From: owner-h-costume-digest (H-Costume Digest) To: h-costume-digest@lunch.engr.sgi.com Subject: H-Costume Digest V3 #162 Reply-To: h-costume Errors-To: owner-h-costume-digest@lunch.engr.sgi.com Precedence: bulk H-Costume Digest Wednesday, August 16 1995 Volume 3, Number 162 Important Addresses: Submissions to the list: h-costume@lunch.engr.sgi.com (or reply to this message). Adds/removes/archives: majordomo@lunch.engr.sgi.com Real, live person: h-costume-request@andrew.cmu.edu Topics: Making vs. Purchasing Re: Making vs. Purchasing Any Victorian Groups? Making shoes Re: Historic Costume Digest V3 #161 Fireproof clothing for historic cooking european museums Shoe vender Uniforms! re:Uniforms! - WWI British Officers Re: Making vs. Purchasing People Who Dress Historical web sites WWI uniforms and information schools for costume design ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 11 Aug 95 16:55:04 TZ From: Edward Wright Subject: Making vs. Purchasing | The problem with Mr. Wright's request is that this | list is about *recreating* historic costume, not buying it, and many of | the members make their own shoes too. There simply might not be anyone | on the list who buys ready-made shoes! | | Those looking for ready-made, or _existing_ vintage, sources of shoes | and boots, may have better luck finding sources by asking on the Vintage | Clothing and Costume Jewelry mailing list. H-costume is about _making_ | clothing; Vintage is about _locating_ existing stuff. Here's the info | on that list: I seriously doubt that "many" members of this list make their own shoes, with the possible exception of cloth shoes and moccasins. Making a good-quality leather shoe requires very good leather-working skills, as well as tools and equipment that are hard to come by today. Anyone who invests the time and money necessary to begin making shoes is likely to sell them as well to recoup at least part of that investment. (I have a friend who is trying to make shoes right now. I found a partial set of tools for him, which I'm sure would have cost a pretty penny if they hadn't belonged to my father. They were not made in this century.) I also doubt that I would be likely to find vintage 16th Century shoes, except in a museum, and I would be absolutely astonished to find a pair that were still in wearable condition. You seem to imply that "recreating" historic costume means making every single component yourself. I don't believe that this is a realistic standard. How many people make their own buttons? (I do, but most people I know don't.) Their own gloves? Jewelry? Belt buckles? I know many women on this list make their own corsets, but most do not make their own corset bones. What about fabric? How many people weave their own cloth? Spin their own thread? I think you would be hard pressed to find a historical recreation costume that doesn't contain something that was purchased. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Aug 1995 17:39:25 -0700 (PDT) From: close (Diane Barlow Close) Subject: Re: Making vs. Purchasing > I seriously doubt that "many" members of this list make their own > shoes, with the possible exception of cloth shoes and moccasins. You'd be surprised! It's a topic that's come up previously and I was certainly surprised by the number of "do it from scratch" folks out there. > You seem to imply that "recreating" historic costume means making every > single component yourself. I don't believe that this is a realistic No, I'm merely saying that the vintage clothing list has a lot more people interested in locating ready-made sources for things, shoes included. That topic popped up on that list before, too. I was suggesting an alternative place to ask your question; one where you might get more replies based on the types of people subscribed to that list (I used to run that list, so I am very familiar with it) since you weren't getting any good replies here. - -- Diane Close close@lunch.engr.sgi.com I'm at lunch all day. :-) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Aug 1995 23:01:21 -0400 (EDT) From: BARBARASHU@delphi.com Subject: Any Victorian Groups? Is there a group which specializes in clothing of the Victorian period (or does re-enactments)? Thanks, Barbara ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Aug 95 21:23:44 PDT From: Allan Terry Subject: Making shoes I agree with Edward Wright that in most cases it is impossible to make _all_ components of one's costume. Most reenactors don't have the time required to do all the tasks. Or to become competent in the wide variety of necessary skills (spinning, weaving, dyeing, sewing, tailoring, embroidery, milllinery, lacemaking, and many more). And historically--OK, "historically" is a broad term, but--in most times and places a number of specialists have performed various stages of clothing production. No one was ashamed of hiring them or buying their products. I don't think we should be, either. I think it's important that shoes--at least shoes to be worn outdoors or for any length of time--be made to professional standards. There are some very painful conditions that can result from badly fitted shoes. My mother has two completely fallen arches from wearing cheap unrationed shoes during World War II. Her feet are so deformed they wear holes in the sides of her shoes and she limps. Other conditions include bunions (which can get bad enough to require surgery), corns, and painful blisters and chafed areas. Edward--if you haven't found any better sources, I'd suggest that you try ordering your shoes from Amazon. They are expensive, but I can attest they do last well, and continue to look good, through hard wear. Fran Grimble ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Aug 1995 20:38:19 -0700 From: jmoody@community.net (Jane Moody) Subject: Re: Historic Costume Digest V3 #161 Fireproof clothing for historic cooking >Date: Thu, 10 Aug 1995 19:57:32 -0700 >From: cynthia@caere.com >Subject: Fireproof clothing for historic cooking > > I'm looking for, an unable to find a citation on, > wool petticoats or skirts or aprons as a fire > retardant fabric. Subject: burning wool Hi I hope this is what you are looking for. The dressmakers bible of fabrics (so I'm told) is Claire Shaeffer's "Fabric Sewing Guide". One way to identify the fiber in an unknown fabric sample is called the burn test. 'The Guide' has a chart on page 6 for interpreting the results of a burn test. You will be pleased to know that wool is the only listed fiber that is called 'self-extinguishing'. Silk comes in second with a burns "..slowly, sputters; usually self-extinguishing". Hope this helps. Janie :) The difference between truth and fiction is that fiction has to make sense. -- Mark Twain Janie :) Sometimes it is necessary to duel with skunks, but no one should be foolish enough to let the skunks choose the weapons. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Aug 1995 22:55:51 -0700 (PDT) From: "erin k. gault" Subject: european museums Next spring my friend and I will be traveling to Europe for at least 3 months. We are planning on studying the different clothing collections of the many museums. I have seen the book Janet Arnold put out with all the references to museums but I'm wondering if anybody has studied at any of the museums. Which museums are really nice about making appointments to view the clothing privately and which are the easiest to deal with? Thanks for any help or suggestions. ***************************************************************** * Erin K. Gault Evergreen State College * * Eglentyne de Gaulle College of Witt's Haven * * Barony of Glymm Mere, Kingdom of An Tir * * e-mail: gaulte@elwha.evergreen.edu * ***************************************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Aug 95 11:33:55 EST From: ccuccherini@casde.com Subject: Shoe vender In response to Edward's posting about shoes, I went to a Civil War Reenactment two weekends ago and ran into a shoemaker who does mid-19th century shoes. The quality and authenticity of his shoes was better than Amazon and much more reasonably priced. I ended up buying a pair. He did not have a card or a flyer with his new address on it, but said that he was taking names and addresses and would send the information. When he sends the information I will pass it along. Respectfully, Carolyn A. Cuccherini ccuccherini@casde.com Alexandria, Va. U.S.A. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Aug 1995 17:33:51 +0100 (BST) From: PM035@lampeter.ac.uk Subject: Uniforms! Wanted- a modern reference guide to British WW1 uniforms, especially Officers uniforms. Any assistance much appreciated. N.J. ------------------------------ Date: 14 Aug 1995 14:02:42 -0400 (EDT) From: Library - Vineland Research Station Subject: re:Uniforms! - WWI British Officers Hello N.J.: My husband has gone total immersion in WWI for almost a year now, so I'm sure he can recommend some good sources. If you are interested in having a coat made, there is a someone in Britain doing super work at a reasonable price. (Well, I thought $300 Canadian for that detail and quality good value.) We also have a list of WWI groups in North America, if anyone else out there is interested. Many state that they have patterns, etc. Sheridan Alder library@onrsvi.agr.ca ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Aug 95 10:38:03 TZ From: Edward Wright Subject: Re: Making vs. Purchasing | Also, is there a group which specializes in clothing of the | Victorian period (or does re-enactments)? The city of Galveston, Texas sponsors Dickens on the Strand every year in December (first week, I believe). There's also a Dickens Fair somewhere in California. I've also heard that the Baker Street Irregulars sometimes hold events in costume. Also, if there are any groups in your area that own and preserve historic buildings, they may have costumed volunteers. By "Victorian period" do you mean specifically Victorian England, or do you include the US? If it's the later, there are any number of Civil War groups, frontier groups, etc. that overlap with this era. ------------------------------ Date: 14 Aug 1995 17:16:08 U From: "Carole Newson-Smith" Subject: People Who Dress Historical 8/14/95 5:14 PM People Who Dress Historically The San Francisco area Dickens Fair was moved to Sacramento a couple of years ago, which seems to have finished it off. Mind you, I'm an outsider and it may be re-surfacing this coming season. There is a historic house built in the latter 1800s on the Oakland, Calif. border, once owned by a family named Dunsmuir. The house is open on weekends for tours and there are volunteers, standing about in historic costume, who are reasonably well informed as to the house's history. Carole Newson-Smith (SCA: Cordelia Toser) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Aug 1995 18:41:43 -0700 From: fishcat@hooked.net (Trystan L. Bass) Subject: web sites For those who have web access, you are welcome to check out my new web page which has a modest collection of costume-related links (plus some info. specific to SF Bay Area costumers). The URL is http://www.hooked.net/users/fishcat/costume.html And if you know of more costume web sites, please tell me so I can include them! I am esp. interested in ones with pictures.... - --Trystan fishcat@hooked.net @->->-- Trystan L. Bass --<-<-@ TrystBass@aol.com http://www.hooked.net/users/fishcat/ ------------------------------ Date: 15 Aug 1995 12:42:29 -0400 (EDT) From: Library - Vineland Research Station Subject: WWI uniforms and information Greetings Great War fans: If you are intersted in getting a copy of a list of WWI reenactors in the U.S., please give me your addresses and I will mail it (it's too long to type). You could also let me know what state you're interested in. Sorry, I don't see Texas here, but new groups form all the time. Most of these groups seem to provide either uniforms or patterns. My husband recommends that British reenactors contact the: Great War Society Tom Hill, Chairman 316 Westmount Road Eltham, London Se9 1NL 081 856 8951 They produce a newsletter and had several events. David's been concentrating on the private soldier. Most works on WWI will include photographs of the period, although details are difficult to make out. Two books he does recommend are: Mirouze, Laurent. World War I Infantry in colour photographs.Europa Militaria no. 3. London: Windrow & Greene, 1990. ISBN: 1-872004-25-3 This covers British, German, French, Russian, Austrian, Italian, American and Belgian, front and back. Chappell, Mike. The British soldier in the 20th century. Personal Equipment 1903-1937. Wessex Miliary Publishing, 1A High Street, Hatherleigh, Devon, EX20 eJH 3JH. ISBN: 1-870489-06-2. You should also try to check out back issues of Military Illustrated and Militaria. They've both covered aspects of WWI. Out house is perpetually strewn with issues each time David decided to re-check something. I'll post more as I get more information. Sheridan Alder library@onrsvi.agr.ca Sorry about the mess - I have to do the fun stuff on my lunch hour at work. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 12:21:37 -0400 (EDT) From: JOHN RICH Subject: schools for costume design hello to whom ever is out there! I am a high school student entering my senior year desperatly trying to get any information on the field of costume design. Some of the schools that I am considering are Boston University, Carnegi Mellon, North Carolina School of the Arts, Northwestern, and Yale. I am also considering design schools like MASS Art, Parsons, FIT, Pratt, and RISD. If someone can give me some help it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Alison Rich ------------------------------ End of H-Costume Digest V3 #162 ******************************* A non-digest (direct mail) version of this list is also available; to subscribe to that instead, send the command lines: unsubscribe h-costume-digest subscribe h-costume end in the body of a message to majordomo@lunch.engr.sgi.com. Thanks and enjoy the list!