Find me in the Wehle Gallery demonstrating sewing straw millinery.
(The question of the moment…. Can I link a FB video directly into WP? ….. Yes, I can!)
Flipping through a stack of CDVs for sale, I am usually looking for straw bonnets, straw hats, shawls, hairnets; I am not usually interested in filler cards, even though some are pretty cute. This one caught my attention and peeked my curiosity though. I wasn’t sure what was going on in the somewhat faded image. Sure, the boy seemed to be short on coin, that may have slipped through the hole in his pocket, as suggested by the title/caption. But, what is it he was wanting to buy? Cotton candy came to mind, because that certainly is what that machine looks like. But, the timing just wasn’t working in my head. Okay, I am still struggling with what I think the timing of the image looks like and the timing I am learning about cotton candy.
I have learned a few things looking for an explanation of this card:
My doubts… It may be that it is cold out still, but I think it is cold there, they are dressed for the cold, and cold is not conducive to the wanting of cotton candy. Okay, I am not really a fan of cotton candy in any weather. The machine simply does not look like the machines the early advertisements. I don’t know if this card is showing something other than a cotton candy machine, or if the earliest versions were different than what is being advertised. This is an early mention of Fairy Floss at the fair. The illustration is minimal, not showing enough. This image seems to combine a treadle machine base with the table-top candy machine. I just can’t imagine getting up the speed needed by foot. I want an index of filler cards. I am sure there is one out there, but I am just not finding it. (My tablet just wants me to go to pinterest or buy things. Um, not the goal here.)
Closer view
The back – I find this amusing: “for Willy from Willy”
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ADDITIONS:
Per comment below, here are some 1905 images of chestnut roasting by street vendors.
Saturday I found myself headed east along what had been the turnpike throughout the 1800s, in search of the illusive gutted writing slope*. While I did not find the needed special box, I did find a few other goodies, several of which were from 50% off and 75% off booths.
Of course, this CDV jumped out of the “sale” pile into the “mine” with that hairnet!
This hairnet is so easy to see, it is a beautiful teaching tool. There are several things to notice: ~ The net is fine, very fine. It is likely made of silk. The beads appear to sit at the cross points of the net. Some appear to have a bit of shine to them. The net sits at or just forward of the halfway point of her head, going from ear to ear. She has opted to wear the net over her ears. I suspect this is because she dressed her hair to sit over her ears as well. Her hair is dressed inside the net, with braids starting above/behind the ears and draping very low on the nape of the neck.
Do you want to know more about hairnets? To Net, or Not to Net: Revisited takes a close look at hairnets, how they were worn, and how they were made, with images like this throughout the book.
*1 – The quest for a gutted writing slope is for a particular project with an all too closely looming deadline. What is a writing slope? Here is a video of an absolutely stunning one. I want one that is plain on the outside and empty on the inside.
Saturday I found myself headed east along what had been the turnpike throughout the 1800s, in search of the illusive gutted writing slope*. While I did not find the needed special box, I did find a few other goodies, several of which were from 50% off and 75% off booths.
Of course, this CDV jumped out of the “sale” pile into the “mine” with that hairnet!
This hairnet is so easy to see, it is a beautiful teaching tool. There are several things to notice: ~ The net is fine, very fine. It is likely made of silk. The beads appear to sit at the cross points of the net. Some appear to have a bit of shine to them. The net sits at or just forward of the halfway point of her head, going from ear to ear. She has opted to wear the net over her ears. I suspect this is because she dressed her hair to sit over her ears as well. Her hair is dressed inside the net, with braids starting above/behind the ears and draping very low on the nape of the neck.
Do you want to know more about hairnets? To Net, or Not to Net: Revisited takes a close look at hairnets, how they were worn, and how they were made, with images like this throughout the book.
*1 – The quest for a gutted writing slope is for a particular project with an all too closely looming deadline. What is a writing slope? Here is a video of an absolutely stunning one. I want one that is plain on the outside and empty on the inside.
March has been quite the roller coaster of weather. Here, we tossed and turned from winter to spring and back again more times then I can count. The wind certainly tossed us about. It does look like we may have finally made the shift to spring though. There was light as I drove into work this morning. It was kinda neat to notice how the sky reflects on the random pond by the mailbox. I do want to recognize that Mother Nature was not so kind to the mid-west with the landmark flooding. I hope my readers from that area are safe. I can only imagine the personal devastation and heartache.
I really have no idea where March went. I feel like I was just figuring out February stuff last week. I started trying to work out some of the blog’s technical stuff, aka space management, by moving videos over to YouTube. The [current] plan is to use YouTube as a storage spot with WordPress still being home-base, not to use YouTube as a separate viewing platform. So, don’t worry, you shouldn’t have to go anywhere else or worry about missing anything. I am going to try to do more videos though. I did have the writing urge hit a few times this month. Be sure you don’t miss:
My planned theme for this month was Mousquetaire March. I enjoy this fun, fashionable shape.
What was even better was seeing the photos client sent back. Holly brightened my day when her hat arrived and it looks absolutely perfect on her.
Then a hat got to be part of a perfect ensemble. Check out how great Lizzie looks in her archery ensemble:
Bonnets made it into the millinery works as well. Each of these bonnets sold very quickly, less than an hour. Remember, subscribe to this blog to get the quickest look. I will post pieces here right after I post them on Etsy.
Time for a little project accountability…. You know that coat I started for an event in January? The one without the sleeve attached? I put it away for now. It was all too quickly becoming a fuzzy gray coat rather than a black wool coat thanks to far too much attention from Clara.
I did start off the month working on an extra special Fanciful Utility related project. It was nice to do a piece like that again. Sorry no photos. This is one of those really cool things you just can’t share fully.
I will be doing a straw millinery demonstration coming up soon. This particular venue gives me different opportunities than the historic village. I got this idea stuck in my head for a display of straw bits and pieces. Well, the idea is stuck tight but I can’t seem to find the base piece for it. As you know, when an idea is strongly stuck in your head, any substitution just isn’t going to cut it. So, eventually, I will find what I am looking for and make my display piece. It may not be in time for this demonstration.
I finally tried on the red plaid dress I was working on last summer before everything went arry. Let me tell you what a difference mirrors make! How did I make any garment without a decent mirror or duct-tape dummy for the last 7 years??? Medicine cabinet mirrors are not adequate for seeing what I look like. Seriously, this dress has hip wings! The hip wings will be removed and the waistline re-fitted asap.
My corset will also be getting a tweak or two. The dress try-on let me know I can now lace to a correct back spring without causing pressure or pain in my surgical area. This is very exciting for me. I will be replacing my hip gussets as that is where my extra fluff resides currently. Since I will be replacing them, I am going to quilt them because I miss the soft quilted hip gussets of my old corset. I will also be adding light quilting to the bust gussets/cups to add more support for changing/aging flesh density. (Goodness, I wonder how much spam this paragraph will attract.)
I bought the prettiest pink plaid silk. It will be a dress by summer… I hope.
I think that about sums up March.
Hello from my feline helper…
Some pieces of history will never be found. These are pieces that were used up, loved to threads, unwanted, situation-ally unlikely to survive, deemed unimportant…. then lost to time.
Every so often I think about these pieces from time to time, wondering if there is a single example out there, what we are missing because we haven’t held it in our sight line or hand…
Here is my challenge to you readers……
Here I offer one such example:
The below clip is from The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine, 1862. In the “Book of the Month” column, the author is reviewing Female Life in Prison, by a Prison Matron. The passage describes dolls, “prison dolls”, roughly created by inmates. Such a doll is unlikely to have survived many days within the prison walls and less likely to leave the prison. As described, I can not imagine one, if it did escape, being saved long unless tucked deep inside a sentimental trunk. 
I really am writing this post with a friend, who wants to get back into reenacting, in mind. But, I also figured some others may benefit from these links and thoughts as well. It has been a while since I wrote a post that was reenacting focused….
Do you want to get into CW reenacting? Returning to reenacting after a long absence? Here are my top posts I would like you to read…… (many of these are mine. I am working on adding others.)
These are the books that should be on your bookshelf. For some, you may want to get 2 – one to write notes in and one to keep clean.
I suppose this is a good moment to pause and say I no longer consider myself a reenactor. I do not “reenact” a particular event. I also do not focus on a particular military era, which is most often connected with the concept of “reenacting.” I find I am no longer interested many aspects of “the hobby” as a military, social entity.
My (current) focus has shifted to visitor education and skill refinement. My participation is as a historical interpreter and takes place at historic sites. My primary research and interpretive focus is on women’s employment, specifically the spectrum of straw millinery. On occasion I will take on other roles as specifically needed for programming.
So, with that in mind…
I am calling this post “Guidelines” because there was a good bit of variation in how straw hats were finished and trimmed. Because of this variety, it is difficult to say “do this” because there are options. I am going to try to address the questions I get most often:
How do I keep a hat on my head?
There were a few ways original hats were kept on the head – narrow ribbon, wider ribbon, or narrow elastic. In each case, the ribbon or elastic was attached to the inside, side-walls of the crown. Placement is just above the ears. This could be tied under the hair in the back or under the chin. In photos showing wider ribbon as ties, the ribbon seems to match the ribbon used for decoration.
Where can I put the ribbon?
Ribbons can be found in a wide variety of placements – The most common being around the base of the crown. They are also found as bows in the back, arrangements in the front, occasionally arrangements on the side, and as a binding around the brim edge. There are a few other placements seen in originals and photos such as “tabs” running from the crown to brim.
Where do I put my flowers or feathers?
Most flower or feather arrangements are center front with an attempt at balance if not symmetry. This is most, not all. Some hats have asymmetrical arrangements running from the front along to one side. The trick here is to visually move they eye while physically maintaining the weighted balance of the hat. Heavy flowers can cause a hat to be difficult to wear.
Can I wear a veil?
Yes. There were veils particularly made for hats. They would tie and pin to the hat. Another option is to have a deep lace circle the hat brim draping over the edge. Note: you want a natural fiber lace for either a veil or lace fall. These will allow you to breathe. Synthetic laces can make it difficult to breathe, especially in the heat.
I generally don’t like to list things of what not to do. But, in this case, because there is so much leeway that could lead to foggy temptations, I think this may be helpful:
We are entering the time of year when people are thinking spring and about decorating their bonnets. Straw bonnets have a great appeal because they are cooler to wear in the heat as the straw allows the head to breathe, and the embellishments can be changed fairly easily without leaving as obvious thread holes.
Just as with most other garments and material culture pieces, millinery is an investment. You want to finish your straw bonnet as accurately as possible. This will include several factors:
Recommended Shopping List:
Recommended Reading List:
Godey’s, November 1856
Straw Bonnets.—Straw bonnets generally require some sort of lining, crape, muslin, or a thin silk. Very few are now worn with a plain lining. It requires just the same quantity to make a little fullness, which is more becoming. I will explain to you how to make a plain lining or a plain bonnet will take just the same quantity; or, if any difference, the plain requires more than the full. I think I hear my readers say this if very strange. You are aware that, in cutting out a plain bonnet or lining, there are several small pieces cut out to the shape. The piece make the fullness, for the material is used on the straight when put in the easy and on cross-way when plain, which compels you to cut pieces off , which on the straight and put in full, is not required. A head lining of silk or muslin should be put in after the lining to make all neat and clean when the bonnet is worn. Straw curtains are worn; but a great many ladies prefer a silk curtain made of the ribbon to match the trimming. The curtain is best cross-way with a narrow straw on the edge. The curtain will not quite take a yard of ribbon; three and a quarter or three and a half are sufficient to trim a bonnet. Plain colors on a straw are neater than mixed, such as primrose, light or dark blue. Sarcenet ribbon is better than satin. It is a good plan to sew narrow strings on the bonnet at the same time you sew the wide tie; the narrow first: it keep the bonnet more firm on the head. When I say narrow ribbon, I mean an inch and a half wide. An old fancy straw bonnet will make up again very weill by putting some silk between each row of straw. You must have a wire frame, and unpick the bonnet; cut some pieces of silk on the cross for puffings, and now lay your straw alternately with the silk. Unless the straw is a very good color, mix colored silk with it. This bonnet will require a lining.
There are several resources available to learn more about hairnets…..
Are you confused about the word “Snood”? Read Getting Snoody by Elizabeth Stewart Clark.
Do you want to know what basic hairnet to buy and have in your hair kit? Watch this video: Invisible Hairnets.
Want to know the basic ins and outs of hair nets? Read To Net, or Not to Net an article by Anna Worden.
Want to know the details of hairnets, who wore what kinds and when with lots of photos and illustrations? Read the full-length e-book To Net, or Not to Net: Revisited, by Anna Worden Bauersmith.
If I Had My Own Blue Box: 
