Hoopskirts

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...

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 reenactor...

One more look at black walnuts in the 19th-century.  My previous posts focused on the amazing coloring properties of the husk.  Today it is time to look at the black walnut as food. I was very intrigued and a bit puzzled at the number of references to black walnut catsup/ketchup in cookbooks of the time.  Today tomato catsup is the sole survivor of a variety of catsups: tomato, grape, lemon, mushroom, cucumber, oyster, tomato, and black walnut, to name a few.  It is a shock to modern sensibility to realize that "ketchup" or "catsup" (both spellings were used) simply meant a vinegar based sauce.   The American Heritage Dictionary gives a good definition:                             Word History:  The word  ketchup  exemplifies the types of modifications that can take place in borrowing both of words and substances. The source of our word  ketchup  may be the Malay ...

yarn and undersleeves dyed in black walnut The first way I became acquainted with black walnuts in a historic context was as a dye agent.  When I first started reenacting, I was searching for something I could display.  I had read Ersatz in the Confederacy, by Mary Elizabeth Massey, and was fascinated by some of the ingenious ways people were able to make do.  The idea of using plants you found around you to dye wool and cotton fascinated me and I entered an experimental phase during which any possible dye plant was chopped up and thrown into my dye pot. My research turned up many references to black walnut as a well-known dye.  One of its advantages was that its tannic nature meant it did not require a mordant, or chemical agent, to make the dye stable.   The North American Sylva, or a Description of the Forest Trees of the United States, Canada, and Nova Scotia, Vol 1,   by F. Andrew Michaux mentions that the husk of the black walnut was used ...

Black walnuts heating on the fire One of the reasons I gathered black walnuts the other day was to make ink from their husks.  Although the name would make you guess the ink color to be black, it is actually a lovely brown.  Black walnut ink is a historic ink, along with inks made from oak galls and logwood.  I am planning on bringing my black walnut ink to the  reenactment of the  150th Battle of Chickamauga in September 2013.  I like the idea of using a homemade "make do" ink to illustrate a time when the people of the area were stretched near their limits to obtain supplies and manpower. The husk is the outmost green covering (although it may have turned brown or even a rotten black when you harvest it).  It has a pungent tannic smell and will stain your fingers as it starts to decay or if you try cutting it away from the nut.  The inner woody shell and the nutmeat itself will not color anything, nor will the English walnut you can purc...

It's nearly autumn and the black walnuts are starting to fall.  I spent an hour today gleaning fallen nuts and broken bits of husks.  Black walnuts are used in many ways during the 1800s, so I try to keep an eye open for them.  Because squirrels are very fond of the nuts, it's often a race, although I am looking for the green outer husk.  I don't begrudge the squirrels the nuts, but little bits of husk strewn across the ground are so much harder to harvest.  I do want to be sure to get them before they have rotted away, so timing is important. I brought my harvest home and put them in a large pot to soak over night so I can use them for my next project.  I'll have to be sure to cover the pot tightly or move it into the shed overnight so the local squirrels don't raid them. The Black Walnut tree is a native North American tree.  This beautiful botanical print comes from the work The North American Sylva, or a Description of the Forest Trees of the U...

Because reenacting can be (ummm, IS) a very expensive hobby, I spend a great deal of time trying to be thrifty and creative to improvise and recreate as much as I can.  I am an omnivorous thrifter - I look for soft items such as clothing that I can use as is, primarily gloves, or cut up for the fabric and for hard items such as boxes and kitchen items.  Thrifting is a game of patience and skill.  Sometimes I leave stores empty handed and sometimes, like this last trip, I leave overflowing!  You need a trained eye to know what to look for so you can recognize appropriate materials and shapes. My shopping trip yesterday resulted in an impressive haul.  First was this 2-qt salt-glazed crock.  Antique crocks are available at times, but the glazes you have to be careful with the glazes to be sure there is no lead.   The glaze can be tested with a lead-testing kit from the hardware store, but that's a different story.  In many cases, it's easier and s...