June 16, 1997
e-Mail: mainfairy@smockingbooks.com
Website: Garden Fairies Smocking & Needlearts Catalog
Smocking Newsletter - Beth-Katherine Kaiman, copyright 1997-2004, all rights reserved. Please respect my creativity and hard work and ask permission before you copy something from these newsletters for your non profit goup, I always ask that you quote me correctly and give me credit with a way for people to get back to me. Thank you. IF you wish to quote me in a venture for profit please contact me separately concerning royalties.
From our Readers
Smocking History
Embroidery Stitches
Beginner's Corner
In your newsletter, Vol. 1, Issue 6, you talk about linen and imagining it being done by hand. There is a place in southwestern Indiana where they demonstrate the technique. It is called New Harmony and is on the Wabash River north of Mt. Vernon and south of I-69. It was originally a commune founded in the 1800's. They raise the flax, ret it, card it , spin it, and then weave it. New Harmony is similar to Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, and a much smaller version of Williamsburg, VA. They also demonstrate rope making. This is just for reference in case you are ever in that part of the country. The town of New Harmony is interesting. It has a German flavor to it, and they have excellent restaurants. -- Linda Haverty
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On America On Line (AOL) I recently gave a chat on silk ribbon embroidery where I was explaining the different types of ribbon you could use for your embroidery. The following is a comment from that chat and I thought you should see it.
"Hi --- I was interested in your Bucilla comments. Someone with a lot more technical knowledge than I have explained the difference. The better brands (e.g., YLI) are made from silk spun in a continuous strand from the cocoon. Bucilla uses fillers --- I'm not sure exactly how it's managed, but the silk is clipped while still in the cocoon, and fillers are added. That's why it's not as strong, and it's why it's not recommended for garments that will be washed. It can fall apart rather easily. Just thought you might like to know this bit of trivia! Nank"
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And another reason to add to my ever-growing list of "Why I can't TAT":
"Another reason I can't tat: I am too young........Just got turned down by the senior center to take tatting lessons!!!! Love the newsletter. Connie in La."
Vintage Clothing Shows and the addictions therein lie
One of the neatest things I realized several years ago is that if you look you can find antique smocked garments. It is interesting how where you live determines your definition of antique - for example: I grew up in San Francisco where a house was old if it was built before 1906 (the year of The Earthquake and Fire). Ladies who live back east laugh at me and say antique is at least 300 years old and from Europe it's a totally different ball game. So when I am referring to antique garments I am referring to the past 100 years.
One of my biggest thrills is to attend Vintage Clothing Shows (I know - 'get a life' but Hey I'm not married these days). I find that the hunter's instinct kicks in and I find all kinds of treasures for me to ogle at and soon bliss settles in. One morning I woke up after having a dream of a trunk filled, actually overflowing, with antique lace. I was literally salivating over that dream when I heard on the radio that there was a vintage clothing show in San Rafael, CA. I went to my DD (Darling Daughter) and demanded, in no uncertain terms, that she get UP and DRESSED immediately, no questions asked, so that we could pile into the car to drive 45 miles south to Marin County. (That poor child was dragged out of her bed, into the car with her pillow stuffed with an Egg McMuffin and driven for about 30 minutes (speed limit 65mph) to the Vintage Clothing Show.) We arrived just before opening and I began pacing back and forth waiting for the door to open. When I, and the other hunters, burst into the auditorium I picked up a trail immediately. Gabriele (my DD) said 'what are you looking for', I honestly couldn't speak. We went from stall to stall briefly glancing around when suddenly in the back I felt peace descend upon me, there on the floor was an old trunk overflowing with antique lace. Oh heaven, I sat down and told Gabriele to disappear for a while because Mama was going to be busy. She smiled at me and said 'OK you'll be here?' (foolish child) I nodded because words couldn't come to my mouth I was in such heaven.
The hunter's instinct applied to Vintage Clothing shoppers came to me one day while my friend, Truth of Truth's Dolls (maker of a waldorf style soft-sculptured doll), and I were at a Vintage Clothing Show in Oakland California. I was late for an appointment and asked her if we could leave as she had promised. She turned to me with glazed eyes and said distractedly 'yes, in a few minutes'. Well of course it turned into an hour and I was late but during that hour I observed her behavior and wondered at who she reminded me of. Suddenly it came to me. Buster, a huge orange Persian/tabby mix, who had been caught chasing a mouse round and round the back garage the week before. I called to him several times and he finally glanced at me 'distractedly' as if to say 'who?'. I realized that I had interrupted his 'mousing' and let him continue. Truth had the same look in her eyes as my cat!
Vintage clothing shows are quite an experience. Antique dealers come from all around to show their treasures that they have found. Once at a show in Oakland I found (couldn't buy mind you) an original 1880's Liberty Aesthetic Dress, bishop style and smocked at the waistline as well. I stared at that old ivory silk dress debating whether or not to purchase (it was my whole bank roll, and dinner for a couple of months actually) and all the while wondering at it (who commissioned it; how many had owned it; where was it worn; what a wondrous life it must have had to have travelled from England to the USA on an ocean liner; was it worn to a dance or just as a daydress). It should be in a museum I said, the owner said 'well it's for sale and most museums won't pay the money'. Someone should donate it I said and all I got for my troubles was a snotty stare! (If you have never seen a Liberty Aesthetic Dress there is a photograph in Diana Keays "The Book of Smocking" and in "Smocks and Smocking" by Beverly Marshall - see below as well.
Ah, it was gorgeous. To stand in it's presence alone was worth the price of admission to the show. The smocked Liberty Aesthetic Dress was an natural extension of the "Aesthetic Movement of the 1870's and 1880's which encouraged women to dress more comfortably but without sacrificing beauty." (Diana Keays - The Book of Smocking). This dress was handmade for the owner at Liberty's dressmaking shop. Liberty and Company, founded in 1874, opened up their first couture salon in the store in 1884. Now mind you there were no pleaters at that time so each dress had to be made to order. According to Diana "smocking was all the rage" during the latter part of the 19th century and states that "amateur dressmaking was in it's infancy", there were very few pre-printed sewing patterns at that time, Liberty's dressmaking salon in it's store took up the slack of professional dressmakers that came to your house or who lived down in the village. The simplicity, style and beauty of smocking appealed to the detailed orientated Victorian mind which was in the process of changing. The smocking offered an easy transition from the fussy restrictive clothing for women who now wanted comfort without giving up that detailed mindset which exemplifies the Victorian Era.
The roots of this particular dress can be clearly seen from the round smock. The smocking at the neckline continued up to make a high collar. The smocking ended just below the chin in a self ruffle. (This must have been the first example of what we call today 'turtle neck'.) The full puffy sleeves were set in at the natural sleeve line thus giving ease of movement, a major requirement of the Aesthetic Dress movement as a reaction against the restrictive fashionable look for women during Queen Victoria's reign. ("The sleeves were set below the shoulder line and thus restraining the raising of .. arms" and "the laced corset was worn to produce a 'wasp' waist and was so restricting and uncomfortable that it was no wonder the poor creatures had the 'vapours' or fainted on couches and had to be revived by smelling salts." - Diana Keays - The Book of Smocking). The voluminousness of the sleeve was caught in a smocked band just above the elbow and attached to the slim bottom half of a basic tight Victorian sleeve. The waistline smocking (four or five inches above and below the natural waist) took up the gathers of the top and that was then attached separately to a graceful narrow skirt with some flare. All in all it looked like your typical Victorian dress but with the embroidery of an earlier and simpler lifestyle.
The dreaded corset having been abandoned and "with natural waistlines restored, ladies took to wearing comfortable, full dresses of a flowing kind." (ibid). One of the requirements of this new style was comfort and elegance. As Smocking was in the fashion it became almost a requirement. As the smock fell out of favor with the agricultural workers it became the garment of choice among the artists. Many painters and poets and writers took up wearing it for it's comfort and because it protected their clothes (like it did 50 years before) from the paints they worked with. Traditions die hard.
EMBROIDERY STITCHES: More on the feather stitch.
I spent my Saturday working a doll show which is always a delight for me. when I get a chance I wander a bit to look at the old dolls and their outfits as well as relishing the chance to rummage through the stashes of antique doll clothing that some dealers bring. Much to my delight and pleasure I found that I was directly across from the booth of Audrey's Antiques from Palo Alto, CA. She travelled 2 1/2 hours to be at the show and was I ever delighted that she did. I will be describing some of the antiques she had in the next issue (this one is too long already) but I wanted to tell you that there were a lot of slips and daygowns which had been decorated with the feather stitch and often it was used to hold down 1/2"tucks!
One such slip (girls size 5 $48.00) had six 1/2" in the front and back bodice. The owner was not content to just embroider the triple feather on all of the tucks - no there had to be variation. She broke up the monotony of the embroidery by stitching the triple feather down the first tuck, then used the double feather on the second, triple on the third. Then a row of buttons which closed the bodice and the pattern continued on the other side. On the back were five tuck - triple feather, double, triple, double, triple. She had also worked the triple feather at the hemline to secure the hem. One last and final detail, the neckline was finished off with a simple bias that had been embellished with the scallop stitch. Oh and the slip was made of pongee silk and the stitching was done in a silk perle. It's still available from Audrey so if you are interested let me know and I'll pass on her telephone number.
To rip or not to rip
"If at first you don't succeed, call it version 1.0" I have had several e-mails from ladies who ask if it is common to rip out stitches when you first get started. The answer is a resounding YES! even us old 'experts' often make mistakes and sometimes it seems that there is always that one row that you stitch and rip, stitch and rip four or five times. You just have to concentrate even harder to get it right. I think it has something to do with our mental patterning process. When I was 13 and learning 'finger-picking' patterns for the guitar I quickly realized that sometimes the more complex patterns were easier to memorize and perform than the easy ones. Often times a simple variation on a theme can trip you up. So take heart it's apparently part of the smocking experience.
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"A numbed tail can be brought back with a good rib of rubbing -- until it *belongs* again." -- Eeyore