From: Gretchen Miller Date: Thu, 5 Jan 1995 16:30:28 -0500 (EST) Subject: H-Costume Digest, Volume 205, 1/5/95 The Historic Costume List Digest, Volume 205, January 5, 1995 Send items for the list to h-costume@andrew.cmu.edu (or reply to this message). Send subscription/deletion requests and inquiries to h-costume-request@andrew.cmu.edu Enjoy! --------------------------------------------------------------- Topics: Textiles FAQ in h-costume archive Janet Arnold's patterns History and uses of pinking dies Patterns of Fashion 4? Magazine articles on the Fairfield show and on blackwork Uses for urine ISO Info on Norman Bliaunts Burial clothing ISO Info on computer programs for quilt and costume design Question and answer: Hakama Info on Smoke and Fire news (and announcemenets therein) Questions on cartridge pleats and wear in velvet Cut My Cote ---------------------------- From: close@lunch.engr.sgi.com (Diane Barlow Close) Subject: Archiver Note: New FAQ file added to archives. Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 10:21:56 -0800 (PST) I've created a file in the archives called "textiles.faq" that contains the complete historic costuming FAQ that is posted to the rec.crafts.textiles' newsgroups. Lara Fabans , keeper of that FAQ, has generously allowed us to keep our own copy at our archive site. This FAQ contains a lot of useful stuff, including a very complete list of mail order sources for costuming supplies, and a section on civil war costuming and supplies (written by our very own Dave Ubele). To get this file, send e-mail to: majordomo@lunch.engr.sgi.com the *body* of which says: get h-costume textiles.faq That's it! Since this FAQ is a bit long, I'm still planning on adding a separate FAQ, courtesy of Kristen Nichols , which will focus on mail order supply houses only. I will announce to the list when that FAQ is ready and in place. If anyone else has any other files they think would make good FAQ's, feel free to share them with me and I'll be happy to add them to the archive too. Enjoy! -- Diane Close close@lunch.engr.sgi.com I'm at lunch today. :-) ---------------------------- From: ejp@watson.ibm.com Subject: Re: The Annotated Arnold Date: Fri, 16 Dec 94 15:31:25 -0500 aterry@Teknowledge.COM (Allan Terry) writes: > If one is going to nitpick--could some of Trump's problems in making up > Arnold's patterns just possibly be _his_ fault? Personal data point: I was in a graduate pattern drafting program where the class (of 20) made garments from Arnold's patterns. Some folks had tremendous difficulty with Arnold's patterns, and others had smooth rides with the same damn garments. I'm with Fran on this one. :) cheers, ejp -------- Elizabeth Poole Yorktown Heights, NY ejp@watson.ibm.com ---------------------------- Date: Fri, 16 Dec 94 20:40:44 GMT From: paul@bozzie.demon.co.uk (Paul C. Dickie) Subject: Re: pinking dies In message Elizabeth McMahon writes: > On Tue, 13 Dec 1994, K.C. Kozminski wrote: > > > I've seen some folks sharpen leather punches for the purpose of > > pinking fabric, check with a leather-working supplier for those types of > > tools. At Matera's they had a motorised version of the pinking wheel, > > that had exchangable cams. It went *very* fast, we often feared for our > > finger-tips when using it. > > One of the Janet Arnold books (I can't remember if its QEWU or Patterns > of Fashion) has a picture of different tipped chisels. Evidently, this > is how it was done in the 16th and 17th C. And, by some trades, rather later -- right into the C20th, in fact. There was a series published in "The Woodworker" some years ago of an English joiner's apprenticeship in the 1920's. The firm to which he was apprenticed did some domestic joinery, made furniture and, as was usual at that time, also was involved with quite a few of the local funerals, as specialised funeral businesses hadn't yet appeared. Whenever there was a funeral, one of the craftsmen would be taken off his normal work and set to making, then fitting out the coffin, complete with its satin lining, which was cut with a mallet and a pinking iron, then tacked in place. Quite why they bothered pinking the raw edge is surely a mystery, as one would not have expected the occupant to move very much in their journey from this world to the next, or from their "laying-out" to their ultimate destination. Paul C. Dickie ---------------------------- Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 16:15:12 -0800 From: Alison Kondo Subject: Next Arnold? Does anyone know when "Patterns of Fashion 4" will be published? I've been hearing "soon" for about the last 2 years. Alison ---------------------------- Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 21:14:43 -0800 From: Elizabeth Fox Subject: Blackwork, Fairfield Items I just received two magazines with articles that may be of interest to the list. the January/February Quilter's Newsletter Magazine has a two page spread of photos of items from the Fairfield show. The January/February Piecework has a lengthy article about blackwork/double running stitch, including a photo of an Arabic inscription worked this way, similar to one mentioned here recently. ---------------------------- Date: Sat, 17 Dec 94 19:07:58 GMT From: paul@bozzie.demon.co.uk (Paul C. Dickie) Subject: Not taking the .... o-) In message <9412151331.AA22308@dayton.wright.edu> Joe Marfice writes: > >I am not a dyer myself, merely a dilettante (o.k. a little procion here and > >there) but ... I read somewhere that in India, cow urine was, and still is > >used as a mordant. don't mean to be *disgusting* but it's the urea (?) in > >it, or uric acid?, that acts as mordant. There is an active natural dye > >industry in India, and that's how it works. just 2 cents. > > I've heard that Harris wool still uses the traditional method to treat > their fibers: soaking in sheep's urine. While that may well be pure > rumor, until recent times all the Scottish woolliers (wool-bearers? > woolites?) softened their stuff this way. And yet one English cosmetic company markets a scent they call "Tweed", which is supposed to be redolent of the smell of damp homespun cloth; it seems that their customers don't know that they're really splashing on the smell of old sheep-stale...o-) > Susan is right in both terms, by the way: urea is the dried form of > uric acid,still an important chemical in today's industry. Urine has > also been used to treat blades in the forging process. Indeed -- as a quench to harden the blades from red-hot. The urea raises the boiling point of the quench and so tends to make localised boiling of the quench bath less of a problem; the increased volume of steam bubbles that would form, were water used instead of brine or urea solution, would prevent the blade from being cooled uniformly, which in turn would produce distortion or even cracking of the hardened edge. Paul C. Dickie ---------------------------- Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 20:44:54 -0800 From: Alison Kondo Subject: Bliaut questions I've recently become interested in the idea of constructing a Norman bliaut. I've got research materail, know the basic look I want, but would love some construction tips, do's & don'ts, etc, from people who've actually made one. Alison [29,378,8ixF0:i00UfAA0z5Zw] ---------------------------- Date: Mon, 19 Dec 1994 10:07:23 +0000 (GMT) From: CE Buckley Subject: Pinking and other things > > > > On Fri, 16 Dec 1994, Paul C. Dickie wrote: > > Some text removed > > > > And, by some trades, rather later -- right into the C20th, in fact. > > > > There was a series published in "The Woodworker" some years ago of an English > > joiner's apprenticeship in the 1920's. The firm to which he was apprenticed > > did some domestic joinery, made furniture and, as was usual at that time, also > > was involved with quite a few of the local funerals, as specialised funeral > > businesses hadn't yet appeared. > > Thsi must have been in a very rural area, specialised funeral businesses > were pretty common in towns in the 19th century. > > Whenever there was a funeral, one of the craftsmen would be taken off his normal work and set to making, then fitting > out the coffin, complete with its satin lining, which was cut with a mallet and > a pinking iron, then tacked in place. > > Quite why they bothered pinking the raw edge is surely a mystery, as one would > not have expected the occupant to move very much in their journey from this > world to the next, or from their "laying-out" to their ultimate destination. > If funeral clothing is something which interests you have a look at Jez Reeves (1993) The Spitalfields Project published by the Council for British Archaeology in York. It details quite a lot of 18th century shrouds, for instance - mock 'broidery-anglaise' - the patterns stamped out but never sewn around. Its all a bit goulish really as some of the bodies were not fully decompsed due to leaden coffins and other flukes of presevation. Caroline Buckley - Archaeology - 'a life in ruins' ---------------------------- Subject: Blackwork/Fairfield show//? Date: Mon, 19 Dec 94 7:57:06 CST From: "Marie L. Schulte" Blackwork?! The Fairfield show? What show is/was this? As I am very interested in historical blackwork, would you be so kind as to mention what this show was? thanks! -Marie L. Schulte ---------------------------- From: annalea@its.com (Annalea Sommerville) Date: Mon, 19 Dec 94 09:01:21 -0600 Subject: Urine used to set dye . . . here's something else This is an excerpt from "Dragonfly In Amber" by Diana Gabaldon "I had a sudden memory of the waulking shed, where the women sat in two facing rows, barefooted and bare-armed in their oldest clothes, bracing themselves against the walls as they thrust with their feet against the long, sodden worm of woolen cloth, battering it into the tight, felted weave that would repel Highland mists and even light rain, keeping the wearer safe from the chill. Every so often one woman would rise and go outside, to fetch the kettle of steaming urine from the fire. Skirts kilted high, she would walk spraddle-legged down the center of the shed, drenching the cloth between her legs, and the hot fumes rose fresh and suffocating from the soaking wool, while the waulkers pulled back their feet from random splashes, and made crude jokes. 'Hot piss sets the dye fast,' one of the women had explained to me as I blinked, eyes watering, on my first entrance to the shed. The other women had watched at first, to see if I would shrink back fromt he work, but wool-waulking was no great shock, after the things I had seen and done in France, both in the war of 1944 and the hospital of 1744. Time makes very little difference to the basic realities of life. And smell aside, the waulking shed was a worm, cozy place, were the women of Lallybroch visited and joked between bolts of cloth, and sang together in the working, hands moving rythmically across a table, or bare feet sinking deep into the steaming fabric as we wat on the floor, thrusting against a partner thrusting back." Annalea Sommerville annalea@its.com ---------------------------- Date: Mon, 19 Dec 1994 13:13:53 -0600 From: rebecca mioak chung Subject: Quilt and Computer Costume Design Please post info on both quilt and costume rendering programs! I'm also interested in ideas anyone may have about using computer images to demonstrate the effects of 18c British elite dress on the female body. I want to render (someday) potential health problems/benefits - making these issues real for academic audiences. Please post or email privately if this interests you. Rebecca Chung rmc2@quads.uchicago.edu ---------------------------- From: AlisounF@aol.com Date: Mon, 19 Dec 1994 17:10:43 -0500 Subject: Re: pinking dies Paul M. Dickie wrote: >Quite why they bothered pinking the raw edge is surely a mystery, >as one would >not have expected the occupant to move very much in their journey >From this >world to the next, or from their "laying-out" to their ultimate >destination. Is it possible that the pinking was to create decorative elements rather than to finish the edge of the cloth? One great advantage to a pinking die is that it can be used to create slashed patterns on the cloth overall. Pat LaPointe ---------------------------- Date: Mon, 19 Dec 94 17:04:16 PST From: susanf@EERC.Berkeley.Edu (Susan Fatemi) Subject: hakama Hakama is the Japanese "split skirt" worn by Japanese men over kimono. I bought a used garment for my son to wear with kendo armour. The one I bought is not really split like culottes but is more like a very deaply pleated skirt--so it looks divided but isn't. This garment is definately from Japan so I don't know why it isn't split. Has anyone used the Folkwear pattern for hakama? I can't tell from the catalogue if it is really divided or not. Unfortuneately, this is the one garment not included in "make your own Japanese clothes". I would be extremely grateful for any information, feedback, etc. thanks susan fatemi ---------------------------- From: Catherine.Keegan@ncal.kaiperm.org Date: Mon, 19 Dec 1994 17:02 -0800 (PST) Subject: various items of interest I was looking through the latest issue of _Smoke and Fire News_ and noticed some things of interest: February 21-25 at Colonial Williamsburgh: 18th Century Fashion at Colonial Williamsburgh, VA: The world of Colonial fashion steps out in style. Programs, lectures and tours cover all aspects of the details of fashion and the creation of an 18th century silhouette. For more information call 1-800-history March 7-11 Williamsburgh: Exploring the Arts and Mysteries of Traditional Trades in Williamsburgh: Join us as we explore the trades practiced in colinial Virginia. Learn about the lives of some prominent Williamsburgh artisans, discuss our latest research, see craft demonstrations and discuss the working world of 18th century tradespeople. 1-800-history February 4-5 - Living History Fair 10-5 Sandusky Co. Fairgrounds, Fremont, OH $2 adults. The descriptions sound intriguing. Hopefully, some of you in the midwest or on the east coast can attend. Tell us how the events were! If you're at all intersted, Smoke and Fire News runs a regular section on Lectures, Workshops and Seminars. They feature things that apply to h-costume types and many things that are living history. The same issue also features an announcement of a quillwork workshop in Michigan and a basic blacksmithing class in Indiana. If you live in the midwest or on the east coast, you might think about subscribing to them. Their address is PO Box 166, Grand Rapids, OH 43522 and they only charge $15 for a year. I live in California and frequently find it frustrating when I read about all of the nifty things going on 'back east'. If you have any comments or questions, you will need to email me directly. I get the digest, so I won't be seeing anything from h-costume until Gretchen comes back from her vacation. Happy Holidays to all of you! Catherine Keegan SYSCXK@ncal.kaiperm.org ---------------------------- From: DENNPAT@aol.com Date: Mon, 19 Dec 1994 23:50:21 -0500 Subject: Cartridge pleating and velvets Can anyone tell me any way to sew cartridge pleats to a waist band without the stitches showing at the top? also, is there a preferred spacing for the pleats? I wish to make a 16th Century dress using some type of velvet. I want a rich looking velvet but I'm concerned that the synthetic type won't hold up for very long and will show wear from even sitting on it. Any suggestions? -- Pat Denpat@aol.com ---------------------------- Date: Mon, 19 Dec 1994 23:33:43 -0800 From: Elizabeth Fox Subject: Blackwork/Fairfield show Sorry to cause confusion - the blackwork wasn't part of the Fairfield show. There was an article on each subject in the Jan/Feb Piecework. Some of the blackwork was shown on historical costumes. ---------------------------- Date: Mon, 19 Dec 1994 23:39:12 -0800 From: Elizabeth Fox Subject: Cut my cote I believe this book is available from Unicorn Books - I saw it on their table at a local (Nor Cal) fiberarts show. Send $3.00 to: Unicorn Books & Crafts Inc 1338 Ross Street Petaluma CA 94954-6502 for a catalog. Or call 800/289-9276 and charge it! ---------------------------- Date: Tue, 20 Dec 1994 01:02:29 -0800 (PST) From: "Sarah E. Goodman" Subject: Re: hakama On Mon, 19 Dec 1994, Susan Fatemi wrote: > Hakama is the Japanese "split skirt" worn by Japanese men over kimono. > I bought a used garment for my son to wear with kendo armour. The one > I bought is not really split like culottes but is more like a very > deaply pleated skirt--so it looks divided but isn't. This garment is > definately from Japan so I don't know why it isn't split. > Has anyone used the Folkwear pattern for hakama? I can't tell from the > catalogue if it is really divided or not. Unfortuneately, this is the > one garment not included in "make your own Japanese clothes". I would > be extremely grateful for any information, feedback, etc. Not all Hakama are split, and the split and non-split ones look the same. I don't know much about why the two styles, but could probably check some of my husband's Japanese arms and armour books to see if they have any info. I've made up one hakama with a pattern taken off an old one (which were made from a pattern taken off one which came from Japan). I haven't made up the Folkwear pattern yet, but it seems to be pretty much of a muchness with the set I made. It isn't really a pattern but rather a set of proportions to make hakama which fits the individual waist, and instructions for sewing. It definately makes a split skirt. I'm playing around with making up a set with modesty panels (so I can wear them with a t-shirt instead of kimono), hidden pockets and velcro'd belts, just because they are so comfortable to wear around. WIll keep you posted. ****************************************************************** Free the Bound Periodicals! ****************************************************************** Sarah E. Goodman goodston@well.sf.ca.us Senior Designer and Chief Cat Herder goodston@netcom.com Wee Cottage Daly City, California, USA ****************************************************************** ---------------------------- End of Volume 205 -----------------------