[h-cost] re:knit stockings (long)
Carol wrote: Ok, I'm convinced the cut-from-yardgoods stockings existed. Come to think of it, there is a stocking I looked at from around 1880 that fit the category - one of the fancy knit fabrics that probably could not have been done any other way. However, I thought you said the cut sewn were the most common for mid-19th century. I have not seen that in extant stockings in museum collections. There are certainly hand-knit stockings, and those that are knit to shape. I never said they were the most common, I said they were the best available option; documented period technique using period appropriate fibers. What dating criteria have you been using in your examinations? As you previously stated this was not a period technique, perhaps you misinterpreted what you were examining. Also, we are all aware that the items in museums tend to be representative of those fine, expensive items of the upper classes as opposed to the common everyday items of the middle or lower classes, which were usually used and reused until nothing was left. The employments of women also states that one single factory was employing 700 women to sew stockings, unfortunately it does not state how many per day they could complete, but that's a very large workforce for the time period - there most have been a demand for the product. From The employments of women: a cyclopaedia of woman's work./ By Virginia Penny. Penny, Virginia, b. 1826.Penny, Virginia, How women can make money. Boston: Walker, Wise, Company1863. Hosiers: A knitting machine has been invented in Seneca, N. Y., that is said to knit a perfect stocking in less than five minutes. Aikens's knitting machines are very popular. We have thought ladies would do well to try them, and devote themselves to making up hosiery. We' doubt not but it would pay very well. - The cloth is knit in a straight piece, and another lady cuts it into shape and sews into the articles wanted. Work done by steam power is not so neat; the selvages are not well made, and the goods must be cut and sewed in seams. Many women are employed in hosiery manufactures where steam is used. Is this an advertisement for ladies to buy this machine and use it at home? It's a bit confusing considering they mention steam power. Having to cut the yardgoods to shape does not seem like knitting the perfect stocking. The Aiken's machine was hand-cranked and focused towards home manufacture. Steam power was used in the factories. There were issues with converting machinery originally intended for hand power to steam power. The steam power was so powerful (if not properly regulated) that the older equipment frequently did not function optimally - it simply couldn't keep up. I suspect in knitted goods, it led to imperfect knitting, obviously especially along the selvedges I heard that someone was knitting stockings on some sort of machine for Civil War reenactment use. But then he stopped for some reason? I believe Mickey Childs (not sure I'm remembering the name correctly) was making men's socks and there was some controversy on the heel construction. I'm not aware of anyone ever making correct machine knit ladies stockings. I personally don't knit and am not in a position to pay some a reasonable fee for the time and energy it would take for them to handknit a pair of stockings (pet peeve of mine - too many people doing intricate handwork price their items too low, they don't place a respectable value on their time, talent, knowledge, etc.). So again, I feel comfortable reproducing a period technique with the best available approximation of a period textile. Kelly Dorman Backward Glances www.backwardglances.net Making them from knit yardgoods is a good way to get something better, short of handknitting. Since the original question was about 18th century, it may or may not be perfectly authentic - depends on the decade being reproduced. -Carol ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] margo pattern question
I have never really used commercial patterns for historical costuming, but have drafted my own based on pictures of period pattern pieces. When I bought this set, I was hoping for more detailed directions, perhaps more period methods of assembling the garments. I was extremely frustrated several times, and like I said at one point the directions had me assembling a part inside out, but when it was all said and done I was thrilled with the finished outfit. The pattern pieces, for the most part, made sense, but someone else pointed out (on Margo's site, I believe) that they did not rely on the directions and simply used the pattern pieces. shrug I am not saying it is a pattern without merit, just forewarning you that it is a first run and still has mistakes. My suggestion is that you hook up with someone else who has a good bit of sewing experience to help you over the rough spots. :) ~Kimberley -Original Message- From: REBECCA BURCH [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Historical Costume [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 10:28:30 -0800 (PST) Subject: Re: [h-cost] margo pattern question Bummers! I just ordered the Gentlemen's Wardrobe pattern set to use for my son's Faire outfit. Is there a better one you would recommend? This is my first time doing really historically accurate costuming and I need to get it right. --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I just bought and made that pattern in November, and found that there were several corrections to pattern pieces, directions left off in some places, and at one place outright wrong directions. Off the top, I cannot remember what I had to do to make it work, so I guess I cannot be of much help. I do remember fighting with the collar, however, and it seems to me that doing what made sense at the time was the right thing to do. I would not recommend this pattern for someone who is not already familiar with basic construction techniques for this type of garment. ~Kimberley -Original Message- From: A J Garden [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Historical Costume [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 17:04:55 +1100 Subject: [h-cost] margo pattern question Does anyone here have Margos Elizabethan gentlemens pattern? I've asked on Margos list but can't get an answer - I'm pretty sure there is a correction that needs to be done to the neck of the mens doublet but I haven't got that page - can anyone here enlighten me? Thanks in advance, Aylwen ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume Rebecca Burch Center Valley Farm Duncan Falls, Ohio, USA ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Sergers past topics
My hobbylock 784 was purchased about 15years ago, at the time it was well over 1000$, but I'm sure they've come down in price. It's been put through it paces working in several professional shops, carted back and forth to classes I've taught and is still running smooth and strong, with only a minor repair of a screw other than regular cleaning and timing check. It's relatively small for a 4 thread, and easy as pie to thread! Hope that helps! Kelly Size (must be small as possible, I have very limited space) Ease of threading Sturdiness (I am a theatrical costumer, so my machines take a beating) Cost (would prefer not to spend over $500) thanks! + Angela F. Lazear Cabbage Rose Costumes Theatrical Costume Design Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none: be able for thine enemy rather in power than use, and keep thy friend under thy own life's key: be checked for silence, but never taxed for speech... All's Well That Ends Well 1.1.65-6, Countess to Bertram W. Shakespeare http://www.cabbagerosecostumes.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Re: serger
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 01/13/06 3:10 PM Carol still looking for a treadle powered serger like my Mennonite friend has... I was truly intrigued by this, so I went looking. Here's someone who built, actually converted, her own! http://www.mushycat.com/wiki/index.php?n=Treadles.SergerConversion Kathy ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
RE: [h-cost] att. Bjarne
Hiya. A meter is a little bit more than a yard. 6 danish kr is about a dollar at the moment. So a bit more than a yard of this material is about 50 dollars ;-). Very expensive I know, but fabrics are expensive in Denmark since we have a 25% sales tax. Tania otsisto [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Roughly what is that in American dollars and inches. :) Actually, how do you get to the site with the linens? De -Original Message- You can get it at Broderi Antik for 399 dkr a meter. it is about 140 cm wide. Hope you can use this info Tania ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume - Yahoo! Photos Got holiday prints? See all the ways to get quality prints in your hands ASAP. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] pride and prejudice (late)
Hi, I went to the movies today and watched what you already saw long time ago, Pride and Prejudice. Movies always are late here, dont know why, Casanova is coming in april. Well i must say that i lost my heart totally to this version of Austens novel. The characters were well chosen, settings and situations was gorgeous, and especially the interriors of Longborn Manor was to die for. Excatly what i have in my head of that time. Peassants at your doorway and geese and hens at the front opening, very romantic and very realistic to me. Even the costumes was absolutely lovely, i simply think the costumer had hit the right situation, that a remote place in the country would be far behind from such a daring and shocking fashion change as the regency was. How delighted to see the anglaise dresses used, and mr Bennet dressed in oldfashioned long waistcoat, from the 1750ies. I was so diverted and i really would like to go again to watch it tomorrow. Bravo Bjarne Leif og Bjarne Drews www.my-drewscostumes.dk http://home0.inet.tele.dk/drewscph/ ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Stitch example?
I've seen this stitch mentioned several times in directions for sewing, but can't seem to find a good example of it. The stitch is a blind stitch. Does anyone have a good instructional example of it? I'll want to teach myself it then teach my students. Roscelin ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Re: socks/stocking etc.
real period socks and stocking can be a challenge for those of us in
the reecacting world.Which is why I went to not-so-authentic, but
faster to produce cut from whole cloth stockings. The have that clock,
which is missing from so many commerically availble socks. I'm still
experimenting with differen fabrics for the stiffness factor. I have a
piece of wool jersey that has been washed and fulled up nicely, AND is a
bit stiffer. Do you know what the frequency is of stockings done in
wool, but not knitted (Just general is good...)
I'm not much of a knitter, but I have a book called Folk Socks, which has
every kind of heel I ever say, and several I never did before, all with
knitting instructions for them. (I haven't been following this thread, so
I don't know if this book has been mentioned.) It also has many kinds of
toe, also with instructions. These might go as far back as the early
1700s, or possibly the late late 1600s. I also have Mr. Rutts book on the
history of hand knitting, and that has lots of pictures of SCA-able knitted
pieces, including the socks Eleanor of Toledo was buried in, and a pair of
knitted Pluderhosen! (Really. They're amazing.)
CarolynKayta Barrows
dollmaker, fibre artist, textillian
www.FunStuft.com
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[h-cost] Re: 18th cent circular peg knitting
At 8:56 AM -0700 1/12/06, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I have a friend who has a circular wooden Frame on which she makes no- seam stockings for herself and her man. She was working on a pair at Christmas time. Her era for reenactment is the 18th century. As a spinner and weaver, she is very fussy to maintain traditional fiber arts for her time period. This frame method can even manipulate the turning of a heel. Now I do not know how early this style of knitting was known, but the concept is basically simple and could have been fashioned by any cottage crafter as a means of producing leg wear, hats and neck scarves. But it's not commonly mentioned nor pictured in any 18th cent sources I've seen (and I've been looking!)...there was a knitting frame--much more like a modern flat bed machine...If you have sources PLEASE PLEASE share I wanna know!!! Tho I fear this may be yet another case of they shoulda but they didn't :-( Ta Carol--knitting away on the forever socks (18th cent, combed, worsted, 2 ply blue/white ragg, ~12spi, o needles) -- Creative Clutter is Better Than Idle Neatness! ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Re: drawers
I've been quiet and watching this convresation evolve, and honestly I have been enjoying myself. It gives food for thought as to why these underwear, and another Venetian pair that indeed look like men's breeches, exist in the first place. It also further develops the question as to why one of them is stained in a strategic place. I'll throw some opinions and theories out there and see why others think... conversation fodder. This collection is referred to as the Sicilian Bride. Following along with the lingerie philosophy that it's not the contents, but the packaging that make it sweeter would it be a habit to wrap the prize of marriage to further entice the couple into consummation? By extension, the other pair that are listed as undergarments: http://realmofvenus.renaissancewoman.net/wardrobe/extdraw2.htm and given the blatant nature of the phrase all over them, are we back to the underwear on women are for enticement theory? It also seems odd to put so much decorative effort into a marginally functional garment if they were not in regular use. I think it was Lawner that mentioned a text reference to courtesans and prostitutes being church sanctioned in order to try and turn the homosexual males back to a more biblical way of life. I think there was also mention of some women cross dressing for this very reason - playing an erotic cross-gendering game. Would it not be another type of erotic game to dress like a woman but wear men's underwear underneath all that obvious femininity? I think too that we have to take into account the culture these underwear are attached - Sicilian, not Italian as many people believe. Sicily is more attached to Spain than it is Italy at this time. I am rather vague on both Spanish and Sicilian 16th c. cultures to really make any comment on the commonality of intimate undergarments for women. I think our general ignorance on the subject of feminine hygiene has nothing to do with it not being written down. I suspect it's more due to it being hidden away, my guess would be typical of the Victorian, possibly earlier depending on the social mores of the time and place. I have an entire book written on childbirth and its' associated rituals in Venice. It contains some surprisingly frank art within it's covers. Unfortunately, since it deals with childbirth as an event, there is no real mention of how menses are handled in it. I would suspect though, that if we followed the authors' original sources, we would find more than our share of information. In all of the primary texts that I have come across relative to sexuality in general, the Venetians at least, are very straightforward and have a rather colourful and broad vocabulary covering such private topics. Looking up sangue in Florios' 1611 Italian-English Dictionary garners me a broad variety of derivatives that can be applied to a woman's menstrual blood. Looking up menses I get a period (pardon the pun) term for a woman's monthly: Me'nstruo: a womans monethly(sic) termes, issues, fluxes, sheddings or flowers. Also silver(?) among Alchemists. Flowers?! So they really weren't any less frank about it than we are, really. And honestly we are just as allusive today as they were then - that whole period and flowers thing. Therein lies a possible explanation as to why we know little about the topic - code words that were used amongst familiar groups that are meaningless to us today. Either way, it bears looking into. My general opinion on the stained underwear I mentioned above is the possibility of proof of consummation. The provenance of the garments suggests that the woman in question was possibly not that well-to-do, perhaps from a convent orphanage. If she married above her station, mayhap this was her insurance against annulment? It would seem odd to save stained underwear in a time whenall fabrics were too precious not to put into regular daily use, or sell off for rags. I suppose I will know more when I see them in person - if the stain looks undisturbed or washed several times since their discolouration. Anyway, food for thought. Kathy ItÂ’s never too late to be who you might have been. -George Eliot For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it. -Ivan Panin __ Find your next car at http://autos.yahoo.ca ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Re: margo pattern question
Quoting Mary [EMAIL PROTECTED]: I also had a problem with the collar, made it over several times and finally gave up in frustration and went on to another project. It's been sitting in my UFO pile for a couple years now. I just thought it was me, since I had never made anything like it before. Now I feel a bit better that I'm not the only one! Might even start working on it again... :-) In case you don't know, there's an e-list at yahoo for Margo's Patterns run by Margo herself. She's an active participant, and eagerly solicits places like this so that she can *fix* them in the next release of the pattern. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/margospatterns/ Susan - Susan Farmer [EMAIL PROTECTED] University of Tennessee Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology http://www.goldsword.com/sfarmer/Trillium/ ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Re: Serger
At 3:41 PM -0700 1/13/06, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Carol still looking for a treadle powered serger like my Mennonite friend has... I was truly intrigued by this, so I went looking. Here's someone who built, actually converted, her own! http://www.mushycat.com/wiki/index.php?n=Treadles.SergerConversion Veddy Cool Guess I'll have to get the Toyota repaired now to use as a 'victim'... Ta Carol -- Creative Clutter is Better Than Idle Neatness! ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Taffeta question again...
Hello everyone, For those of you who had input on my silk taffeta question, I have another question related to the first one: When you buy your taffeta, what weight do you look for? I found 2.25 oz. silk taffeta for $16.98/yard (denverfabrics.com) I found 4 oz. silk taffeta for $22.00/yard (distinctivefabrics.com) I found ? weight silk taffeta (labeled lightweight) for $11.00/yard (fashionfabricsclub.com) I found ? weight silk taffeta for $30.99/yard (fabrics.net) The weight silk I would buy would be the 4 oz. kind and my supplier has even heavier silk taffeta (5.30 oz.) but I don't know the cost yet. Is 4 oz. considered heavy enough for what we do? Or is 5.30 oz. preferable? Thanks! Diana www.RenaissanceFabrics.net Everything for the Costumer ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] knit stockings
OK. I can make knit yardgoods (5 knitting machines). What would the stitches per inch be? Is there a decent pattern anywhere? Julie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Ok, I'm convinced the cut-from-yardgoods stockings existed. Come to think of it, there is a stocking I looked at from around 1880 that fit the category - one of the fancy knit fabrics that probably could not have been done any other way. SNIP A knitting machine has been invented in Seneca, N. Y., that is said to knit a perfect stocking in less than five minutes. Aikens's knitting machines are very popular. We have thought ladies would do well to try them, and devote themselves to making up hosiery. We' doubt not but it would pay very well. - The cloth is knit in a straight piece, and another lady cuts it into shape and sews into the articles wanted. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
RE: [h-cost] Re: Mother Ginger
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 01/13/06 1:44 AM It seems that the person who played Mother M in that picture is a guy. That would really help, because they really are larger and stronger (usually) and so can drag a heavy contraption more easily. Yes, I know--and more often than not Mother Ginger *is* a guy--just for the comedy factor. We had wanted to use a guy-- we were trying to get a local celebrity, like a DJ--but the Artistic Director nixed that idea, too. (Can you tell we had many artistic differances?) So it ended up being Clara's mother, Mrs. Stahlbaum, who had no more to do after Act I was over (and who, by the way, just happens to be my daughter. This production was the 20th anniversary of the first time the company did Nutcracker. Twenty years ago, Gretchen was Clara--now she came back to play her own mother!) Also, extra height on the part of the actor means extra head room underneath. Well, remember Gretchen was sitting on top of a 4-foot ladder--she was the eqivalent of about a 7' person anyway! We need whatever device they use to drive parade floats around! Kathy -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kathy Hoover Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2006 10:15 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [h-cost] Re: Mother Ginger Hi Mary, Becky, and anyone who has any ideas, I just finished Nutcracker before Christmas and Mother Ginger was an extreme problem. I had asked this list for suggestions in mid-November, but only got one or two replies about using plastic plumbing pipe. That is what we ended up doing, but the results were less than wonderful. It is first on my list of what to tackle the next time we do it. Our dancer sat on top of a 4-foot aluminum ladder that was not-too-securely attached to a platform on wheels (casters). The panniers were dropped over the ladder, she crawled up the ladder and wiggled down in. They were pinned as securely as we could around her waist using upholstery strapping and we also had suspenders attached. I wish we would have thought of the backbrace--good idea! Then we dropped the skirt over her head (which was in several rather poorly connected pieces), an apron, bodice with cape sleeves, collar, and she wore an outlandish yellow wig. The panniers were approximately 4' by 7'. The size was based o! n the very cramped back stage space we had in our theater. We had to be able to fit in 14 six to nine-year-old 'Bon-Bons' and also another teenage girl who literally pushed the whole contraption on stage from underneath! Much of this was leftover technology from what had been done in previous years when I was not with them. Two of us had to dress Mother in the wings in only the ambient light coming from the stage. It was very, very shaky to say the least and I am so glad that we got through a Tech, a Dress, and 3 performances without a major mishap. You have already given me some new ideas. I like the idea of the bottom row being a C-shape to let the dancers out--but then how did the pipe keep its shape and not collapse on itself? We used plumbing connectors and put crosswise braces of pipe at the long ends of the ovals. It kept the ovals from twisting, but it was not enough to keep the panniers from sagging under the weight of the skirt. You mentioned having put upright pipe every 2 feet. I can see that this would give good support, but then how did you get it to bend into an oval? We only used the upholstery strapping to connect the 3 horizontal rows of pipe. I knew this was a problem, but we couldn't come up with a better answer in the time we had left. You mentioned that you thought San Francisco had completely built a stationary frame onto a platform. I'm going to contemplate this one--because this may be the sturdiest idea in the long run. Our greatest problem there would be storing it in the off season--costume and prop space in the back of the ballet studio is very limited. Is this link below the Mother Ginger costume you saw? http://www.voiceofdance.com/Insights/features.test.cfm?LinkID=315000 174 I just love this! In my research on the 'Net for ideas, this was my absolute favorite! A house for all the children! One last question--what kind of movement did Mother make on stage? Did she just roll out on stage in a straight line and then back out? Did she completely cross and go off on the other side? Did she turn or make any other movements? Our director insisted that Mother turn in a circle once--after the children were out. I'd like to figure out a different method of locomotion than a person hidden in the skirts and pushing on all fours! Hope you all have your creative thinking hats on today, Thanks, Kathy [EMAIL PROTECTED] 01/11/06 10:55 AM Hi Becky, My daughter's ballet school does Nutcracker every year. They have a M Ginger dress that is large enough to hide about a dozen kids under it. You said your's is for a play, but it seems
Re: [h-cost] medieval quote on underwear
Audrey Bergeron-Morin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote I have spent the weekend at an event in an English castle and I can tell you they are still damp. Were there any fires inside? Most of the castles we visited in France were damp and cold, but twice we visited castles where the chimneys had been restored so they'd made a fire inside - makes a whole world of difference. They would still be cold in the winter, though... I have always thought that once you built a castle and got the fires going, and then kept the fires going, winter and summer alike, it probably held the heat better than you might expect. Thick stone walls are certainly very good insulation when it comes to keeping heat out - one event inside a castle at Easter, we were going outside to warm up! Jean -- Jean Waddie ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
RE: [h-cost] margo pattern question
Does anyone here have Margos Elizabethan gentlemens pattern? I've asked on Margos list but can't get an answer - I'm pretty sure there is a correction that needs to be done to the neck of the mens doublet but I haven't got that page - can anyone here enlighten me? Thanks in advance, Aylwen Just what problems are you having? I have made the doublet a few times for my husband and don't recall having any troubles. I just checked my pattern instructions for any notes that I might have jotted down (I try to do this so I remember if I changed something for the next time) and have nothing recorded for the neck-piece at all. I just bought and made that pattern in November, and found that there were several corrections to pattern pieces, directions left off in some places, and at one place outright wrong directions. Off the top, I cannot remember what I had to do to make it work, so I guess I cannot be of much help. I do remember fighting with the collar, however, and it seems to me that doing what made sense at the time was the right thing to do. I would not recommend this pattern for someone who is not already familiar with basic construction techniques for this type of garment. ~Kimberley I would agree with you that Margo's patterns do need a bit of prior sewing experience. I have also found places where an step is left out - obvious if you've sewn before, but not so obvious if this is your first sewing experience. Bummers! I just ordered the Gentlemen's Wardrobe pattern set to use for my son's Faire outfit. Is there a better one you would recommend? This is my first time doing really historically accurate costuming and I need to get it right. Rebecca Burch There is really no better pattern than Margo's on the market (my opinion, of course!) Her patterns are well researched and I think fulfill the qualification of historically accurate. The only way you could get more accurate is to draft your own pattern using Janet Arnold, or some other costume historian's sketches (or your own, if you are so lucky). What Faire are you making the costume for? Is your son going to be on cast? I know for a fact that Margo's patterns are used by cast members at many Faires across the country - I have used them for myself and my husband at Bristol and recommend them to the members of my Guilde, of which I am the costume liaison. I also had a problem with the collar, made it over several times and finally gave up in frustration and went on to another project. It's been sitting in my UFO pile for a couple years now. I just thought it was me, since I had never made anything like it before. Now I feel a bit better that I'm not the only one! Might even start working on it again... :-) ~mary Again, I do not have any notes at the doublet collar section of my pattern instructions. It is a tricky part, but if you follow the instructions *very* *carefully*, it works fine. It is one of those spots where I found I can't go rushing through, or I will mess up. OK, I'm reading the instructions themselves over carefully. I think that the step that is missing is to slash the seam allowance to the inside corner dot, so that the piece will pivot and be able to sew the collar piece to the shoulder/front. Does that make sense? Not something that I needed to note for myself, because I just knew/figured what needed to be done from prior experiences. *** Rebecca Schmitt aka Agness Cabot, Guilde of St. Lawrence Bristol Renaissance Faire My arms are too short to box with God. --Johnny Cash *** ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Aaaak! Embroidery issues
I am *finally* finishing my version of an early period Irish short coat for my Husband, and I find I am nearly out of one particular colour of DMC Medicis wool. I go to check the website of the shop I usually buy from (I cannot get any locally) only to find that since I last ordered from them they no longer carry it. Grrr! (This is the second time this has happened to me with this particular line of wool, apparently I'm one of the very few people that actually uses it.) What I am looking for is a Canadian shop that carries Medicis, that will do mail-order/online. I'm in 'Northern' Ontario, but I'd consider anything within reasonable shipping distance. US suppliers are fine as well, provided they don't charge an arm and a leg for shipping. :-) Thanks folks for any help! Sheridan *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* I'm Irish! When I am well, I am better than everyone, when I am hurt I yell at the top of my lungs, and when I am dead I shall be deader than anybody! ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Underwear Menses (was: medieval quote on underwear)
At 8:16 PM + 1/10/06, Caroline wrote: If you are pregnant or breastfeeding you are unlikely to have monthly cycles. Admitted women who are not sexually active won't be pregnant much but once you take nuns out of the equasion most women wouldn't need sanitary protection much during their life. But they'd still need it enough of their lives for it to be a consideration in their lives. (And even most married women were probably not producing a child every year, or even every two years, and so would have spent much of their mature lives menstruating every month -- and not all women got married, remained married constantly until menopause, were fertile, etc...) In any case, since this was raised in the context of discussing underwear, it is worth explicitly reminding ourselves that while currently in the US and similar cultures we often deal with menstruation by attaching something to underwear, this solution is in fact extremely modern. When I first started menstruating (circa 1980, give or take a couple years) many were still wearing special belts with dangly bits to which sanitary pads were attached (no underwear needed), and even as recently as the early 1990s when I was in hospital in the UK, the hospital issue pads assumed such a belt (which, naturally, I didn't have, not having used one since I was a young teenager -- nor were any of the British women I knew still using such things). And even though I have myself used such non-adhesive backing methods in the past, I still tend to forget that adhesive pads attached to underwear hasn't been around since time immemorial -- that is, until forcibly reminded by hospital time-warps or the like! So, even if it were true that historically women didn't need sanitary protection much during their life, that wouldn't explain lack of women wearing underwear as underwear is completely unnecessary for sanitary protection (even without tampons) and, further, modernly underwear only became part of the sanitary protection solution in very recent decades. That is, sanitary protection tells us nothing about underwear, and underwear tells us nothing about sanitary protection, except and unless there is specific evidence linking the two frequently unrelated variables in some specific context (such as, say, very late 20th, early 21st century US similar cultures). Sharon -- Sharon Krossa, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Resources for Scottish history, names, clothing, language more: Medieval Scotland - http://MedievalScotland.org/ ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Sergers past topics
angelalazear wrote: I've heard Juki's are good, but are they worth the hefty price tag? I'm going to use it for edging costumes only, so probably don't need a lot of fancy stitches. I love Jukis, despite the price. I've used them in two academic shops so far, and they are fab! The shop I'm in now had two sergers, one Singer and one other (White, maybe?) that were relatively new but always choking up, sucking trimmed-off edges back in, breaking threads, and losing stitches. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when we got the Juki. I've had my personal Juki for 15 years and have never once had a problem with it. It will chomp through a ridiculous number of layers (when I was a professional cutter/draper, I once brought home a costume that the sergers at work couldn't handle). Melanie Schuessler (now Asst. Prof. of Costume Design, Eastern Michigan University) ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
RE: [h-cost] Sergers past topics
On my son's school site, someone was offering a serger. Yamato Industrial 5 thread overlock serger. Asking $350.00. I'm not sure if it's still available. if you are interested, contact me directly at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sharon Collier -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of angelalazear Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 10:54 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [h-cost] Sergers past topics Listies, Can anyone take a moment to instruct me as to how to pull up our old topic threads? (I need the url as well) I am finally in the research phase of purchasing a serger, and I believe that was a recent topic here. Any other resource for info on sergers would be appreciated. I've been to many sewing machine sites, but they are really short on the info I'm looking for. I've heard Juki's are good, but are they worth the hefty price tag? I'm going to use it for edging costumes only, so probably don't need a lot of fancy stitches. I have a few criterium, in order of importance: Size (must be small as possible, I have very limited space) Ease of threading Sturdiness (I am a theatrical costumer, so my machines take a beating) Cost (would prefer not to spend over $500) thanks! + Angela F. Lazear Cabbage Rose Costumes Theatrical Costume Design Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none: be able for thine enemy rather in power than use, and keep thy friend under thy own life's key: be checked for silence, but never taxed for speech... All's Well That Ends Well 1.1.65-6, Countess to Bertram W. Shakespeare http://www.cabbagerosecostumes.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
RE: [h-cost] Re: Mother Ginger
Contact Disneyland's costume dept. A few years ago, we saw the Mulan parade, which had actors in very tall motorized mini floats (for lack of a better term). The costumes were gorgeous and about 10-12 feet tall. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kathy Hoover Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 11:37 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [h-cost] Re: Mother Ginger [EMAIL PROTECTED] 01/13/06 1:44 AM It seems that the person who played Mother M in that picture is a guy. That would really help, because they really are larger and stronger (usually) and so can drag a heavy contraption more easily. Yes, I know--and more often than not Mother Ginger *is* a guy--just for the comedy factor. We had wanted to use a guy-- we were trying to get a local celebrity, like a DJ--but the Artistic Director nixed that idea, too. (Can you tell we had many artistic differances?) So it ended up being Clara's mother, Mrs. Stahlbaum, who had no more to do after Act I was over (and who, by the way, just happens to be my daughter. This production was the 20th anniversary of the first time the company did Nutcracker. Twenty years ago, Gretchen was Clara--now she came back to play her own mother!) Also, extra height on the part of the actor means extra head room underneath. Well, remember Gretchen was sitting on top of a 4-foot ladder--she was the eqivalent of about a 7' person anyway! We need whatever device they use to drive parade floats around! Kathy -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kathy Hoover Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2006 10:15 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [h-cost] Re: Mother Ginger Hi Mary, Becky, and anyone who has any ideas, I just finished Nutcracker before Christmas and Mother Ginger was an extreme problem. I had asked this list for suggestions in mid-November, but only got one or two replies about using plastic plumbing pipe. That is what we ended up doing, but the results were less than wonderful. It is first on my list of what to tackle the next time we do it. Our dancer sat on top of a 4-foot aluminum ladder that was not-too-securely attached to a platform on wheels (casters). The panniers were dropped over the ladder, she crawled up the ladder and wiggled down in. They were pinned as securely as we could around her waist using upholstery strapping and we also had suspenders attached. I wish we would have thought of the backbrace--good idea! Then we dropped the skirt over her head (which was in several rather poorly connected pieces), an apron, bodice with cape sleeves, collar, and she wore an outlandish yellow wig. The panniers were approximately 4' by 7'. The size was based o! n the very cramped back stage space we had in our theater. We had to be able to fit in 14 six to nine-year-old 'Bon-Bons' and also another teenage girl who literally pushed the whole contraption on stage from underneath! Much of this was leftover technology from what had been done in previous years when I was not with them. Two of us had to dress Mother in the wings in only the ambient light coming from the stage. It was very, very shaky to say the least and I am so glad that we got through a Tech, a Dress, and 3 performances without a major mishap. You have already given me some new ideas. I like the idea of the bottom row being a C-shape to let the dancers out--but then how did the pipe keep its shape and not collapse on itself? We used plumbing connectors and put crosswise braces of pipe at the long ends of the ovals. It kept the ovals from twisting, but it was not enough to keep the panniers from sagging under the weight of the skirt. You mentioned having put upright pipe every 2 feet. I can see that this would give good support, but then how did you get it to bend into an oval? We only used the upholstery strapping to connect the 3 horizontal rows of pipe. I knew this was a problem, but we couldn't come up with a better answer in the time we had left. You mentioned that you thought San Francisco had completely built a stationary frame onto a platform. I'm going to contemplate this one--because this may be the sturdiest idea in the long run. Our greatest problem there would be storing it in the off season--costume and prop space in the back of the ballet studio is very limited. Is this link below the Mother Ginger costume you saw? http://www.voiceofdance.com/Insights/features.test.cfm?LinkID=315000 174 I just love this! In my research on the 'Net for ideas, this was my absolute favorite! A house for all the children! One last question--what kind of movement did Mother make on stage? Did she just roll out on stage in a straight line and then back out? Did she completely cross and go off on the other side? Did she turn or make any other movements? Our director insisted that Mother turn in a circle once--after the children were out. I'd like to figure
[h-cost] Re: sergers
Angela, Here's what I posted last May when the topic came up: I have a White serger and really like it, but it's at least 15 yrs old. I don't know if the new ones are as good or not. It's not fancy (doesn't do rolled hems easily, manual threading, etc.) but it's gotten me (and hubby) thru miles of velvet, lame', satins, and all kinds of weird fabrics. At the time, it was one of the heaviest sergers made, which means it doesn't dance all over the table when you run it at full speed. In all this time, it's only needed routine cleanings and tune-ups - no major repairs. HTH Sandy - see interleaved lines for specific comments. At 01:02 PM 1/13/2006, you wrote: Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 10:53:42 -0800 From: angelalazear [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [h-cost] Sergers past topics I am finally in the research phase of purchasing a serger, and I believe that was a recent topic here. Any other resource for info on sergers would be appreciated. I've been to many sewing machine sites, but they are really short on the info I'm looking for. Size (must be small as possible, I have very limited space) footprint is about 1 sq. foot Ease of threading I don't think it's hard, but hubby has trouble. Usually I just tie new threads to the current looper threads and pull them thru, then thread the needles separately - they're no more difficult than a regular machine. Sturdiness (I am a theatrical costumer, so my machines take a beating) See above. Cost (would prefer not to spend over $500) Don't know what they go for now - also don't know if the current models are as good. Angela F. Lazear Cabbage Rose Costumes Those Who Fail To Learn History Are Doomed to Repeat It; Those Who Fail To Learn History Correctly -- Why They Are Simply Doomed. Achemdro'hm The Illusion of Historical Fact -- C.Y. 4971 Andromeda ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Seriously off topic (sorry) stolen re-enactment kit
Hi, I know this is a bit behind the fact, but the thought ocurred to me that it may worth Nigel posting the list ( and the event that caused the list ) to *ALL* of the ebay community boards, even if they don't seem to have anything to do with re-enactment. That way there will be a LOT more people keeping an eye out ( hopefully ). Deb, would you please forward my sincere condolences to Nigel and his lady. Joannah. --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 14:39:40 EST To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [h-cost] Seriously off topic (sorry) stolen re-enactment kit Apologies for going completely o-t, but I hope nobody (especially those involved) will mind me posting this here - am trying to spread the word as far as possible as quickly as possible. A garage used as a store by some members of Conquest has been raided, with some kit being stolen and the rest torched (burnt to ashes, for those not familiar with English slang). As I understand it, of the stuff in the garage, one tunic survived. Everything else is gone. This is thousands and thousands of pounds worth of kit which took decades to assemble. A full list of the stolen kit can be seen here http://livinghistory.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1651 Please keep an eye out for any of the kit that will presumably at some point be for sale. Thanks Debs ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _ Sluggy.Net: The Sluggy Freelance Community! ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
