You know how I occasionally blabber on about setting the scene and placement of prompts, articles of inquiry? This is how Kitty Calash sees it: http://kittycalash.com/2014/11/18/pushing-interpretation-forward/
Quilted Hood Pattern – TBD
As the weather turns cold, very cold for some of us, I have had more and more people asking for my Quilted Hood Pattern. I have mixed news.
Currently, the pattern is out of print.
I do plan to reprint it.
I’ve been trying to get a new printing for a month. My printer merged with another printer who has failed to return my calls or emails. So, I am on a quest for a new local printer.
Sadly, since we are so close to Thanksgiving, I am not sure I will have the pattern early enough for Christmas or Hanukkah gifts (either made from the pattern or the pattern itself.
That Which Makes Me Squeek
Every now and then we come across an image or a passage that makes a so very, very excited. This is one of those images. When doing my initial research on straw bonnets, I found the passages in fiction of incarcerated, institutionalized or recently either women and their straw bonnets rather fascinating. Now, this… an illustration of their pre-incarceration hear wear and an original caption. 
The image will take you to the original page. Be sure to enlarge the image for the details.
Fichu Pattern – Not being reprinted
My Fichu Pattern is officially out of print and sold out (the last copy left the Genesee Country Village earlier this month).
I plan Not to reprint this pattern due to the cost of doing so.
It’s Getting Cold Out There – pt 2
The second hood of the season.
This hood is a black silk with cotton lining and wool batting. It is super soft with this batting. The hand quilting is simple stripes.
The inside:
I did have the idea that I was going to trim this one with a vintage fur. When I got the fur out, I found it was 4″ too short. As you can see from the photo, it is a bit fluffy. Maybe too fluffy. I do have more silk coming. I have to think about the fur.
It’s Getting Cold Out There – pt 1
The first hoods of the season.
This is about a month later than I planned. Here is the first winter bonnet or hood.
It is a diamond quilted black silk taffeta with a pink & green silk lining, cotton batting and black silk/rayon velvet brim.
All the quilting and construction is by hand.
At first, I couldn’t decide whether to add the velvet or not. Here it is pre-velvet:
The inside:
A Year in Millinery Fashion – 1864
Bonnets without curtains have not quite won the day yet. It is true they do not suit every one, and should not be adopted without exception. It is absolutely necessary to have a large quantity of hair, either natural or added by the coiffeur, in order that the bonnet may look well at the back without its ordinary appendage, over a full chignon, a simple fall of lace, or even a sprig of flowers or bow of ribbon, looks well; but the case is totally different when there is little or no hair at the back, and an empty space is left between the edge of the bonnet and the next. It is, therefore, to be understood that ladies no longer young and addicted to caps, or those who have not adopted the modern and elaborate style of dressing the hair, should net think of wearing a bonnet of the curtainless description, yet the curtain should be very small. The top of the bonnet now bends down slightly toward the forehead. The sides are fluted and very full-trimmed inside.
Veils of colored gauze are very popular. They are quite small, round, and trimmed with a quilling of gauze. For white and black lace veils, fringes of chenille, jet, or straw are worn. (Peterson’s, November 1864)
For Your Holiday Browsing…. and Gifting….
I just dressed my Etsy shop for the holidays. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Yuletide, Kwanzaa or everything, I hope you take a moment to peak in to see all the new goodies. You may just find the perfect pretty for you or a loved one.
“I Couldn’t Live Without It!” FanU Swap – Sign-up Day
Today is the day to sign-up for the FanU “I Couldn’t Live Without It!” Swap!
For the “I Couldn’t Live Without It!” Swap, Swappers will exchange early to mid nineteenth century appropriate cotton fabrics that just had to come home with them. Pick a fabric that speaks to you. We will mail our fabrics on November 10th.
Please read all the details below.
To Sign-up, simply comment below with your email and mailing address. (I’ll erase those before approving your comment, so the whole world doesn’t have that info.)
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.**
“Fallen Leaves” Swap Sign-Up Day: September 1st
“All Lined Up in a Row” Swap Sign-Up Day: October 1st
“I Couldn’t Live Without It!” Sign-Up Day: November 1st
Bonus The Greene Swap Sign-Up Day: November 15th
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.
“Fallen Leaves” Swap Sign-Up Day: September 10th
“All Lined Up in a Row” Swap Sign-Up Day: October 10th
“I Couldn’t Live Without It!” Sign-Up Day: November 10th
Bonus The Greene Swap Sign-Up Day: December 1st
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.
FanU Swap: “All Lined Up in a Row”
Whoo-hoo, the gangs all here!
With this rough week, it was nice to come home to the final piece to this month’s swap.
It was bound to happen. Actually, I’m surprised it took this long. We not only had the same print in a different colorway (brown and blue) we also had two of the exact same fabrics.
I think this just goes to show great minds think alike!
Here are this month’s “All Lined Up In a Row” fabrics:
Next month’s swap is the “I Just Had to Have It” swap. I can’t wait to see what swappers share!
If I Had My Own Blue Box: 