From: Gretchen Miller Date: Wed, 12 Oct 1994 17:53:10 -0400 (EDT) Subject: H-Costume Digest, Volume 164, 10/12/94 The Historic Costume List Digest, Volume 164, October 12, 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 Enjoy! --------------------------------------------------------------- Topics: Identifying and using old lace Cloth of Gold Mothballs Costume as fashion, specifically dusters Muslin definition ---------------------------- Date: Thu, 6 Oct 1994 14:37:05 -0400 (EDT) From: "K.C. Kozminski" Subject: re:Identifying and Using Old Lace Hi! The best way to distinguish hand-made from machine-made lace is if you can find a flaw or variation that repeats itself consistantly, hand-made lace is never "perfect" it will always have inconsistant variations. Can you tell what it is made of? Silk laces are usually older than cotton ones. Pat Ernshaw's book "Lace identification" is a good place to start. If there is a local lace-guild in your area, they can probably identify it for you. If you're really stuck, I'll send you my address and you can send me a photo copy of your lace, I may be able to tell from that. Don't be put off by the prejudice of hand-vs-machine made lace. There are some antique laces made on machines that are no longer in use, such as the Levers machine, that made beautiful lace that is considered valuable. At the same time some hand-made items can be real schlock. I don't recommend machine-sewing any antique lace. It is usually to fragile to withstand the stress. Hand-sewing has the advantage of allowing you to re-use your lace in the future without fear of damaging it. Good luck! KC Don't think of it as aging, think of it as "Attaining Mythic Stature" kc/Roen who is, herself ---------------------------- From: Marsha Hamilton Subject: Cloth of gold Date: Thu, 6 Oct 1994 15:15:13 -0400 (EDT) > I have come across 16th century references to "purple" or "red" cloth > of gold, and I was wondering if anyone on this list had any idea what this > type of cloth could be. My understanding is that cloth of gold was woven of > spun gold, and so I am curious how it could be colored. Gold metallic thread and gold wrapped threads are very hard to use (if you've ever tried them in embroidery). It is most likely that the warp or lengthwise threads on the looms were another fiber like silk. That would allow the color to be carried in the warp fibers and the gold or silver threads to be the woof. There is a silver tissue gown of the mid- 1600's in the Victoria & Albert that I believe is made that way. Any experts out there? -- Marsha Hamilton hamilton.8@osu.edu ---------------------------- From: WALTER@tandem.physics.upenn.edu Date: Thu, 6 Oct 94 16:27 EDT Subject: purple cloth of gold "colored" cloth of gold is a "shot" fabric, i.e. the warp is one color/fiber (in this case colored silk) and the weft another (gold thread). The effect is extremely sumptuous. I believe Anne Boleyn's coronation clothes were white cloth of gold. Karen Walter walter@tandem.physics.upenn.edu ---------------------------- From: KanjiMan@aol.com Date: Thu, 06 Oct 94 16:44:47 EDT Subject: a mothy situation Moths are also attracted to light. I have tried the cotton trick and it seems to work, my collection mostly consists of vintage ladies clothing from this century. Since they love old fabric and lights, and old fabric is not very keen on lights, A blacklight in my closet seems to deter them, but maybe this is my imagination, and it is the cotton, and cedar balls ( only for me, for that great smell) Oh well... LILLITH Kanji Man @ aol.com ---------------------------- Date: Thu, 6 Oct 1994 14:53:31 +0800 From: Alexandra.Ohlson@Corp.Sun.COM (Alexandra R. Ohlson) Subject: Costume as fashion I was watching the CMA last night for about a half-hour while I folded laundry and I noticed that some of the guys are wearing a "new" sort of western jacket - long, to mid thigh, and flared slightly out from the waste. The bottom part, is, I believe cut separately. Okay, so where does costume come in? This style stirred vague memories of movie costume I've seen recently...Not the Kevin Costner one, but the other OK Corral type movie that was out in the US this year. I assume the period is latter half of 1800's, western US. First, does someone recognize the style I mean and if so, what is the period and environment. My knowlege tends towards earlier period. Second, I really liked the style and thought it looked good with jeans. Now this would be a case of period costume as fashion. Not with the intent of looking anachronistic, but with the intent of looking chic. It's an interesting application of costume, anyone else seen successful examples? alexandra ---------------------------- Subject: Re: Costume as fashion Date: Thu, 06 Oct 94 16:05:52 PDT From: Walter Nelson -- Your message was: (from "Alexandra.Ohlson@corp.sun.com") I was watching the CMA last night for about a half-hour while I folded laundry and I noticed that some of the guys are wearing a "new" sort of western jacket - long, to mid thigh, and flared slightly out from the waste. The bottom part, is, I believe cut separately. ------------------- I've seen a few people wearing that too. The style in the movie Tombstone was the black wool frock coat (a good look for the 1880s). What most people seem to be wearing is a black canvas duster, though I think you are correct in thinking that they are imitating the movie look. I started seeing the white canvas dusters after the movie "Long Riders" came out low these many years ago. Certainly country and western fashions consiously imitate the styles of the 19th Century American west (or the early 20th Century rodeo and wild west show), and I have seen an increase lately in the availability of clothing that is a little less rodeo clown and a little more authentic. Shirts of correct "fireman" or pullover cut are readily available now in several western outfitters, though their choice of fabric, color or print is still a bit suspect. Cheers, --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walter Nelson | INSERT PITHY WITTICISM HERE RAND | walter_nelson@rand.org | ___________________________________________________________________________ ---------------------------- From: jsargent@hmg.com Date: Thu, 06 Oct 94 17:19:51 Subject: Re: Costume as fashion >I was watching the CMA last night for about a half-hour while I >folded laundry and I noticed that some of the guys are wearing >a "new" sort of western jacket - long, to mid thigh, and flared >slightly out from the waste. The bottom part, is, I believe >cut separately. >Okay, so where does costume come in? This style stirred vague memories >of movie costume I've seen recently...Not the Kevin Costner one, but >the other OK Corral type movie that was out in the US this year. I assume >the period is latter half of 1800's, western US. I assume you mean _Tombstone_, but not having seen either of the current crop I can't speak with any surety as to the coat in question. Given it's a western, are you familiar with the duster style of overcoat? Beige oilcloth, with a corduroy collar, ankle-length, and slit up the back? Good for hiding a shotgun under, and the slit up the back made it comfortable for mounting one's horse. They are still in fashion (trademark product of the J. Peterman catalogue) and available any number of places. Other than that, all I can think of is a frock coat of some stripe. Bon chance. Jeff ---------------------------- Date: Thu, 06 Oct 1994 20:38:41 -0500 (CDT) From: "D. Krajec" <6633KRAJECD@VMS.CSD.MU.EDU> Subject: Re: H-Costume Digest, Volume 159, 10/5/94 Erin K. Gault, Evergreen S tate College : I believe there is a difference between what we in the States call muslin and muslin in the U.K. I believe muslin in Great Britain is what we would call calico. Am I right? Debra Krajec 6633krajecd@vms.csd.mu.edu ---------------------------- Date: Thu, 6 Oct 1994 22:07:13 -0500 (CST) From: Cindy Johnson Subject: Re: your mail On Thu, 6 Oct 1994 SLNZC@cc.usu.edu wrote: > I am a graduate student in history writing my thesis on Tudor sumptuary laws. > I have come across several 16th century references to "purple" or "red" cloth > of gold, and I was wondering if anyone on this list had any idea what this > type of cloth could be. My understanding is that cloth of gold was woven of > spun gold, and so I am curious how it could be colored. Any help on this would > be greatly appreciated. > > Theresa Sherman > SLNZC@cc.usu.edu Theresa - This type of cloth of gold has a silk warp and a mettalic weft. So, a red cloth of gold would be a red silk warp and a gold mettalic weft. Same for purple. This system really makes a great deal of sense if you think about it. A metallic warp would be nearly impossible to work with and you couldn't make a very long piece of fabric due the brittleness of the metallic thread. The silk warp would also give the fabric more suppleness and less weight. You can still occasionally find fabric made in this manner. We have a store here in Houston that sells a version of it with silk and metal (but not real gold or silver) in a wide variety of colors. It is very nearly transparent. I am not sure how this weight relates to that found in Sixteenth Century cloth of gold - can someone help me out with the weight of cloth of gold in this period - I'd like to know for my own use as well. The fabric we have here ranges in price from $15 to $35 per yard. If you are interested in seeing a sample of it, I could purchase a piece for you and mail it to you. Hope this helps, Cindy Johnson ---------------------------- Date: Thu, 6 Oct 94 21:35:35 PDT From: aterry@Teknowledge.COM (Allan Terry) Subject: Lace, Moths, etc. In answer to Danine's questions about lace: There is some information in chapter 2 of my book (which Danine has) about identifying hand vs. machine lace. There are several good books about lace that help with identification and with identifying earlier historic types that Victorian and Edwardian laces imitate. Levey, Santina M. _Lace: A History_. Leeds: W. S. Maney & Son, 1983. Reigate, Emily. _An Ilustrated Guide to Lace_. Woodbridge: Antique Collector's Club, 1986. Toomer, Heather. _Lace: A Guide to Identification of Old Lace Types and Techniques_. London: B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1989. Earnshaw, Pat. _The Identification of Lace_. Aylesbury: Shire Publications, 1980. Earnshaw, Pat. _Lace Machines and Machine Laces_. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd., 1986. Earnshaw, Pat. _Lace in Fashion from the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Centuries_. London: B. T. Batsford Ltd., 1985. Pat Earnshaw's books from other publishers, as well as some self-published ones, are available directly from her at Gorse Publications PO Box 214 Shamley Green Guildford GU5 OSW England I ordered one of Earnshaw's self-published books (_Embroidered Machine Nets: Limerick and Worldwide_). The book is high quality and was sent promptly. Several more books are listed, including _Bobbin and Needle Laces: Identification and Care_. I really ought to order them. . . When sewing with vintage lace, even machine lace, you need to consider that it will have to be hand washed even if the garment is otherwise machine washable or machine dry-cleanable. If I use large quantities of vintage lace on a garment, I hand wash the whole garment, or have it hand dry cleaned. If I'm just using a vintage collar and cuffs, I baste them on and remove them for separate hand washing each time the garment is cleaned. (This is what the Victorians did.) Vintage lace, even if it may have been used, must be preshrunk (in hot water in the sink). Otherwise it can shrink a lot. I usually gather vintage lace by hand, by passing sewing thread through each hole at the top. (You can leave the gathering thread on the spool as you work.) This looks better than machine gathering. Sometimes I attach the lace by hand and sometimes by machine. It depends on whether the seam is visible and how fancy the garment is. Unfortunately vintage lace will probably not outlast a garment made out of new fabric. So I don't worry about whether it can be used again. About moths: I've collected vintage clothes for over 20 years. Lots of them are wool, fur, silk, or feathered. I don't store them with any repellant, but I've never had a single moth. I think the real secret to preventing moths is to not bring in textiles that harbor moth eggs. Textiles that do are from vintage clothing stores, estate sales, or somebody's attic--in other words not new from the department store. If any item is suspect, I quarantine it in a tightly closed garage-sale suitcase with a paridichlorobenzene moth cake, in my garage, till I take it to the cleaners. Which is ASAP. (Vintage textiles can be hand dry cleaned by a cleaner who knows how.) Dry cleaning kills moth eggs and the smell is a deterrent for several months. How do you tell whether an item is "suspect"? The conservative approach is to assume all moth-edible textiles are suspect until cleaned. The merely cautious approach is to assume a textile is suspect if it has moth holes, was stored or sold with other moth-eaten textiles, was bought from a vintage dealer who doesn't clean textiles before sale, or you saw moths flying around where you got it. If you already have moths, they may have laid eggs in lots of items including your rugs and upholstery, which are hard to dry clean. However, I believe a flea bomb used according to the manufacturer's directions, and with the moth-eaten textiles left within reach of the fumes, will do a great job. (I've been told this by other vintage collectors.) Another prevention tactic is to seal all moth-edible textiles in containers so tight the moths can't get in. I don't, actually, do this. Paridicholorobenzene kills moths, whereas I think cedar and herbal repellants merely smell bad to them. My view is that most hungry creatures will put up with some unpleasantness to get at the food. Paridichlorobenzene is not something to get on your skin, eyes, or mouth, and you shouldn't breathe the fumes. It should be wrapped in a clean rag to avoid touching the textile directly, which can leave a stain. In other words, it's effective but should be used with caution. However, if you avoid bringing infested textiles into your home, you won't have to use it constantly. Somebody asked me whether the Museum of Costume at Bath has a book on their collection, and whether the museum store sells by mail. I don't know, maybe somebody else on this list does. When I was there the museum store was small and had postcards but no book. I thought I had a smallish book on the collection, bought in the US later, but when I looked for it tonight I couldn't find it. Fran Grimble ---------------------------- End of Volume 164 -----------------------