If I Had My Own Blue Box:

This is for a Sewing Academy Thread. It looks like I didn’t do the post I thought I did. Just for some quick looks, here is a PDF of close-up images for now.

Close-ups of ribbons at neck

Let’s expand this a bit…..

Neck ribbons are a fun, easy and affordable accessory to add to your wardrobe. I opted to say neck ribbons rather than neck bows because not all are tied in a bow while they are almost all ribbons or fabric cut into ribbons. (You might want to open the pdf file above in a separate window as I’ll be referring to images there in the text below.)

Where are neck ribbons worn? Neck ribbons are worn where the collar meets at the base of the neck. They are seen worn alone or with a pin/broach attached to the knot area.  Most often the ribbons are arranged and attached at the top of the dress, where the collar is without ribbon going around the neck. There are several images however where the ribbon is tied around the neck. Take a look at page four of the pdf file above as well as the third picture on the third page.

How are neck ribbons worn? When I say arranged, usually that means tied into a bow but not always. Some ribbons are worn simply crossed and pinned where the collar comes together at the closure of the dress. Some ribbons are tied in decorative knots. One example can be seen on the fourth page of the pdf file. As for the bows themselves, these do vary. Some are rather compact with short loops and short tails. These compact bows likely have loops and tails each only a couple inches long. Among these compact bows, you will find bows that are completely horizontal with the loops and tails laying in a fairly flat row, sitting across the dress/collar closure. A couple of examples of these are the two in the first row of the first page of the pdf file. The first one appears to be a double bow with two pairs of loops on top of the tails. Another compact bow has short loops and short tails with the tails angling below the loops. These can be seen on the first page as well.  A very common bow continues to have the small loops with longer tails. The bows continue to be two or so inches wide, each, while the tails are longer then a couple inchs. This is a good example of this bow: 

More examples of a bow with small loops and longer tails can be seen on pages two and three of the pdf file. A larger bow with longer loops and tails is also seen in images. With wider ribbon, these bows can simply appear larger.  A sort-of example can be seen on page two in the first image on the second row. With narrower ribbons, the bow can appear to be looser and drapey. This is a good example of such a bow. 

The bows seen in images are single bows as well as double or possibly triple bows. On page three, the first image shows a bow made with multiple loops. The first image in each row on the first page also show multiple loops. Bows are both tied and sewn. (more on that in making them.)

What kinds of ribbons are used? While it is nearly impossible to say what color neck ribbons were based on photographic images, we can find some clues about the types of ribbons. We can find solid ribbons as the most common. We also see ombre, stripes, velvets and edged ribbons. The image above appears to have a narrow edge as well as the worked chevron pattern on the tails. On page one, there are a couple of examples of velvet ribbons as well as a ribbon with narrow stripes on the edge. The second image in page two shows an asymmetrical ribbon with a stripe and a scallop edge. In the second row, you see a ribbon with a lace edge added. It appears the lace on the knot could have been added after the bow was assembled. On page three, we see a clouded or ombre ribbon. Widths also varied, possibly with time and fashion. On page three you will see a narrow ribbon which may be as narrow as a half-inch. The asymmetrical ribbon on page two may be as wide as three inches. Most ribbons appear to be around and inch, possibly and inch and a quarter wide. The tails appear to most often be cut either straight or a single diagonal. Much rarer are fish tail or chevron cuts seen above. Some images are seen fraying. This example of an untied ribbon was posted by a SA member, Paula. Notice the end is fraying.

How do I make my own neck ribbon? To make your own ribbon/bow, first you need a ribbon or fabric to cut into a ribbon. For ribbon look for a silk ribbon with some body. A droopy ribbon will look sloppy. A stiff ribbon will irritate your neck. Depending on the size or length of your loops and tails, you will need between 9 and 24 inches. Unless you want a particularly wide or narrow ribbon, look for one a three-quarters of an inch to an inch and a quarter wide. For a ribbon made from fabric, choose a tight weave fabric and cut on the grain, especially if it is a stripe or plaid. If you want an edge on your bow, you can add it before or after making the bow. You can either tie your bow traditionally like you would your shoe or bonnet, or you can make the loops and tails securing them with a ribbon/fabric loop. To make the bow with the latter technique, cut a small 2 to 3 inch piece of the ribbon from one end. Find the center of the ribbon. Form a loop (or two or three) on each side, securing them with a thread. Angle your loops and remaining tails as desired. Secure with thread. Bring the thread to the back. Wrap the short piece of ribbon around the center, overlapping the ends in the back. You may prefer to turn the outer raw edge under. Sew the ends together.

How do I wear my ribbon? You can attach the bow to your collar, where it comes together with a pair of straight pins (or safety-pin). The straight pins can go through your collar then through your ribbon from opposite directions. It is also possible to pin vertically, but this can be a greater risk of poking yourself. To add a pin/broach, simply pin it through the bow.

Additional images:

This image is later 60s.

I just recieved this link from Barb who recieved it from Victoria.

For those like me who are wowed and overwhelmed by the vastness of lace, it is very helpful:

Handmade Laces

I should be sleeping. Instead I am looking at shawls.

Take a look at this early 19th century border plaid shawl from the Textile Museum of Cananda. They call several of their shawls buggy shawls. This small plaid shawl is interesting in that it is said to be hand spun. It is late 19th century. I would love a closer look at this shawl. It has an unusual design to the twill weave. It also has a pair of borders on set of sides but a single on the other. I would like to see if the opposite, unbordered side has signs of being cut. It also looks rather heavy. That may just be the photograph though. The soft, natural texture to the color of this late century shawl is lovely. Take a look at the fringing, which is uneven and looks hand fringed. This is another must see in person shawl. Just take a look. You will see it in an instant. They have it noted as hand spun and woven. I wonder if it is possible it was done on a smaller loom at home To me it looks like it may have been a larger shawl with the center removed or something else causing the center merge. Based on mid-19th century shawls, I would think this should be a square, but it is not as are many of the shawls found here. Pondering… The vertical red border plaid’s stripe are stunning here.  They have a half dozen other ‘buggy shawls’.

This is an unusual shawl from the paisley family. It is from the second quarter of the 19th century. The movement of the motifs is rather nice. This double square is more common for the paisley family, these are as well  one two  three and others. This one shows that not all centers are red, white or black. You can find them in yellows, bright blues, greens. This is an example of a double field, one in red, one in white. Here is a second, which I think (but not sure) may be using the technique used for reversible shawls. I just love how this kashmire paisley plays with color.

They left a wide range of dating for this lace shawl. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get these reproduced?  

Oh, no. My contacts are drying out with 30 pages left to look at…. more when I can.

I was excited to stumble across this image and collection this evening. While not mid-19th century, these early 20th century women were from weaving areas of Scotland and may have been related to weavers. In the image 5 examples of 4 different kinds of shawls – two solid, one large scale windowpane plaid, one plaid, and one border plaid.

This week a friend asked advice about purchasing a shawl. The answer was a definite yes, as long as she sent me pictures. In the end, she ended up with two great shawls.

Her asking about the shawl in question brought up a couple points on shawls. Barbara was looking for a double square, wool shawl. Using some of her words, she was looking for a big fluffy WARM shawl and not a foo-foo shawl. When I get questions about a shawl being purchasable, the shawl is usually one from the paisley family or occasionally a printed shawl. It is less often I get questions about a common woven wool shawl. The reality is, it should be the other way around. The majority of the paisley family of shawls were on the higher end of the cost spectrum, being worn for nicer occasions. The printed shawls became a more affordable response, with the aid of advancing industrial processes, to the desire for nicer, fancier shawls. While many women, and men, may have owned a shawl from the paisley family, the average woman would have had more occasion to wear a wool shawl. In living history terms, we are more likely to be interpreting situations where a woven wool shawl is appropriate then a nicer paisley or printed shawl. A nicer shawl is appropriate for some dinners, some evening social events, some church services, some weddings and other ceremonies. An everyday shawl is more appropriate for wearing while sewing at home, going to market, visiting on a regular day, running out to the barn or chicken coop, gardening, volunteering at the aid society, basic everyday life. This everyday shawl, in my opinion, should be a staple in each interpreter’s wardrobe. Cheers to Barbara!! 

Now on to her shawls.

The shawl she initially asked about was this beautiful double square red check. I was thrilled to see a surviving double square in a red check available. (a double square is a shawl that is twice as long as it is wide, usually 60″ by 120″, also called a plaid regardless of design.) What stuck in my mind as this shawl found its new owner, was the tendency of reenactors and interpreters to play it safe, buying what they see or are comfortable with, whether accurate or not. How does this related to this shawl? The check. When it comes to buying or making an everyday wool shawl, it seems we most often go with a symmetrical plaid or a solid (see the close-up of her other shawl below.) I don’t see a check like this worn often at all. Why? I have a couple thoughts. The first is we wear what we see and what we are comfortable with. Second, extant documentation under represents what I believe was actually available. Going huh?  Basically, there are fewer surviving examples of small check shawls then women actually had. In general, there are fewer everyday, working class shawls remaining then the nicer paisleys, lace and higher end silks. A few things may have happened to cause this. The everyday shawls could have been worn out in their day. These shawls could have been deemed by the owner not worth saving. Or, at some point between the mid-19th century and now, the shawls were deemed not as important and worth conserving as other items. Either way, we have fewer examples of everyday shawls to look at and even fewer small checks. Does this mean they didn’t exist as much? Of course not. When looking at original images, we see small check shawls represented. This post-war image shows a small check with a border design. (Sorry, only one on hand until I find the right disk with more images.)  Small check wools are an acceptable choice for a shawl when purchasing a shawl or fabric for a shawl.

I am very glad Barbara was able to acquire these shawls and allow me to talk about them.