From: owner-h-costume-digest (H-Costume Digest) To: h-costume-digest@lunch.engr.sgi.com Subject: H-Costume Digest V3 #236 Reply-To: h-costume Errors-To: owner-h-costume-digest@lunch.engr.sgi.com Precedence: bulk H-Costume Digest Tuesday, October 24 1995 Volume 3, Number 236 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: Redyeing Wool Garment, NOT Re: H-Costume Digest V3 #235 The Immovable Hennin Answers Cartridge Pleats: Shirring Tape vs. Hand Gathers wedding rings history Help with Stays! Bound Buttonholes Pinking/Slashing Stumpwork Re: Stumpwork Academic Regalia Bibliography Finding The Bonnie Lass Re: wedding rings history Re: Nettiquette, Shoelaces and Baby Walkers Re: wedding rings history Re: wedding rings history ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 23 Oct 1995 19:20:58 -0400 From: PiranhaBB@aol.com Subject: Redyeing Wool Garment, NOT Well, thanks everybody who responded to my post about redyeing the bobbie costume. All of your enlightened notes convinced my boyfriend that he would rather put up with the black coat than risk a great vintage find. Plus, I told him that he had to do it himself. Now we have to find the rest of his costume. I'm looking for a very good quality reproduction bobbie hat, a small oil lantern that hung off the belt for night duty, 21 Queen's crown buttons (repro are fine), helmet badge and belt buckle, and a rattle (or ratchet alarm.) If anyone is familiar with 19th century police uniforms, I would appreciate some input. Also, does anyone have a source for pince nez glasses or monocles? I haven't even begun to ponder the problems that I might have for _my_ costume yet. Look for my questions soon. Thanks, Lisa PiranhaBB@aol.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 13:16:46 +1000 From: Sarah Randles Subject: Re: H-Costume Digest V3 #235 >Date: Mon, 23 Oct 1995 13:23:58 -0400 >From: Joe Marfice >Subject: Pinking Satin > > >Does anyone have any ideas for ways to pink/slash modern satins and velvets? You can often get away with just pinking modern satin _providing you pink on the bias_. I have seen this done with quite long slashes, and although you get about 2mm of fraying on either side of the slash, it seems to stop itself after that. Test it on your satin before wholesale slashing though. Sarah **************************************************************************** ******** Sarah Randles ser@adminserver.canberra.edu.au Research Office Phone: (06) 201 2955 University of Canberra Fax: (06) 201 5381/5999 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 14:54:00 +1000 From: Sarah Randles Subject: The Immovable Hennin I have successfully made a hennin that doesn't move. The design is conjectural to some extent. Based on one portrait, which shows wires coming down over the ears of the wearer (can't remember it off hand, but it's Flemish and is in Margaret Scott's Late Gothic Europe), I worked from the premise that the loop is also part of a framework. I constructed a wire cap (costuming with a soldering iron) to fit under the hennin. It consists of a circlet around the head, another piece of wire which is folded in half and soldered at each end to the back left and back right of the circlet, with a loop at the front, to form the forehead loop, and another two pieces of wire crossing the middle of the circlet for cross bracing. This provides a hole in the middle through which I can pull a pony tail on the top of my head. The hennin itself is constructed separately from buckram and stiffened at intervasl with "Medieval hat splints" (more commonly found as bamboo skewers) to make a solid hat. (This is important, since other attempts I have seen are too lightweight) The other crucial feature is the loop of fabric at the front of the hennin through which the wire loop passes. The hennin is also secured to the frame at the back with pins. When this contraption is on, I can move my head freely and vigorously and even hang upside down (I tried it from the balcony) and the hennin is not going anywhere. All that remains is to apply that Mercury paste to the forehead for the complete medieval look. (I compromised by plucking my widows peak.) If anyone is interested further, mail me and I will send a set of diagrams. Sarah **************************************************************************** ******** Sarah Randles ser@adminserver.canberra.edu.au Research Office Phone: (06) 201 2955 University of Canberra Fax: (06) 201 5381/5999 ------------------------------ Date: 24 Oct 95 15:29:00 GMT From: Mrs C S Yeldham Subject: Answers First, in answer to Joe's query The period cleaning techniques I have used successfully are 1. Spot cleaning with fullers earth (a fine, dry clay-like powder which absorbs grease very well). 2. Air cleaning - hang outside on a dry windy day. Brilliant for getting rid of smells (esp cigarette smoke). Never used the smoky fire technique for getting rid of fleas - not needed to! Slashing Satin I have been told you can use iron-on fusible interfacing to stop satin fraying, but it is possible to buy fulled wool which resists fraying, so why not use the satin as the fabric which shows beneath the slashed layer? Caroline ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Oct 95 09:14:48 PDT From: julie_adams@corp.Cubic.COM Subject: Cartridge Pleats: Shirring Tape vs. Hand Gathers I was asked the following, but thought others may be asking the same question so...someone asked: >wondered if shirring tape might be a shortcut to getting the >pleats absolutely even. However, you mentioned a "visible lines" >on the skirt, I believe you said around the waist -- is that visible > line from the edge of the tape, the cords, or what? To get the shirring tape to pleat correctly, you must sew it to the fabric along the top and bottom edges of the tape inside the top of the waistband. This ends up looking like 2 rows of topstitching along the top edge of your skirt (about 1/2" to 1" apart depending on the width of the tape). It does lie just at the waist and is somewhat disguised by the pleats themselves, but noticable to me (admittedly paranoid about details). If you use a fine thread on a heavily napped velvet, this may be mitigated in some respects. You want the shirring tape to be the kind that has 3/4" to 1" gathers for most Elizabethans. The tape must be the bottom layer of the top of the skirt (don't fold fabric over the tape). I find that after sewing for so many years that I can eyeball the stitch width I want and just recheck with a ruler every 10 stitches or so to prevent the stitch width creeping up or down. I don't find that missing the width by a 1/16" of an inch or so in that many stitches makes any difference on a 1" gather. It really only takes me about a half hour to 45 minutes to gather a 5 yd skirt. The time consuming part is getting the pleats even and sewing them to the waistband, which you have to do whether you use shirring tape or not. Hopefully this clarifies my "visible lines around the waist" comment:-) julie adams ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 13:00:41 EST5EDT From: EVANKLEY@LEGACY.CALVIN.EDU Subject: wedding rings history Does anyone out there know when the practice of wearing wedding rings began? Did women wear them before men? I'm particularly interested in the 18th C for stage purposes, but would also generally like to know when this practice started. Thanks, Elaine ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 10:20:20 -0700 From: cwood@primenet.com Subject: Help with Stays! Hello: I am trying to make 1870s/early 1880s stays and I am having a devil of a time. I have a pattern from Past Patterns, but I am somewhat of a novice sewer and I am having a hard time trying to figure out how many pieces of boning I need. Any suggestions would be gratefully received as I can't go onto making any clothing until the stays are done, so I am rather stuck! Also I am looking for sources on mid 19th century costume balls. If anyone has any ideas where I might find information on this topic, I would be grateful to hear that as well. Thank you! Cynthia ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 13:55:12 -500 From: "Carol Kocian" Subject: Bound Buttonholes Now that we've figured out eyelets.... I'm looking for more information on the use of bound buttonholes. These are buttonholes that use a piece of fabric to make lips, so they're small versions of a welt pocket. I like making buttonholes this way, because it's faster than hand sewing them and looks neater that machine buttonholes. Unfortunately, I don't know if bound buttonholes were used before the sewing machine was in use! (I'm talking chronologically. A sewing machine is not necessary to make a bound buttonhole.) I would think they were used on tailored menswear of the 19thC & 20thC. I don't have any evidence if this is true & when it began. The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has some of the Duke of Windsor's suits from the 1930's. (I think I have the name right - the man who abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson) Those suits have stitched buttonholes. (I don't recall if they were done by machine or by hand - I was looking for bound buttonholes!) I do remember seeing them on women's suits & coats of the 1930's through 1950's. I was taught that a bound buttonhole was a nicer technique in a tailoring class in 1982. (All women in the class) If it's a nicer technique, why wouldn't the Duke have them? Are they used primarily for heavy coats? While we're at it, any information on welt pockets? Thanks! -Carol Kocian ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Oct 95 11:19:12 PDT From: julie_adams@corp.Cubic.COM Subject: Pinking/Slashing Just some practical notes, (excerpts from a class I teach on Engineering Puffs and Slashes): I have done pinking and slashing on various wovens/satins, leather, velvet, and woolens. I usually decided to finish the edges of the slashed wovens for a clean look. If you use fray-check, test it on your fabric first. Always test the fabric before pinking or slashing. Use paper patterns to test the slash if possible (this prevents the slash from being too long or too short). Some 100% cotton apholstery velvets come with a slight rubberized coating on the inside, this does prevent heavy fraying and wears very well. I also have several 100% wool velvets that have this backing too. And I have an old apholstery brocade which I use as hangings with this backing too. It would also slash without fraying, but beware that they will be hotter in warm weather. Some apholstery satins or shoe satins may be woven tight enough for pinking. Some fraying is period, and sometimes it seems to be done on purpose around the pink, so don't worry too much if there is a little fraying. On my felted wools, I just trim off the raggedy edges every year or two. It is easier to use an exacto-knife on tightly woven fabrics (such as satins) or leather. I always have a hard time getting even a sharp blade to cut clear through felted wool (though that is what I use the most), but always start with a sharp blade and keep extras around. A lot of time I use exactos to start a slash and carefully cut it to size with sharp scissors. For doing round dot pinking, on either fabrics and leather, buy a simple leather punch. Buy the kind that is a single tube with screw-in heads that you need to hammer, not the pliers-type with the rotating wheel. This allows you to place holes without worrying about scrunching up fabric and is easier to cut through the fabric threads. (This looks great when done in 3 or 4 tiny dot clusters.) Don't slash or pink too close to your seams, leave an allowance, especially with leather. (See pinking examples in Janet Arnold) When using leather, make sure your stretchy grain is vertical, not horizontal, and be sure to interline or reinforce in places of stress, because that is where it will stretch the most, including the waist, the rear, the thighs. Slash elbows and the knees to prevent bagging. Re question on fusables: I have seen some costumes where the fusable interface was attached prior to pinking, but the fusable was not the same color as the fabric and showed through the pinks. It didn't look good, but maybe if it were dyed to the same color as the outside fabric, it would solve the problem. And finally: Mark the BACK. :-) julie adams ------------------------------ Date: 24 Oct 1995 12:06:10 -0800 From: "Karen Lovejoy" Subject: Stumpwork I am seeking information on Stumpwork or padded applique. If you have titles of books or any other sources, I would very much appreciate it. Also, I am looking for information on how to make rose beads. Thanks for the help. Hmmm... I wonder ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 13:08:29 -0700 (PDT) From: close (Diane Barlow Close) Subject: Re: Stumpwork Karen Lovejoy wrote: > I am seeking information on Stumpwork or padded applique. If you have > titles of books or any other sources, I would very much appreciate it. The absolute best book I've seen on this subject is: Raised Embroidery: A Practical Guide To Decorative Stumpwork by Barbara and Roy Hirst Published in 1993 by Merehurst Limited, London. ISBN: 1-85391-203-4 It's currently available through the book clearing house of: Edward Hamilton, Bookseller Falls Village, CT 06031-5000 (Yes, that's the complete address.) for $12.95 (I paid a heck of a lot more than that to get it from Unicorn Press, but that's another source you could check out). Shipping and Handling charges are $3.00 total, no matter how many books you order. The current "Super Store" catalog has a small but nice fashion and costume section, and a larger needlecrafts section. - -- Diane Close close@lunch.engr.sgi.com I'm at lunch all day. :-) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 15:02:36 -0600 From: hill@cs.uwyo.edu (Robin Hill) Subject: Academic Regalia Bibliography After requests by a couple of people, and with apologies for the delay, I have collected my notes on a few books covering academic dress and sent the file to Diane, who has kindly added it to the archives. She provides instructions: The file is called: costume_bibliography_academic.faq You get a copy by sending the words: get h-costume costume_bibliography_academic.faq as the body of a message to majordomo@lunch.engr.sgi.com and the server will send you back the file. -- Robin Hill ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 14:50:32 -0700 From: Judy McCourt Subject: Finding The Bonnie Lass Hi All, I'm hoping some of you can help me locate Karen Chartrand, owner of The Bonnie Lass. I received her catalog and placed an order with her, but I haven't received it, nor have I heard from her since September 15. Her AOL account (arisaid@aol.com) doesn't exist any more. Has anyone heard from Karen lately? Thanks, Judy ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 18:29:51 -0400 (EDT) From: cpecourt@mhv.net Subject: Re: wedding rings history Hello I remember reading something, I think that it was a book called something like "Life in a Medieval Villaige, the authors escape me and I cannot for the life of me find the page I copied for this reference... but. the page delt with wedding rings.. and the reason went something like this. It was thought that there was some type of vein ( or line) that ran from the heart to the ring finger and if the husband put a ring around it then he would secure his new wife's love..somehow.. I am not making this up..really.. I will search for the specific reference and if you want, send it.. Chantal ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Oct 1995 09:42:13 +1000 (EST) From: Fiona Thorne Subject: Re: Nettiquette, Shoelaces and Baby Walkers On Mon, 16 Oct 1995, GILLIAN RICHARDS (02) 716 3712 wrote: > > 3) Jesus and the baby walker - I suppose the chance of rolling > through a plate glass door or pulling a jug cord down on him wasn't > so bad in those times - and so little really flat rolling space so > he couldn't get too far ;-) > No jug cords but they did have open fires. I don`t like the thought of relying on the floor being uneven enough to stop a child getting far (not much point in having a walker if the child can't go anywhere!) I once saw a metal ring thing attached to a pole in one of the Shakespeare houses in Stratford. The guide said that you put the child in the ring, and they could walk in circles around the pole, but not over to the fire. It seemed cruel but I supposed it was better than having your child go up in flames. Does anybody know anything about these devices? Fiona - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fiona Thorne Masters Student, University of Technology, Sydney (Australia) fthorne@socs.uts.edu.au or Fiona_E._Thorne@aapda.com.au http://linus.socs.uts.edu.au/~fthorne ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 21:10:03 -0500 From: bpnoble@mailbag.com (Bronwyn Noble) Subject: Re: wedding rings history >Does anyone out there know when the practice of wearing wedding rings >began? Did women wear them before men? I'm particularly interested >in the 18th C for stage purposes, but would also generally like to >know when this practice started. Thanks, Elaine The April calendar page in the Tres Riche Heures of the Duc de Berry shows what is either a betrothal or a wedding scene in which a gentleman is giving his sweetheart a ring, so some sort of ring was being used as early as the 1380's. Bronwyn ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 19:37:08 -0700 (PDT) From: "Sarah E. Goodman" Subject: Re: wedding rings history > Does anyone out there know when the practice of wearing wedding rings > began? Did women wear them before men? I'm particularly interested > in the 18th C for stage purposes, but would also generally like to > know when this practice started. Jews (or at least Jewish women) have worn marriage rings since at least the 13 hundreds, and probably since the time of the Temple. There are some lovely community owned "wedding rings" that were used for the ceremony and then replaced with a plain band from the 14s or so; little houses and stuff. I know that most nuns wore rings as brides of Christ, so I would assume that it went back to whenover the orders were first founded. Don't know that much about men, but I think it's in general more recent. ------------------------------ End of H-Costume Digest V3 #236 ******************************* 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!