From: Gretchen Miller Date: Wed, 11 May 1994 16:58:25 -0400 (EDT) Subject: H-Costume Digest, Volume 99, 5/11/94 The Historic Costume List Digest, Volume 99, May 11, 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 To get an index of available back issues of the digest, send a message with the words: index h-costume in the body of the message, to majordomo@lunch.asd.sgi.com. Then use the command: get h-costume hcos.yymmdd to retrieve the volumes you want. Thanks and Enjoy! --------------------------------------------------------------- Topics: Question: Leather clothing Costuming events in San Francisco area Handstitching sources Costume preservation More on hose Pigeons and peacocks The color of costume (black and white) Sealed Knot regiments ---------------------------- Date: Fri, 6 May 1994 12:57:09 -0400 (EDT) From: Gretchen Miller Subject: Use of leather in clothing I have an SCA friend (not on this list) who is looking for references to the use of leather clothing during SCA period (basically 600 - 1600). I have a few references, but it's not really something I've researched. Thanks! toodles, gretchen ---------------------------- Date: Fri, 06 May 94 10:02:20 PDT From: Eleanor Farrell Subject: SF Area Costume Events Costumers in the San Francisco area (apologies to you other folks!) may be interested in some upcoming Greater Bay Area Costumer's Guild events: May 14: "Cavaliers' and Roundheads' Ball", Arlington Community Church, Kensington, 7 pm, $10. 17th c costume admired but not required. Co- sponsored by P.E.E.R.S. June 5: "Sunday Soiree", Preservation Park, Oakland, 2-6 pm, $5-8. Work- shop on late 18th - early 19th c costume (featuring costumes from BBC productions) with Sally Norton, followed by English country dance instruction with Alan Winston. Co-sponsored by Bay Area English Regency Society. June 26: "Picnic at Nampara Cove", Sutro Heights Park, San Francisco, noon- 4 pm, $5. Inspired by the "Poldark" BBC series. July 2: "1939 'Gone With the Wind' Premiere Ball", Arlington Community Church, Kensington. Victorian and 1930's period clothing and dancing. Co-sponsored by P.E.E.R.S. (Call 415/593-2940 for info) July 16: "Bastille Day Dinner", Le Petit Cafe, San Francisco, 7:30 pm, $28. Costume period 1760-1820, all classes. For more information, call the GBACG voice mail number: 415/974-9333, or e-mail me at the address below. Eleanor Farrell, GBACG Vice-President eleanor@ucsfvm.ucsf.edu ---------------------------- From: DGC3%RatesComm%FAR@bangate.pge.com Date: Fri, 6 May 94 13:08:22 PDT Subject: re:Hand-Stitching Sources In an earlier posting, I mentioned a book originally published as "Put On Thy Beautiful Garments." It was republished by Dover in 1990 as "Everyday Dress of Rural America, 1783-1800 With Instructions and Patterns". The author is Merideth Wright. At $7.95 it is a deal. Excellent for someone who wants to do an American Revolutionary or middle-class English and knows from nothing about the period or techniques involved. Clearly written and illustrated. The section I referred to is "The Basics of Hand Sewing". Three pages describe and illustrate the following stitches (excuse my hasty summary, this is a prompt to buy the book if you are interested): 1. Oversewing: lining up two selvage edges and overcasting 2. Stitching (counted-thread backstitching): Straight seams were backstitched into a pulled thread so as to be nearly invisible. 3. Hemming: turn under raw edge and sew with slanting stitches Seam finishes include: 1. None! Use the selvage (easy with more tightly woven, narrower fabrics than today), or pink a silk, or leave wool unfinished 2. Linings: turn and stitch to outer fabric 3. Catch seams: seam allowances turned to one side and held down with catch stitches (for light fabrics) or to both sides and caught (for wools) 4. Flat-fell seam as today: for garments requiring much wear or laundering Other hand-sewing techniques described include gathering (stroking), topstitching, and sewing leather. The other source I mentioned in my earlier post was from "Threads" magazine, No. 45, pp.62-65, "The Joys of French Handsewing." These techniques are appropriate for upper-class late Victorian underthings presumably made by nuns sewing themselves blind to support their convents, and as such not relevant to many projects mentioned here, but the author made some interesting points about how differently fabric handles from machine-sewn garments, and how quickly projects went once she got accustomed to working this way. A third source of hand sewing has occurred to me, and that is the Caufield "Dictionary of Needlework," a mammoth compilation of all forms of stitchery known up to Victorian England. The key word here is "Plain Sewing" (as opposed to "Fancy Work"). The book was reprinted in the gala days of macrame (1976?) and again around 1991. The entry for Plain Sewing will refer you to the other entries (there is no index in my hippie-era edition). Hope this helps. I have enjoyed the postings from people who do hand sewing, tho I am not about to abandon my Bernina... --Danine Cozzens dgc3@pge.com ---------------------------- From: "Lassman, Linda" Subject: Costume preservation? Date: Fri, 06 May 94 14:02:00 PDT I realize that we're far removed from you, and possibly too far to be of any use to you, but here's some information anyway! The Dugald Costume Museum in Dugald, Manitoba, is a somewhat small but (I understand) quite prestigious costume museum near Winnipeg. While I have no idea if they are in any way attached to e-mail, or if they provide consulting services, you may wish to contact them anyway. Dugald Costume Museum PR206 & Hwy 15 Dugald, Manitoba (204) 853-2166 The Department of Clothing and Textiles at the University of Manitoba also has a small collection of clothing, and there was a small item in the University Bulletin about a restoration job they did on a 1940's dress. They also offer an MSc program. Information on contacting the Department is: S. G. Turnbull Caton, Head Department of Clothing and Textiles University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2 (204) 474-8138 turnbull@bldghumec.lan1.umanitoba.ca - Linda Lassman ---------------------------- Date: Wed, 04 May 94 23:02:00 PST From: Maryanne.Bartlett@f56.n105.z1.fidonet.org (Maryanne Bartlett) Subject: men's legwear 1200-1600 Uu> Does anyone have any suggestions for books that go into detail about Uu> men's legwear from about 1200-1600? That seems to be a subject that's Uu> usually skimmed over or not even talked about in most costuming books. I don't know about books, but I took a class on this from Mistress Aislinn of Cumbria. I'm going to see her tomorrow and I'll ask her for titles and post 'em here. Uu> My questions are about the full-length hose worn with short Uu> houppelands. In movies and at SCA events, men always wear nylon, knit Uu> dancers' tights with their short houppelandes. Obviously, that's Uu> wrong, right? Because they just didn't have knit hose before 1550 or Uu> so, right? So how *did* they get such tightly fitting hose during the Uu> 1400's? In one book, it said that they were made of wool and cut on Uu> the bias, which would allow them to be cut tightly and be stretchy. I Uu> made my husband a pair of hose out of woven fabric cut on the bias, and Uu> it bagged horribly at the knees and ankles. What kind of fabric did you use? Handspun wools are *much* stretchier than the modern kind. On the bias they are actually stretchier than knits! >But I couldn't make it any Uu> tighter at the ankles, or he wouldn't have been able to get his feet Uu> in! Several of the Czech ones that I have looked at have almost invisible openings at the ankle at just about the point that you find the 90 degree angle in the ribs in rib-knit socks. The slash is about 1.5 inches long. I think thats all you'd need. These appear to have been stitched shut repeatedly, as the edges have pulls and popped threads. > So am I missing something really obvious, or are those paintings Uu> showing men in short houppelandes with skin tight hose not quite Uu> accurate? No, they're accurate, but within the limits of "artist's representation". As a fellow got older his hose tended to bag more and more. Shakepeare talks about "his youthful hose well saved (something) by his ankles, quite." I don't quite have this one by heart anymore, but it is something like "wrinkling" or "bagging". Also hose bagged more as *they* got older. The skin tight hosen would be a man's newest. He'd probably wear older ones for hunting or some such and then give them away when they really got awful. Take a look at some of the farmworkers in woodcuts that are wearing hose. Theirs are really baggy. > Is it possible to get skin-tight hose out of woven fabric, Uu> or should the paintings really show men with baggy knees and ankles? Some do, but it *is* possible, but not with modern machine-made materials, or rather the modern equivalents of what they had in period. I've seen utterly *gorgeous* hose made out of Lycra-Spandex, but I wouldn't claim that they're period. --Anja-- -!- Blue Wave/QBBS v2.12 [NR] uucp: uunet!m2xenix!puddle!56!Maryanne.Bartlett Internet: Maryanne.Bartlett@f56.n105.z1.fidonet.org ---------------------------- Date: Fri, 06 May 94 11:49:00 PST From: Maryanne.Bartlett@f56.n105.z1.fidonet.org (Maryanne Bartlett) Subject: hose Uu> How do you draft a pattern for hose? The only suggestions I've seen Uu> are the old-clothes-and-duct-tape routine. First, find a man who's willing to stand still and risk getting stuck if he wiggles, who also doesn't mind having to stand there in his skivvies with you climbing all over his legs but not interested in *him*!. Then take a length of your fabric and pin one corner to his belt. Smooth the fabric around him and pin the front to the leg band of his skivvies right under where the crease would be if he had pants on. Ummmm....it helps if he trusts you enough to not mind pins in this area! Next smooth the bias down toward his ankle, *not* stretching it, and pin it to the front of his sock. Then you go around to the back and pin it together along the same line that seamed stockings have. You'll have to fold fabric away at the top from front and rear. *Carefully* slip it off, unpinning only as absolutely neccessary. Ummmm....the pin in his skivvies better be removed *first* or things are gonna get interesting. Baste and unpin and put it back on him, then do the foot. If he's lying down, you need to make sure he bends his leg at some point to test the stretchiness or its not going to fit. What takes the time here is getting the seam straight and leaving enough room for the toes when his leg bends. The seam goes right under the foot all the way to the toe. The long pointy toe leaves extra room for stretch. The fold over the ankle, I seam up, although I don't know that they did this. When you peel this off him, (literally!) mark the pin and baste lines and you have a pattern. I posted earlier about some hose that I saw that had a split over the ankle bones. I've no clue how this was finished as it did not appear to be hemmed or take extra fabric. Woven in, maybe? I hope this helps. --Anja-- --- Blue Wave/QBBS v2.12 [NR] -- uucp: uunet!m2xenix!puddle!56!Maryanne.Bartlett Internet: Maryanne.Bartlett@f56.n105.z1.fidonet.org ---------------------------- From: rcarnegie@aol.com Date: Sun, 08 May 94 00:31:04 EDT Subject: Re: H-Costume Digest, Volume ... <(although they also purchased 12 From a letter to Heloise from Peter Abelard (Heloise was by this stage a nun - approx 1100's), on her position as a bride of christ rather than his own bride: "...For that outward cult of black or coarse garments, in the likeness of the mournful vesture of good widows lamenting the husbands whom they loved, shows you in this world, to be widows indeed and desolate..." And on white, at the end of the late 1400's, white became the fashionable colour of the Burgundian Court. Hope this isn't a complete waste of bandwidth, Miesje ______________________________________________________________________________ Miesje *d9304570@student.anu.edu.au The College of St Aldhelm *Australian National University Politarchopolis *Canberra Lochac *Australia The West *"What do you mean where's The West?!" ****************************************************************************** She was the sort of woman who lived for others. You could tell the others by their hunted expressions... ____________________________________________________________________________ __ ---------------------------- Date: 08 May 94 12:46:02 EDT From: Miles Thomas <70624.130@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Re: Bad History, LaVolta & All that Jazz >Despite that the Sealed Knot (a British Society which recreates the >civil war) manages to get plenty of roundheads. They require people to >recreate the regiment of their area, so if you live in Huntingdonshire >(where Cromwell came from) the only way to play cavalier is move house! Not so. You join a regimment of your liking, (often local). Many people have moved away from the original source of the regiment, and continued to recruit. As an example, I belong to a Lancashire Royalist regiment, and I live 250 miles away in Surrey! Miles Thomas Sgt of Musket Sir Gilbert Hoghton's Companie of Foote (A regiment of the Sealed Knot) ---------------------------- From: csy20688@ggr.co.uk Date: 09 May 94 09:12:00 BST Subject: Peacocks Sorry to cause confusion - the peacocks and pigeons were indeed intended for the table (at least I assume so). I seem to have missed the rest of the exchange about Lavolta and the Sealed Knot... Caroline ---------------------------- Date: 8 May 94 22:58:00 EST From: "Gina Balestracci" Subject: more hand stitching The Therese de Dillmont tome also has quite a bit on hand stitching. I don't know exactly who is reprinting that these days, but it's got to be around. I can't even remember the title of it, but it gives [probably] obsolete DMC numbers for all the various threads and it was originally published in the late 19th century. I've always liked it better than Caulfield for stitching instructions. gb ---------------------------- End of Volume 99 -----------------------