From: owner-h-costume-digest (H-Costume Digest) To: h-costume-digest@lunch.engr.sgi.com Subject: H-Costume Digest V3 #207 Reply-To: h-costume Errors-To: owner-h-costume-digest@lunch.engr.sgi.com Precedence: bulk H-Costume Digest Friday, September 29 1995 Volume 3, Number 207 Compilation copyright (C) 1995 Diane Barlow Close and Gretchen Miller Use in whole prohibited. Individual articles are the property of the author. Seek permission from that author before reprinting or quoting elsewhere. Important Addresses: Send submissions to: h-costume@lunch.engr.sgi.com (or reply to this message). Adds/drops/archives: majordomo@lunch.engr.sgi.com Real, live person: h-costume-request@andrew.cmu.edu Topics: British Book Wish List Early medieval women's tunics re: french hood Books to bring home from the UK Re: Knitting Re: Alcega's Pattern book Re: British Book Wish List New book RE: Men's Shirt - Approx 1780 Re: 1840s ballgowns RE: Men's Shirt - Approx 1780 RE: Alcega's Pattern book Re: 1848-1852 Ballgowns Books 1880's Dress Subject: Coloured Leather ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 29 Sep 95 10:09:31 EDT From: "Dawn T. Jacobson" <74647.1271@compuserve.com> Subject: British Book Wish List Help! 8-) A friend is going to England in early November, and has asked each of us for a "wish list" of books we might like to see under the Christmas tree this year. Any suggestions of books meeting the following criteria: They must be about historical costuming/clothing (preferably 1600-1900). They must be scholarly. They must not be available in the U.S. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. TIA! Dawn Jacobson 74674.1271@compuserve.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 95 09:36 CDT From: ROBERT@UIAMVS.WEEG.UIOWA.EDU Subject: Early medieval women's tunics I will try to clarify the "coloring" that I have seen on the black and white reproduction of the Stuttgart Psalter. The Owen-Crocker drawing shows a double horizontal line at mid-calf. In the Psalter, this appears to be a dark band going from that line to the hem (there is no double line that I could see). The same dark band is at the wrist. Just above the wrist it is a light color, as is the body of tunic and the section that I am curious about at the top. Given this coloring, I don't see it as a cloak, but if you still think it is possible, I will try harder to visualize it and change my preconceived ideas. Thanks for your input.! > > I only have access to the Owen-Crocker line-drawing, but from looking atat > at it, another _possible_ explanation occurs. I note that there is a > horizontal double-line shown on the skirts about mid-calf. This and the e > horizontal line across the chest might be defining part of the cloak-likike > draperies, passed across the lap, rather than being part of the body > garments. Again, a color version of the picture would probably help to > disambiguate this, but it seems to be one of the standard conventions ofof > seated figures in early medieval art to have the wrap passed over the lalap. > lap. > > Heather Rose Jones > ****************************** Wendy Robertson Serials Cataloging University of Iowa (319) 335-5894 wendy-robertson@uiowa.edu ****************************** ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 1995 08:35:15 -0700 From: Barb@DISTANT-CARAVANS.reno.nv.us (Barbara Morgan) Subject: re: french hood Hello, Kimberly Smay wrote: >Recently some folks have suggested methods of constructing a french hood. >I will argue with the measurements etc., but the materials are a bit >chancy. Rather than use coat hanger wire to build the frame, try to track >down milliners wire. barring that you could use heavy florists wire. >pieces can be grafted together or made heavier using florists tape. Once >your basic frame is made it can be covered with buckrum attached using >grosgrain ribbon around the wire. The ribbon can be glued(i use rubber >cement) or sewn. An earlier post mentioned buckrums tendency to wilt in >the rain, but when wired it is quite sturdy. One can create virtually any >shape hat using this method and then cover the resulting form with >fabric, paint or another desired material. > I've used plastic needle point canvas unstead of buckram. You have to use two layers of cloth to cover it if your using white, and I duck tape my millinary wire around the edges. Use tape sparingly because it will make the hat heavy. Yes, I know it's not peroid, but neither is cramming all of your stuff into you car, and traveling hours on end just to play dress up for the weekend. At least my french hood holds up even after being smached, being rained on, and numeroius other thing that would have distroyed a buckram based hat. Because of my basic lack of servants to see to my wardrobe all of the stuff I make has to stand up to the worst conditions. Amaryllis aka:Barb e-mail: Barb@DISTANT-CARAVANS.reno.nv.us http://www.greatbasin.com/~caravan/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 1995 11:21:35 -0500 From: mschulte@post.its.mcw.edu Subject: Books to bring home from the UK Until a generous friend gave me the copy she found in Britian 15 years ago, the book that capped all of my want lists for years and years was: _Elizabethan Embroidery_ by George Wingfield Digby (1963) It has the best (and most - 84 to be exact) plates of Elizabethan needlework that I have ever seen. I believe (but am not sure) that the author was the Keeper of the Textiles at the V&A. This appears to have been an exhibit catalogue of some sort. It covers bags and purses, table clothes, pillows, collars, chalice covers, and handerkerchiefs - to name just a few. The book includes a small bibliography, general text regarding objects of the era, and specific descriptions of the objects as well as photographs. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 95 13:08:56 -0700 From: Martha Underwood Subject: Re: Knitting In message you write: >On 27 Sep 1995, Dawn T. Jacobson wrote: > >I know that a number of sources mention items made with this technique >(sometimes called with the Scandinavian term "Nalebindung") in >association with knitting, but I think that is rather misleading. >Typologically, the technique is much more closely related to some types >of needle-lace! Margarethe Hald's book on early Danish textiles gives >detailed instructions for this technique, including elaborate diagrams. Could you, or someone, post more information about this book? I would greatly appreciate it. Martha Underwood - -- Martha "Dream Dancer" Underwood ddancer@netcom.com Five(!) cats and a Needlework shop........Talk about an interesting life! Owner of: Natural Stitches: Knitting, Crochet, Cross-Stitch and more A Pittsburgh Needlework Shop ------------------------------ Date: 29 Sep 1995 10:18:37 U From: "Carole Newson-Smith" Subject: Re: Alcega's Pattern book Reply to: RE>Alcega's Pattern book Well, what I do, at least while working from other books, may be the opposite of enlarging the little bitty drawing to fit. But then, I'm convinced that I'm not the same size and shape as the person who wore the original garment. First, I photocopy the drawing, enlarging it as much as I can. I look at the dimensions of each piece, measure myself in those areas shown on the drawing, add a couple of inches for ease, and write the measurements down on the photocopy . (I was trained young not to mark in my books.) When I've got all the measurements written down, I get down on the floor with a yardstick and a magic marker and start sketching out the shape - from the copy with my measurements - onto several sheets of newspaper which have been previously taped together. When I have all the shapes drawn, I cut them out and tape them to each other enough that I can try on the paper garment. Then I can start altering. When I get fairly close to what may be a fit, then I transfer the pattern pieces to unbleached muslin and add seam allowance. Carole Newson-Smith ------------------------------ Date: 29 Sep 1995 10:25:21 U From: "Carole Newson-Smith" Subject: Re: British Book Wish List Reply to: RE>British Book Wish List Dawn, My time period of interest is a bit earlier than your friend's, so I'm not familiar with specific titles or authors, but there are certain places to go that should be extremely worth while. Her Majesty's Stationery in London, the Victoria and Albert Museum bookstore in London, British Museum in London, and the National Heritage shops all come to mind. Carole Newson-Smith ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 1995 14:20:39 -0500 (CDT) From: VICKI@lib.uttyl.edu Subject: New book I have just received my copy of _Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans & Fashion, 1840-1900_, by Joan Severa. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press. ISBN 0-87338-512-8. price roughly $70.00. 592 pages, 8 1/2" x 11". If you have ever had any interest in this period, order this book, or at least request it as a Christmas present. Ms. Severa has combed libraries, archives, and museums from coast to coast for these daguerreotypes and photographs of all sorts of civilians--men, women, children, white, black, Hispanic, Chinese, half-Chippewa, miners, mill girls, nurses, studio shots and casual, both inside and out. Each decade is preceded by a long essay. For example, the 1860's includes: the effects of war, emigration, the sewing machine and other aids, fashions for women, accessories, undergarments, wraps, mourning dress, reform dress, headgear, footwear, men's fashions, headgear, children's styles, and summary. Then 55 photographs with full descriptions of the clothing portrayed for that decade. The bibliograph is 10 1/2 pages of published and unpublished sources, and the index looks very complete. I haven't had a chance to read it in detail yet, but it seems to be a truly outstanding work. I wish it didn't cost so much, but the money was well spent in the wonderful clarity of the photographs. If you can't afford it right now, and it is not likely to show up under your Christmas tree, see if your library will order a copy for itself, or allow enough time for other libraries to acquire it and request it on interlibrary loan. It is well worth the trouble. Vicki Betts vicki@lib.uttyl.edu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 1995 14:30:28 -0500 (CDT) From: Deb Subject: RE: Men's Shirt - Approx 1780 I do RevWar re=enactment, and have made several guy's shirts. Didn't use the pattern you refer to, but the "4 rectangles and a few triangles" sounds identical. 0) "3m exactly of material" DO allow another 1/4 or 1/2 yard for shrinkage! And DO preshrink before you cut out the pieces. But you sew already - you know that! 1) I've always used plain old muslin, either bleached or un. (Hmm ... "3 m of fabric" ... are you British? Shall I add that muslin might be called calico where you are?) 2) wrist: measure those rectangles for the sleeves. I belive they are PLENTY wide to get the wrist through with neither a placket nor a gap between the cuff sides. But measure the guy in question, and follow your instincts. If he needs more space, I'd go with a slash (not a real placket). The neck slash on my pattern is about 8" deep, and you just turn under 1/4" and sew it down -- and finesse the end of the slash. I'd do the same on the wrist (3" slash) if I needed to. 3) No fastening up the front. One button at collar. Button hole on collar if desired, or a thread/fabric loop to button into. 4) The underarm gussets work better as diamonds. My pattern shows them all as diamonds, with some being folded in half (to become triangles). 5) nasty tricks: None much. Finesse the neck slash: turn the edges, and put a small wedge of fabric at bottom to prevent rip-out. Frequently this is a heart shaped piece, but a wedge would do fine too. Does your pattern tell how far to sew the shoulder seams, and how much of the fabric gets gathered into the collar? I could go home and get you more details from my source, if you like. Actually, I need to start one of these shirts myself this weekend. It might make a nice wedding present for a friend, if I get around to starting (and finishing) it. <============================================================> < Deb Baddorf baddorf@fnal.gov Costumer, RevWar re-enactor Chicago area ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 1995 15:42:37 -0400 From: Gaelscot@aol.com Subject: Re: 1840s ballgowns Yesterday, Monica Shen wrote asking for advice on making mid-1800s ballgowns. Here is my little wisdom, for what it's worth. I was briefly in a vintage dance company, for which I made a ballgown out of very light cotton as my "test" garment. I never got to the "real" garment. 1) Amazon Dry Goods has some excellent patterns. Buy them and use them, don't try to make any up. These look and feel great, and have detailed instructions on finishing, including many ways to trim and personalize the gowns. 2) Make sure everyone makes and wears corsets. The above mentioned company has patterns for these too, and they are not difficult to make OR uncomfortable. Without the corset as a foundation garment, the ballgown bodice will not fit with the correct smooth, unwrinkled look. 3) Cartridge pleating is not necessary. Regular pleating will do fine. 4) I did not have the time to make the correct petticoats (rows and rows of ruffles up and down the whole length--ugh! Here's what I did for a quick fix: I wore one petticoat, and on top of it I wore a hoop skirt with only the center hoop in -- I took out the bottom ones. On top of THAT, I wore a short petticoat made of old drapery sheers (I just happened to have a bunch) on a 6-inch yoke with a drawstring closure. In the front, there are about six layers of cloth, all knee-length. In the back there are more layers. The bottom is knee-lenght, the next two about 6 inches shorter, and so on. It looks and works like a bustle. I wish I could say that I made this up, but someone else suggested it. This gives the dress a bell shape and is very light and easy to wear. Also, I fully lined the skirt with organdy, which gives it a little stiffness. 5) Use silk if you can. Get the Thai silk swatches and order it -- it's not much more than a lot of other "cheap" fabrics. You won't believe how light it is--a gown with loads of ruffles weighs nothing and floats like a dream. It's not as delicate as you think. Monica, if you want the pattern numbers and names that I used (I recommend them highly!), let me know and I'll e-mail you directly. Gail Finke gaelscot@aol.com PS Thanks to all for the lorgnette suggestions. To answer all your questions: no, I can't wear contacts. Long story, trust me on this. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 1995 14:45:06 -0500 (CDT) From: Deb Subject: RE: Men's Shirt - Approx 1780 Oops - forgot -- meant to add this: 1) fabric type: depends on the intended usage. My shirts have been intended for soldiers, so plain muslin (calico?) was ideal. For a fine shirt intended to be worn with a dress suit, a finer fabric might be desired, but you'll have to pick your own weight. 2) oh - i see what you mean. Now that you mention it, I recall that my instructions have you leave the sleeve seam undone for 3-4 inches. You narrow-hem the seam allowance, and use this as the sleeve opening (instead of a placket). <============================================================> < Deb Baddorf baddorf@fnal.gov Costumer, RevWar re-enactor ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 95 13:06:02 TZ From: Edward Wright Subject: RE: Alcega's Pattern book | Just *how* do you go about determining what the scale is on those | ittty-bitty drawings so that you can enlarge them to fit real people? Determining the scale is easy. For each pattern, Alcega gives the width of the fabric that it is meant to be cut out on. So, just measure the width as it appears on the page and divide by the stated width of the cloth. You'll have to convert to modern units, of course, unless you have a measuring stick that's marked in baras. :-) Sizing the patterns is a bit harder. Once you have determined the scale, you can measure the width, chest, etc. to determine the size of the garment, then make adjustments according. However, you'll have to be familiar enough with the general style of garment to make some educated guesses as to the amount of ease to allow. There is a book by Robert Trump, called "A Spanish Rennaissance Doublet and Hose" that details constructing these garments from Alcega's patterns. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 95 13:15:16 TZ From: Edward Wright Subject: Re: 1848-1852 Ballgowns | The only fabric I can think of that looks kinda like silk and is considered | sturdier is nylon. Frankly, I don't think you'd want to use it. This doesn't sound right. The tensile strength of silk fibers is higher than that of steel. Nylon is fairly strong for a plastic, but I doubt it's that strong. Off hand, the only synthetic I can think of that's stronger than silk is Kevlar. (You wouldn't want to use that, either. :-) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 1995 13:49:26 -0700 From: Joan Broneske Subject: Books I was checking out the Drama Publishers Catalog online yesterday and saw = mention of a series of books called "Little Costume Workbook Series". = It listed the following 4" x 6" books in the series: The Little Bodice Book The Little Hatmaking Book The Little Hatmaking Book II and the following forthcoming titles: The Little Hatmaking Book III The Little Corset Construction Book The Little Dressmaking Book They sound pretty good. I was wondering if anyone else knows of these = and if so, are they worth buying? Joan Broneske ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Sep 1995 13:53:07 -0700 From: Joan Broneske Subject: 1880's Dress I would like to know what colors are suitable for an 1880's dress. It = seems that I've seen a lot of black. Was this worn for every day wear, = or just for mourning?=20 Also, any suggestions on how to make a good bustle? From pictures I've = seen the way they are looped and draped looks rather complicated. Thanks, Joan Broneske ------------------------------ Date: 29 Sep 1995 16:42:16 CDT From: "MEQLAN2.AEKATHAN" Subject: Subject: Coloured Leather Krista wrote: >Subject: Coloured Leather >Was dyed leather available in the 12th Century? I mean like black leather >lacing in shirts etc., or was it all just natural? Dyed leather was certainly available, however, the dyes were not the aniline based dyes used for nearly all leather now. Black was available. It is rather unlikely that leather would have been used for shirt lacing unless it was a shirt meant for very rough use. I cannot imagine such a shirt having laces. Others can probably comment more knowledgeably than I on that point. Arthur Kathan ------------------------------ End of H-Costume Digest V3 #207 ******************************* 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!