From: owner-h-costume-digest (H-Costume Digest) To: h-costume-digest@lunch.engr.sgi.com Subject: H-Costume Digest V4 #28 Reply-To: h-costume Sender: owner-h-costume-digest@lunch.engr.sgi.com Errors-To: owner-h-costume-digest@lunch.engr.sgi.com Precedence: bulk H-Costume Digest Sunday, February 4 1996 Volume 4, Number 28 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: Re: Duct tape jacket/vest? Re: Duct tape jacket/vest? FW: Wedding Traditions Women's Clothing 1830s? Re: 1930-1940's dress resource Re: Duct tape jacket/vest? Re: Duct tape jacket/vest? The Daguerreian Society homepage Turbans, etc. Re: Duct Tape Patterns Dress forms White weddings What's a Tosca Cape? A market for vintage clothing Re: Turbans, etc. researching nun's habit ? Re: Turbans, etc. White weddings ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 3 Feb 1996 15:04:02 -0500 From: Christy546@aol.com Subject: Re: Duct tape jacket/vest? In a message dated 96-02-02 21:46:29 EST, NeaDods@aol.com writes: >That's it, unless you're making a dressmaker's dummy, where you slit it up >the back, seal all the openings but the neck, and fill it with expanding foam >insulation. Could you explain this more fully. I would like to try this. How does it hold up? How do you "plug" the bottom. Do you sew a piece across it and cover it with tape? Do you make a wooden "tree" to put inside it before filling it with foam? How durable is it when you are finished? I'm intruigued! Christy ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Feb 1996 15:14:26 -0500 From: deirdre@sover.net (Deirdre) Subject: Re: Duct tape jacket/vest? At 9:40 PM 2/2/96, NeaDods@aol.com wrote: > Pete - the duct tape method is really only good for making slopers, > dressmaker's dummies, and form-fitting clothing - NOT loose-fitting > clothes like you describe. The best way to duplicate your pants, > if you can't find a pattern, is to pull them inside out and trace > them on some scrap fabric. Yes, but suppose you can't find any pants that DO fit correctly. Wouldn't it be better to use the duct tape method to design a sloper then add the appropriate ease? I've tried altering patterns for pants but they never allow for enough in the back. I've tried five or six different methods, but I have come to the conclusion that I'm just too weirdly shaped. This would be MUCH faster than some of the methods I've tried. Should I sacrifice a pair of cheap stirrup pants? _Deirdre ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Feb 1996 00:48:39 -0800 From: Cheryl Melnick Subject: FW: Wedding Traditions - ---------- From: LMetz[SMTP:artist@covina.lightside.com] Sent: Friday, February 02, 1996 10:14 PM To: Bill and Glenna Christen Cc: h-costume@lunch.engr.sgi.com Subject: Re: Wedding Traditions I have read, in several places, that originally "Queen to be" Victoria (I think) was the first one to really wear white and that's how it became a tradition - out of fad. Her bridesmaids also wore white, the same dress as she. At the time, white was not a tradition and thus, was not worn as a symbol of purity...the symbolism developed over a number of years. Before she turned white into a popular colour for wedding dresses, a bride would choose a dress that she could wear again and again, often opting for a floral pattern of some kind. Again, this is only what I have read...not what I "know". L Actually, that's correct. She of course, was very rich, and could afford a disposable dress-she also believed she looked best in white at the time she got married. Most women of this era didn't have the money to afford a non-day dress. The colors of wedding dresses were typically dark because the dirt and wear would show less; and the materials were sturdy, because they would often have to last for years. If anyone needs assistance in re-creating a Victorian wedding-I had a Victorian-themed last year and will be happy to try and assist anyone with their wedding who emails me privately. Cheryl ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Feb 1996 19:41:25 -0600 From: Ron Romig Subject: Women's Clothing 1830s? Greetings: I am interested in recreating a lost series of nine women's portraits originaly painted in 1837-38. I hope someone the list can offer come help about appropriate women's dress for portrait sitting. These portraits were painted in Northern Ohio during 1837? I have found checked Godeys, but can not locate any issues locally covering the late 1830s. I have checked available works on American Art Portraits with minimal luck as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Ron Romig, RLDS Church Archivist Work e-mail address: tems03@rlds.org ! /\/\ / . . \----------------------|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\ / \ RENE ROMIG |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/ \== @ ==/ronromig@oz.sunflower.org \-----/-----|--|----------|--/ MEOW / / | | / /| | / / | | / / | | / / | | / / | | / / | | / / | | /_ / |- | / / |- | <_ / <__/ <- / <--/ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 03 Feb 96 21:10:41 +0000 From: splumb@ic.net Subject: Re: 1930-1940's dress resource I have just the book you need. It's called "Costume Designs In The Movies" by Elizabeth Leese An Illustrated Guide to the Work of 157 Great Designers ISBN 0-486-26548-X $14.95 (US) Dover Publications It's loaded with pictures from the 20's to the present, sorted by designer. A wealth of information. Hope this helps. Michelle A sweet disorder in the dress Kindles in clothes a wantonness..... ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Feb 1996 22:28:01 -0500 From: NeaDods@aol.com Subject: Re: Duct tape jacket/vest? DIerdre asks >Yes, but suppose you can't find any pants that DO fit correctly. Wouldn't >it be better to use the duct tape method to design a sloper then add the >appropriate ease? Well, yes, I guess so. Seems as good a method as any other. Nea neadods@aol.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Feb 1996 22:28:32 -0500 From: NeaDods@aol.com Subject: Re: Duct tape jacket/vest? Christy wanted the full details of how to make a duct-tape dressmaker's dummy. I'll start by telling you how I learned, what the drawbacks are, and solutions I've heard. As other posts have mentioned, start with a t-shirt you don't love, and wear any appropriate underwear (this is a great way of making a dressmaker's dummy for corset-based clothing; something not available at Jo Anne Fabrics!) Then mummify the person with two, maybe three rolls of duct tape; a horozontal layer, a vertical layer, and two diagonal layers running in opposite directions. Carefully slice the tape shell up the back (as others have pointed out, surgical scizzors are best) and tape the slit back up. From here you have several options. The way I was first taught, you sealed up the various arm, hip, and neck holes with paper, covered with duct tape. The dummy itself was stuffed with styrofoam peanuts or expanding insulation to keep its shape, and could be either mounted on a wooden stand or have a hanger sticking out of the neck. There are two big drawbacks to this; first of all, the layers of tape make clothing draped on the outside of the dummy slightly too large, and patterns need to be refitted on the original human. Second, the tape gets sticky after it's been stuck with pins, and the pins themselves also get sticky. However, it is better than nothing. Mine had a wire infrastructure, and lasted for about 3 years before it got too sticky and dented to use. What I have heard, (but never tried) is that the tape dummy can be set on a wooden stand, the holes plugged with cardboard taped into place. Then the shell is filled through the neck with expanding insulation. The tape shell is cut back off and discarded. The insulation form is covered with a T-shirt or some other covering that will protect the insulation from pins, and it becomes the dressmaker's dummy. Hope this helps, Nea ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 03 Feb 1996 19:33:51 -0800 From: "garyewer@poweramp.net" Subject: The Daguerreian Society homepage I wish to announce the new URL for The Daguerreian Society Homepage on the World Wide Web. The Society is dedicated to the history, art, and science of the daguerreotype (the earliest photographic imagery popular from 1839 to 1860.) The URL is: http://java.austinc.edu/dag We have 19th century images in our "galleries" that may be of interest to members of h-costume. Be prepared to spend a bit of time as we've endeavored to make the site rich in content as well as visually enjoyable. Gary W. Ewer garyewer@poweramp.net The Daguerreian Society http://java.austinc.edu/dag ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Feb 1996 11:57:53 -0500 (EST) From: Drea Leed Subject: Turbans, etc. I've had a request from a non-email-blessed friend of mine concerning middle-eastern garb, specifically turbans. He's found a number of books on middle eastern clothing, but some of them say contradictory things and there's no information in any of them on the proper way to wear a turban. Can anyone here give me the names of some good, reliable books on Middle eastern clothing, and/or instructions on turban wrapping? Thanks, Drea ******************************************* We've secretly replaced their dilithium crystals with new Folger's Crystals. Now let's watch them go to warp. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Feb 1996 16:21:21 -0500 From: bdominey@mindspring.com (Barbara Dominey) Subject: Re: Duct Tape Patterns A note on using duct tape patterns: Once you've cut the pattern off the body, make sure you transfer the pieces to something stable (ie. kraft paper, muslin) as soon as possible. The garment worn under the duct tape (t-shirt or tights) often begins to shift once it's removed, and will distort your pattern pieces. Barbara Dominey bdominey@mindspring.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Feb 1996 16:27:59 -0800 (PST) From: Allan Terry Subject: Dress forms One of the clothing design courses I took in college had a session for students who didn't have dress forms. I had a form, so didn't make one. However, I heard they worked in teams. The person the form was to be made for oiled herself with salad oil, then put on a thigh-length T-shirt. The other students coated her with paper-mache. One problem was it could get too bulky in places. When the paper-mache was dry enough, they cut her out of the form with a sharp knife. The oil was to facilitate getting her out. Fran Grimble ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Feb 1996 16:21:12 -0800 (PST) From: Allan Terry Subject: White weddings Actually, a white wedding dress was _not_ disposable in the Victorian period or any other up to the 1920s. This is when formal wedding dress styles diverged so much from mainstream fashion that a bride couldn't wear her wedding dress again. (Though of course plenty of people have always gotten married in less formal, more practical styles.) Most Victorian brides were too practical to throw out an expensive dress made in the latest style, possibly the best one they'd ever owned. White very popular for evening dresses and ball gowns. Brides often had the white wedding dress made in an evening style, and it was customary to wear such dresses for formal events after the wedding. Upper-class British brides were presented at court in their wedding dresses, with a court train and accessories attached for presentation. A woman who was married in a day dress was more likely to choose a colored fabric. Even when a white dress (wedding or otherwise) became soiled, it could be used. All but the wealthiest women made over dresses. A white dress could be dyed. Or the good parts of the fabric could be combined with another fabric and made up in a new style. I saw several suggestions for making over soiled skirts in an 1860's _Godey's_ or _Peterson's_--I forget which without looking up the source. One was that a somewhat stained skirt could be covered with a diaphonous white tulle for a ballgown. Another was that a stained skirt be used as an underskirt for one of the 18th-century inspired gowns that opened over the underskirt in front. The soiled part was positioned where it would be hidden. Another suggestion was that if the skirt was stained at the bottom, another material or trimming could be put round the hem to cover the stains. Wedding dresses that have been stored for sentiment were not necessarily worn only once first. Also, as a collector I've found out that when people find any white dress in the family trunk, they often automatically assume it's a wedding dress. They also automatically assume any black dress is mourning. Black was a sensible, tasteful color for "good" dresses, especially for women who couldn't afford many and for older women (widowed or not). Finally, many other types of dresses have survived in wonderful condition, which implies careful wearing and storage. People attach sentimental value to many occasions besides weddings, which may not be readily understandable to others. Sometimes the garment may have been a special gift from a loved one. Many dresses in poor condition have also been stored away. Possibly the owners felt the materials might be reused somehow, but never got around to it. Fran Grimble ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Feb 1996 11:13:42 -0600 (CST) From: moadeeb@io.com Subject: What's a Tosca Cape? Can anyone tell me what a Tosca Cape is, or the general style? I have been requested to make one and the requestor is vague about it. Thanks, Buttercup Moadeeb@io.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 04 Feb 1996 18:23:21 -0800 From: LMetz Subject: A market for vintage clothing I was wondering if any of you out there know wether or not there is an actual market for vintage clothing out there. I find it very hard to actually sell the clothing I make. Most people aren't willing to buy something that costs very much, and there is really no way to decrease the cost of the clothing. I don't charge very much for my time as it is. Is there a specific area or market I should be looking into? Does anyone have their own vintage clothing business--that is, not selling the actual clothing, but recreations? Should mail order be an option and if so, does anyone have any suggestions on how to get started? I realize that there is a certain "clientelle" involved here, but I would love to know the best way to reach that clientelle and market the clothing I make. Thx for your help. Lissa artist@covina.lightside.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Feb 1996 19:14:30 -0800 (PST) From: Heather Rose Jones Subject: Re: Turbans, etc. On Sun, 4 Feb 1996, Drea Leed wrote: > I've had a request from a non-email-blessed friend of mine concerning > middle-eastern garb, specifically turbans. He's found a number of books > on middle eastern clothing, but some of them say contradictory things and > there's no information in any of them on the proper way to wear a turban. > > Can anyone here give me the names of some good, reliable books on Middle > eastern clothing, and/or instructions on turban wrapping? One reason you can't find an agreed-upon description of the nature and wrapping of the turban is simply that there is no one "right" description. From what I have seen of modern usage, there are greatly varying dimensions, fabric types and colors, underpinnings, and wrapping methods, all depending on the precise region and social group the wearer is associated with. Your best bet is to pin down exactly where, when, and who your friend is trying to re-create the clothing of, and then look fairly narrowly for those sources. Without that information, no advice is likely to be helpful. Heather Rose Jones ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Feb 1996 23:33:30 +0000 From: "Keith & Heather Schenk" Subject: researching nun's habit ? Hello list I've recently become very interested in the clothing of nuns. (I guess I've seen 'The Nun's Story' too many times. :) ) The time period I am concerned mostly with is the middle 1700's , America. I realize that this sounds strange, sorry. I really don't know where to start. I am not Catholic (did not grow up around nuns) and am afraid to just walk into some church and start asking questions. I don't want to insult anyone. If there is anyone who has any suggestions please, I'm begging, write to me. I'm open to any ideas. Thanks very much Heather kschenk@fast.net kschenk@fast.net ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Feb 1996 23:37:21 -0500 From: "L. R. Peters" Subject: Re: Turbans, etc. >On Sun, 4 Feb 1996, Drea Leed wrote: > >> I've had a request from a non-email-blessed friend of mine concerning >> middle-eastern garb, specifically turbans. He's found a number of books >> on middle eastern clothing, but some of them say contradictory things and >> there's no information in any of them on the proper way to wear a turban. >> >> Can anyone here give me the names of some good, reliable books on Middle >> eastern clothing, and/or instructions on turban wrapping? There are several ways of wrapping a "turban" in the Middle East. THe Egyptains l9ving in th eNile valley and southern Egypt wear a form of one, that has specific dimensions, and a roughly standardized way of wearing them. This information comes from first-hand experience and several months living there. The cloth is very thin cotton, and large enough that if necesarry it can be used for a shroud. It is long enough to hang over the head and reach the ground in front and rear, and must be wide enough to cover the body as well. Usually that means 3.5 metres by 1 metre. THe cloth is folded once in half, long ways, and then folded several times until it is anywhere from 7 to 10 cms wide. One end is then laid along the neck, with the raw end at the nape of the neck. The "band" is then brought upwards to where the occipital "bun" is, and then bent at either a left or right angle and brought along the side of the head, and up over the forhead and then brought back over the back of the head to hold the strip in place. It is spiralled diagnoally around the head and gradually overlapped until there is a small "tail" left, which is then tucked in under one of the overlapping sections. There is a small opening left on the top of the head. There is a Sudanese form which I never got a good chance to look at closely, but seems to use less material. Hope this is of some interest to you. Les ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Feb 1996 23:24:14 -0500 From: "L. R. Peters" Subject: White weddings Fran wrote that: >Most Victorian brides were too practical to throw out an expensive dress >made in the latest style, possibly the best one they'd ever owned. White >very popular for evening dresses and ball gowns. Brides often had the white . ....................... > >Even when a white dress (wedding or otherwise) became soiled, it could be ........................ > >Wedding dresses that have been stored for sentiment were not necessarily >worn only once first. Also, as a collector I've found out that when people >find any white dress in the family trunk, they often automatically assume >it's a wedding dress. They also automatically assume any black dress is >mourning. Black was a sensible, tasteful color for "good" dresses,...... I have two centsd to offer on the subject of "white wedding dresses" that is slightly off-topic, but might interest some of you. Although there is a strong tradition of white wedding dresses, in the United States and England, this custom is realtively recent in certain parts of the European mainland. In fact, in GErmany white was frequently assocaited with mourning, and giving a bride white cyrsanthemums would have been a major faux pas. I have apotrait taken by my great-grandparents on the 23rd November 1878 in Hannover (Germany) and the gown she wore was anything but white. It appears to be either a very dark blue or possibly even black. Les ------------------------------ End of H-Costume Digest V4 #28 ****************************** 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!