May Ye A Blessed Christmas Have~

  This 2012 has been a rough year. Friends have suddenly passed away, and there currently is so much hurt in the World, it is at times difficult to be so 'Merry'.  I believe the things that happen in our lives mold us to who we are, and recent events have made my heart grow bigger by the pounds. Not a moment passes that I do not realize how Blessed I am to have such a wonderful family, such beautiful children. God has already given me the greatest gift on earth~ He has made me a Mother. I hold life Dear, and in turn, try and bestow in my children to do the same, to have grace and respect for all things living and not, and to have  Patience, Restraint and Compassion in all that they do.
    For all that I know, for all who I know, I wish you the Merriest of Holidays, and hope you have Blessed New Year

Blessed Be

 My feeble mind cannot comprehend....cannot understand how a living soul could be so selfish...
                  or how God could let this happen.

  As a Mother of four, with a little one in 1st grade, I have no words to offer this Day, only tears.

Celebrations Along the Olde Towne Road...

   On News Stands January 1st~ the Winter 2013 issue of Prims is jam packed FULL of awesome~ness :)  I have a 4 page article starting on page 24 and just couldn't wait to share~ look! That's Me on the cover!!!  I am so HONORED to be included with  some of my friends and best Primitive Artists around~ just look at Wendy's Dawgs (her little Ele-fonts are my favorite).  There is still time to ask your Santa for a copy for Christmas, many sellers on eBay and ETSY already have in hand and will ship lickety~split!

Fly Fringe

18th Century Knotted Silk Fly Braids & Fringes...

 Ladies get your knotting shuttles ready..... it's no wonder why 'knotting' was a popular 18th form of 'busy work'.  It is made with filament silk and a knotting shuttle, very similar in looks to a tatting shuttle. One could vary the colors, and where they knotted the silk, to make either a simple braid or something quite complex.  Known as 'Fly Fringe' or 'Fly Braid', it could be purchased ready made or made at home. An open robe gown could use literally hundreds of yards of trim.  

  As you can see in the trim above, the knotted filament silk was woven into the 'braid' of the trim, hence the term, 'fly braid'.  These trims are so delicate and feminine, they were often unpicked from  'old' clothing and reused in whatever the newest fashions were, as well as little snippets cut and saved from special garments.

  This trim was reportedly part of a purse, with silk covered mirror still surviving with braid attached.

   Small and extremely delicate, this is a very simple fly braid with a single knotted tuft about every inch in length of the braid.  It is edging both lengths of a 14" wide skirt flounce or robing.

   Here is a tiny braid without any knotted fringe~ this would have been referred to as silk gimp.  I purchase this tiny strip, nearly 2 yards long but just 1.5" wide for a document piece, and was absolutely thrilled when it arrived with fragments of its original bodice back~ sized for a very young girl 6-8 years old

   Lightweight Brocaded silk taffeta plaids (dress silkes) such as this were often called  "Florence" in the early to mid 18th c

  This is a beautiful example of a fancier "fly fringe"~ note there is NO braid, only knotted filament silk in creme to match the blossoms ~ and its absolutely stunning against the dark bottle green background

  This trim is still technically a fly braid, even tho the braid itself is a fringe trim~ every 4 or 5 scallops of the trim, there is a grouping of knotted fringes. And unlike the many fragments I have here at the Museum,

this fly fringe is complete on its c1750 set of silk satin Christening sleeves, and robe, as seen in the very first photo

Thieves!

Thievery & Ransackery!!!

I love all creatures Great & small...those that know me  know this. But I get the absolute heebie jeebies! when I see a furry whatnot in my house. And by furry what~not, I mean the wee beasties that zoom around a zillion miles an hour, and when vexxed they will jump up to 2 feet right at you~ little bugger kangaroo mice we have here!  we have 5 cats here on the farm, and none can catch the furry  beast living in my oven!  YES!!! The thing has burrowed into the insulation in my kitchen stove, and we cannot get him out even after taking it as much apart as possible. I have tried glue traps, snap traps, live be nice to the thing traps..nope~ he is like mighty mouse!  Soooo fast.  So have fun imagining me screeching one morning when turning on the water in the kitchen while not quite awake yet, and it was in the sink and absolutely levitated straight up at me! That must have taken years off of my lifespan...years!  Now I prefer my little 'friends' that keep me company in the gallery~ much more quiet, and clean, and precious....all tho.......

 They do get to be quite mischievous and love to move things about so I cannot find them again....and this one, she and her sister have taken a liking to my Christmas tree!

  I wrap the tree base in burlap, and see~ see her peeking out at me! She must be up to something......

  Every now and again she will freeze! and peek out at me..... what is she up to????

 Ahhhh HA! She has taken my candy canes  Dear Annie gifted me!!!!

 

  The little stockings my Tressa made me are not safe either!

Freeze! Ahhhhhh but I still see you Darling. I think if you hang a stolen stocking by the fire, Santy Clause must fill it with a lump of coal...dont you think?

c1785-95 Child's Soft Boned Bodice

  Cinching up tight....

   Emma is modeling a young girl's soft boned bodice, c1785-95.   This would have been worn as part of a gown, fully visible, with matching sleeves that pined onto the straps. It looks a bit wonky because Emma is wearing a later mid 19th c boat neck chemise underneath of it, instead of a proper shift.

Designed to grow with the child , the front lacing opening is covered by a wide flap that pins closed over it~ so as the child grows, and the front no longer touches when fully laced, the flap will cover this.  I have seen rare maternity stays with this feature as well, but to this this bodice's tiny size, and the fact the straps have two sets of eyelet holes as well, this is most definitely for a growing girl

There are horsehair pads stitched to each side in the back to help puff out the waistline of its matching skirt~ long since gone.  Note the sort of 'hump' you can see going across her shoulder blades horizontally,  this is not a seam, but where the boning in the back stops for the bodice straps to ease over the shoulders

The pads are stitched of coarse linen and stuffed hard in the ends with horsehair.  There is a line of stitching to keep all stuffing in a neat little roll at the end of the pad

Do not confuse a soft boned bodice for a set of stays. From the inside, it looks like a set of boned stays, and is constructed in nearly the same manner, but the outside is covered in a figured silk.  The reason I say 'soft boned' is because this bodice is ONLY boned at the back and front, with no fill at all in the sides

The shoulder straps have two sets of eyelet holes, Emma is wearing with them pined at the first, or shortest position. As a child grew, they could then move the straps to the outermost eyelet hole. Of I what I have seen of these early garments, most  would knot their shoulder straps somewhat permanently~ some even stitched them in place, and then would only have to do up the front or back laces of their stays or bodices when worn

The inside of the front flap is a gorgeous early 1740 powder blue silk damask, and not entirely one large piece either, but made up of several smaller pieces joined together, which again is fitting for a child's garment~ many were made from Mamma's olde cast off gowns

Counting ones Blessings...

   Tomorrow I will officially sit and Give Thanks, but truth be known, I  Give Thanks each and every day. I am Blessed with health and family, and a host of kindred spirits that share in what I love~ you all are my Blessings, so consider yourself counted!   The above is a wonderful postcard from Colonial Williamsburg~ they have tons of gorgeous photos to pick from, and all can be sent thru the email for no charge~ a wonderful gift they provide~ if you would like to send your own Colonial Greeting, you may go to the website here~ http://www.history.org/postcards

Happy Thanksgiving!