. The tape ends up being about 1 1/4" wide... but if you want to do it the hard way, measure every 1 3/4" and go from there.

2. Sew the bias 'tape' together by forming L's or right angles between the 45 degree straight grains.
The purple lines are the grain of the fabric. Red is where you sew.
If your fabric is striped, make sure your stripes are all going the same direction.
*Do not back-stitch, it's a waste of time & makes a mess.
*To make sure all your seams are on the same side turn the new seam down on the table & lay the next piece on top of it.

3. Press the seams open & then press your bias tape flat. You may want to iron it into bias tape shape (double or single fold), but I prefer to sew it flat as I have greater flexibility when I finish it later on.

Sewing the Binding On:

4. Sew the tape onto the right side of the garment. For stays & corsets, I line up the edge of my presser foot to the edge of the garment & center the needle.
Take care when going around corners, allow for a little ease & don't let it catch folds in the tape. You may have to advance your needle by hand in sharply curved areas & angles.
This takes some practice.

5. Check over the seams, make sure you caught all the edges & that nothing will pull out when you fold it over.
Unless your machine snagged or choked a lot, don't worry about loose spots, you can catch these later. Note anywhere that will need reinforcements with tailor's chalk or tacks.
- Make sure you have enough of the tape left to turn under & over (see below).
- Clip any bits that hang out beyond the tape line to neaten the edges. Don't count on the bias tape covering these, they tend to get emphasized.... I mean the ends of seams & such... make sure you aren't re-cutting the garment... if it's that bad take the tape off & start over.

Folding & Pinning:

6. Clip the end of the binding to about 3/4" from the edge.

7. Turn the seam allowance up to be in line with the other stitching.
8. Fold the end back so it lines up with the edge of the garment.
9. Turn the bias tape down over the raw edge. You may have to clip a little triangle off so it doesn't add bulk (you'll see it after you turn the end down).
10. Fold under the other edge to create a neat, finished end. This takes a bit of practice & adjustment. This fold will give you a starting place for the rest of your binding, though you don't have to stick with it.

11. Pin the end carefully. This may need to be re-adjusted later.
12. Pin the rest of the binding down. You can do this in stages or all at once. I like to work with about 10" at a time or one 'side' of the garment at a time so I'm not pricking myself while I sew.

Hand Finishing the Binding:

13. Secure your thread in the end of the binding by losing the thread under the fold & tying a double-loop knot over the needle.
Tighten with your thumbnail.

14. Use a hem stitch or blind hem stitch to sew the binding on. When going around corners or curves, it's a good idea to further secure your stitching by making a 'buttonhole' knot every few stitches.
*If your machine made loopy threads anywhere, be sure to catch the binding on the front side at this time. I do this by making a diagonal stitch (regular hem stitch) followed by a small vertical stitch that catches all layers... be very careful that this doesn't show badly on the front side. This prevents the binding from pulling loose in the wash, or over several wears.

15. Continue on until you reach the end. Secure your thread exactly as you started it, snagging the folds on the end. I like to bring my thread back from the end with a few stitches before tying it off. Lose the end of the thread in the binding & clip.

The front & back should look almost the same. The front will have a completely 'finished' look, the back will have some small stitches showing. Be careful to consider thread color & the overall look of the garment.
For this pair of stays, I chose to machine sew the binding onto the lining and hand-stitch the binding on the outer fabric because there was a better chance of blending the stitches into the fabric.

Very Busy Month

2010-03-09T05:46:00.000-08:00

I've had a very busy month... very busy winter actually. It's finally thawing into the pre-spring mud of Western New York. The kind of mud that creates a slurry on top of hard ice & spills you in a muddy 'splat!' when you least expect it. The air is warm, but the breeze is cold & it's perfect walking weather as long as we stay on the roads & don't venture onto the dirt (mud) trails in the woods.

Since I last posted there have been a parade of garments from washing machine to cutting table to sewing room to Post Office & Fedex. And many more that are waiting in line in some state of unfinished production.

Yesterday was spent doing inventory, accounting and taxes. Thankfully my dear mother is doing the taxes part because boy do I hate doing them... I think my brain shorts out when confronted with those instructions. Unfortunately I still have to input our 2009 & 2010 receipts & figure out what materials I used for what garments as I have not kept track of these things the way I should have after September. Goes to show what happens when you let the business end of a business go... play along or play catch-up later. Everything is on the order forms, but not in the computer... Yay - data entry.

This year we are taking a good look at where we want the business to go.
I'm trying to decide if I want to concentrate on stock; building outfits & garments that I know are as historically accurate as I can make them...
OR concentrate on custom outfits that may or may not be historically accurate in terms of fabric & cut, but may have a better chance of feeding me through the winter.
I can almost see the bottom of the order pile & the decision will have to be made soon.
I have decided to get rid of the 1400's line. We've never sold anything from it, and it's taking up needed space in the storage room.

The quilted petticoat has been a nice evening project, and the 1/2 way point of the bottom border is almost in sight. Moon has been thrilled that 'her' petticoat has been on the quilting table so often, though she is upset that I take it down after each session. I have no idea how she will feel about it once it's a petticoat rather than a blanket, and am not looking forward to her reaction when I try to wear it. Perhaps I should hide it in a trunk & not tell her about the transformation when & if it happens.

I made a gift for a friend of 1760 accessory patterns from Diderot's plates and pre-drew a floral design on a... (forgot the French)... court cape, which was often worn by townswomen in France, England & America (it's that large-ish shoulder cape with ruffles on it that was black, white or some neutral color). I sent a pincushion on a ribbon, needles, embroidery floss, and something that I've forgotten... scissors maybe?
The design I drew was sunflowers & daisies, though it could be seen as artichokes easily enough. Something interesting that I found out is that Colonists rarely used sunflowers in their designs because many of the South & Central American nations considered them sacred & the Europeans didn't want to associate themselves with a symbol of sun worshiping.
However, daisies, violets, pansies, paintbrushes (the flower, not the artist tool), mums, carnations & roses were all very common motifs. And now I find myself obsessed with the idea of making a whitework modesty cloth for myself... which will have to wait till after the quilted petticoat is finished.

The list of completed garments for February to now includes: a bunch of stocks, jabots & cravats, 2 F&I sleeveless waistcoats (1740-50), one heavy wool greatcoat, 2 pairs of stays, 1 1780 English gown, 1 petticoat & 1 pair of pockets, several pairs of breeches, & 2 1815 dresses one of which is actually stock (gasps for breath)... 4 pincushions on ribbons, a crash course of clothing history at the Rochester Museum & Science center and a whole lot of cleaning house & cutting garments which are not sewn together yet.

My most immediate next projects are: 2 1780 English gowns, 2 pairs of stays (bindings to go), 1 English gown from 1750 as a test garment for a more elaborate gown, 2 tailcoats (one is 1790 the other 1812) & a test pelisse of 1810.

Mom & I could use some input on what to put in the store. I'd like to concentrate on 1750 - 1830, but that seems like an awful lot to cram in my little tent. I'm considering moving into separate living quarters, and that's probably not a bad idea. I will miss the late 1600's & early 1700's but it seems like the events in my part of the country do not focus on this time period. It's rather a shame, because that's our settlement time & an exciting part of our history... OK, a little East of here. HERE it's 1780's -1800's.

If anyone is interested:

The first picture is of Joe & Jessica, who found me on this blog! Joe purchased the 1808 tailcoat, waistcoat & cravat from us & Mom made the breeches for him. I made one test dress to make sure the pattern worked like I wanted it to and then Jessica's 1815 empire dress (more a round gown than an empire) out of cream silk with red pinstripes. There is a cotton 'underdress' that preserves modesty. Thank you both for the lovely photos!

That mess on my sewing table is a pile of stays, all early - mid 18th century in various stages of completion. The second stays photo is not from this batch, but I didn't take a picture of the order that was very much like it.

Skipping ahead...

The greatcoat is made from a heavy-ish navy blue wool lined with black linen, and many brass buttons. I mainly used Diderot's pattern plates & the 1780 Greatcoat out of Fitting & Proper to double check. The capes got cut square after this photo was taken & it's a few inches shorter at the hem.
It's very handsome but the sleeves are very long. It's irritating to both me & my customer, but checking & double checking has assured me that they are supposed to be that way. The cuffs come to the fingertips when it's folded back... seems they should be shorter, but all the old pictures say not. I will gladly shorten them if he wants me to.
I guess that if a gentleman were riding horses, hanging onto carriages and doing all sorts of physical things he would want his hands to be covered & protected from frostbite. When you lift up your arms the cuffs still cover your hands... just looks very funny when you stand straight up with your arms at your sides.

The 1780 English gown is my best guess at Miss Blossom from the Polite Macaroni. The dress is currently being tried on in TN by a very nice lady before I cut her pricey fabric. The next step for this dress is to make the cap & quilted petticoat, which will be machine sewn.

The waistcoat is a stand-in for the 2 I did not/have not taken photos of. And the jabot is one of many that I made in February. I have changed the neckline of this particular waistcoat. It was very wide and doesn't sit right. It's accurate, but no one likes it... and I can't find as many necklines like this in images as I find of the tighter one. So changed it is. The first one was green wool with canvas back & lining, the second is brown wool with a subtle stripe and a black linen back, brown cotton lining and a pair of breeches to match.

Well, let us hope that this month is as productive as last month & that I can make a good decision regarding the course of my business.

Regretfully Editing Comments

2010-02-15T05:33:00.000-08:00

I most sincerely apologize that I have to preview comments to this blog now.

I had some horrid person put links to highly inappropriate sites in my comment sections and I sincerely apologize to anyone who clicked on them.

To the person or persons who did that: shame on you.

Regency & Romantic Era Gentlemen

2010-01-25T17:06:00.000-08:00

I finally finished the Fraizer International History Museum order... the 1829 Gentleman's outfit. Done & shipped, but not before checking the size on my handsome husband & snapping some pictures. He is, ironically, exactly the same size as the actor the clothes were made for... if a bit shorter (the pants are a little long & so is the coat & waistcoat... as they should be). The outfit is a combination of several fashion plates and historic references from 1825 to 1830.

Seeing my husband transform before my eyes from a slightly disheveled 'day off' modern American to a dapper gentleman of the Romantic Era took my breath away. I had one of those girly moments where I wanted to clap my hands, bounce up & down and giggle. That doesn't happen very often, but BOY do the clothes make the man!

We decided his hair was perfect as it was, and we didn't need the top hat at all.

He is wearing:
Linen shirt with pleated front (more tucks than pleats), hand-sewn covered buttons.
Hand finished black silk stock lined with linen that buckles in back (John says this was comfortable after about 5 minutes).
Red/violet 'wine' colored silk waistcoat with a brown linen back, lined with white linen.
Cream cotton narrow fall-front pants. (shared center button, plan ahead for restroom runs).
Wool tailcoat with brown cotton velvet collar. This is the cut-edge nightmare that I've been complaining about on Facebook for the past couple weeks. Hand sewn buttonholes, hand-bound edges, hand sewn self-fabric covered wood blank buttons. Lined with brown linen in back & white linen at the sleeves (so it doesn't shed wool bits all over the shirt).
Not shown is the black silk cravat that I sent along to complete the look. I couldn't stand that they ordered this lovely outfit & were missing that crucial element... so to complete my work of art I tossed it in!
No shoes...

The tailcoat is 1/2 lined as per the original garment, which is quite annoying as it increases the amount of hand sewing, only saving about 1 yd of fabric. However, it makes creating the small fold at the back of the coat much easier than in a fully lined garment... and when it's finished, it looks just fine. The hand-sewn binding on the cut edges should not have been necessary, but the wool started to fray almost immediately, so I blanket-stitched the edges with black thread. Not a happy thing time-wise, but it made the fabric much more durable. The tails were left raw as they don't take a lot of wear & tare.

The funny thing about photographing my husband is that he always looks angry (check out the glare in the picture below). In real life he's quite pleasant. My father said he looked like a disreputable card sharp on a riverboat, and I though he just needed a belly gun... maybe a pocket watch on a chain, and one of my silk or brocade wallets.

The magic of Romantic Era clothes, is that they look fantastic on real human beings. The fashion plates & paintings are a bit ridiculous, but the reality is truly superb.

I told John that now I have to make an 1830 outfit for him. He agreed. Truly worth a few minutes of breathless sighs & girlish titters from a giddy wife... perhaps I need to make the pink creation on the left.

As good as men look in Romantic Era clothing, I will always be a fan of Regency & Federal styles. Perhaps the Romantic era refined the Regency modes, but the simplicity of cut, the clean beautiful lines that set off a man's form, the stubborn determination to hold on to ruffles... I do love clean white ruffles on a gentleman. It was near perfection in menswear.

Perhaps not the best picture of these clothes as the dummy is too big for the waistcoat... but you get the idea. All of the lines work together to form this perfect whole that says 'gentleman'. (And yes, the pants are pinned on the dummy, not actually ON the dummy).

As a side note, I sold this outfit today. Funny thing: these were the only pair of drop-front pants in stock (I've carried these things for a few years now... small sizes rarely sell), one of 2 tailcoats & 1 of 2 waistcoats in this size. The other choices were not quite as nifty as this combination. Let's hope it fits!

A quote on women's dress from the 18th century

2010-01-22T18:32:00.000-08:00

The quotes below are from Two Centuries of Costume in America by Alice Morse Earle, a woman of great wit & insight... and strong opinions regarding the fashions of her ancestors. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on a copy, it's a very enjoyable read & has some great secondary sources. Personally, I disagree with some of her assessments on the beauty of various fashions, but can't fault her information. I'm happy to say that we both love the English Gown or Mantua. Her observations are colored by her time, as are our own.... but I have a feeling that Mrs. Earle's observations will last far longer than our own.

1740's Woman with a Dog, Ceruti, Italy.

Mrs. Earle on 18th century dress in America...
"We must not fall into the notion that every American or every English woman wore a brocade or satin gown or petticoats. There were working women who had clothes simple of shape and stuff. You can see similar ones in Hogarth if you will, or in other works of his day.
This dress, consisting of a warm, wool gown with double-puffed sleeve, with linen kerchief and collar of white or woollen apron, and loose hood tied under the chin, was seen in scores of prints; such as for instance, Tempest's Cries of London, 1702. If the scene be without-doors, a hat surmounts the hood. A young woman would have her bodice laced or strapped, and have ribbons on her shoes, and pockets on her aprons, and would wear mittens. Sometimes the overskirt was turned up to form what is known as a washer-woman's skirt or apron, and was used by ballad-mongers, and the sellers of the gazettes and news-letters -- all tiny sheets-- as a deep pocket to hold their wears. A street vendor cold also and did carry a basket on her arm, in which she displayed her 'Dutch biskets, " laces, minikin pins, cotton reels or ribbons. The skirt did not touch the ground, and the shoes had low heels, the neck was protected by the hood, and the eyes shaded by the hat brim; and I think it altogether a neat, trim, comfortable, warm sensible dress; one which could be adopted for working-women with advantage today...."

1760, Sewing Workshop at Arles, Raspal, France.
"I have quoted in the previous chapter a description written by an old gentleman for the Old Colony Memorial at the meeting at Plymouth in 1820 to celebrate the two hundreth year of the settlement of Plymouth. He thus described the dress of plain country women, in the years from 1750 to the Revolution:---
"As for the women, old and young, they wore flannel gowns in winter. The young women wore wrappers in the summer, and about their ordinary business they did not wear stockings and shoes. They were usually contented with one calico gown, and another of camel's hair goods; and some had them made of poplin. The sleeves were short and did not come below the elbow.
On holidays they wore one, two or three ruffles on each arm. They wore long gloves coming up to the elbow, fastened by what were called glove-tightens, made of black horeshair. They wore aprons made of checked linen or cotton, and, for holiday use, of white cotton, lawn or cambric.
They seldom wore caps when about their ordinary affairs; but they had two kinds. One kind they wore when they meant to be much dressed up. One was called a strap-cap; it came under the chin; the other was called round-cord cap, and did not come over the ears.
They wore thick leather, thin leather, and broadcloth shoes, all with heels an inch and a half high. These had peaked toes, turned up in a point at the toes. They generally had small, very small muffs; and some wore masks."

Quilted Petticoat: 4th repeat finished

2010-01-21T16:15:00.000-08:00

I've finished the 4th repeat on the quilted petticoat. This is truly my 'not feeling well' project.

At this point I'm averaging 9-12 stitches per inch depending on the shape of the inch. Curves get more stitches, straight lines slightly fewer. If I notice they are getting too long, I stop & come back later.

I'm averaging 1 motif block per night of this horrid head cold, (1 flower & 2 leaf cap things OR 1 arch of the garland).

Not sure if I'm going to make another design above the initial flower/garland motif, guess that will depend on how many years this takes me. As it's a sicky thing, hopefully it'll take a while & I'll just decide to make a bunch of straight lines... which will be very boring. Having worked on this border for quite a while I see why those petticoats were so intricate. You could die of boredom working on a 'stamped' design... having something new & interesting to look forward to is always a good thing. Don't get me wrong, this is a great mindless work project. Not thinking right now is perfect.

Braintan Breeches

2010-01-11T19:20:00.000-08:00

When I was at the Eastern (Muddy Run State Park, PA, 2009), which is my 'big' event of the year, I met a gentleman who wanted a pair of 1750's fly-front (or French Fly) braintan breeches, hand sewn. I told him that I had no idea how long it would take but I'd give it my best. We agreed on a price/hr. & he supplied the hides.
I made a test pair of cloth breeches for him, which he was pleased with and we were off!
Of course, I'm making this sound easy... and it was... here & there.

The story below is not intended as actual sewing instructions. Go buy a pattern & follow those... but if you already know how to make breeches this is a wonderful outline of how leather can be very different from cloth.

*If you ever decide to do a project like this, be sure you have enough hides of the same weight & color. It's difficult to work on different thicknesses & if you aren't careful, your French Marine will end up looking like the Pied Piper. Fortunately these were close enough and should age well.
*Breeches & pants take 5 hides. By Divine Grace & Sheer Luck I managed to squeeze them out of 4, but there's not much left & I was lucky not to have to piece my pieces.

These hides were made by Kfir Mendel and his web site is twowolves.org.

I started off by laying out the best use of the hides, the layout here is not exactly what I finally settled on. Whenever you are cutting on leather, be sure to cut 'with the grain', meaning that all pieces are 'in line with the spine.' (Not like the leg bands are shown here). If you are literally cutting it close, there are a few pieces that can be tipped just a little, but NEVER tip a major piece like front, back or bands. Even tipping the fly can cause wonkiness... but in an emergency a fly facing or gusset can be tipped.

When cutting leather, it's ideal to have all your major pieces cut the same top-to bottom: meaning the top is the neck & the bottom is the tail. Sometimes this isn't possible, but no matter what, always keep 'in line with the spine'.
*If you are concerned about knowing the grain after it's cut, lightly mark with removable chalk on the wrong side, (check it before you chalk it) to make sure it will actually come off.
*Also, avoid holes, mends, etc. in stress areas. (You should patch all holes before you cut... check out the leg band below for a mend).

I used masking tape to lightly tack the pattern pieces down and chalk-mark around each of them. I also X'ed the side of the pattern piece I'd already laid out so there was a left & a right.

When cutting, be careful to make smooth lines as there may be raw edges involved somewhere in the garment.

You can piece the pockets or pocket linings if it's below where the flap shows the material.

Sewing

You will need the following tools & materials:
scissors, chalk or soft lead pencil, ruler and measure tape, leather awl, cork board, paper clamps, glover's needle, blunt leather needle (or 2 harness needles), linen thread, bees wax, forceps or pliers, a thimble, pen/pencil for writing, paper to write on, timer if you want to know exactly how long 10 days can be...
Oh yes, and several cats to tell you how good this project smells -"Gail, why won't you let us have some? pretty please, I'm really cute."
I marked all my seams with either pencil or chalk and then pre-punched the holes with an awl and cork board. This prevents distortion and seam slippage, and makes easing longer pieces into shorter pieces much easier (like at the back of the leg band).
I used a double running stitch for all seams. Glover's needle first then switch to the blunt needle when you go the other way... don't cut your thread! Of you could use the 2 harness needles like my mother does. I've never mastered this.

I sewed all my pieces-parts together. The waistbands & gusset (though I changed this to a single layer with a turned edge later on). Normally I would sew the leg bands now, but as they have buckles, I had to wait & do it differently.

*make sure you have a right & left waistband.
*clip & turn, you may have to top stitch, but don't jump the gun on when you top stitch... it's usually last.

Sew the pockets on the front, clip & turn just like regular breeches... but top stitch so the opening lays flat.
Sew the pocket linings on, matching the bottoms & clip the top after to give yourself the 1/2" seam allowance.
The bad part about this is that your stitches have to be really nice, and they aren't as pretty as they will be by the time you are done...

Sew the fly together, sew the buttonholes in, and sew the fly facing on.
There's a lot of turning & top stitching here... you know the drill.

Remember on men's clothes, the buttons are worn on the right and the buttonholes are worn on the left. You really shouldn't forget that. Check if you have to... in fact, double check. Do it again just to make sure.

Leather rhymes are fun, so here's another one...
"A hole in Leather is there Forever!"
Unless you have some water & a suede brush to minimize the damage from not triple-checking.
*NEVER charge your customers for your mistakes. Ever. I lost several hours to this fix, but it's worth it to have a pair of men's breeches rather than lady's riding pants.
(BTW, the buttons are just set here, they aren't sewn on in this picture).

Sew the front crotch together.
Sew the seat together.
Sew the outseams together.

Sew the leg plackets & buttonholes. Make sure the front placket overlaps the back, and the back has a tab so you have somewhere to sew your buttons!
You will probably have to top-stitch to keep the leather flat & prevent distortion next to the button holes.

This area can be very different from pattern to pattern.

Now sew the inseam & reinforce the crotch-seat seam and the inseams with another row of stitching. This take stress off the first seam & makes it less likely to rip out later.
Make sure your stitching line on the inseam crosses over the seat in a single thread to reinforce that crossroad.
You may want to stitch over it a few times to make sure you don't get that really annoying 'hole' right there. It's not like the pants are going to fall apart if you don't, but it always looks like something is going to go dreadfully wrong.
*Be very careful later to tip the seams in the correct direction, and not have them twist between the seat & the leg bands. I like my seams to face backward, but it's really a matter of preference.

Turn the back seat seams over where the gusset is going to be & top stitch them down. (not pictured)
Put the waistbands on & top stitch where necessary.

Sew the remaining button holes on the waistband(s).

(see my post on how to make a hand sewn button hole).

Sew in the gusset in back. I decided on a single layer because there is so much thickness there, the more material, the harder it gets to sew & I'm not sure that would be comfortable to wear. This seemed like a far better idea.

Use a strong but flexible thong or linen cord to tie the gusset closed. I did eventually use braintan itself as a thong, but it may be too soft to withstand the pulling on a waistband.

For the leg bands, I made some mock-ups in fabric until I found one I liked.
I cut the leg bands on the fold & squared off to start. I shaped the ends for the buckle(s) later.
Sew the leg bands on, turn & topstitch.
Clip just outside your stitching line & turn the leather right-side out... This is going from a finished seam to raw edges... not the best description without a picture. Sorry.
Mark your stitching lines with a pencil & cut the ends near the buckle to shape.

(The buckle attaches on the back, the tab goes on the front).
Sew the buckle on.
Mark & sew the shape of the tab & cut after stitching.
Punch holes like for a belt.
Depending on the type of buckle, you may or may not have to add a 'belt loop'. In the future, I will make an actual loop rather than the stitched on job here. It's not bad, but I'd prefer it another way.

Last but not least, sew the buttons on. Make sure each button fits through it's corresponding button hole & lay them out accordingly. Trust me, this is important.
Sew the buttons on, hiding the ends of the thread between layers whenever possible, but make all knots on the top side so they don't rub on the person. Also very important, make a shank by winding the thread around itself before moving on to the next button. Leather is thick & will take up that room.

I used black silk/bamboo crochet thread that I waxed. Much better color than the linen... which I had just enough of to finish off the leg bands. I mean, not 3" to spare. I was picking the ends out of the scrap pile to finish the last few inches...

I was only able to work on these 3-5 hours a day. Band-aids were my finger's best friends, and I went through a lot of them. If you notice yourself getting tired or crampy (or crabby), stop.

This project was a solid 40 hours of work, and that does not include the "oh Brother" moments where I had to re-do something.
If you are going for 'looks' rather than 100% accuracy, sew the main seams with a machine & walking foot, then hand-stitch the outside. It will probably cut your time in half.

The truly amazing thing is how the volume of leather changes. I saved every scrap & by the time I was done it all fit into a box about 2/3 the size of the original pile. Fabric does exactly the opposite!

I can honestly say that I'm happy with the results, even if they aren't perfect. And I'm very happy that I can say "FINISHED!!!"

"These are the pants that never end! Somebody started sewing it, not knowing what it was, and she'll just keep on sewing it forever just because: these are the pants that never end! Yes, they go on and on, my friends..."