Hoopskirts

The days after Thanksgiving are meant for Thanksgiving leftovers, so here're mine. Now that Thanksgiving is over and I can catch my breath (one child home from college and the other flew in with his wife), it's time to post the things I should have posted earlier (leftovers!). As children we learned about the Pilgrims. Civil War reenactors focus on the fact the Abraham Lincoln created Thanksgiving as a national holiday, as opposed to a recommendation that each state could accept or not. But what about Thanksgiving inbetween? On a recent trip to Indiana University, we saw a special exhibit at the Lilly Library, IU's antiquities library. On display was President Washington's proclamation for Thanksgiving 1789. Their copy is a printed document (as opposed to the original handwritten) and was purchased from a dealer named Mott in September 1984 for $3,800.00. By the PRESIDENT Of the UNITED STATES of America A Proclamation. Whereas it is the Duty of all Nations to ac...

So, why would you want to make oiled linen? At reenactments I usually portray the president of a local Soldiers' Aid Society. I like bringing a display to engage the spectators and help them understand some of the items that were collected and sent to the armies. I also find that I learn a lot when I research and then recreate period items. The Annual Report, Issues 1-4, of the U.S. Christian Commission issues directions for packing supplies to be shipped. It mentions, "Stone jars of jellies should be corked and firmly bound with oiled linen or leather over the cork...." The Kentucky Housewife , by Lettice Byran, a cookbook published in 1839 suggests that many jars of food, especially pickles, be covered with leather. While I had already used leather as a cover for many of my jars, I wanted to add oiled linen for variety. First, I had to make oiled linen. Researching oiled linen, I learned that it was used in window panes as a substitute for glass, as an early umbrell...