Sew what?

Occupational portrait of a woman working at a sewing machine, 1853. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.

As a young woman going to high school in the late 1970s, there was no way I was going to take home economics. I had big plans and they didn’t include being a housewife who made her family’s clothes and cooked her family’s meals. I planned to got to college, get a graduate degree in archaeology or something equally interesting, and travel the world. As it turns out, I did indeed go to college, earned a graduate degree, and have traveled parts of the world. But as it turns out, I wish I HAD learned how to sew properly – it would save me a lot of money and could have been a fun creative outlet. I did take one short class in jr. high at the local community center and learned how to sew a maxi dress with a ruffle at the hem.

My parents both appreciate dressing well, as did my grandparents. I have liked clothing and fashion since I was a kid, and used to daydream about being a fashion designer. But I was realistic enough to realize that fashion design was not a practical path to a stable income, and majored in English instead. (Yeah, the irony.)

Now I wish I could stitch up a pretty silk skirt in a day. I don’t want to make beginner’s projects like pot holders and elastic-waisted skirts. I recently took the tentative step of buying a used sewing machine.

Enough whining. Instead I’ll share snippets of some vintage garments that illustrate the beautiful stitching used on clothing women used to make for themselves. My goal this year is to learn how to thread the machine and sew a straight line.

Pintucks

Lace attached to silk

Vintage satin and lace details on bed jacket -the lace was machine sewn to the fabric

Satin dress with tucks (pleats) on the bodice

Hand finished seam

Details on 1920s silk piece – lace, bias cut fabric, interesting seams

Gathers? Ruching? Shirring?

Dreaming of Paris

I was daydreaming about Paris yesterday and dug out some photos taken by photographer Todd Mecklem  on our last trip. The food, the artful way they display their wares, and the beautiful old buildings are part of what I love about the city.

Todd Mecklem. Cider and galettes

Todd Mecklem. Croque monsieur and goat cheese salad for lunch

Todd Mecklem. Patisserie

Todd Mecklem. Details on old building

Bikes in Paris

Todd Mecklem. Richard Lenoir market

Todd Mecklem. Cobbler’s shop (cordonnier)

Todd Mecklem. Our favorite local wine store Nicolas

Background Story

I’ve been experimenting with taking photographs of old objects with different kinds of backgrounds to see if they help highlight the objects or distract from it. My favorite is the gold and black purse with a black and white advertisement for Byrrh.

I like this combination of a black and white advert from a 1930s magazine and the Art Deco purse.

I used a random page from on old magazine for the background of the compact and powder puff.

The plain white background works fine.

I think this is pretty with the purple scarf background but if I were selling the piece, maybe I’d stick with the plain white background.

It was sunny and just too bright outside; not sure if I like this background.

The black textured background just looks bad though I think a matte black background would show off the steel cut beads nicely.

I like how the blue glass shows up but I might try it with grey for more contrast.

Tinto Lena Red 2011

Interior of Bodegas Vinos de León; photo from their website

Winery - Bodegas Vinos de León
Appellation – Castilla y León
Color – purple
Aroma – chocolate, berries
Finish – perfect balance of acidity and tannins with a bit of mineral taste

I really enjoyed drinking this Spanish wine with a ragu bolognese I made for dinner. It stands up well to a red meat sauce but is also good with a nibble of cheddar. I like the salty (minerally!) aftertaste and the slight tannic and acidic finish. At $10 per liter, it’s a very good everyday table wine.

Joyeux anniversaire, Monsieur Poiret!

Paul Poiret, 1927. © Lipnitzki / Roger-Viollet. Paris en Images.

Not Poirot, Poiret, the Parisian couturier born on May 20, 1879. I wrote about him in an earlier post but kept discovering more images. (Librarians can never stop searching; it’s a madness.) I think it’s interesting to see how his designs changed over time. The peach dress from the 1930s has so little adornment compared to his richly decorated gowns from earlier in the 20th century but it’s one of my favorites. I think the decorated headpiece is wonderful, too.

Theatrical costume. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Date 1900 – 1944.

Evening cap. Circa 1910. Embroidered with colourful straps of pongee, gold and silver brocade, pleated ivory tulle. Purchased by the municipality of Paris. The Musée Galliera – the Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.

Poiret dress, Saint-Petersburg, 1910s. Chiffon of white and blue colours, white crepe-de-chine, fleecy fur trimming of black colour, silver lace, metal thread, gilding, metal, glass beads, bugle beads, strasses, embroidery. Received in 1941 from the State Museum of Ethnography; till 1917 has been preserved in the Novo-Mikhailovsky palace in Saint Petersburg. The State Hermitage Museum, Saint-Petersburg.

Evening dress trousers, 1926. © Lipnitzki / Roger-Viollet. Paris en Images.

Evening dress, circa 1930. Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. Anthony Wilson, 1963

Mantuea, circa 1913. Woollen cloth, chiffon. The Victoria and Albert Museum of London.

Poiret dress, 1931. © Lipnitzki / Roger-Viollet. Paris en Images.

Textile, ca. 1923. Manufacturer La Maison Martine. Printed linen.
Purchase, Edward C. Moore, Jr. Gift, 1923

Monsieur Hercule Poirot will have his turn, too.

Callot Soeurs

I love to read for many reasons, but one reason is that a book often piques my curiosity about new places, new people, and new things. I can thank Tim Gunn’s Fashion Bible and my friend Catherine for my interest in the Callot sisters, four dressmakers who opened a couture house in 1895 that became well known for its beautiful fabric, designs, and embroidery.

The Soeurs Callot (Regina, Marie, Marthe and Joséphine) designed lingerie, evening gowns and day dresses made with antique fabric, beautiful silks, and lace. They were one of the first designers to use gold and silver lame.  (Victoriana Magazine)

Their designs over the years varied widely – I love the silk pajamas and the bejeweled dress below. What are the odds of my finding a Callot Soeurs treasure at a Parisian flea market? Hmmm…

Dress, c. 1926. Gift of Mrs. Anton Hulman, Jr. Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Pleated silk chiffon, lace worked in gold thread, satin, ribbon. 1922 (made). Given by the Ranee of Pudukota. Victoria and Albert Museum.

Robe-tailleur, Callot Sœurs, Paris, 1910-1912
Taffetas jaspé, tulle mécanique, frange de passementerie, mousseline
Coll. UFAC, don Lindon, 1951. From Les Arts Decoratifs.

Evening dress, 1913. Purchase, Irene Lewisohn Bequest, 1951. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Pajamas, 1926-1927. Gift of Miss Isabel Shults, 1944. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Setting up the pattern for lace yokes. Paris. Callot Soeurs fashion design house. 1931. Photograph by Francois Kollar (1904-1979). Paris, Bibliothèque Forney. Paris En Images.

Presentation of models. Paris. Callot Soeurs fashion design house. 1931. Photograph by Francois Kollar (1904-1979). Paris, Bibliothèque Forney. Paris En Images.

Fitting. Paris, Callot Soeurs fashion design house, 1931. Photograph by François Kollar (1904-1979). Paris, Bibliothèque Forney. Paris En Images.