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Showing posts from March, 2014

Knitting "A Comfortable Comforter"

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My latest project was a period scarf or comforter.  This very easy scarf is shaped to be narrower around the neck and wider where it crosses on the chest.  Both the shaping and shorter length make it a scarf to be worn inside the coat.   I had already made my husband a scarf, but thought he might also like one in a light weight that would be more shapeable. After I completed it, I realized this scarf would fulfill the requirements for the Historical Sew Fortnightly   Challenge  Generosity & Gratitude.  The challenge was  "about celebrating the generosity of spirit and willingness to help others that makes the historical sewing community great, and giving credit and thanks to those who have contributed to our collective knowledge without expecting payment in return."  Scanned on-line books are such an incredible resource to anyone involved in recreating historical items! These references take us from vague imaginings cobbled together from movies and our own fantasies

A Mid-Nineteenth Century Lady's Nightcap

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I decided I needed a lady's nightcap.  Not a fancy ornamental day cap, but a practical one that could stand washing, ironing, and wearing.  My criteria were that it be historically accurate,  that it would cover my ears and keep me warm, and that it not twist around or fall off while I was sleeping.  I sleep cold; when we camp out at a reenactment, I will wear a knit cap to sleep during the cold weather.  At the end of March we are going to participate in an immersion event, which is where everything must be as accurate as possible at all times, 24/7 (or in this case, 24/3).  We will be staying in an antique log cabin, so there is no heating other than the fireplace.  It's been a cold, windy winter with an over abundance of snow, so I wanted to make sure I stayed warm at night. In July 1859, Peterson's Magazine  (akin to Good Housekeeping or Better Homes and Gardens ) published a pattern for a lady's nightcap.  A number of reenactors have made it up and there