From: Gretchen Miller Date: Mon, 7 Mar 1994 19:07:18 -0500 (EST) Subject: H-Costume Digest, Volume 65, 3/7/94 The Historic Costume List Digest, Volume 65, March 7, 1994 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 For archives of this digest, send mail to close@lunch.asd.sgi.com Thanks and Enjoy! --------------------------------------------------------------- Topics: Questions and answers about Irish Gloves Source for "Queen Elizabeth's Closet Unlocked" Footwear questions and answers and a bit of silliness Seeking documentation for pre-1550's kilts and other Scottish dress More Biographies What's a rigolette? ---------------------------- Date: 4 Mar 1994 08:46:37 U From: "George Angell" Subject: Irish Gloves > Subject: Time:7:32 AM OFFICE MEMO Irish Gloves Date:3/4/94 We're doing a production of _Dancing at Lughnasa_, set in county Donegal, Ireland, circa 1936. Two of the women in the play are working in the cottage industry of knitting woolen gloves for a local distributor; apparently a common occupation in the district. During the action of the play these women lose their jobs as a factory takes over local glove production. I'm looking for information of two kinds - first from a historical/informational aspect, what sort of gloves would these women most likely have been knitting? Woolen work gloves? Crocheted gloves for daily wear in town? What was this cottage industry like; in fact what was the glove industry in Ireland like, generally? Secondly, and more importantly, where would I get information on the actual process of glove-knitting? The two actresses have to spend a great deal of the play actually involved in their craft! Thanks for any info anyone can provide. George W. Angell Associate Prof. of Theatre, Hillsdale College George.Angell@AC.Hillsdale.Edu ---------------------------- Subject: Re: Irish Gloves Date: Fri, 04 Mar 94 08:32:30 PST From: Walter Nelson George Have you tried a recently published book called "The History of Hand Knitting". It is at home and I am at work, so I can't give you the publisher or author, but it can probably be ordered and may be available at a larger local library or a shop devoted to knitting and handicrafts in your area. I think it is a British book. Walter Nelson ---------------------------- From: close@lunch.asd.sgi.com (Diane Barlow Close) Subject: Q.E. Unlocked source Date: Fri, 4 Mar 1994 09:48:35 -0800 (PST) Those of you who are looking to buy _Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlocked_ by Janet Arnold will be happy to know that Amazon Dry Goods has just received a large shipment (about 50 books) and has them in stock now. Amazon Dry Goods 2218 East 11th Street Davenport, Iowa 52803 1-319-322-6800 (Inquiries) 1-319-322-4003 (FAX) 1-800-798-7979 (Orders only, from the U.S.) They will ship to Canada and overseas. I didn't get the impression that the shipping charges to overseas or Canada were cheap, though. :-( -- Diane Barlow Close close@lunch.asd.sgi.com I'm at lunch today. :-) ---------------------------- Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 19:19:14 CST From: "rebecca mioak chung" Subject: Re: Irish Gloves I didn't know gloves were such a complicated subject. Now I want to know how gloves were styled in 18C Britain, what they were made of, and who made them. Anyone with a quick answer? Thanks! Rebecca Chung rmc2@quads.uchicago.edu ---------------------------- Date: Fri, 4 Mar 1994 21:10:35 -0500 From: Zach Kessin Subject: foot were I am working on making more garb, (The goal is to have enough to go to Pensic, that is a weeks worth by august) But one thing I am having problems with is shoes. I need some kind of boots that will work for my persona, 13th cent England. I am willing to make them If I cant buy them. However I have several real requirements, 1) they must provide good support, as I have bad arches and must be able to survive for a week in them. 2) Some level of waterproof would be nice. again these are going to Pensic. Thank You Gwilliam Woudhouse (MKA Zachary Kessin) PS I just found real 100% linen at $3 a yard :) ---------------------------- Date: Fri, 04 Mar 94 19:13:31 PDT From: Cindy Subject: foot were >problems with is shoes. I need some kind of boots that will work for >my persona, 13th cent England. I am willing to make them If I cant >buy them And lo, O Best Beloved, on nites of the full moon the footwere leaps from it's footrest and hoofs it to hide under the shoe tree in search of the lone sock. Arching its arch, it grasp the sock hole. The sock is devoured by the thrashing of the mighty toenails. Before dawn the footweary footwere hotfoots back to it's den Wolfsbane will not affect it. The sole remedy is the mighty OdorEater! --cin ---------------------------- Date: Sat, 5 Mar 1994 04:37:27 -0400 (EDT) From: "Bryan Maloney" To: h-costume@andrew.cmu.edu Subject: RE: footwear > I am working on making more garb, (The goal is to have enough to go to > Pensic, that is a weeks worth by august) But one thing I am having > problems with is shoes. I need some kind of boots that will work for > my persona, 13th cent England. I am willing to make them If I cant buy > them. However I have several real requirements, > 1) they must provide good support, as I have bad arches and must be > able to survive for a week in them. > > 2) Some level of waterproof would be nice. again these are going to > Pensic. Okay, I might offer the following: There is a shoe of ancient design that survived in Scotland through many centuries known as the "gillie". This was made of a single piece of leather that could be cut and readily bent. 8oz vegetable-tanned leather is appropriate, as are heavier weights. Unfortunately, I would not be able to really describe it well except to say that it was a "fenestrated" shoe design and was very flexible. Now, I have very flat feet, so I just slipped some cushion insoles and arch supports into them. The gillies hide both completely. As for "waterproof"--the holes let the water out! YES! It actually does work that way. I wore these things for three days while playing 18th-century Highlander at the Feast of the Hunters' Moon near Lafayette, Indiana. This event takes place in October, and it rains EVERY damned day of the event. Needless to say, I marched in water, I marched in mud, my unit marched so much that the guys in solid shoes got soaked feet. Now, my feet got wet BEFORE everyone else's, but while everybody else was suffering with soggy feet all day, MY feet got to be nice and dry, so long as I put them up out of the water whenever I sat down. (I also wore proper woolen hose--nice and thick, this helped immensely). Now, my hose ended up to be the same color as the mud, but I was quite comfortable, and authentic. Now, the gillies, as I said, are of ancient design, even if they were used in the 18th century. They look like a "sandal", and I will try to describe how to make them: Take a piece of leather bigger than your foot by a good amount. Put your foot on the fuzzy side and trace an outline. Now, cut a good 1.5 to 2 inches OUTSIDE this outline. You also should allow about 4 inches on either side in the parts that will fold over each other in front of your ankle. Now, you need to cut the extra leather in the part of the gillie that will be in front of your ankle into tabs, usually around 0.75 inches wide. The extra long bits should also be trimmed to be vaguely tab-like, but they need to be long enough to meet or overlap (either is okay) in front of the ankle. You should make sure that there are two tabs in front, not one (the exact "front" of the shoe is a cut, not a tab). The tabs should go all the way from the front to the long tabs, but no further back. Now, the heel is another matter entirely. What you have to do is cut the back so that you can fold up a piece straight up along your heel, and then curl two large "supertabs" around your heel outside the piece that goes up the heel--oh, the fuzzy side goes towards the foot, the smooth side goes to the ground. Okay, if you follow me so far, you now need to fit this to your foot. This is an annoying, fiddly job. I have found that the best thing to do first on this is to construct the heel. Therefore, punch some holes in the straight-up-the-heel strip and the two wrap-around-the-heel-strip and thread a lace through this. I prefer to use a lace cut from the same piece of hide I'm using for the gillies. Now, put your insole and your arch support in the gillie. Put your foot in this. If your heel doesn't fit well (mine is very narrow, so it never does), you may need to re-adjust the heel of the shoe. Now, fold the tabs up, starting with the very front. They will, of course, be too long, unless you've got feet that are worthy of a monument. You need to trim the tabs (keeping the ends square) until it will be possible to lace them all with a single lace so that, when pulled tight, they come to a "shoe shape" and cover the foot. Don't do anything with the ankle tabs yet. Now, punch a hole in every tab, about 0.5 inch from the end. Run a single lace through the front-most two tabs so that this lace enters BOTH tabs from the "outside" (smooth-leather side) of the shoe. Now, lace each tab from the smooth side through to the fuzzy side. You will need a very long lace, because this also has to be able to get to the ankle and around the leg once, twice, etc., and then be tied in a knot. Now you need to try it on again. Adjust the tabs to provide a better fit. If it's too loose, you may need to trim and re-punch tabs. Once this part of the fit is okay, then you play with the ankle. Punch holes in each tab and cross-lace them so that you actually get some useful snugness around the ankle. Continue the lacing up the leg, cross-gartering until it is convenient to tie the lace in the front. If your lace is the right length, you should only need to go around your leg once. Now, do NOT wear this with wimpy, modern hose, and I don't recommend that you be un-hosed when wearing this, unless you LOVE mud. I suggest a good woolen hose, or at least wool at the feet--two layers around the heavy wear areas. If you are worried about heat, then I would say to wear strong cotton or linen hose. Now, after the first time or two you've worn them, they will become too large. This is normal. Just get out your shears and punch and re-adjust your gillies. The first time I made these, I swore a blue streak for hours. I now do not consider it much work at all to make a pair. ---------------------------- Date: Sat, 5 Mar 1994 04:38:11 -0400 (EDT) From: "Bryan Maloney" Subject: A boringly perennial question Hullo, I'm trying to pin down some information that I'm sure zillions of people have already asked for on this list: I wish to find information on the dress of Scots and Highland tribes from the 14th to 16th centuries. Specifically, I'd like information on the kilt, but anything else would be nice. Now, I've found a woodcut from the 1550's that illustrates a kilt, but that's all I've found. ---------------------------- Date: 06 Mar 1994 10:33:10 EST From: "JJones01" Subject: Fantasy Costume List Support and Bio This is reroute of a message that was first sent to Diane, in support of a possible Fantasy Costume list. Your Fantasy Costume proposal sounds most interesting. I have been throwing at least one costume party a year for the last few years. The only specification has been that authentic medieval costume is not allowed (Conan is okay). This is to prevent the party from becoming simply another SCA revel. As a member of the SCA, most of my friends are at least minimally knowledgeable of costume development, and this has resulted in many interesting couples at the parties. Also the costumes are of a clothing quality vice stage costumes. Anyway, this year's party is going to be a "Be your favorite comic strip character party." My lady and I are going to do the Marvel characters Storm and Wolverine. I'm really looking forward to it and I already have a basic design for her costume. Bio-wise: I am an engineer, with Harris Corporation in Melbourne, Florida, when I am generating the cash that makes everything else possible. When I play, I am Thurwulf Ragnarsson, a ninth century Icelander. The concept of sewing machine was alien to me, prior to joining the SCA. Now, using my trusty New Home serger (bought new), ancient Adler zigzag machine (given to me by a friend), and ancient Singer industrial machine (bought used for $200), things are a lot different. I routinely turn out early Norse garb (brais (or baggier eastern style) and tunic), cloaks, and surcoats. For special events I have sewn a middle eastern abba based outfit, a Dr. Strange costume (Marvel Comics), and two twelfth/thirteenth century German houppelandes (fortunately one does not necessarily have to spell it correctly to make it). Additionally, I am assembling my second period pavillion. The first was a 15' round, floored, pavillion, employing no ropes and no framework for support (a Jeff Whiting design, using only stakes, a center pole and a ring). The current pavillion (in progress) is a 15' X 27.5' rectangular, sized for lengthy events such as the Pennsic War. The finished size of this pavillion was driven home to me at recent SCA event, when I realized that a friends adequate pavillion would fit inside it. Oh well, we'll finish it, use it once or twice, sell it and move on to a nice Viking tent (I haven't tried one of these, yet). Other interests include computer hobbying (PC), ham radio, ancient to medieval history, and writing. Thank you for your work on the Historical Costume list. It is one digest that I really look forward to in my mailbox. Cybernautically yours, J. W. (Wally) Jones AKA: Thurwulf Ragnarsson House Asgard (Lest we take ourselves too seriously) Shire of Starhaven Kingdom of Trimaris ---------------------------- Date: Sun, 6 Mar 1994 16:37:27 -0330 (NST) From: Todd Reid Subject: Re: foot were On Fri, 4 Mar 1994, Cindy wrote: > >problems with is shoes. I need some kind of boots that will work for > >my persona, 13th cent England. I am willing to make them If I cant > >buy them > > And lo, O Best Beloved, on nites of the full moon the footwere > leaps from it's footrest and hoofs it to hide under the shoe tree > in search of the lone sock. Arching its arch, it grasp the sock > hole. The sock is devoured by the thrashing of the mighty toenails. > > Before dawn the footweary footwere hotfoots back to it's den. > Wolfsbane will not affect it. The sole remedy is the mighty > OdorEater! > > --cin ^^^^^ Fun Maker! Could someone please post a pattern for these boots, or info on a book which contains patterns about various foot were ? ;) I am looking for sandals for a late 10th century greek persona. I have found that finding sandals in general is nearly impossible in this little hamlet! But I'm not Bitter. :( Any info is of great help. A bio will be sent as soon as I have time. Todd ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # Todd A. Reid always should be reachable at treid@morgan.ucs.mun.ca # # If you can't stand the heat..... move to Newfoundland. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ---------------------------- From: close@lunch.asd.sgi.com (Diane Barlow Close) Subject: costuming term Date: Mon, 7 Mar 1994 10:44:25 -0800 (PST) My mother-in-law is really into geneaology and is currently transcribing some letters belonging to a great, great grandmother. GGGramma refers to many currently no-longer-around pieces of clothing. Mom-in-law has managed to figure out what most of these are, but the term "rigolette" (sp?) has really proved difficult to figure out. Does anyone know to what this refers? Thanks! -- Diane Barlow Close close@lunch.asd.sgi.com I'm at lunch today. :-) ---------------------------- Date: Mon, 7 Mar 1994 18:10:55 -0400 (EDT) From: "Bryan Maloney" Subject: RE: footwear > how much do these gillies resemble scottish country dance shoes? which > have tabs and laces.... If you know NOTHING about what gillies look like, and if you have only seen gillies once, in a dark room, for no more than two seconds, you MIGHT be able to mistake one for the other. The gillie much more resembles an overbuilt, short Roman sandal than it does "scottish country dance shoes". Let's put it another way, how much do 16th-century English boots resemble modern cowboy boots? ---------------------------- Date: Mon 07 Mar 1994 15:36 PT From: Catherine.Keegan@EMC2NCAL.IBMMAIL.COM Subject: footwear 'Queta's Closet (an SCA-oriented pattern company) sells a very nice Romo British sandle pattern that sounds remarkable like what is being described. She also sells a variety of other medieval footwear patterns and other stuff, too. The pattern consists of a single-sized pattern (9 1/2 womans) with directions on how to size it up or down with an enlarging/reducing copier. I've had pretty good luck with her stuff. It helps that her foot and mine are about the same size. She sells out of Trimeris (Florida) and also carries a number of hats, collars and other accessories patterns. Would anyone other than me be interested in a pattern evaluation thread on commercially available historical patterns? ---------------------------- End of Volume 65 -----------------------