Meandering Thoughts on a Tiny Subject

Brooches have been popping up in conversation and other places lately, particularly those with portrait or scenic images in them. With this reoccuring surfacing, my thoughts have been meandering around these curious miniature bits of art.

Now, if I was to actually consider these for a research topic I would want to look at….

- The types of images – painted, etched, photographic…. Would micro-mosaic or carved count as well?  

- The types of settings including materials, style, shape, lockets, pin placement, convertablity…. ceramic, enamel, stone, shell…

- The durability of the images – curious about this….

- Who are the subjects?

- Who are the artists?

- Why? … including memorial pieces. The hair pieces on the reverse side?

- Typical verse unusual? Shape, materials, subjects?

- Later verses earlier…

- I’m going to have look at lots of these, lots and lots of these…. (two on the way home)

Liz gets “Snoody”

I have to give it to Elizabeth Clark. She addressed something I’ve avoided like the plague ever since the “To Net, or Not to Net” article…. the word “snood” actually existing in the 19th century. Check out her article “Getting Snoody”. She addresses nicely how the word snood actually refers to a ribbon rather than a net. Major Kudos.

I’ll admit, I dreaded trying to explain why nets are nets, not snoods but snoods did exist. I just figured it was too complicated and would confuse people. Bad, bad me. Then time rolled on and I got interested in other topics. Bad, bad me. Now, I really wish I had my binders with me so I could pull out the definition that uses the word snood as a verb. My stressed brain isn’t even pulling the name of the dictionary to the surface. I just recall this nice explanation of the word as a verb as I looked through the magnifying glass at this dictionary I would never be able to afford myself. With a lack of that excerpt, take a look at this on from the Scottish Dictionary and supplement, vol 2 from 1841 with the verb part noted in red:

Shops…. Stores….

This passage has caught my attention….

The Godey’s Lady’s Book 1844  page 13

Going a Shopping

“Once we had shops filled with pretty things, then we had stores; now stores have changed into immense bazaars, upon entering which , you may imagine a while town of curiosities that lie before you.

On the ground floor, spacious apartments, ornaments of splendour, counters in a new style, mirrors on all sides, a painted and waxed floor, and magnificent carpets. You imagine yourself deceived, you fancy yourself in the gallery at Versailles, and would not dare to ask for a small quantity of flannel, or a piece of waistcoating in such a palace, if it were not that you perceive a world of clerks and shop boys, coming and going, folding and unfolding, measuring shawls, and selling scarfs, silks, cravats! and a crowd of people of all classes, looking, admiring and buying. ….

… There is always a crowd before the windows – a crowd of women, young and old, pretty and ugly, all so fond of dress. How they admire these shawls, so beautifully folded, and these dresses arrayed [sic] so artistically across each other! Listen a moment. “

What can you make…..

Since I accomplished something quicker then planned tonight, I’m going to do a completely frivolous post (regardless of the other things I’m behind on.) So, tonight…

What can you make out of a 15 yard bolt of muslin?

I pose this question because the simple investment of $18 ($29.99 minus a 40% coupon) on a 44″ wide bolt can do a great deal for your wardrobe.

• approx 5 chemises or
• approx 7 pairs of drawers or
• approx 1 full petticoat and 2 chemises or
• approx 1 full petticoat, 1 chemise and a pair of drawer or
• approx 1 tucked petticoat 0r
• approx 1 corded petticoat and a moderately full petticoat or
• approx 1 quilted petticoat and a corded petticoat or
• approx 1 quilted petticoat and a moderately full petticoat or
• approx 1 quilted petticoat and a nightgown or
• approx 1 quilted petticoat, 1 chemise and a pair of drawers or
• approx 2 chemises, 2 pairs of drawers, several collars and several sleeve cuffs or
•  approx 30 sets of under-sleeves or
• approx 180 collars or
• approx 240 various cuffs or
• approx 4-5 shirts for hubby or
• approx 3 shirts and 2-3 pairs of drawers for hubby or
• ….

Please add your combinations below….

Adding Gail’s list:

‎5 shifts/chemises /shirts.
several hooped petticoats
many chemisettes or corset covers (though I prefer linen).
50 day caps (depending on cut, actual material & social class – again, I prefer linen).
a whole lot of backing for silk bodice / br…eeches pieces.
cuff & collar bases
a few test garments…

The Fabric Stash

I’m not sure which of the blogs to put this under. So, it may just go under both.

The hall flooding incident a couple weeks ago prompted a quick removal of storage totes from the soggy end closet. Having the totes all over the livingroom gave me a chance to do some sorting and organizing. In the process, I’ve come to the conclusion I have no idea how I’ve assembled a fabric stash in the year and a half I’ve been here. I have an assortment from dress lengths to small pieces for the sewing cases and wool to silk to cotton to modern fleece. It is quite apparent, some projects need to be moved forward on. Let us work through the stash….

The part of the fabric stash that is most chaotic is the boxes of bits and pieces I’ve been using for the sewing cases. I’ve decided I need to get out the ironing board, re-press and fold or roll most of these pieces so they will fit neatly in thier boxes in an organized fashion. One interesting organization tid-bit here – I’ve found these clear totes by Sterilite with handles on the top that are working quite nicely for projects sorting. These are great for the small bits that go with the cases.

The longest fabric I have is actually a mystery fabric. I was at that store I hate when they had this table of cheap, blah fabric. Being the fabric obsessed tactile person I am, I had to feel some of the fabrics. It pretty much went ”ick, ick, yuck, ick, eww”. But, then there was a “huh, wait…???” as I felt this odd, incredibly soft, almost silky feeling fabric. I couldn’t help but pick up this dark, charcoal gray fabric to bring it home with me. I just had to know what it was. Honestly, if I could have set fire to part of it in the middle of the store, I would have. At home, two swatches underwent burn and bleach tests. It tested like cotton, completely surprising and pleasing me. So, now I have this incredibly soft, dark charcoal gray cotton fabric that I am not sure what I will do with. It has a soft drape with very little body and a tad bit of weight to it. I’ve had a few modern dress ideas thinking it might be fun to play with on the bias. But, I’m not 100% sure.

I have two green wools. One is a beautiful light green tropical weight dress length Bevin gave me for Christmas last year. I’ve not yet made it into a dress because I like it to much. The dress has to be just right. I’m worried that if I make it up then figure out my thyroid that it won’t fit. The other green wool is the dark green, heavy weight wool I bought for Dan but turned out not to work. This piece is about 4.5 yards. I’m pondering a long wool coat either cut like a 50′s pardessus or a Regency coat. Then again, it could make a really nice blanket. I think I’ve been putting that fabric off because I’m just so disappointed and really wanted to make Dan something.

One of two weird lengths is a white on white machine embroidered linin-like fabric I picked up at a yard sale. This fabric is heavy. It is also an end cut with factory seams attaching lengths. It would make a nice table cloth if only it had the unembroidered border on 4 sides, not 3.

The other weird length is the remains of a utility fabric that looks like a ticking we picked up because I wanted pillow case liners. (I used to put two pillow cases on all pillows, one white and one decorative to protect the pillows.) I may just make more pillow liners, because I’m not sure what else to make.

I have this one yard length of a nice cotton strip that I picked up for an unknown reason. Thing is this would make a nice piece of mid-c clothing if I would have bought more then one yard. Silly, especially since it was in the quilt shop’s super discount basket. Oh, well. It will probably become a hem backing or something.

There is a white on black cotton I would like to see as a quilted petticoat. I need to check to make sure it won’t have a rub problem. (Odd note – ever since the pig party I’ve been wanting to do a petticoat party fundraiser for a museum.)

I have a black and white 2″ check silk that is waiting to talk to me. This came from Joni when she came to visit along with some wools that have become skirts.

For those who wondered about the mention of fleece – My husband loves fleece. I don’t know how many times we’ve come home with a panel or two after he very excitedly found them at a store. I do have to say, I find the fleece very comfy to fall asleep on the couch with.

A little fun with projects in process

Here are a few of the things I am working on…… with a twist…..

The Travel Experience and Proving a Negative

Two random thoughts kept me awake for a while the other night, the experience of travel and proving a negative.

The first was spurred on by an audio book about the Rev. War I am attempting to listen to on the way to and from work. One of the characters was traveling by some type of carriage on a muddy, rutty road. In the story, he was trying to keep his mind on something other than the tossing and rocking of the carriage. Of course this got me wondering about what it was actually like to ride for an extended time in a carriage or stage. Several months ago I wrote about travel in regards to the modes and prescribed etiquette. This pondering is more about the actual experience. In our modern car travel we have radios, heaters, air conditioning, artificial light, adjustable seats and so on. On the hour plus trips we tend to take frequently, I curl up in my seat, talk with Dan, check my mail, make shopping lists. I have lots of space and a comfortable seat. Thinking about what I might do on a journey in the 19th century, I first thought I would bring needle-work or a book like is often depicted in movies. But then I started wondering about the amount of natural light in different vehicles. We are accustom too much more artificial light in the present-day. How much natural light would a woman have wanted to do her needle-work or to read by in a closed vehicle? I’m not sure how much light makes it into some of these vehicles. The carriages I usually see used at various events are open or have a roof that can pull up. There is plenty of light in those. When I see closed vehicles, they are in generally on display inside carriage barns. In those situations it is difficult to determine how much light gets in a vehicle when there is limited light inside in the first place. I wish I would have paid more attention on the occasions at the museum when more vehicles were out for use.  The next piece I wondered about is the actual riding.  I was trying to imagine what it was like to travel in a closed vehicle in a mid-century dress. As I mentioned, I like to curl up in the car. There is a huge difference between me in my jeans or a little modern dress and the cloths from mid-century. I know what it is like to ride in a late century train car with a cage on. The seats are comfortable for an adult woman and a child. But the seating is tight for two adults and extremely tight for two adult women wearing 100″+ cages. In our experience, with the larger cages one woman sits down then the other sits with her skirts on top of the other. This can be Highly inconvenient. With smaller cages, 90-100ish inches it is possible to sit side by side with our skirts tucked to our sides quite comfortably. I wish I knew how the dimensions of these seats compare to the seats of the 1850s. The width, depth, height and space between them would all be factors. So would the aisle width and storage spaces. Even though the seating was tight, I didn’t find it overly uncomfortable because the space was open, air could move around the car and the window let in plenty of light to see by. Would these three aspects still be available in a closed horse-drawn vehicle? Would a mid-19th century woman place as much importance on them as I do?

On to the second pondering….

On of the struggles we have in researching what was or wasn’t available, popular or fashionable during the 1850s and 60s is proving/showing that something wasn’t. With finer points of fashion we can sometimes find a reference to something falling out of fashion. Great! But what about aspects of material culture that don’t have convenient textual references holding against them? When the concept of proving a negative was mentioned in a recent email discussion, I seriously stared thinking about what the process might be or the process I would take. (Okay, so when I am stressed and can’t sleep my mind wanders on the oddest of subjects.) The project that came to mind was the research on folding chairs. While I didn’t start our to prove a negative, in a way that is what I faced for the civilian use of folding chairs. While folding furniture had been around for centuries, the use of folding chairs was not prevalent for domestic use during the first half of the nineteenth century. The reemergence of folding furniture, also referred to as patent furniture, coincided with the onset of the Civil War. What became a vast array of beautiful and creative domestic and travel furniture in the later half of the century, began as functional pieces with a military purpose. Looking at this example it is possible to chart the frequency of patents and advertisements through the century. Doing so, we see the start of chairs for military use and the transition into the domestic sphere. Additionally, we can look at the patents for this furniture and the manufacturing establishments. We see when those contracted for the military moved to producing domestic folding furniture and when their establishments grew. So, my approach to proving a negative requires looking at the timeline  or spectrum of the subject matter’s existence and production; looking at when something was in use/favor, when it emerged, when it declined, what was in its place if anything. It would have been nice to have some of my former science wing coworkers to ask how they would scientifically approach proving a negative.