Today is the FanU “Blue Swap” Sign-up Day

BluesToday is the day to sign-up for the FanU The Blue Swap!

For Blue Swap, we will exchange Blue color fabrics from the 19th century.

We will mail our fabrics on March 30th

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.**

The 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.

The 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:

  1. 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.
  2. To keep the swap and sewing possibilities interesting, please avoid solids as best we can.
  3. 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.
  4. 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:

  1. Please be certain you can fully participate in the swap before you sign-up.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

Published in: on March 20, 2015 at 6:01 am  Comments (7)  
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Canandaigua Lady Excursion

This is information for the small group of us taking an excursion on the Canandaigua Lady.

We are each making our own reservations for this excursion. Please call Sara at: (585) 233-5019  (585) 396-7350 to schedule the July 10th tour at 6:30 without the meal and with upper deck access. (You can order online, but there is a $6 fee.)Please comment below or in the Facebook event page that you have made your reservation.

Afternoon/Evening Excursion on the Canandaigua Lady

Date: Friday, July 10th, 2015

Boarding time:  6:15

Cost: $22.00

Duration: 2 hours (630-8:30)

Address: Docked at 205 Lakeshore Drive in Canandaigua, NY

Pre/Post Picnic at Kershaw Beach Park (adjacent to the boat launch.)

For our picnic, please bring:

  • A picnic blanket
  • Food for yourself in period containers
  • If you bring food to share, please bring a list of ingredients
  • Period entertainment if you wish.

***I will add to this page as we develop more information. Please be sure to check back.***

Map: Map

Historical Inquiry:

I am looking for mid-century images and textual references of the steamboat passengers.

An image of Canandaigua Lake and one of her steam boats in the mid-century:

Joseph Wood on Canandaigua Lake http://www.hallofnewyork.ny.gov/finger-lakes

Account of a picnic on the lake and a steamboat – Village Life in America, P27

Picturesque Canandaigua, 1899

A late century photo of the pier and a steamboat.

An illustration of a Water Cure resort on a different lake.

Cr0quet at Sonnenberg, not dated. (approx 1867-70. Visual of recreation in Canandaigua.)

This looks like a similar size steamboat in 1858. It is a river boat though. Some women and children shown.

Published in: on March 18, 2015 at 6:30 am  Leave a Comment  

Dress Reform

1854 Aug

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Dress Reform

1854 June

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Dress Reform

1854 Feb

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Dress Reform

1853 Dec

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Dress Reform

1853 Nov

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Just Love the 50s

I really do love the 50s from the dresses to the bonnets. Here is a straw bonnet from this weekend. It is already off to its new home. (I will have another later this week.)

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Learn more about straw bonnets – Read From Field to Fashion

Published in: on March 10, 2015 at 8:36 pm  Comments (2)  

Who Is Wearing Anna’s Millinery

I’ve always wanted my own fill-in map. Now, I have one.

Who isSomeone in each green state is wearing a piece of my millinery. The darker green states are those with the most people wearing my bonnets.

I’ll be honest. I didn’t think I would have this many states filled in. It is more than half of them. It made me smile.

Published in: on March 10, 2015 at 8:00 pm  Comments (1)  

1845 Eye Candy

1845 Sample Book: Échantillons

And some more…

1825 French Silk Sample Book

1863 French Textiles Sample Book
1700 Pattern Book of Silks and Damasks

Make sure you have some extra time. Then click. You’ll be happy you did.

PS – There are several more late century and 1900 sample books to browse as well.

Published in: on March 10, 2015 at 9:20 am  Comments (3)