If I Had My Own Blue Box:

….. To Care For A Village.

New York’s Pathways Through History website lists 20 historic villages in New York State. These villages, both in-situ and relocated range from a small collection of buildings to a full replication of community. (I assure you there are additional collections of historic buildings that were not included on this list focused on enhancing our tourism.)

Please take a moment to learn about the historic villages and sites in your state/area. Find out how you can support them, whether that is time or money.

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Much to my delight, I discovered the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has a collection of hats in miniature, many of which are straw. These aren’t just miniature hats…. These are amazing, as in heart racing, how close can I get to my screen, put me on a plane now.

Yes, I have a problem.

Each piece is dated to the second quarter of the 20th century, but reflects earlier styles. The collection appears to be from Mildred Blount, of California. I asked Google more about her. She was a milliner for celebrities and films in the 1930s and 1940s. The LACMA collection pieces appear to be part of an 87 piece study of styles from 1680 to 1937 that was displayed at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. 87 piece! Can you imagine? Squeals!!!

Here she is working on some of the miniature hats. (this is the University of Texas blog post)

I am floored by the detail. The straw plaits Blount used are incredibly fine. This is straw we can not get today. I have 1 hank that I think would be the right size. It is the only hank Ive seen this size in person. Then the trims. We are going on 80 years old. The feathers boggle my mind. They are so full, fluffy, and shiny. Usually, pieces of this age have lost their vibrance at best. Nice job LACMA.

Okay, so, I was going to droll on about the details of each of these. But, I won’t. I want tpyou to go look at the collection. Drool. Zoom. Have your eyes pop out.

This really was quite the year. Because it was so filled, I need to go month by month to recap….

January – In January, I was on a head-dress and octagon pin cushion kick. The first was part of planning for my Symposium workshop. The latter was because velvet octagon pin cushions are just cool.

February – I had started February focusing on a set of posts looking closely at how women wore their bonnets and hats. But, everything quickly focused on Clara with her emergency surgery. I will forever be incredibly grateful to everyone who helped out and sent their love for Clara. She is doing very well. She loves doing zoomies up and down the hall of the new place. She finally allows gentle belly rubs too.

March – In March, I announced the release of To Net, or Not To Net: Revisited. I am very pleased with the reception of my latest publication.

April – April was very much about exploring straw hat shapes, including a new favorite, the Mousquetiare.

May – In May, I started getting really busy at work while I went into straw over-drive at home. I made this simple post that looked at the many styles I work with.

June – June was GCVM’s War of 1812 event. This was a must attend event for me because marked the one year point from being in the hospital. I also wrote a post I would like to draw attention back to “Pizza and the Piggy Bank.”

July – July, July was amazing. I had an incredible time at the museum’s Civil War event. It was wonderful seeing old friends and new. I had a beautiful day with friends at West Sparta’s Old Fashioned Day.

August/September/October – I had such plans for August…. But, plans change….. We moved ….. Dan left….. Damaged organs got cranky…. I needed to find a new normal….

November – With November came my much loved Domestic Skills Symposium and Preparing for the Holidays. I got back to sewing straw. Pieces disappeared (sold) from my shop so quickly most never were seen on FB. I also started p.aying with more videos on my blog and Instagram.

December – and that brings us to now…..

It has been quite the year with some wonderful “ups” and, fankly, some crushing “downs”. At the beginning of 2018, never did I image nearly losing Clara, then losing my home and husband. I was thinking about projects, straw, dresses, and what to write. So…..WOW!

I want to say some of you have been beyond amazing, truly incredible friends. Thank You!!

I do have to look toward 2019. No, I choose to look forward to 2019. I will have a new normal to figure out.

I also need to keep focused in my shop. It would be very helpful if you could take my quick survey to let me know what you are looking for in the coming year:

Planning 2019 Survey

Locally, we call it ROC the Day. Online, I am seeing it called Giving Tuesday. What ever you call today, I hope you are able to give a little to a charity or cause that means something to you.

Here are my favorites, in no particular order because that would be too difficult impossible:

• Kellers Kats – An amazing special needs feline rescue in the Rochester area. This rescue specializes in cats with CH and loss of limbs. ROC the Day link.
• Hearthside Cats – A small town to rural rescue that goes above and beyond to care for the hardest of cases. ROC the Day link.
• Genesee Country Village & Museum – My home away from home. Donations through the end of the year go to support interpreters of the historic village. ROC the Day link.
• Cheyney McKnight – A dedicated historian with guts. She travels to hitoric sites bringing well researched programs on often difficult subjects.

Weeks ago, I allowed myself to purchase a cdv. It was quite the cdv. Weeks pass and a friend sends me a message. That message lead to photos and drooling. I was good. I saved some pennies and bought one, only one. There is a reason I wanted this particular one.

The new block is a very close match to the one in the cdv. (yes there is more to the cdv. No, you can’t see it all yet.) If anything, the one in the photo is a little bigger and mine has more curve to the brim.

On a side note: I do not think that hat shown with the block came from that block, the crown is too big and flat. Either that, or hats really do photograph differently.

I mentioned the freezer in the video. Instead, I opted to spray it with lightly with vinegar to kill off what I think is a little mildew that occured during travel. I have to be careful with vinegar because it will disolve plaster. It has a musty smell to it, which makes sense since my understanding is it came from and old old old factory.

Beading strawberries seemed to be the perfect project to test out the new tripod phone combination. Here are three videos, one without talking and two with of different lengths. I hope you enjoy the work. But, I would also like to know what you would like in videos. I am considering some for here on the blog and some for Patreon, if I decide to do that.

ADDITIONAL: My Notes

• While the preview thumbnails appear upside down to me, once the videos play, they are right side up.
• The audio is clear and loud on my phone. I can hear the thread going through the strawberry as well as the beeping noise from next door. On my tablet, it is very difficult to hear me talk. I will need to go back an see if yesterday’s video it the same. I will need to find out if the recording or the playing is at fault.

Oh it Snowed, oh it snowed, oh it snowed!!!!

The area got hit with an early heavy snow Thursday evening through Friday morning, blanketing the museum in snow just in time for Preparing for Winter, aka Preparing for the Holidays. It was quite the sight to see the bed of snow covered in leaves and pine needles. The snow came before the trees had fully given up the last of their leaves.

Before long the village was filled with families out for this special day. It was nice to see the snow and mud did not deter many and didn’t dampen moods. It helps that the museum takes such good care of paths.

Inside Foster it was cozy, warm, and welcoming. Meg and I set up the pinking machine in the kitchen along with Sharon, who was working on dressing Genny.

Meg had wanted to tag along to show off the pinked tiers of her skirt.

I precut 2+ yards of black silk taffeta to pink first. I made over 20 yards of 2.5 inch and 1 inch black trim. Then I did a few rows of a beautiful pearly blue silk taffeta for a winter hood. Then I finished off with a large piece of black and blue check silk taffeta. I have no idea how much of this there is.

The dining room and kitchen were filled with visitors almost consistantly. I was pleased with how the pinker went over. There was a balance of interest between adults and children, men and women. We talked about the timeline of pinking, patents of the era, how the trim was used, and the mechanics of the machines.

Here, Meg helps show off the blue and black trim.

Honey came to nap and visit. She is a very sweet cat, who I understand does a very good job.

This was my first time getting ready in period clothes at the new place. It was also the first time trying to do up my shorter hair. I realized I forgot about accessories this morning. I know which box those are in, I just couldn’t reach it. So, no jewelry for me. My hair went okay. I am going to make some new rats to roll the back over.

When I got home, my new phone/camera tripod was waiting. I ordered it so I could do videos of me working. So, here is something completely different, a post event video of me:

I failed to get a single photo of me. I also failed to get a decent video of pinking despite a few attempts. Oooppps

We spend a decent amount of time talking about staying safe and hydrated in the summer heat. We should give equal time to the cold wintery conditions as well.

At the very least, know the signs of frost bite and hypothermia:

Frostbite from the MayoClinic

Hypothermia from the CDC

Areas to watch for Frostbite: From my observation of reenactprs and interpreters in historic clothing, there are several areas to watch for frostbite.

Women who wear fashionable bonnets and hats often have exposed ears , leaving them susceptible to cold air and wind. While you are enjoying yourself in the excitement, you might not notice the toll it is taking on your ears. The same can be said about the back of the neck , which is also left more exposed with the hair dressed up and a silk bavolet being the only protection. Be sure to check your ears. A winter hood and scarf are your best protection.

Next, are the feet. Period footwear was not designed our slushy, salt treated roads and walks. This can lead to wet, cold feet. Be sure to have dry socks and get your shoes/boots completely dry each night.

For women, the knees can also be a spot that gets colder than we are accustom depending on the length of the stockings and drawers. This area can easily be forgotten about during the day and surprise you come evening. Wool stockings pulled over the knees, long wool flannel drawers, and knee warmers can save some surprise pain.

Our hands are a frostbite risk in any century is we don’t have warm, dry gloves. Please keep them warm too.

Layers – 19th Century Wisdom

Honestly, I am far more comfortable in my 19th century winter layers than I am trying to fuss with modern winter layers. It will be fun tomorrow to see how I do because most of those pieces are still packed. My ideal goes like this:

• Wool stockings (over shoes if they can be found)
• Flannel drawer if it is really cold
• Regular cotton or linen chemise
• Wool petticoat
• Quilted petticoat
• Crinoline/cage with pettis
• Wool dress
• Wool undersleeves if need be
• Coat for outside, shawl for inside
• Hood
• Scarf if needed
• Gloves and mittens, maybe a muff

I would love for you to share your period cold weather safety tips in the comments.

I have a couple previous articles that may interest you:

• Are You Ready for Winter?
• Keeping Warm this Winter

Wow, this has been quite the fall. I have been procrastinating writing a proper update because I just don’t know what to say about a few things. I feel as though quite a bit has happened since my State of the Sewing Address in early October.

Me

In a nutshell…. Shortly after moving at the end of September, it became just Clara and I. Around the same time, my blood lab numbers spiked nearly as high as they were in the hospital. I had some downright pissed off organs. Basically, October going into November has been an epic emotional roller coaster. This week that roller coaster is pretty deep underground because we got some crushing family news with the loss of a dear loved one.

Currently, I am in a grey area while I try to find a new normal, as well as “balance and routine” as my awesome gi doctor calls for, while working out those many details. (One of those below.) I am currently checking the radar for the storm that is headed our way. Its timing and status will determine just how much I enjoy my massage appointment this afternoon.

Shop

I am quite pleased with filling my Etsy shop’s Holiday Shop in advance of Thanksgiving this year. It is all ready for browsing and shopping. There has already been a nice response to my miniature straw hat ornaments. I added a new bunch last night. I may add a few beaded strawberries next.

Sewing

By filling my Holiday Shop early, this means I can transition some of my sewing back to straw and to some of my own holiday projects. Working with straw will help me with the goal of “balance and routine.” There is a wool table mat idea I want to work up with reindeer. This is if I can find the dense black wool.

Events

This weekend is Preparing for the Holidays at GCVM. This has become a favorite event because it promises a day shared with one of several very skilled friends and lots of interested visitors, young and old. This year I am going to try something new: I will be demostrating the pinking machines. This is going to cause some era mixing because I simply don’t have attire contemporary to the machines. I am anxious to see what happenes in terms of the quantity of silk. I will have roughly 6 hours of potential pinking. Given how quickly these machines can work, that can be a lot, I mean A LOT, of pinked silk. I may bring a sewing kit to ruche some of it.

Photo by Ruby Foote

This weekend will test what and how I packed. I packed two sets of clothing in anticipation of fall events. I have already discovered I can not remember where I packed my boots. I am also noticing the difference between the fall I packed for and the winter it distinctly is. I suspect, the wool and quilted petticoats may be in that one last pink tote that would not fit in the car. Fingers crossed.

Looking Ahead

One of the things I have to figure out going forward is some financial stability. Basically, I need to sew and sell an absolute every month to get by. I recently had someone encouraging me to use Patreon and a couple other platforms. I would like to get your thoughts on Patreon I am trying to decide whether Patreon is the right match for me, if it is a good fit or distraction. Here is what I would like to know from you:

• Do you know what Patreon is?
• Do you feel comfortable supporting artists and educators with it?
• Would you encourage me to use it?

I think that is all for now. I hope everyone has a warm, safe Thanksgiving. I plan to enjoy chocolate cream pie and self healing.

For a few years I have toyed with the idea of making mini straw millinery ornaments. I finally took the time to make some. Each of these inch and a half to three inch straw hats is sewn by hand using the same techniques I use for my full size millinery. I decorated them with ribbon, flowers, and feathers.

These hat ornaments are available in the Holiday Shop section of my Etsy shop. Please take a look.