Found Another One!

I have a somewhat odd obsession: attempting to match surviving mid-19th century stitched artifacts to period published patterns.

And I've found another one!!!

The ubiquitous "Mrs. Jane Weaver" has presented us with a "Head-Dress for Breakfast" in the October 1864 Peterson's Magazine, described as follows:

Take a simple square of white tarleton, trim with narrow black ribbon, and pin it quite forward on the front of the head; and you have the head-dress complete. 

And I've previously created my interpretation, based on the original artifact, several years ago.

This is a case of finding something completely off topic while researching a specific topic; it seems to happen nearly every time I leaf through my Godey's and Peterson's, one of the reasons I prefer to take the time to go page by page, as opposed to doing an online search.



Here's the original artifact, the resemblance to Mrs. Jane Weaver's depiction is striking, although not identical; the maker altered the materials and colors to suit her needs.



And here's my interpretation, again altered a bit to suit my needs. Complete details here.

Whirling Hollyhocks - A Textile Necklace

 

I remember making hollyhock "ballerinas" as a child and I decided that hollyhocks would be focals for this particular piece.

 

But how to do that exactly?

With mid-19th century fine dressmaking techniques, of course.

I started with the three dimensional center of the hollyhocks, using a technique more commonly used for creating fancy needle woven buttons (I plan a post regarding the buttons soon). I stuffed a circle of silk taffeta with wool roving and then used silk thread to add the needle woven embellishment. The addition of a silk taffeta rosette with self fabric fringe (two more Victorian techniques) formed a textile hollyhock. The teal version just has an oversized center and a minimal ruffle petal.

The base of the necklace is a corded ruffle, with the layers offset and, again, self fringed. The base also forms a loop, near center front, half of the closure, the other half being a slightly larger hollyhock center.

Available for purchase in my Etsy shop - Backward Glances.

Yes, They Did!

Every so often, a debate arises in mid-19th century living history circles - did anyone really create the projects depicted in the lady's magazines of the period?

Just like now, certain magazines were specifically marketed towards women and just like today, they have articles on fashion, cooking, child care, home decoration and craft projects. Two of the more popular were Godey's Lady's Book and Peterson's Magazine; they were targeted for the growing middle class and are a great research resource.

But did anyone actually create the projects?

YES, they did!

I've thus far been able to find four original items that I can directly link to specific published projects and recently was able to purchase one - a beaded pincushion. 

It's from the March 1865 issue of Godey's, with the following directions:

To be worked with clear glass beads, on canvas sufficiently coarse for one bead to cover a stitch. The  ground can be filled with Solerino, blue, or scarlet wool, worked in cross-stitch. The patterns are reduced about one half. The fringe should be formed on the cushions with the clear white beads. Forty beads should be strung and looped up three stitches from where it commences, and each loop should be caught into the one next to it. This forms a very graceful and rich fringe. These same patterns will answer for netted tidies, the figures to be darned in.

The maker of this cushion followed most of the directions: clear glass beads, scarlet wool ground and beaded fringe, but she did not cross stitch the ground - she used the basic continental stitch. The cushion is approximately 7 inches square. It has a red velvet back and is stiffly stuffed, perhaps with bran. There is damage to the wool ground and the fringe and it appears there may have been some type of trim applied in a square around the central design which is now missing.  

I probably would not have recognized the design except that I had previously used it myself, as decoration on a needle book. The design was beaded onto silk taffeta, which was used to cover two bell shaped pasteboard pieces. The pieces were connected on the sides and wool flannel pages can be exposed by pulling the emery strawberry "clapper" and retracted by pulling the velvet loop at the top.

I have another project to share, but need to wait until summer when I'll have the proper equine model...

Hidden Details: An 1840's Fan Front Dress

Isn't she lovely in her fan front bodice, with all the characteristic of 1840's fashion: her bodice long and tight with fan-shaped gathering, pointed in the front and fastening in the back, the neckline wide and shallow, the sleeves long and tight.

I recently purchased a dress from an online dealer, described as "Edwardian" but it was clear even in the blurry photos that it was definitely from an earlier era...and made of stunning fabric too!

I was so pleased when the box arrived and my thoughts were confirmed when this beautiful wool challis 1840's fan front dress emerged!

The fabric is so outstanding, brilliant green with a pattern of botehs or paisley that increase in size from top to bottom.

The dress is completely hand sewn, closes up the back with hooks and eyes. Tiny self fabric piping is found at the arms-eye, the shoulder and finishing the sleeve; larger piping finishes the waist.

The only trim is a bit of fringe on the sleeves.

The sleeves are cut on the bias, are lined  and are one piece, with just a bit of gathering at the elbow for wearing ease - I've used this style of sleeve, which was briefly popular again in the early 1860's, on some of my reproduction dresses and it's quite comfortable.

The skirt is not lined, with the exception of a polished cotton hem facing; there is no hem braid, the fashion fabric has been just slightly turned to the interior.

The panels making up the skirt run selvedge to selvedge, and have been joined with a running stitch.

The pattern was printed to allow for the pattern to match up when this technique was used, although the seamstress was a little off in her join in this case.

The skirt was gauged at the waist. At some point, a modern alteration was made and the excess fabric at the front point was removed and added to the back of the bodice to enlarge the dress.

While an alteration of this type was done in the period, after all, fabric was expensive, this particular example is so crude, I believe it to be modern. However, it could be easily reversed - the original hooks can be felt still in their proper places and the fabric could be used to restore some of the more damaged areas.

This photo shows the princess seams used on the front and the clever and careful way the fabric was cut to emphasize a tiny waist.

Here's a view of the bodice interior - even the basting stitches are still in place!

Despite the modern "remuddling" and the damage to the fabric, especially the underarms, it's a beautiful dress and a wonderful example of 1840's fashion!

Available for purchase here.