Dressing For Winter – A Visual pt 2
More examples to expand on yesterday. This set includes several from Canada. Keep that in mind.
This is a painting I don’t have the title for worth looking at: Painting by Mari ten Kate
A German painting: Painting by Johannes (Hans) Gabriel Jentzsch
Be sure to see this blog as well.
Here is some information on the artist that follows: Blog page: Life in snowy North America
Dressing For Winter – A Visual pt 1
with many people in a deep freeze and many others planning for winter events, here is a post from a little while back.
Announcing the 2015 Winter Fanciful Utility Swaps!
As I’m sitting here curled up with the snow coming down outside, I am already longing for color. With this, the first trio of 2015 Fanciful Utility Swaps will be all about color!
First, we will pick up the “Greene Swap” we didn’t get to last fall, making it the “Greene & Green Swap”. Then, in the following months, we will swap other period color fabrics.
This season’s swaps will include:
- The Greene & Green Swap – For those of us with Susan Greene’s book, Wearable Prints, we will be swapping fabrics similar to those in the pages of her book. (Group1) — For those who don’t yet have her book, we will swap Green Fabrics appropriate to the nineteenth century. (Group2). (Of course, you can do both groups.) There were lots of popular greens of the century, including the infamous poison green.
- The Red Swap – We will swap popular nineteenth century Red Fabrics.
- The Blue Swap – We will swap popular nineteenth century Blue Fabrics.
What is a Swap?
This is a chance for to exchange fabric with a small group of people. Each group will have 8 people exchanging pieces of fabric. All you need is a half yard of fabric and envelopes along with your copy of Fanciful Utility.
To Participate:
1: Sign Up Day!
On sign-up day, groups will be assigned on a first-in basis; the first eight will be the first swap group, second eight in the second group, etc. **Please be certain you will be able to fully participate by mailing your fabrics on the Mail-Out Date.**
- “Greene/Green Swap” – Sign-Up Day: January 20th
- “Red Swap” – Sign-Up Day: February 20th
- “Blue Swap” – Sign-Up Day: March 20th
2: Mail-Out Day:
Place a 9×9″ piece of fabric suited to the mid-19th century in envelopes for each of the 7 other people in your swap group, stamp them (be sure to double check at the post office, but the small 9×9″ pieces should mail in a regular envelope with a normal stamp), and send them off no later than the Mail-Out Day.
- “Greene/Green Swap” – Mailing Day: January 30th
- “Red Swap” – Mailing Day: February 28th
- “Blue Swap” – Mailing Day: March 30th
3: Get Fanciful!
Use your Fanciful Utility templates and techniques to make a project from the book, or copy your own from 19th century sources. We’ll all look forward to seeing your projects! You don’t have to sew right away, but don’t keep us waiting forever to see all the fun things!
(If you need a copy of Fanciful Utility, you can purchase them from the publisher at www.thesewingacademy.com
Fabric Guidelines:
- For the cotton and silk categories, your fabric should be early to mid-nineteenth century appropriate. (If there is a want for an earlier or later group, we can do that.) Prints and motifs should reflect those available in the 1840s, 50s and 60s. Cotton should be 100% cotton. Silk should be 100% silk.
- To keep the swap and sewing possibilities interesting, please avoid solids as best we can.
- Fabrics that do not work well for sewing cases should not be swapped. These include sheers, gauzes, heavy, thick, easy-to-fray, slippery and stretch fabrics.
- For the “crazy swap” category, think crazy quilt in a sewing case. This could include satins, velvets, textured fabrics. Quality synthetic fabrics are invited.
Swapper Guidelines:
- Please be certain you can fully participate in the swap before you sign-up.
- If something arises after you sign-up that will effect the date you are mailing your fabrics, please email your group so everyone is aware.
- If you fail to fully participate in a swap, you will not be able to sign-up for future swaps. (We do understand medical and family emergencies. I need to be able to ensure swappers will receive fabrics when they send fabrics out.)
Q&A
Yes, you can participate in 1, 2 or 3 of the swaps.
Yes, if we end up with multiple groups, you can participate in more than one group to swap more fabric. If you participate in 2 groups, you should swap 2 fabrics.
Yes, you can swap large and small scale prints.
Yes, you can swap now and sew later.
Yes, we would love to see what you’ve made with the swapped fabric.
Yes, you can use your own fabric in your swapped project.
Looking Back & Looking Forward – 2014 & 2015
It is that time of year when we think about what we’ve accomplished as we wrap up the current year and about what we want to accomplish in the coming year.
I’d describe my current state as one of a bowl of thought soup churning around not yet sure of what is what.
In 2014….
- When the year started, I decided I wanted to try to sew a bonnet a week minus two weeks for Christmas, 50 bonnets. Just as Thanksgiving week wrapped up, I passed my goal.
- That same week I made a new blog daily view record and broke a comment milestone.
- I developed my millinery impression’s pieces a bit more with a ribbon holder, bonnets stands, a ledger/journal and an colorful interactive.
- In the fall, I had dual workshop day for the museum’s Domestic Arts Symposium.
- I, um, broke the planned plan, developed a bigger collection and had to buy more archival boxes.
- I ran a few series on the blog this year, one surveying the millinery of 1864, another looking newspaper articles written by rural people for rural readers, and “Their Life, Their Words” looking at the every day life of women.
- We had two sets of Fanciful Utility Swaps, one in the spring and one in the fall that has just sort of kept on going.
In 2015…. I don’t so much have any “New Year’s Resolutions”. I have “things I would like to do”:
- My big millinery goal is to get the planned plan on paper, in fabric, in film and finally in print or in a lecture hall.
- As it was such a nice goal, again I am going to set the 5o goal.
- I want to spend more time in the village and at a couple historic sites.
- I want to hold another millinery sewing day. (I’d like to eventually hold a millinery retreat.)
- I want to do an afternoon excursion Canandaigua Lady for a small bunch of us in historic attire. Something relaxing, low-key and pleasant. The Canandaigua steamboats seem to be used for daily commuting into the city and along the lake, allowing us to wear day attire and enjoy each others’ company without stressing before hand.
- I want to do a few workshops at some point.
- I have been procrastinating reorganizing, okay flat out re-doing the millinery ribbon blog. Part of me wants to move it again to have a better url. Part of me has no idea when I will find the time. I have a stack, large stack, of posts for that blog I have not done.
What everyone is looking for…. The projects:
- I am going to hook a rug. Actually, I am going to make a sewn rug (earlier method) and hopefully a hooked version of the same. I really like the idea of doing one in a Baltimore album quilt square style with jewely greens and reds. I sorta started a pinboard.
- The multiple pieces that go with the above mentioned planned project.
- I will make one of the coats. I have the black wool and the ivory wool/silk just waiting and waiting. *(though, it would be a good idea to use the black wool for a hood workshop. The slightly felted flannel would make a snuggly warm hood.)
- I will make something for me. *(This has been lacking in the recent years compared to further previous; one dress a year verses many wardrobe additions.)
Glitch
Some of my fabulous subscribing readers may be getting anouncements of articles that aren’t there yet.
The mobile version of WordPress tried to make some upcoming post live today as I reviewed them.
I’m sorry about the confusion. Please, think of those as friendly teasers for what is coming.
Winter Millinery of 1864
Bonnets are now worn quite small, though not the marvels of disolnation [sic] we sometimes hear of. They are proportioned in size to the head and features of the wearer. Where the curtain is abandoned, it is replaced by loop of ribbon and falls of lace, so tastefully arranged that the curtain, which generally gives the style to the bonnet, is scarcely missed. We cannot resist describing some charming bonnets from the establishment of that fashionable artiste, Mme. Tilman, of 148 East 9th Street, New York.
A snowflake like bonnet, suitable for visiting or reception, was of white royal velvet, with soft, drooping crown, covered with falls of marabout fringe. Inside were clusters of half-blown roses, bedded in a mass of white tulle.
Another was a puffed tulle, with hanging crown and covered with soft blonde lace, loops of rose-colored velvet, and tufts of forget-me-nots. On the edge of the front was a tulle scarf, which tied under the chin, and took the place of the quilled side caps.
A very graceful bonnet was of violin crepe, with a wreath of autumn leaves and mulberries placed round the crown, and tied at the back with a ribbon and long ends.
Another evening bonnet was very tastefully trimmed with fuchsias round the crown. The face trimming was formed of a fringe of fuchsias, falling over a plait of tulle. The effect of this was charming.
For the street were velvets of rich, soft shades, trimmed with plumes or flowers, some having net crowns of narrow velvet, arranged loosely over white crepe of silk.
The prejudice against the mixture of blue and green no longer exists, and we find this combination in flowers, feathers, ribbons, and, in fact, in all kinds of goods. (Godey’s, December, 1864)
Christmas Swap Fabrics
They’re all here!
The spectrum of fabrics in this swap is fabulous. It seems poinsettas were the popular motif. There is one I suspect my husband will claim.
Fanciful Utility – 2014 Ornaments
A special something for my Fanciful Utility readers….
Use your favorite techniques from Fanciful Utility to make something with a modern twist. You can make ornaments for your tree or festive needle-books with these templates. I offer you a pair of traditional spun ornaments and a fun mitten and stocking pair.
Victorian Christmas
During the past couple weeks, I have been greatly enjoying these videos. London By Gaslight has shared them twice a week or so (I have had a horrible sense of time, so I may be way off.)
There are a great many other goodies packed into this blog. I highly recommend adding it to your feed.
If I Had My Own Blue Box: 
