Straw Ornaments, c.1850-1870

"Many [straw bonnets] are trimmed entirely with a fancy ornament in straw. A row of straw rosettes ornaments the front and a thick cord with tassels à l'Imperatrice is twisted round the crown."

    --Frank Leslie's 1859

 

So, I finally started playing around with the rest of my straw-work tools. Which may have lead to trying to copy some of the mid-19th century straw hat ornaments in the VAM. As one does.

Not a bad, until I compare them with the originals...

It's been an educational first attempt. Observations in no particular order:

• Identifying the different techniques on the originals was much easier than I feared.
• The actual tools and techniques are pretty straightforward. Most of the beauty and interest comes from combining many techniques to make intricate, precise decorations.
• Wrapped beads are THE WORST. It's exactly like making thread-covered buttons with no control over the tension, and despite being straightforward and technically easy, I hate it.
• I need a lot more practice on most of these techniques to get the repetition right.
• Downloading the pictures allows for much closer views than the "zoom in" function in the web browser.
• Relatedly, I'm pretty sure the straw-thread "petals" should actually be a three-end ring plait. Also smaller, and seven in number instead of six. I seriously counted them three times.
• Also the watch-spring rosette should have small flower-shaped straw sequins with beads at the center, not quilled rolls.
• Most of my favorite designs include at least some die-cut straws, nearly all of them too fiddly to cut out by hand. No idea where to source a 1/4" flower-shaped punch, so it'll be an adventure.
• I also need to source a straw spinner or figure out how to hack my spindles for straw thread. The hand-twisted versions are just too slow and rough, and I'm not sure how long my source for pre-made will be available. I really like using it, so I need a reliable source for it, especially if I want to start trying the fun lace-work "fancy braids" for hatbands and trims.

And of course, I couldn't resist trying my hand at the best part of everyone's favorite bonnet veil: 

Prototype bees!

The bees on the VAM veil are two toned: they have a black-and-yellow striped body, with yellow die-cut straw wings, black straw thread outlines, and black glass bead eyes (with a clear bead between). The yellow stripes on the body appear to be smooth and whole, over a more complicated black underlayer. Some of them appear to have black antenna and/or legs, but that might just be the net design fooling my eye. There are also multiple un-dyed straw bees in the technique book I'm using (Swiss Straw Work by Veronica Main), which are implied to be examples in a Swiss museum. They aren't broken down as a project, or even given close-up images, but they follow the VAM bees' two-layer wings and bead eyes. The bodies on these bees are also more clearly textured as knotted straw thread. 

I experimented with two body techniques: a straw thread figure-8 (left and center) and thread wrapped around a whole straw (right). I'm not entirely satisfied with either: the figure-8 is more fun, but it's a little too flat, while the wrapped straw is just a bit too narrow (and also was deceptively difficult to neaten up). I dyed the colorful bee with turmeric (a period receipt) and with RIT dye (not period, because period black dyes are on a whole other level). I have a lot of dyed straw left over, so I plan to keep tweaking the construction until I get a design I like. 

These will probably find their way into my straw-plaiting program on Saturday (time permitting), so please drop in with any questions or comments.

Plaited Straw Hat

Hat of indeterminate vintage

It's a completely hand-plaited, hand-sewn hat. Shaped free-hand. The plait is 7-strand "Dunstable" (except not really, because it's quarter-split rye instead of whole straws, but I used the "over 1, under 2" plait). There's about 12 yards of plait in in, and on the order of 40-50 hours work. 

The year is a bit open-ended. I had intended it to have a very shallow crown, similar to one I saw in a Bruegel painting (almost flat, but very slightly convex--suffice to say, that attempt got rapidly out of hand). And while most of my sources do point to 16th century for early examples of plaited straw hats in Europe, they seem to have picked up more in England in the 17th century. However, the splits are a more recent innovation, supposedly dating to the early 18th century, but rapidly multiplying in form and use from the early 19th.  I could use it for working-class, rural 19th century summer-wear, though what little documentation I've found for such humble items suggests a flatter shape would be more likely.

I'll be talking about this project (and a ton of research done along the way), this Saturday at the Fort Nisqually virtual program.

Twelfth Cake in Miniature

 

Having no one to share with this year, it's time to greatly scale down the 1857 Twelfth Cake I've made the last two years. At 1/8 scale, that's 2 eggs, 4 oz butter, 2 oz sugar, 4 oz flour, 8 oz currants, 1 oz almonds, 2 oz candied peel, 2 Tbsp brandy, 1/4 tsp of nutmeg, 3/4 tsp allspice, 3/8 tsp each mace, coriander, ginger, and cinnamon. 

The spices being given in ounces originally, I used the 4 Tbsp = 1 oz approximation for ground spices (and 1 nutmeg = 2 tsp ground nutmeg, since I haven't been to a store with bulk nutmegs in 10 months). As always, for the brandy, 1 gill = 1/2 cup = 4 fl oz = 8 Tbsp.

At this angle, it almost looks like a cake.

I used my smallest springform pan, which gave a cake 1" thick and neatly sized for a dinner plate. The last of the yuletide almond paste provided the decoration, on top of my usual almond-vanilla buttercream icing.

Blog Update: New Pages

My bobbins.

For the new year, I updated this blog's pages (accessible on the upper right-hand side of the mainpage).

Fabric and Craft Supplies saw the removal of a few (unfortunately now defunct) links, and several new suppliers added. These are lists of places where I've had luck finding suitable fabrics or hard-to-source supplies before. I have no association with any of these vendors.

I've updated the Research Index, Historic Cosmetics, Hair-Dressing Tutorials, Book Reviews, and Completed Projects pages to include posts from the last few months. Or eons. Whatever 2020 was.

I've also finally launched three new pages that have been languishing in the draft folder:

Material Culture has my master-list of links to museum collections, and other online resources for studying material culture. When the plague's over, I highly recommend research appointments at your local museum or historical society, because there is some cool stuff out there (not to mention valuable construction information from seeing interior views and alternative angles).

Living History Activities is a list of things to do at living history events. It mostly exists to remind me of my options when a weekend event is coming up, and I can't decide what to pack.

Living History Philosophy and Practice is where I've been stashing links to essays I found insightful on the whys and hows of interpretation. There's also a section on the Book Review page devoted to this topic. Some of my opinion pieces are also included, on the off chance anyone's looking for those.

Kitchen Garden, January 1819

Work doesn't stop for winter:

Throw up some new dung to heat for hot-beds for early cucumbers, &c. Dig up the ground designed to be sown with the spring crops, that it may lay and mellow. Nurse the cauliflower-plants under glasses, letting in a little air during the middle of the fine days; pick up the dead leaves and gather the mould about the stalks. Make a slight hot-bed in the open ground for young salading, and cover it in the hard weather with hoops Plant out endive for seed in warm borders, and blanch celery. Sow a few beans and peas. 

--Modern Domestic Cookery, and Useful Receipt Book (London, 1819)

Costuming Resolutions for 2021

It's that time of year again. Reviewing my project goals for last year, and anticipating a slight-or-more-probably-nonexistent reenacting season, I've decided to prioritize cleaning up my existing wardrobe over making new things, especially new time periods. There's still some of that (I have fabric I want to play with), but I think those will mostly be 'bonus goals' to attempt after doing some serious sorting of the current gear.

1850s

Sort undergarments: repair, replace and add laundry markings. The goal is to have:

• 4 Chemises (3 plain, optional 4th embellished)
• 4 Pairs Drawers, ditto
• 1 corded petticoat, 1 quilted
• 3 white cotton petticoats (plain or embellished)
• Corset
• 4 pairs cotton stockings
• All silk and wool stockings in good order

Clean and repair outer garments and gowns. The goal is to have:

• 1 work dress and 1 nice dress for cold weather
• 1 work dress and 1 nice dress for warm weather
• Cold and warm weather bonnets, both working and 'nice' versions
• Winter coat
• Warm-weather wrap
• Two aprons
• Fine accessories suited to the nice dresses

1860s

Underwear and work clothes as for 1850s

Hoops fixed up neatly 

Sort out bonnets and remake or discard the unusable ones

Have at least one fashionable early 1860s ensemble assembled

16th century

Make one more smock (plain or embellished).

New kirtle

Finish the round gown

Fit waistcoat better

Make a jacket or cassock as an extra outerwear option

Sort out headgear, personal linens

Hem sheets for camping

18th century

Finish 1780s stays

Make a pocket

Make one gown

Make pads to try the hairstyles from the American Duchess book

Maybe make a peignoir for the hairdressing because it'd be fun...

Other

Replace Regency/Empire/whatever-you-call-the-high-waisted-early-19th-century-sihlouette petticoat

Finish the red print Empire gown

Cotton spencer

Draft pelisse (the one with the greatcoat-style capes)

1870s spoon-busk corset from my custom pattern

1900s corset from my custom pattern

Start on undergarments for early 1900s travelling suit

Linen tablecloth

Draft folder below 50 by the end of the year, particularly finishing the hairdressing posts

Original: Red Velvet Designer Dress, 1919

Happy New Year!

Red velvet dress with gold print, embossing, and beadwork.
Mariano Fortuny, 1919, Italy. LACMA collection.

This dress caught my eye for the lines. It has a very straight shape with no waist, anticipating the next decade of fashionable silhouettes. The rich textures that comes through (even in a dark photograph) must be stunning in person.