From: Gretchen Miller Date: Thu, 1 Jun 1995 12:41:34 -0400 (EDT) Subject: H-Costume Digest, Volume 315, 6/1/95 The Historic Costume List Digest, Volume 315, June 1, 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: Finding veiling materials Costumes in Braveheart Colonial women's dress ISO: Jacqueline Herald book Medieval costume books ISO: Glove patterns Printed linens Swatch books ISO: HMSO's Knives and Scabbards book Fabric and book sources What is FIT ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 29 May 1995 16:12:54 -0400 (EDT) From: Library - Vineland Research Station Subject: LACIS batiste used for veiling Someone asked me if I thought the LACIS batiste would be appropriate for early veiling. (Sorry, I've a hair-trigger delete key! - Got me in trouble before.) If I remember the previous discussion correctly, someone wanted "Renaissance veiling" and someone else said fine linen was correct. The LACIS batiste is cotton, but they also sell a transparent "handkerchief linen" for $36.00 a yd (36" wide). I'd describe it as semi-transparent, but a little "streaky" while the paintings of the period show veils as quite even. Perhaps artistic license? LACIS sells a little package of fabric samples for a few dollars, I keep it in my purse for convenience. Sheridan Alder ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 May 95 16:30:21 PDT From: aterry@teknowledge.com (Allan Terry) Subject: Batiste and handkerchief linen Many heirloom sewing suppliers carry batiste and other sheer cotton fabrics, especially in white and pastels. I've mentioned the Linen Fabric World (not an heirloom sewing supplier, they carry linen in several weights) several times on this list. I've never bought from them but have swatch samples. I keep meaning to buy some of their handkerchief linen to have on hand, because it's the best quality I've ever seen. It is called Caracas, is available in several shades of white and off-white, and is evenly woven. It is 59" wide and sells at $17.60/yard. (I find that Lacis is generally pricey.) I've posted the Linen Fabric World address before, but here it is again: Linen Fabric World 1246 Bird Road Miami, FL 33146 (305) 663-1577 Britex Fabrics carries sheer cottons and linens as well as many other fabrics. I wasn't happy with the handkerchief linen I bought there a few months ago because the weave was too uneven. They have some good batistes. They have lots of lightweight machine-embroidered cottons, some of which are small florals suitable for Regency dresses, and some of which are eyelets suitable for Victorian dresses and petticoats. They have a swatching service as well as selling at the store. Their address is: Britex Fabrics 146 Geary Street San Francisco, CA 94108 (415) 392-2910 Fran Grimble ------------------------------ From: KATHLEEN@ANSTEC.COM Date: Tue, 30 May 95 10:00:00 EST Subject: Re: Brave Heart Depends on whether you are portraying a Lowlander or a Highlander. Lowlanders wore what the English wore (surprise, surprise). I will check my sources later today to see what I can find about 14th century Highlanders and women's clothing. BTW, William Wallace was a Lowlander; therefore, he WOULD NOT have been wearing tartan, woad or braided hair. So much for poetic license. back to you later on the other stuff. Kathleen kathleen@anstec.com ------------------------------ From: KATHLEEN@ANSTEC.COM Date: Tue, 30 May 95 10:25:00 EST Subject: Re: Colonial Lady's Day Dress For Karri, regarding lady's day dresses: First of all, a lady probably would not wera a wig, so stick to your own hair and a mobcap. Secondly, check drapery shops for materials and patterns. The patterns they wore back then we now sit on and use as drapes. If you have access to Barbara Johnson's book (I'm sure some one on the list will have the citation; I'm at work and don't have access to it), check out the materials and patterns shown in it. It's a swatch book the lady kept from the 1740s or so into the 1820s. Invaluable for research. Polished cottons were popular. Plain linens (it was difficult, if not impossible to make printed linens at the time, which is why printed Indian cottons were so popular); blends of linen/cotton, linen/wool, linen/cotton/wool, all of the above woven with silk, etc. Hope this helps. Kathleen kathleen@anstec.com ------------------------------ From: KATHLEEN@ANSTEC.COM Date: Tue, 30 May 95 10:30:51 EST Subject: Re[2]: Italian Ren. gowns? As far as I know, the Jacqueline Herald book on Itlaian renaissance dress has been out of print for a long time. If this is NOT the case, please let me know. I'd like to get a copy of it. Thanks. Kathleen kathleen@anstec.com ------------------------------ From: KATHLEEN@ANSTEC.COM Date: Tue, 30 May 95 10:41:00 EST Subject: Re: Medieval Costume book I've seen that book and it's interesting because it contains Eastern European stuff, as well as the more common Western clothing and weapons. Is it still or again in print? I thought it had been out of print for a long time. Wagner also did a book on the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) that's wonderful. It, alas, is also out of print. Kathleen kathleen@anstec.com ------------------------------ From: KristieGr@aol.com Date: Tue, 30 May 1995 12:47:26 -0400 Subject: Gloves I am looking for information on making gloves. I have tried and tried to make my own pattern, but I am not succeeding too well. Can anyone help? Kristie ------------------------------ Date: 30 May 1995 13:31:09 -0400 (EDT) From: Library - Vineland Research Station Subject: more batiste, linen and thanks to Fran Thanks for the information about Linen Fabric World. I've roved 'round many Canadian fabric stores, but find that their "heirloom" batiste is nowhere near as fine and transparent as the LACIS fabric. Guess I'll have to check out Linen Fabric World's swatches. I've been interested in handkerchief linen too. One concern - most machine embroidered cottons I've seen are obviously using shiney polyester thread. I also find machine embroidered fabrics usually look it - nothing like hand embroidery. Thanks for the information again, Fran. Sheridan Alder ------------------------------ From: BPH3213@ACS.TAMU.EDU Date: Tue, 30 May 1995 13:23:35 -0500 (CDT) Subject: Printed linen, 18th century Cottons (especially from India) were certainly the most commonly printed cloth of the 18th century, and easier to print than linen, but linens were also printed. Among the evidence for linen printing is a report on the premiums paid in Ireland for textile production in 1765. Both wood block and copper plate printers were given cash rewards for certain production amounts. These can be found on page 20 of _The Application of the Money Granted by Parliament in the Year 1765, to the Dublin Society, for the Encouragement of Certain Trades and Manufactures_. The Royal Dublin Society, S. Powell, printer, Dublin 1766. (available on microfilm through Goldsmith's Library series). Bryan H bph3213@acs.tamu.edu ------------------------------ From: BPH3213@ACS.TAMU.EDU Date: Tue, 30 May 1995 13:38:48 -0500 (CDT) Subject: B. Johnson's swatch book (1746-1823) Kathleen mentioned Barbara Johnson's swatch book. Here is a citation for anyone who would like to track it down: Johnson, Barbara. Album, England, 1746-1823. Victoria and Albert Museum, T219-1973, London. This would be for the original, I don't know about a reprint but if anyone knows an ISBN for a reprint, I'd like to see it posted. There are also several swatch books listed in Florence Montgomery's _Textiles in America_. Some of those may be available in (photographic) reprints. Having just returned from a trip to Williamsburg and examining original clothing with Linda Baumgarten (textile curator there), I can say no photo in the world can replace being able to see the cloth with your eyes, and perhaps feel the texture. So, I pose this question to the list. Is there anywhere one can obtain swatch samples from a modern manufacturer, who makes cloths similar to those we discuss on the list? If not, is there any single (photo) swatch book that is in print that anyone highly recommends for mid 18th c cloth types? Thanks, Bryan H bph3213@acs.tamu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 1995 12:56:03 -0700 (PDT) From: Gwen Carnegi Subject: Book search (14th cent?) Saluations all; I'm on a search for a copy of a book from the V&A (published by Her Majesty's Stationary?) on pouchs, belts and sword hangers from 13th to 15th century. It had some of the best documention I've seen yet. I have had a chance to view it some months ago by haven't found it in print anywhere.....sigh;) I know it's part a series that includes a wonderful book on footwear. Does anyone know of a way to order it or should I just put it in my mental filing cabinet called "out of print"? Thanks- Gwyn Carnegie "Unexpected changes in travel plans are dancing lessons from God". ------------------------------ From: VICKI@lib.uttyl.edu Date: Tue, 30 May 1995 15:54:47 -0500 (CDT) Subject: 19th century swatches, too Some of the best 18th century swatches for unprinted fabrics that I have seen have come from Kathleen Smith's Textile Reproductions. I would like to extend Bryan H's request to also include mid-19th century fabrics, particularly silks, woolens, and something that would pass for silk/wool blends. I think that I can come up with white or black solid silk taffetas from places like Thai silks, but what about those gorgeous stripes, plaids, and woven ribbon silks, and also those border printed airy cotton muslins? How about cotton, woolen, or cotton/woolen homespuns of good weight and weave, for those who do Confederate reproduction dresses? Is all of that (pardon the saying) "gone with the wind"? :-) (I just couldn't help it! :-) ) Vicki Betts University of Texas at Tyler vicki@lib.uttyl.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 95 20:26:29 PDT From: aterry@teknowledge.com (Allan Terry) Subject: Books, cloth, and supplies Someone (I no longer have the message) inquired about fabric for informal 18th-century day dresses. I'd recommend a printed cotton. Appropriate prints are, as someone mentioned, most available as drapery fabrics. I think the best procedure would be to look at books to get an idea of appropriate prints; go to a sewing store that sells drapery fabrics, or, if there is none such locally, an upholstery/drapery shop willing to let you order fabric without hiring them to make curtains; and buy a pattern that both resembles one of the right date in a book _and_ is not too large for the human body in terms of motif and repeat. Some titles of books with lots of pictures of 18th- and 19th-century fabrics (which someone else asked about): _Fabric of Society: A Century of People and Their Clothes 1770-1870_, by Jane Tozer and Sarah Levitt. Manchester: Laura Ashley 1983. _The Victoria and Albert Museum's Textile Collection: Woven Textile Design in England to 1750, by Natalie Rothstein. New York: Abbeville Press, 1994. _The Victoria and Albert Museum's Textile Collection: Design for Printed Textiles in England from 1750 to 1850_, by Wendy Hefford. New York: Abbeville Press, 1992. _The Victoria and Albert Museum's Textile Collection: Woven Textile Design in England from 1750 to 1850_, by Natalie Rothstein. New York: Abbeville Press, 1994. _The Victoria and Albert Museum's Textile Collection: British Textiles from 1850 to 1900_, by Linda Parry. New York: Abbeville Press, 1993. You can tell the last four books are part of a series. They are full-color quality paperbacks, quite available and, at about $25 apiece, reasonably priced. Another reprinted swatch book is _18th-Century Textiles in the Anders Berch Collection at the Nordiska Museet_ edited by Elisabeth Stavenow-Hidemark. It is in the Tidy's Storehouse catalog, described as 280 pages, 368 color photos of fabric swatches, $195.00. I remember a review saying the swatches were from several European countries. I ordered the book from Tidy's when I saw it in their catalog. They held onto my check for several months and, after I'd inquired twice about my order, returned the check uncashed with a note saying they'd get the book in sometime this summer. However, Moe's Books in Berkeley actually has this book in the flesh. They give a 10% discount on all new books and don't charge shipping if you go there. They have a WEB site called "Virtual Moe's" so I assume they sell by mail, but I didn't keep the net address. About Regency fabrics: Many of the Britex embroidered cottons don't look, at least, as though they were embroidered with synthetic thread. And not all of them look mechanical; in any case simple machine embroidery was done during this period. You do have to tell the Britex staff exactly what you want, even when you're in the store. They know nothing about historic fabrics. Last time I told a helpful employee I was looking for a Regency style fine white cotton with a small floral or geometric motif, they pulled out a fine white cotton with cute little kittens all over it. One source of authentic-looking Regency fabrics is hand- and machine-embroidered fabrics of the early 20th century. "Edwardian whites" consciously imitated Regency fabrics and styles. I know one dealer in antique textiles who sells Edwardian fabrics, including unpicked Edwardian dresses and very sophisticated machine embroidery, as _real_ Regency. I have some very fine Regency-looking plain batiste yardage I bought years ago from a mail-order company called Testfabrics. They specialized in all-cotton untreated fabrics for fiber artists. I've seen their ads, in the fairly recent past, in _Sew News_ and _Threads_, so they may still be in business. About Victorian fabrics: Some of the Thai silks (as a type, not just from the store of that name) are very good. I've seen a wide range of plain colored silks, many stripes and plaids, and not all Thai silks are slubby. I recently bought a Thai silk plaid, which I was not shopping for, because it screamed "1850s day dress." One way to get a border fabric for flounces and so on is to piece a patterned fabric to a plain fabric the same color as one of the colors in the pattern. I've seen this in photos of more than one surviving 1850s dress (I could see the piecing seams in the photos). The pieced borders were stripes and plaids and looked quite convincing. I'd think a more irregular design would be harder to piece, but maybe you could applique it on top of the plain fabric rather than using a straight seam. Someone asked about a book, part of a series, on medieval pouches, etc. This may be _Dress Accessories c. 1150-c. 1450_, by Geoff Egan and Frances Pritchard. The series is Medieval Finds from Excavations in London and is published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) in London. Other books in the series, with different authors, are _Shoes and Pattens_, _Textiles and Clothing_, and _Knives and Scabbards_. Your best bet for getting these is to special order through a bookstore that will order from England (university bookstores are most willing to deal with foreign orders). Fran Grimble ------------------------------ From: KristieGr@aol.com Date: Tue, 30 May 1995 23:40:28 -0400 Subject: Re: Gloves Thanks for the information. But, what is FIT in NY??? ------------------------------ End of Volume 315 -----------------------