January Project – Rolling Organization 

This month’s project is about organizing. It can also be called a FanU Fat Eighths Project because of the materials it uses. 
Here is what I needed to organize. This is the Shaker bandbox I keep next to the couch for my everyday day sewing. This is my go to space for the odds and ends of project after project. The funny thing is, though it is my first and favorite box, I never lined it with special pockets for keeping organized. So, I am constantly digging through looking for little tools. Bandbox filled with messy sewing tools and odds &ends.

Here are the tools that I tend to dig for. Bodkins, stilettos, awls, a crayon, hairpins, crochet hooks, seam ripper – long skinny ones. (I did notice not a single one of my metal bodkins are in the box. Where they should be.)Assortment of antique and modern sewing tools.

The long, skinny nature of these tools makes a rolled case perfect for keeping them organized. Rolled cases show up for both sewing and travel in nineteenth century literature. This one will have lots of narrow pockets for each tool. 

Materials, aka FanU Fat Eighths Project 

  • 3 fat eighths cotton (18″x9″) (makes 2 rolls)
  • 1 1/4 yards 1/2″ or 1″cotton sateen (or 1 1/2 yards for 2)
  • Optional: 1/2 yard ribbon to tie with
  • 1 or 2 good movies 
  • A good cup of tea

Some time in the past year, I picked up this pack of fat eighths in reproduction prints at an estate sale of all places. It has moved around the sewing room from project basket to project basket. At one point I thought “quilt”. At another, I thought “doll clothes.” 

They seemed like just the pieces for this project. I hadn’t actually opened the pack. I was quite pleased to find how pretty some of these fabrics were, especially the green and blue 1830s print. 

I picked out three fat eighths.  This is one outside, one lining, and one pocket. 

I cut each piece in half lengthwise. This makes 6 pieces 4 1/2″x18″. I set aside one of each.

The layer that would become the pocket, the top fabric, needed 1″ trimmed off the top. 

Once trimmed, I hemmed the upped edge of the pocket. The whole length. 

The pocket was then basted to the lining and pockets marked. (Imagine vertical lines marked.) 

I didn’t measure the pockets. I just eyed them mostly a half or three-quarters of an inch wide. I did make some wider pockets as well. If you have specified you want specific widths for, you may want to lay them out before marking the pockets. Keep in mind this is a flat pocket. The spaces for each tool needs to about twice as wide as the tool, in most cases. 

Next, the three layers were all basted together and bound with ribbon. Check your copy of Fanciful Utility for directions on how to do this. 

Finished: 

Each tool gets a space. the crochet hooks will live elsewhere. There was space for a small scissors in the box too. The pockets on the right are wide enough for needle packets. 

Why make one, when I can make two? Here is the second I made at the same time. That blue and green fabric was too hard to resist. 

Here it shows how this would be a nice case for holding hair supplies. Narrow pockets for hair pins; wider ones for fine hair nets, elastic ties, a couple ribbons, maybe even a small comb. 

Don’t miss the previous monthly projects:

EDIT

We are having lots of fun talking about other used for a rolled case like this over on FB. Ideas like knitting needles, crochet hooks, paint brushes, even flatware have come up. I want to give a little heads up on jewelry. I would hate to see an earring fall out of this style of roll. Instead, pockets facing the other way would be a better choice, not guaranteed, but better. Take a look at this style Pocket of Pockets I use for many, many things: 

Published in: on January 14, 2018 at 2:22 pm  Comments (5)  

Autograph Books – Inquiry

Surfing books on Ebay, I stumbled across this blue Victorian velvet autograph book and instantly thought “that could be a great FanU project!”, just bigger. But, should it be a FanU project? Is an autograph book appropriate for mid-nineteenth century interpretation? Did they exist in the 1850s? Where they used? How were they used? Did women use them?

I went looking.

The first article I came across was this. It suggested that yes, indeed autograph books were used in the mid-nineteeth century. They seem to be personal and social at the same time. This passage also suggest they were for men. What about women?

Autograph Books.

There is no good thing on earth that is not abused. Humility becomes, in the hands of Uriah Heep, an instrument for the satisfaction of his own aviaries. Friendship is but too often affected, for the purpose of obtaining, at your hands, valuable favors. Even religion is sometimes used by the knave as a cloak for his selfishness. But the good things of this earth are far more frequently abused, through want of thought, that from intended malice. By one who thus unintentionally errs, especially if his error be practical in its effects, a few practical suggestions will not be taken unkindlly.

Everything that is abused must have its uses. This is implied in the very expression. Let us then examine first the uses of autograph books; and these will appear more clearly for a comparison with the photographic album. Here we have the expression of the heart as portrayed in the countenance. And is it not portrayed there? Do not the features in their varied expression or in their habitual cast, tell of the temporary emotions or of the deep-seated principles of the soul? Hence one component part of the value whic we set upon the likeness of a friend. A second component of its value to us, consists in the pleasant associations connected with it; and our valuation or it varies in proportion to the number or the character of these associations. Again, in it has been presented to us by the friend himself, it has to us a value as a token, a visible sign, of his friendship, an assurance that he cares for us.

In each of these particulars the autographic album has a value only secondary to that of the photographic. The handwriting expresses, perhaps not so well as the eye, yet does express clearly the character of the man. Did you ever notice the habitual hand-writing of your friends, and did it not in almost every case comport with his known character? An energetic man will make his strokes bold and clear; a dandified man will attempt a style of chirography that is full of flourishes, a man that is careless in everything else, will be careless also in his penmanship. True, there are exceptions to this rule; so also is a man’s physiognomy sometime wonderfully deceptive. But both of them, as a general rule, bear witness to a man’s character.

Neither does the autograph fail in its office of bringing before the memory by association, kind recollections of the past. The circumstances of our acquaintance, of the relations which we have borne to each other, of the many kindnesses performed by one or the other, cluster around the autograph as freely as they do around the portrait of a friend. And the value of the autograph is still further enhanced by the fact that it is almost always the gift (non the less valuable because not costly) of the friend himself, bearing on the very face of it as an assurance of respect or of regard.

Thus much for the simple signature. But how much is its value increased when we add to that, expressions of good will, and direct assurances of regard. For we know that these words of friendship are not the hollow, oily professions of those who are actuated only by the desire and expectation of valuable services, whose friendship will turn into indifference or hatred when their selfish ends are accomplished. Have you not felt, my reader, the power of the schoolboy attachments when in college you have met with a former companion? Did you not at once, however slight your previous acquaintance may have been, rejoice even in the midst of college-mates to see a face whose familiarity dated several years back? How much more will college friendships be valued hereafter when in the midst of selfish strangers we look over the autographic momentos of our class-mates. Add yet to this the gentle reminders of scenes of pleasure in which we have mingled, and we shall have a partial idea of the value which in after life we shall place on these manuscript volumes. [continued] (Nassau Literary Review, 1862)

Next, this student lament about autographs. It, too, talks of autograph books owned by men, signed by men. What about women?

Autographs.

I have an excessive hatred of a certain kind of stuff written in Autograph books. It puts a modest mad like myself quite to the blush. To have a classmate tell you in so many wordst that you are a “man of talent,” a “a fine fellow,” and “that there is no one of all the class whose friendship is so much to be desired” – all this, I say, is exceedingly embarrassment to a man of innate modesty. [continued] (The Yale Literary Magazine, 1852.)

At last, The Works of Charles Lamb… in which we see verses written for women’s autograph books. 9 verses titled “In The Album of….” or “to….”. If these were actually written for women, in their autograph books, then we have women owning autograph books in the 1850s.


What is that you say? Why don’t I just look at autograph books to see who owned and wrote in them?
 Looking…. 

Published in: on January 13, 2018 at 2:50 pm  Comments (3)  

Netting Baby Steps

While the weather out side was frightful this weekend, I stayed warm and cozy inside with my laptop writing away on To Net or Not to Net: Revisited.

Here is a shot of the cover as I worked on it:

_20180108_135341

What will you find inside?

Here is the working Contents

1. Research—Then and Now
2. In a Word (Definitions)
3. How Was a Hair Net Worn?
4. How Were Hair Nets Constructed?
5. How Were Hair Nets Trimmed?
6. Who Wore a Hair Net?
7. When & Where Were Hair Nets Worn?
8. Bibliography
9. Appendix
      Directions for Making Hair Nets
      Fashion Descriptions
      CDVs in Full

Published in: on January 8, 2018 at 7:00 am  Comments (5)  

Corset Can-Do

Several times a year, concerns about what can’t be done in a corset comes up. Reality is a well fitted, nineteenth century corset supports the body, it does not restrict it.  Here are some photos of what can be done while wearing a corset with a DDD bust. (Please note this is well before the recent abdominal damage which give me shoe trouble without a corset.) Oh, I should say this was with a small cage too.

Moving and position a wagon. This was up hill at one point.

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volunteer day 002

Moving a wagon full of corn from said wagon to the corncrib.IMGP1881[1]

Building a rail fence including moving the rocks, which were on the ground.

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Published in: on January 6, 2018 at 12:03 am  Comments (6)  

2018 TBD

IMG_20180102_080939

After our official Day of Great Laziness at home, it is time to get back to work and think about the year ahead. For me, this means a pretty new planner and a few changes from the norm.

Usually, I start the year with a nice long project list including some personal things and some shop things. This year, I’ve decided not to do that. Lists help me organize and plan. But, they can also stress me out and I become trapped by my lists. So, for now…. no list.

While I do have some UFOs, I figure we all do and I will get to them when I feel like I will get to them.

I need this year to be about me. Me happier. Me healthier.

What does this mean for my blogs and shop?

If you had a chance to read my 2017 review, you saw I have three simple overarching goals for 2018:

  • Focus, Streamline, and Simplify – This goes for my millinery, FanU pieces, and the Etsy shop. I was considering adding shop sections for vintage pieces. Nope. That just doesn’t do it for me.
  • Make time for the Joy. Some time around mid-November it hit me that I just wasn’t enjoying what I was making. Part of it may have been burn-out, part just the year. But, I became very aware that I need to take more time to do some projects that are just for the fun of it.
  • Sink my teeth into something. What this is going to play out to be… we shall see.

I also have some simple framework goals for the blog that are rather open ended:

  • _20171128_060900I have started a monthly project post that I hope to continue through the year. Each one will be something small with some guidance or direction on how to do it your self. They won’t quite be a thorough as the Sew Alongs.
  • Another blog goal is to write a Monthly Update. These updates will fall sometime during the month with a combination of, well, just about anything that is going on, including project information, personal updates, events, activities, who knows.
  • One more I’ve added: I would like to hear from you, my readers, more. I enjoy reading your comments. If you make one of the monthly projects I would love to hear about it.

Then there are the two big writing projects that I will work on when the moments feel right:

  • Wintering Warmly – There are some spacial, technical things I need to work out to get that on ‘paper’.
  • To Net or Not to Net: Revisited is much closer to being available. I need to just lock myself away for a few days to get some solid writing and layout completed.

For now, I would like to know what events and activities you are looking forward to in the coming 2018. I have a couple nifty things I’ve been talking about with folks. When those details get worked out, I’ll be very excited to share.

Published in: on January 2, 2018 at 7:00 am  Comments (1)  

From The Work Box – Scissors

I started writing a From the Work Box series of posts a last year, but never finished them to post. With a recent question about scissors coming up in a particular FB group, followed by a reply from an exceptional merchant pointing out which scissors are most popular with reenactors, I decided I really need to finish this post for the sake of balanced accurate material culture interpretation.

Do I have I have a bias against stork scissors? Yes. I am just not a fan. I just don’t see the point of having an asymetrical bird hanging out on my scissors. I also just don’t understand why they seem to be everywhere. They are like the poly-cotton tomato’s best buddy. They are, without a doubt, over represented in historical settings. Why are there so many of this one kind of scissors when the 1851 Great Exhibition has 230 different pairs in a single display? Um, proportional variety please?

Okay, enough of my whining.

At the minimum, every interpreter’s sewing kit needs at least a pair of scissors. According to Miss Leslie, everyone in the mid-nineteeth century should have three:

You will find it necessary to have three pairs of scissors; a large pair for cutting out things that are thick and heavy; a smaller pair for common use, and a very small pair for work that is nice and delicate. They should all be sharp-pointed. When your scissors begin to grow dull, have them ground at once. The cost will not exceed six cents for each pair, (even if ground at a surgical instrument shop,) and haggling with dull scissors is very uncomfortable work. (Miss Leslie’s Lady’s House-book. 1850)

What did these scissors look like?

What I would love is an 1850 catalogue filled with illustrations of each and every household item someone would have needed. Wouldn’t that be nice. Instead, we can look at a few other places for glimpses of scissors: Paintings, museum collections (inside sewing cases), and occasional illustrations. Just keep in mind we want the scissors an ordinary person in the US would have had; we don’t need the uber-pretty pair that we could not have afforded. Here is a catalogue illustration of scissors that would be plausible for a working class impression: http://collections.musee-mccord.qc.ca/en/collection/artifacts/M930.50.3.132/  

 

What do I use?

IMG_7487When sewing on the go, I am doing one of two things: Either I am sewing small things with pieces already cut or I am sewing straw. This means I need two types of scissors – One for cutting thread and one for cutting straw. To the right are some of the scissors I use in my various sewing kits for the thread snipping part and the occasional ribbon cutting. Two are reproduction. Three are antique. My straw cutting scissors are roughly 5″ long, an estate sale find. To have a rounded visual interpretation I should carry a larger pair of scissors as well.  Admittedly, I remember these when I take my large box, but tend to forget them when I have my smaller kits.

Looking for your own?

(Liz posted some of her picks in said FB thread)

wpid-2015-06-14-10.16.48.jpg.jpegSmall Scissors options:

Full Size Scissors Options:

More information:

Published in: on January 2, 2018 at 7:00 am  Comments (2)  

What are You Wearing on Your Head this Winter?

It certainly is a COLD winter so far for most of us. We’ve been seeing single digits for days with days to come. Some have it much harsher with double digit negatives. I hope everyone is doing their best to stay warm and keeping their fur and feather friends warm as well.

With it being so cold, it is a good time to talk about the nitty gritty of wine get bonnets or hoods. Well, some of it. I need to save so e stuff for the up coming book.

Let’s talk about silk verses wool. One of the most common questions I get about winter hoods is if silk is better than wool or wool better than silk. The answer is “Yes”. 

Both silk and wool are found in original bonnets from 1840 through the 1860s. Without tallying up those I’ve surveyed, including my personal collection, roughly 65%-70% of extant hoods have silk on the exterior and roughly 35%-40% have wool exteriors. Other materials show up as well.

Silk is nice for wet snow. Think about how an umbrella made of silk protects against the rain. In a wet snow, silk will hold up against the wet for a while. Eventually, the water will soak through. This happened then as it will now. Water marks can be seen on some originals. (There is a difference in water staining for when a bonnet was worn verses damage in storage.)

Wool helps with moisture for an extended time as well as providing insulation. Wool needs to be a smooth, tight weave though. A fuzzy wool, such as flannel, will act like a snow magnet, inviting it to cling to the fuzzy bits. Wool also needs to be very light weight. Thick or heavyweight wools are not regularly found on original hoods.

Left: Original hood with a solid color silk exterior. Right: Original wool hood with a plaid wool exterior. 

Moving on to the inside, the batting or wadding – The vast majority of originals use some type of wool for the wadding or batting. A significant number are natural, just cleaned and combed off the sheep. I’ve seen a nice mix of colors inside some hoods. Some originals are lightly filled, while others are quite densely filled. Some thinner hoods have a thin batting more similar to 100% cotton quilt batting. Yet a couple others have a layer of fulled wool inside, completely covered (not as a visible lining.) Wool batting is by far the warmest option, over cotton batting. I have not yet determined if the thicker, fluffier, lighter wadding is warmer or less warm then the denser, tighter wadding/batting. I can tell more wool does seem to be more warm. There is also a point where there can be too much warm.

Left: Original wadded silk hood with fluffy wool wadding. This is sometimes called a pumpkin bonnet/hood. Right: Original silk quilted hood with wool batting. 

I am going to leave the lining for the upcoming book. Linings are just too varied and fascinating for a single post.

How about wind? Some of us live in areas with amazing winter winds. There is a quasi-local event each February that sees frigid, harsh winds coming off Lake Erie and picking up some extra speed off a frozen pond before walloping us on the overlooking porch. For this type of event, I want both warmth and wind protection. A deep brim that reaches in front of the face with minimal rise will help keep the wind off the face. A long bavolet will help protect the neck. Another help can be longer sides or the long, lappet like sides.

Left: Original wool and silk hood with long lappet like sides. Right: Original silk and silk hood with long lappet like sides. 

I will be working on some new hoods soon-ish. In the meanwhile, you are welcome to make your own hood from one of my patterns. They are available for instant download through my Etsy shop. 

Published in: on December 31, 2017 at 10:44 am  Leave a Comment  

2017

It is that time of year. Time to reflect on the year past and look forward to the year ahead. Well, 2017 was quite a year. I could call this post simply “A Year in Review” or “Personal Reflections on 2017”, or something more accurately: “The Good, the Great, and the Ugly” or even “The Stone that Tried to Kill Me.”

It really was that kind of year, wasn’t it.

Here we go…..

The Good

img_20170215_175129.jpgThe world of millinery went rather well this year. By the time the snow fell again, I made 57 straw millinery pieces this year. I lost track of the winter hoods. I also added a line of evening headdresses, focusing on simple, classic looks of the mid-nineteenth century.

_20170718_150253Thanks to some wonderful people, a trio of original bonnet blocks arrived early in the summer. I’ve only been able to really work on one, Serenity, which I Love. (It was a mobility thing.) I look forward to working with the other two. I also had a beautiful custom block made for Regency era pieces. I still need to start the adventures with this block. Accompanying the trio of blocks, was a beautiful hand dyed length of straw awaiting being sewn up. (I’ve come to notice I do this thing where I save things I really, really want to do for the end or when I’m feeling particularly good. I need to fix that because this comes too close to the dessert or favorite food thing. You know, where you save your favorite part of a meal for the end so you can enjoy it, but then you end up too full to truly enjoy it.)

Shop at GCVM CW 2017 bI did make it to a couple events. I am aware that I made it out to the Independence Day celebration in modern clothes. Though, I don’t remember much at all. I did make it to the GCVM Civil War event in July. IMG_0333I set up my Millinery Shop and managed to pull off period clothes that didn’t hurt. I had two excellent helpers. Thank you Elyse and Elizabeth.  It wasn’t until packing up time that I did damage to myself. I also made it to Preparing for the Holidays, where I got to spend an exceptional day working with a great craftswoman.

The Great –

It is all a bit of a blur right now, but 2017 was pretty awesome for workshops.

In June, I had the pleasure of offering my Millinery in Miniature workshop for the national ALHFAM conference co-hosted by the Genesee Country Village. This was an incredible opportunity. It was great to get to attend parts of the conference as well. (see below)

_20171110_195408In November, I offered two very different workshops at the Museum’s Domestic Skills Symposium. On Friday, I offered Tools and Trims, a completely different, kinda crazy workshop looking at how to mimic the trims of the later 18th and 19th centuries. I spent much of the year acquiring pinking machines and dies for this workshop. On Sunday, I offered a favorite with a twist: A Pin Cushion Sampler. This year the sampler included Victorian favorites: a strawberry, a walnut, a seashell and and acorn.

 

The Ugly

bd1Ah, the ugly. That which dictated much of my 2017. I mentioned in my 2016 personal reflection that I started feeling ill around the time I was releasing my second winter hood pattern, November Thanksgiving-ish. As it turns out, that is when my gallbladder started spitting out stones causing all sorts of ruckus. I just had no idea. I figured I was eating something wrong, then had pulled a back muscle. Now I know I carry pain differently and have some stress coping mechanisms. It has made for an interesting, dysfunctional, challenging, eye-opening year.  Now, 3 ER/Urgent care visits and 4 surgeries later, hopefully we are wrapping up the gall stone drama.  (Please meet the 12mm stone that finally did me in to the right.)

2017 Goals

With 2017 playing out the way it did, many of my personal and millinery goals kinda just didn’t happen. I did not exceed my 2016 sales. I did not sell 100 publications. I did not explore straw techniques to the extent I wanted. I did not explore straw dying in the back yard. I did not set aside a monthly amount for a new house. I did not finish either of my personal fiber goals. I did not make it to Farmer’s Museum nor Rose Hill this year.

_20170820_131516On the other hand…. I did do pretty decent for someone who totally got her butt kicked by a 12mm stone. I actually feel pretty darn good about that. Despite utter exhaustion on many days and this weird pain in my side, I made some pretty great pieces this year, I kept the shop up, and learned a few things.

2018 Goals and Plans

In many ways, the goals of 2017 are a do-over. I do have three over-arching goals for 2018:

  • Focus, Streamline, and Simplify – This goes for my millinery, FanU pieces, and the Etsy shop. I was considering adding shop sections for vintage pieces. Nope. That just doesn’t do it for me.
  • Make time for the Joy. Some time around mid-November it hit me that I just wasn’t enjoying what I was making. Part of it may have been burn-out, part just the year. But, I became very aware that I need to take more time to do some projects that are just for the fun of it.
  • Sink my teeth into something. What this is going to play out to be… we shall see.

Don’t worry, there are some more specific things that are on the list for 2018:

  • I have a couple books to finish. Wintering Warmly has, um, ballooned or, um, something like that. There are some spacial, technical things I need to work out to get that on ‘paper’. To Net or Not to Net: Revisited is much closer to being available. I need to just lock myself away for a few days to get some solid writing and layout completed.
  • _20171128_060900If you haven’t noticed, I have started a monthly project post that I hope to continue through the next year. Each one will be something small with some guidance or direction on how to do it your self. They won’t quite be a thorough as the Sew Alongs.
  • Another blog goal is to write a Monthly Update. This was inspired by a favorite blogger I follow, Victoria Elizabeth Barnes. Her blog meanders beautifully between stunning antique finds and adorable foster kitties. I enjoy the way any one of her posts can have a little of both, as well as what is happening in her life, projects she is working on, what she is reading and such. My monthly update posts may fall just about anywhere in the month.

 

Published in: on December 29, 2017 at 2:00 am  Comments (2)  

Monthly Update

I am going to get a head start on one of my 2018 blogging goals: A Monthly Update post.

This was inspired by a favorite blogger I follow, Victoria Elizabeth Barnes. Her blog meanders beautifully between stunning antique finds and adorable foster kitties. I enjoy the way any one of her posts can have a little of both, as well as what is happening in her life, projects she is working on, what she is reading and such. My monthly update posts may fall just about anywhere in the month.

So, what have I been up to this December???

I have discovered the art of lazy couch laying. This is incredibly new to me. I don’t think I’ve ever come home from work for three consecutive evenings to lay upon the couch to do nothing other than sit, cat cuddle and doze off. It is delightful. It is strange. It is pretty cool.  

_20171128_060900In and around my experiments with lazy, I’ve made a few things. I started the month with ribbon pin cushions, weaving ribbons together. These were lots of fun. I still have more ribbon to make more. _20171128_060800I designed a bird ornament to make with my techniques from Fanciful Utility. This involved some adventures in wool fulling. Oh-so-soft. I stopped into my local quilt shop during our Hometown Holidays festivities to learn a new-to-me paper piecing technique. I loved the little ornament I made. Then the week following, I stumbled upon a way too similar pin cushion. So, I had to make that up as well. Then I found another sorta-similar. Stay tuned for that at some point.

_20171126_191040The shop had a nice December. After a crazy year, I was of two hearts on the shop going into December. Part of me wanted to stock it with all sorts of goodies. Part of me was in dire need of down time. See above to figure out which won. _20171126_190738

 

I finally ordered more archival boxes. I wanted to get those ordered before the snow fell. Luckily, it turned out Gaylord Archival had a great sale. I dedicated a chunk of last Saturday to getting the summer and fall arrivals properly re-wrapped and boxed. Once again, I didn’t order quite enough. I miss counted. Okay, I plum forgot about a couple extant hoods that I bought while in the hospital. I need to order some deeper boxes next time too. I was able to coax the original shape further back into a few of the wired and and caned than I had planned. I anticipate a major photographing session this winter or spring.

Published in: on December 16, 2017 at 2:00 am  Comments (1)  

Closing for the Season

I am closing the Etsy shop today for the season. E-books and e-patterns will still be available. I will reopen the shop some time after the new year. 

A huge Thank You to all who have supported me and listened to me whine through this past year. It was quite the adventure. Please enjoy this holiday season. I wish you all safe time with friends and family. 

Published in: on December 15, 2017 at 10:52 am  Leave a Comment  
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