Who wants some chintz?!

The lovely Angela and her husband have updated their Burnley and Trowbridge website where they have posted all of their fabulous printed cottons for your enjoyment at only 10 USD a yard! I ordered a sample from them a few weeks ago, and I got the chintzes in, and they are to die for. Some lovely lovely cottons...here's some images that I've gotten off their website:

 

 

I can also vouch that they're great quality cotton and are beautiful in person. There are more color options too on their website.

I know I plug them alot, but I've met Angela in person, and have dealt with them many a time, and they (she and her husband) are great business people, and are super super helpful.

Happy Holidays!

*All images are from Burnley and Trowbridge Website. (Angela if you wish for me to take them down just let me know!)

Silver Thimbles

Happy Holidays!

Victoria and Albert Museum. 19th Century Christmas Card

I'm currently not sewing anything at the moment, but instead planning and getting things together to start sewing  here in the next few days..or..um..weeks. Probably after Christmas, for obvious reasons. Nothing too exciting going on there..hopefully Christmas will have some pretty blog worthy things to post about (if I can find my usb cord to my camera...had to get a new computer and this one is without an sd card reader...) My projects are for myself and for my mom. I have to make a early 19th century shift for my 1810 ensemble and then a 18th century shift for her. (I also have to make myself a new 18th century shift, but that'll probably be at a much late date). Then I need to make an underpetticoat and a short gown for my workshops/mother. (Kill two birds with one stone really with the short gown..)

I have to do all of this by January 22nd or so. At least I will have plenty of practice with my stitching!

And now, I've ..err...edited a Christmas song in honor of us ladies (and gentlemen) who just can't stop sewing, and could use a laugh.

I have to warn you though, I sang it to my mom...and she told me to not quit my day job....

Silver Thimbles (To the Tune of Silver Bells...kinda)

Cotton fabric, linen fabric
Dressed in holiday style
In the air
There's a feeling of great stress
Fitting lacking
Hemming falling
Meeting groan after groan
And in every sewing room you'll hear

Damn, Shoot, Fan! Ouch! Crap! No!
It's sewing time for us ladies
F-M-L, hear them scream
Soon it will be throw away

Strings of ribbon
Even grosgrain
Shine a bright red and green
As the sewers rush home
With their treasures
Hear the silk crunch
See the cats bunch
This will become big scene
And above all the bustle
You'll hear

Damn, Shoot, Fan! No Cats No!
Soon it will be thrown awayyyyyyyyyy

<3 <3

 

A Christmas 'Meme' (?) Survey..thingy..

I got this from Lauren at the Lady of Portland House...I feel like I should write something here even though I don't have any sewing projects going on at the moment... :)

1. Eggnog or hot chocolate? I also agree with Lauren, I prefer Apple Cider....with Apple Brandy.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Umm..he did a bit of both...one time he left a foot print and some fairy dust behind. Messy old man. I liked my barbie car though, so I wont complain. :)

3. Colored lights on the tree/house or white? I'm a colored lights person, but I have a feeling my next christmas will be white lights...thanks to a certain someone...

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No, I've had too many weird encounters with old men at christmas party who use it as a chance to be skeezy.

5. When do you put your Christmas decorations up? Um usually around the first weekend of December. Again...this might be changed against my will next year...grr.

6. Favorite holiday dish? My mom's cinnamon rolls she makes in the morning..or the cookies I make. :)

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Read about Santa's messy visit. I got a Barbie Corvette...I still remember that Christmas and I was like 3. It. Was. Awesome.

8. When did you learn the truth about Santa? When I was like 10 or 11 and a friend told me about Santa because she found out and was sworn not to tell her little sister, but I she could tell me. That christmas sucked, and my mom is still ticked about it, and it's like 12 years later.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes. I would go over to my biological father's family's house then and also my parents and I would open up a few before going to bed...it's always fun that way...spaces Christmas out..I dig it.

10. How do you decorate a tree? It's very 1950s. Especially this year when we got a new tree that has these LED lights that look really old school...and then we drape old beads, popcorn, and old family ornaments on the tree...it really tells a story...then mom and I hang a lot of garland & wreaths everywhere, nutcrackers, and elves, etc. Next year Fredrik and I will have Advent stars and candles, wreaths and garland...I love how green homes get...

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? I dig it...but people really need to learn how to drive.

12. Can you ice skate? ...ehh...it's been a while...

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Um, this is a bit tricky because there are some gifts that really stick out in my mind, but right now I would have to say my full size portrait of Jane Seymour the 3rd wife of Henry VIII. She hangs next to my bed, and I just love it because my mom totally surprised me...Jane will be with me until she falls apart..which shouldn't be any time in the next 25 to 50 years. :)

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays to you? Family, love, and the beauty of giving. We've become a greedy society and I think we need to focus on giving love...this season can really help promote that. It also is a great way to celebrate the end of darkness (The solstice) and the year. It's magical.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? My cookies! :D

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Umm there are loads..but mostly just how magical Christmas morning is...taking our time and enjoying the moment...it's always over so quickly..it's great making it last as long as possible.

17. What tops your tree? We used to have a nature angel..but right now there is nothing, and we'll probably keep it that way..

18. Which do you prefer-Giving or Receiving? Giving, I love love love it..I get so excited..!!!!

 

19. Favorite Christmas song? Carol of the Bells

20. Candy Canes-Yuck or Yum? I dig them

21. Favorite Christmas show? Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol, A Muppet's Christmas Carol, A Christmas Story, all the Rankin-Bass christmas specials..except a couple..like the little drummer boy. 

22. Saddest Christmas song? The Christmas Shoes, I hate that song. (Lauren wrote this and I have to agree..I HATE THIS DAMN SONG!) There is also one that is about running into an old flame and splitting a 6 pack in a car...I do not support Yuletide Drunk Driving...and the song's stupid.

Also, if anyone resposts this, let me know so I can read! 

Happy Holidays everyone!!!

All's Quiet on the Western Front...

I'm officially on my 7.5 month break from Europe and back at home in good ol' USA. The perks? It's warmer here, sunnier here, and America always does the holidays right...completely over the top. Downside? Fredrik is in Sweden...don't need to say much else. However, in regards to sewing there are several things to look forward too.

During the end of January I am officially succumbing to the Regency period and making myself an 1810 corded corset in assistance with my old bosses and co workers from the Colonial Williamsburg Millinery Shop in association with Burnely and Trowbridge. Every season the create workshops available for the public to learn 18th (or in the this case 19th) century sewing skills to make the best garments possible. So I will be spending a lovely winter weekend with my mother in beloved Williamsburg. I'm very much looking forward to making this corset, as it will help further my understanding of stays/corsets and their comfort.

At the end of March I will finialize my 1810 ensemble by attending the draping workshop in Williamsburg again with the ladies of the Millinery and Burnley and Trowbridge. I'm already considering fabric, and tempted to go 'weird'. I have a print from about 1802 (ish) that is of a white gown with yellow stars on it..and if I could find a cotton with stars on it, I think it would be awesome. I have a history of star printed dresses....

So I think that would be really cool...but I dont know if I would want yellow stars or white stars...I think white stars would be quite pretty and understated...but we'll see. I'm starting to do research on what fabric designs were accurate for the dress so I get a fabric I really like so I will wear it more than once (as I really have no desire to make another one of these again at the moment...) :)

Before doing all of this though, I must make a 19th century shift which will occupy my time around christmas and early January. I also need to remake my 18th century shift into something more appropriate. As for other projects going on..I have 3 yards of printed cotton to fiddle with, a hat to trim and silk to buy for a hopefully upcoming 1770's sacque.


That's it for me at the moment. As for the fellow America readers, I hope you all have a marvelous Thanksgiving holiday and don't suffer too much from the shopping ridiculousness that will follow on Friday. I will be in Ohio with my grandparents and parents celebrating. :)

<3 <3

Colonial Williamsburg e-museum and 18th century fashion GOLD MINE.

Hello folks,

As a result from a discussion regarding pockets on the Historical Sewing Forum I went to Colonial Williamsburg Website in a, what I expected to be, a vain attempt at finding pictures of the pockets that are in the Costume and Textile collection that is curated by Linda Baumgarten (who I was fortunate enough to intern for summer 2007 and is all around awesome). My biggest complaint with the CW website never had their collections available online for us to use. It was incredibly difficult finding images to use for research etc, that I knew CW had in their collection, but I no longer have access to the images (due to that computer crashing and burning 1 week before the end of my final semester at Indiana University).

Today, I was finally given a gift. The gift of the Colonial Williamsburg E-Museum! It is wonderful, though the search function is not quite up to my expectations, but no search function ever is. Here is the brilliance of the Colonial Williamsburg E-Museum: It's mostly 18th century with a few 19th century pieces. So for those of you who preference 18th century and are constantly bogged down by ugly 1830s dresses or modern crap on other museum websites (sorry but I have a strong distaste for the 1830s.) CW has given us a gift. Plus! PLUS PLUS PLUS: Basically all of the images found in books are found here, but they also have posted pictures of pieces that have not been gracing publications. Here are some examples:

Black Satin Gown with Embroidery. 1770s. Shown: 1991-474,A; 1991-474,B and 1991-474,C. Image and Gown Property of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Here is the link to the actual garment page.

And this is one of my all time favorite pieces ever.

Silk Waistcoat, 1790, French, Acc. No. 1990-13. Image and Garment Property of Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Click here for the link to the garment page.

Talk about a power suit, eh? They actually embroidered bloody wounds on the cheetahs. I love it.

They have also posted images of the materninty wear that was featured in the most recent book, What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America : The Colonial Williamsburg Collection. Which can be purchased here.

I'm currently feeling like I've done something seriously wrong by posting the images from the website (even with full citations) so I'm going to stop with the images. You'll have to find them for yourself. And please, if you are posting museum images..try to cite them as best you can. It is difficult, especially if you find them from secondary sources, (aka searching things through google images). Hopefully this post wont upset anyone as I am not gaining anything financially from this blog or post and I'm only trying to share the Colonial Williamsburg Love.

----------------------------------------------------------

To collaborate with the images of the costumes, they have posted a ton of portraits in their collection. Some of them are good, and some of them are the damn disturbing folk art portraits that scare the crap out of me at the Abby Alrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum. 

I will not post any of these as they are frightening and disturb me greatly.

Enjoy everyone!!

 

Master of Letters

I received notification yesterday evening that I have qualified with merit for my Master of Letters (MLitt) from the University of Glasgow in Decorative Arts and Design History! YAY! I wish I knew exactly how I did on my thesis, but I assume I'll find out more about that later. However this means that once I am back in the states and with access to my dissertation, I will begin more 'academic' posting and also more information regarding future sewing projects..

There's a really pretty silk stripe on Renaissance fabrics right now that would make a lovely spring Sacque as MMinCairo and I have decided....or I can stick to my massive Tudor project that I want to begin undertaking, but I am having a difficult time deciding on fabric for that project. More on that later, I just want to celebrate my Masters right now! woo!

It's that time of year again!

Well, first off I want to say 'Hi 20 followers!' I was really surprised yesterday when I logged on to see that I had 20 followers to this blog now, so I just want to say 'hello!' I will hopefully have something to blog about soon, after a question over 'working class' dress in the historical sewing fourm I was given another idea of topics to write about.

Like there are misconceptions about stays and comfort, it seems that there are some misconceptions about fabric and class, and also the types of clothes worn. I'm still trying to figure out (more personally than anything) the logistics of posting images online in the blog that are not mine, and still being able to provide an interesting and useful posts about costume history. So once I have some time on my hands (and I have access to my books...I have none in Sweden) I will start posting more informative posts.

And also my uncoming projects that will be massively large and basically a little stupid on my part to dive into (but that makes it fun right?! :) )

Anyways, since the holiday season is coming around the bend (less than 2 months till Christmas! WOO!) I thought it would be time to start our christmas lists for all those costuming needs.

With that I'm going to send you all to my lovely friend Mantua Maker in Cairo's blog, Adventures in Mantua Making where she has organized and compiled a crazy large list of costuming books for every century and need it seems like. I'm too lazy to do it myself, but I highly reccommend you check out what she's posted, along with her writings. She has posted on here a couple of times, specifically regarding cutting and draping of my gowns, etc. She is a real journeywoman in mantuamaking and millinery (I'm pretty sure she has papers and everything). She's studied 18th century women's clothing and has made it for over 8 years now, so this means she really knows her books. So, fellow costumers, get your wishlists ready because you're going to want some of the books she's listed! :)

Take care kids and I'll post later...it is halloween....I have to throw together a zombie wedding outfit by tomorrow...any excuse to go shopping. :)