A hat of garnet silk--1770

Quick post about my most recent millinery project:

I was inspired by this example in the V&A which dates to ca. 1770:

As it turns out, Silk Baron had one of their remnant sales where you can buy pieces in 1/2 yard and 3/4 yard pieces.  I ordered a 3/4 yard piece of this lovely garnet silk to cover the hat, make breast knots and other small items.

I used the method outlined in the tutorial in this post to cover a straw hat blank with silk--using garnet silk on the outside and white on the underside. This style of silk covering is copied from several extant examples as shown in the post.  This post also shows how to attach the ties underneath.

I could not find French Val galloon lace--galloon lace is lace with 2 scalloped edges--so I bought 1 1/4 inch wide insertion and stitched 5/8 inch edging to both long edges to get what I wanted 

I used the method outlined in this post to attach the lace to the brim.

As far as the loops go--I just played with it to figure out the size loops I wanted and stitched then down as "open" loops--you can sort of see that in the photo.   I did two rounds of these loops, staggering them and then added more layers to the one side  I used 2 inch wide double face satin silk ribbon.   1 1/2 inch double face silk ribbon was attached to the underside for ties.
That's pretty much it. 

I'm very pleased with the way this one turned out.  You don't see many hats with lace during that time period.  I've always loved this one though and thought it would be a great addition to my upper class impressions and to hang in the shop for my milliner impression.  Plus--making hats is one of my favorite things to do.  Switching up one's accessories can change the entire look of a gown!

Also--as far as period images go--I see more silk covered hats than straw.  Even lower sorts have some simple silk covered hats--often showing signs of wear.

Covering the typical hat blank can be done with 1/2 yard of silk taffeta and it's a great way to use up those odd remnants.

Sewing During a Pandemic: 1760s Print Gown

Being a lady of a certain age, I frequently wear gowns that are a few years behind in style.  Lately many of the events I've been doing date around 1770 so I've been choosing 1760s styles. The 60s aren't too different from the 50s but they are quite different from the 70s.  I'm finding there's a lot to like in mid 18th century fashion.  Let's take a look.

Extant Indienne gown ca. 1760.  Note that there is no matching stomacher.  The robings are folded and look double.  Fairly large cuff.

Wool Damask Gown ca. 1760.  Same features as above gown.  You can see the larger pleats on this gown which is another feature of mid century English gowns. Note the ribbon ties across the center.  I don't know if these are original to the gown but I have noticed period images from the 1750s do not have stomachers.   They tend to have vertical bands, ties or lacing across the center front to secure a handkerchief in place.

1760s portrait by JS Copley.  Note the larger cuff which is typical of an earlier 60s cuff which is more winged.  Also 60s sleeves are shorter and wider.  You see the shift cuff has a ruffle which is visible in the 50s/60s.

Girl with a tray.  1750.  Note the double folded robing, winged  cuff and shift sleeve ruffle as well as the ties across the center front. The sleeves on 50s garments are more full than those on 60s garments.

No date but appears to be 50s/60s.  Same features as above:  double robing, wide shorter sleeve with cuff and shift ruffles.

Girl with a fan ca. 1750.  Same features as above.  The shorter, fuller sleeve is really quite apparent in this one.

The features I've noted above disappear in the 1770s.  The sleeves get slimmer, longer and cuffs disappear.  Eventually the stomacher becomes a center front closing bodice.

Another detail worth noting is that the silhouette in the 50s and 60s showed wider hips which were achieved with panniers or hip pads.  Those seem to disappear in the 70s for English gowns, being replaced by bum rolls or no padding.   In the mid to late 70s we start to see more bum pads.

One detail I should also mention--mid century gowns were longer waisted as were mid century stays.  Also--if you study mid century images, you will see that the front opening isn't as wide and typically forms a "V."  Often the robings almost come together at the waist.  I need to play with my pattern to achieve this silhouette but I will wait until I've made mid century stays.

My research also indicates it was typical for petticoats to match gowns with the exception of quilted petticoats.

One thing to consider if you are using a print --research the date of the original or inspiration textile.  You certainly don't want to make a mid century gown out of print that didn't appear until 1780!  If your fabric is from Colonial Williamsburg, you can find the original swatch or garment in their emuseum which will give you the dates and use of the original textile. The online vendor doesn't typically give the dates.  This will alleviate the possibility of using an inappropriate textile. The print I used for this gown is a replica by Burnley & Trowbridge of a token from the Foundling Museum, dated to 1758.  This makes it perfect for a late 50s/60s gown.

If you are a seamstress that uses patterns, you will find that there aren't patterns for mid 18th century English gowns unless you scale up patterns from books.  My observation has been that many people simply use the available patterns that are geared for the 1770s.  In order to do this, changes should be made to make the gown appropriate for those earlier decades.

As noted in the extants/images above, you will need to shorten the sleeve and make it fuller.  I typically use the Larkin & Smith English gown pattern.  This post discusses how I changed that to have folded robings.

On this gown I added 1 1/2 inches along the front pattern piece to enable me to make the pleat on the robings to create the double robing appearance.

This print worked well for the en forreau back. I didn't particularly make an effort other than making sure the back fold was centered.

You can see how the robing/bodice piece goes to the back.  The robing covered the strap portion of the bodice.  I drafted a back facing (which is easy) as the straps don't seem to end up in the same place every time. 

I had made a mid century sleeve pattern which was about 1 1/2 inches fuller than my later sleeve and about 2 inches shorter.  I also used the same cuff as my brown silk gown.   It's larger than my late 60s cuff.  I'm still debating as to whether or not the cuff needs to be weighted.  Costume in Detail shows a number of cuffs with small self fabric pockets containing lead weights.  I have done this in other gowns using a drapery weight.  This gown will be worn over a mid century shift which also has a shorter, wider sleeve with a ruffle at the cuff. 

Almost done, pinned together.

This gown was made for an event taking place in 1770 where I was to portray a milliner so I do hope to make another cap.  In the meantime, I took a wired cap I made 4 years ago and put new ribbon on it.  1760s featured small hair and small caps.  This cap is quite petite.  I also made a nice 4 loop bow out of some silk taffeta I have to cover a hat.  I'll wear this with tambour work accessories.

I also made a 5 strand pearl choker and a bracelet from 4mm glass pearls.

And here's a pic from the event this gown was created for--worn with a different cap.

Overall, I'm pleased with this gown. It will be a nice summer addition  to my 1760s wardrobe.  My goal is to eventually make earlier stays and reshape the bodice on this pattern to a 1750s silhouette.

Life During a Pandemic, part 7: When the going gets tough, the tough get cooking!

 What do you do when you can't go anywhere?  You cook.  It's not that I need to bake, I'm home most of the time anyway but in times of crisis, the feeling of needing to bake just kicks in.

I had made a sourdough starter last week using these instructions.  It was alive and well so I took out one cup to make sourdough pretzels and put the rest in the fridge.

One thing about working with sourdough that I'm not used to is that it makes a soft dough that doesn't rise quickly.  It has to ferment for hours, typically being made one day, left to ferment with folding and flipping it every hour for several hours before going in the fridge overnight.  My typical yeast doughs rise rather quickly.  My pizza dough easily doubles in an hour or two.  I wasn't sure if the pretzels were going to come out right.  The dough in the bowl seemed sticky after the 5 hours so I left it out for 2 more hours with more folding.  It started to feel more "lively," pulling away from the sides of the bowl, so I figured it was ready for the fridge  When I took it out in the morning to shape the pretzels with the cold dough, I knew it was right because there were air bubbles in the pretzel ropes!

After shaping the pretzels and leaving them to come to room temperature for an hour, they got placed in a boiling water/soda bath for 10 seconds on each side, brushed with egg white and sprinkled with Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel topping which is good stuff!

This recipe is a winner!  I wrapped 6 of them and froze them.  We each had one yesterday then I put the others in the fridge.  I quick warm up in the oven on a cookie sheet makes them taste fresh baked.

I think the next sourdough experiment will be cinnamon rolls.

The next cooking task:  freezing celery.  This sounds weird I know but I always find soup recipes that call for celery and I don't keep it on hand.  I had bought a bag with 2 celery bunches at Trader Joe's last time I went (11 days ago) as I needed some for soup.  I didn't want to throw the rest out.  I did some research and found that you can blanch it and freeze it for freezing for soup.  It can't be eaten fresh this way.  Apparently it keeps longer in the freezer and retains more flavor when blanched.  I diced the celery, put it in boiling water for 3 minutes then plunged it in ice water until the water was cool. I let it drain on a paper towel.

I packed it in portion control bags--enough for 3 batches of soup!

Next up--making tortilla bowls for taco salad.  I have a little chili left over but not enough for two full servings so I thought I'd make taco salad.  Normally when I make a batch of 18 tortillas, I use 3 cups of masa and 2 cups of water for tortillas weighing about 1.4 oz. each.  So I figured I'd try 1 cup masa and 2/3 cup water.  Each dough ball was 3.8 oz plus a .2 oz one for Gloria.  I pressed the dough balls in the tortilla press and had to further roll them out as the press is a little small.

The get "cooked" on the griddle for about a minute on each side before going in a tea towel to steam.  This makes them more pliable.

Next I had to figure out how to shape them.  First I draped them over upside down pyrex bowls but that didn't work because they don't flop enough.  I ended up lining the bowls with oiled foil and just sticking them in the bowls.  Then they got baked until they were crisp.  They took longer to bake than I expected.  When they started getting crisp, I lifted the foil from the bowls and they finished cooking much more quickly.  I flipped them over for a minute or two as well.

Here they are waiting to be filled. I'll have to find a better shaped bowl for the next time.  

And here they are filled with baby lettuce, topped with leftover chili, sweet baby red pepper slices, cherry tomatoes, olives, jalepeños, cheese and sour cream.  Gloria's has oil free refried beans, spinach and sweet red peppers.  These were fun.  They would probably be crisper if they were fried but I think the bottom just gets leathery from the moisture of the ingredients in the bowl.  The sides were still crispy.

Food prep always brings about calm and a sense of purpose.  I mean everyone has to eat!  I suppose this is why you can't find a bag of flour anywhere around here.  Tomorrow, food prep will be easy--tomato soup in the Instant pot and grilled cheese.  So looking forward to that!

Today's numbers have hit a milestone.

Over 1 million infected.  They are predicting at least 2 weeks before we hit the apex here.  If you're thinking of going out in the public--don't!

 

Life During a Pandemic, part 6: Staying Sane

 So life isn't too much different here since we are retired homebodies.  However it's the trips to the grocery store and other essential outings that bring variety to our day.  When I was working, I went to the grocery store because I had to.  I go now to get out.  Those days are pretty much over for a while.  Today was day 8 since I had gone anywhere except my walk.  I was planning to do curbside pick up at Wegmans but when I made the order on Saturday night, the soonest I could get pick up was Thursday.  Given that I had finished my last banana, my blueberries and the lettuce, that wouldn't do.  They had delivery Sunday afternoon and all day Monday(today) so I chose Monday morning as I thought the store would be better stocked.  My groceries were left on the porch around 10:45 am.    A few minutes later, the news broke that the governor issued a Stay at Home order. 

Watching so much news can be unsettling but there's such a need to know and things are in a constant state of flux.  After reading the order, I realized that life, for our house, would remain pretty much the same as we've been cautious.   I had ordered mulch and week killer online at Home Depot on Friday night so I figured I'd go pick them up as well as go through the Starbucks drive through to get a couple pounds of espresso.  Last was a drive through at CVS to pick up David's RX.  Home Depot was quite crowded.  The customer service rep said that it was just today--my guess is people wanting to do home/garden projects while they're stuck at home.  I signed for my mulch them went to the car and it was loaded in.  I felt pretty safe--not being anywhere close to a human.  I did succumb to a junk food craving and went through McD's drive through for a double cheeseburger and small fries.  Looks like we're home for a while.  Hopefully we can keep getting Wegmans delivery for staples.

Yesterday we Google Duo'd Jeremy and Genevieve.  We really do enjoy doing that.

Other forms of amusement:  Facebook posts like this--google your first name and the words apocalypse outfit and see what you get.  As you can see--mine is pretty badass.  

Luna is loving having me on the couch and appears annoyed when I ignore her.

David cleaned out the side flower bed and uncovered the little tombstone that Emily made for her parakeet in 1991.  It says (including the part that's missing)  God Bless Chilly   Bn Dec. 24, 1988  Died Nov. 4, 1991  God Bless Our Beloved Bird.

I made pancakes Sunday morning.  Wanted to use up the buttermilk I had.  I'm sorry I didn't check my mom's cookbook first.  I used a buttermilk pancake recipe I found online and they were good but I had forgotten that the Oatmeal Pancakes I loved while growing up also had buttermilk.  This recipe is from the 1950 first edition of the Good Housekeeping Cookbook.

Got started on my 1760s gown for our millinery shop for Historic Annapolis that probably won't happen.  At least I'll be ready when it does!

Life goes on and if we do what we need to do, it will continue to.  Please stay safe and stay inside.

Life During a Pandemic, part 5: The New Normal

I had to go out and get some essentials yesterday.  I had put an online order into Wegmans Thursday night (yesterday was Monday and the soonest I could get the order filled).  My instacart shopper texted me at 9 am.  Some substitutions were made for a couple of items--Domino sugar in lieu of house brand and stuff like that.  They had no ground meat, no paper towels and no toilet paper.  Also I could only get 1 gallon of milk instead of 2.  Interesting process.  I pulled up to the curb and clicked "I'm here" on the app then entered my vehicle info.  A Wegmans employee brought my order to the car.  That was easy and may be a possibility for future shopping.  I was able to get fresh salad greens, blueberries etc. so as long as I can get fresh vegetables and fruit, I'm okay.

Next was Trader Joe's.  I had my shopping paraphernalia on the passenger's seat.  This is the new normal.  Typically I would have my reusable bags there but they are discouraging the use of them.

There was a line --people standing 6 feet or so apart--outside of Trader Joes.  I thought of not going in but changed my mind because I didn't want to go back.  My main item at Trader Joe's is their fresh soy milk.  It's the best stuff for my lattes.  I've yet to find one as good.  The line moved fairly quickly.  They'd let one person in for every one person who came out.  I was impressed with what they did.  When you got to the front of the line, they'd squirt sanitizer in your hands and direct you toward to sanitized carts in the vestibule.  They would wipe them down as people returned them.  The store felt almost empty which was a relief though there were lines at the checkout.  They were hard to see as everyone was standing so far apart.  As luck would have it, they had no soy milk and are out at the warehouse.  I did get everything else and picked up a second gallon of milk.  Cashiers were wearing gloves.  I guess this is all the new normal.

 Last was CVS.  I needed to pick up some prescriptions and could have used the drive through but I also needed vitamins.  The only measure taken there was that there was a table in front of the pick up window at the pharmacy which forced the customer to be 6 feet away from the employee.  I wiped the cart off and kept the wipe in my hand.

Once home, I brought everything in and placed it on the counter, used antibacterial wipes on all packages before putting them away, recycled/trashed the bags then wiped down the counters with Clorox Clean up.  The new normal.

The rest of the day was pretty ho hum.  It was raining so no walking.  I had washed the sheets so I made the bed and did my usual Monday spa day.

4 pm I had to go pick up Ranger's thyroid meds at the vet's.  I had placed the order on the phone in the morning.  Drove up and parked in front, called them and gave them my credit card info and a tech delivered the meds to my car.  The new normal.

I'm starting to plan ahead for purchases.  I have 6 rolls of paper towels left.  No one has them in stock.  I love my Bounty brand but they are impossible to find online as well.  Walmart.com has Brawny in a 12 roll pack so I ordered that and 2 30-can boxes of Fancy Feast.  The paper towels come this week, the cat food arrives by April 10 which is fine.

This morning I woke up to a bunch of people tagging me on Facebook.  It appears that Trader Joe's s now closed for enhanced cleaning due to a "crew member either testing positive for covid-19 or being treated for symptoms. The crew member was last in the store March 23."  Great.  This is a new normal I could do without.  Given the great care the company showed with crowd control, I suppose I really have nothing to worry about even though I didn't wear my bandana or gloves.  But that's easier said than done.  The new normal.

Life During a Pandemic, part 4: Seek Beauty, Choose Joy

One of the things that brings normalcy to my life is my daily walks with my buddy Chris.  We haven't walked in over a week and we're both going nuts.  It was a beautiful day today, a bit chilly being in the 40s but clear and sunny so we decided that we would meet down at Carroll Baldwin Hall and walk social distancing style-- i.e. 6 feet apart.  Today was the therapy I needed.  As such,  I'm writing very little but posting a little photo tour of our walking route today.  Enjoy

We started our walk going up Baltimore Street 1 long block to the end where the Savage Mill Manor House.  I've always loved this house.  It was on the market when we bought our house but it was a handyman special at that point and it was a bit out of our price range.  That was 1982.  The Mill uses it for various events and it's a lovely place.  If you turn right, you will come to Savage Park.  We turned left which took us one short block to the upper parking lot at Savage Mill.

As we expected--the parking lot was pretty empty!

We walked along the walkway where you can see the historic stone walls along the Little Patuxent River.

Here is one of the back entrances to Savage Mill.

Seeing all the daffodils makes me happy.  Bulb flowers always represent the start of spring to me.

The gates were closed to the parking lot but we noticed that the same artist who hung a dreamcatcher at the post office, hung one there--along with another artist.  These small public displays of art simply brighten my day like nothing else can.

We continued down Foundry Street by the lower parking lot which did have a few cars in it.  Several had stickers for Horse Spirit Gallery so I suspect they may have been employees filling mailing orders.  We also encountered a couple coming out of the French Bakery with take out.

We continued down Foundry street to find more art!

When I got home, I looked the artist up.  She's local.  I pm'd her and thanked her for lifting my spirits and making my outing like a little treasure hunt.  She said she plans on leaving more hearts around the community!

Another beaded dreamcatcher!

We crossed the loading dock going toward Bollman Bridge.  This house sits above the Little Patuxent across the street.

Here we see the main building of Savage Mill.

I love the textures you see in old structures.

You can see the elevated back deck of the Rams Head which sits above the river.  It's one of our favorite Happy Hour spots.

The old wheel house which is fenced off.  My kids told me that they used to go in there after dark with flashlights when they were in high school.  They swear there are ghosts there.  There are holes in the floor that go down to the river.  Good thing they told me after the fact or their asses would've been grounded. LOL

More views of the Little Patuxent with a low water level.

Bollman Bridge--the last remaining iron truss railroad bridge of its kind in the US.

We then walked up the lower end of Foundry Street.

We were reminded of a fairly new business that opened at the mill and we vowed to walk down and patronize them once things open up again.

We crossed Foundry Street and walked a few blocks down Washington Street.

Another heart!  This one at the far end of the yard to Carroll Baldwin Hall.

I walked around to see what it said.

I couldn't help but think of how 3 weeks ago Carroll Baldwin Hall was full of ladies--women supporting women--learning about 18th century tradeswomen and sewing beautiful things.

We turned on Woodward Street and walked back up Baltimore Street.

Back to our starting point.  So odd to see it so empty as they normally have church services on Sunday morning.  

Getting out and about was what I needed today.  After our walk, I went home and used up some fresh veggies that needed to be cooked:  spinach, peppers, scallions and cherry tomatoes--sautéd and put in omelettes with a little cheddar then topped with Sriracha!  Good stuff.  

I also found out that you can watch Outlander on demand early on the day it airs.  We enjoyed our omelettes as we watched.  

3/22/2020 10 am

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