Indice dei contenuti per Spring 2019 in PieceWork

Elisabeth Jenkins Baty’s entry in the PieceWork Miniatures Contest 2016—Miss Elisabeth’s Finery: An 18th-Century Lady’s Accoutrements—won an award and led to conversations with Elisabeth about the wonderful world of the fashion doll, a popular portrayer of style in the eighteenth century and the predecessor of fashion plates and then fashion magazines. The conversations, in turn, led to Elisabeth’s article and two projects (exquisite fashion accessories to embroider and sew), which begin on page 28. The fashion doll from the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam that is shown in Elisabeth’s article wears a robe à la Française (gown in the French style). I can’t explain why, but I have become somewhat obsessed with this particular style of dress. Most of the gowns are drop-dead gorgeous, the embroidery is exquisite, and…

Exhibitions Phoenix, Arizona: Through March 24. Ultracontemporary, at the Phoenix Art Museum. (602) 457-5814; www.phxart.org. Kansas City, Missouri: Through June 16. Revealing, Reversible and Resplendent: 15th–17th Century Italian and Spanish Textiles, at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. (816) 751-1278; www.nelson-atkins.org. Newark, New Jersey: Through February. Dramatic Threads: Textiles of Asia, at the Newark Museum. (973) 596-6550; www.newarkmuseum.org. New York, New York: Through May 4. Fabric In Fashion, at The Museum at FIT, Fashion & Textile History Gallery. (212) 217-4558; www.fitnyc.edu/museum. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Through March 3. Fabulous Fashion: From Dior’s New Look to Now and Little Ladies: Victorian Fashion Dolls and the Feminine Ideal, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (215) 763-8100; www.philamuseum.org. Alexandria, Virginia: April 16–May 19. East Meets West, at the Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery. (703) 548-0935; www.potomacfiberartsgallery.com. Toronto,…

A–Z of Embroidery Stitches: A Complete Manual for the Beginner through to the Advanced Embroiderer. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England: Search Press, 2014. A–Z of Embroidery Stitches 2: Over 145 New Stitches to Add to Your Repertoire. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England: Search Press, 2015. Braun, Melanie, Luca Costigliolo, Susan North, Claire Thornton, and Jenny Tiramani. 17th-Century Men’s Dress Patterns: 1600–1630. London: Thames & Hudson/Victoria and Albert Museum, 2016. Chanin, Natalie. The Geometry of Hand-Sewing: A Romance in Stitches and Embroidery from Alabama Chanin and the School of Making. New York: Abrams, 2017. Mayor, A. Hyatt. “The Theater in France.” Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. October 1955. Molière. The Imaginary Invalid: A Comedy. Translated by Charles Herron Wall. Middletown, Delaware: Timeless Classic, 2018. Synge, Lanto. Art of Embroidery: History of Style and…

Allinson, May. “Dressmaking as a Trade for Women in Massachusetts”(PhD thesis, Columbia University, 1916). American Country: Toys and Games. Alexandria, Virginia: Time Life Books/Rebus, 1991. Arnold, Janet. Patterns of Fashion I: Englishwomen’s Dresses and Their Construction, c. 1660–1860. 1977. Rev ed. Los Angeles: Drama Publishers, 2005. Baumgarten, Linda. Eighteenth-Century Clothing at Williamsburg. Williamsburg, Virginia: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1986. ———. What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2012. Baumgarten, Linda, et al. Costume Close-Up: Clothing Construction and Pattern 1750–1790. Williamsburg, Virginia: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1999. Cabell, Eleanor Kelley. “Women Merchants and Milliners in Eighteenth Century Williamsburg.” Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library Research Report Series – 0192. August 1988. Coleman, Dorothy, and Evelyn Jane Coleman. “Lady Dolls that Show Fashions, 1910–14.” Doll…

These interesting-to-knit mitts were designed by Riina Tomberg to reflect the style of mitts knitted on Estonia’s Ruhnu Island in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The patterns are similar to those found on original mitts now in museum collections. Many of the original mitts have a two-color double braid above the openwork lower cuff pattern. For the mitts shown here, the braid has been replaced with a two-color double knit and purl pattern, which was also used on an original mitt. The hand pattern is a collection of traveling stitches and openwork ladders found on several museum pieces. MATERIALS • Elemental Affects Cormo Fingering, 100% wool yarn, light fingering-weight, 550 yard (502.9 m)/112 gram (4.0 oz) skein, 1 skein each of White (MC) and Manly (CC; dark blue) •…

In my continuing and ever-evolving love and appreciation for Weldon’s Practical Needlework, I find myself going through the volumes regularly and finding something new every time. At a time when I was in need of a nice simple white shawl, I found an engraving of a beautiful edging called “Irish Lace” in the Fourteenth Series of Weldon’s Practical Knitter, included in Weldon’s Practical Needlework, Volume 5. It was exactly what I was looking for: simple circular shapes, with the edge yarnovers I love so much. It also had a lovely openwork section at the top that would pair beautifully with the garter-stitch main body of the shawl. I chose a popular construction method for a wide crescent shawl, one that uses 50 percent of the yarn at the beginning, increasing…

Helen Louise Allen (1902–1968) taught the history of textiles and interiors at the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1927 to 1968. During that time, she also amassed a substantial private collection of textiles. She was especially knowledgeable about weaving and embroidery, and the collection reflects those interests. The more than 10,000 items she donated to the university are now conserved in the recently renovated building housing the School of Family Resources and Consumer Sciences. The collection, further enhanced with an additional 3,000 items, includes a wide range of materials and styles from many cultural areas and time periods. To access most but not all of the collection digitally, visit www.sohe.wisc.edu; information on scheduling a visit is also available on the website.…

From Our Readers’ Hands Virpi Tarvo made a version of Anu Pink’s Muhu Gloves to Knit project. Virpi commented: The yarn used was Hea Wool 12/2 from Saara Publishing House. The gloves were knitted quite tight on 1.25 mm (US 0000) dpns. Three fingertips on each hand were left open to be able to fiddle with gadgets, buttons, and pocket zippers without removing the gloves. Via email Virpi Tarvo Thank you Virpi; your gloves are lovely. The instructions for Anu Pink’s Muhu Gloves to Knit and Nancy Bush’s companion article, “The Fine Knitting of Estonia,” are available in the Fall 2018 issue of PieceWork. Inspiration In March 2016, Dee Weaver wrote to us asking for permission to use the quote by Veronica Patterson, PieceWork’s first editor, that was incorporated on…

Once again, the dynamic mother-daughter duo of Alice and Jade Starmore brings you a knitting book like no other. In Glamourie (a Scottish word meaning “a charmed condition in which everything is invested with magical properties and possibilities”), an oversized, beautifully illustrated book, both Alice’s and Jade’s flights of fancy soar. (But, yes, there are earthly patterns as well.) Here’s an excerpt from Alice’s introduction that explains the book: My original concepts are often quite fanciful, but at the end of the day I have to provide designs that can be knitted in several sizes and have instructions that can be fitted into a reasonable page length. But in Glamourie I would break free of this. Jade would write seven new tales rooted in our Gaelic culture, which has a…

Bulgakov, Mikhail. The Life of Monsieur de Molière. Translation by Mirra Ginsburg. 1986. Reprint, London: Oneworld Classics, 2009. (The original edition was published in Russia in 1962 under the title Zhizn’ gospodina de Mol’era.) Chatfield-Taylor, H. C. Molière: A Biography. New York: Duffield & Co., 1906. Gaines, James F., ed. The Molière Encyclopedia. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2002. Matthews, Brander. Molière: His Life and His Works. 1916. Reprint, Honolulu, Hawaii: University Press of the Pacific, 2004. Scott, Victoria. Molière: A Theatrical Life. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Trollope, Henry M. The Life of Molière. London: Archibald Constable and Co., 1905. www.comedie-francaise.fr/en/Molière. MIMI SEYFERTH is a lawyer who lives outside Washington, D. C. She was introduced to the theater of Molière as a high-school French student when her aunt and…

• Finca Perlé Cotton, 100% cotton thread, size 5, 41 meter (44.8 yard)/10 gram (3.5 oz) ball, 1 ball each of #1062 Light Golden Brown, #1227 Medium Golden Brown, #1651 Medium Rose, #1667 Very Dark Rose, #4561 Light Avocado Green, and #4565 Avocado Green • Linen fabric, 60 inches (152.4 cm) wide, ¾ yard (0.7 m) of Ivory • Muslin fabric, 45 inches (114.3 cm) wide, ½ yard (0.5 cm) of Ivory • Silk cording, ¾ yard (0.7 m) of Ivory • Sewing thread, Ivory • John James Needles, tapestry size 24 and chenille size 24 • Embroidery hoop, 8 inches (20.3 cm) in diameter • Tracing paper Finished size: 24 inches (61.0 cm) in circumference x 7½ inches (19.1 cm) high…

The disparate worlds of chemistry and needlework in nineteenth-century England were woven together by a common thread: Walter Weldon. He was born in 1832 in Loughborough, England, to Reuben and Esther Weldon. In 1854, Walter married Anne (Annie) Cotton (1832–1881) with whom he had three children. In the course of his life, Weldon pursued multiple careers that required frequent moves for him and his family. Because their peripatetic lifestyle prevented them from settling in one place for long, formal education for the children was elusive at best. In fact, their middle child, Raphael, did not attend a proper school until he was thirteen years old. Their many moves began in 1854, when Walter, twenty-two and newly married, resigned his position with his father’s manufacturing firm to become a journalist. He…

For those of us who lack an in-depth knowledge of twentieth-century literature, the name Hilda Doolittle may be unfamiliar. She was born September 10, 1886, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to Charles and Helen Doolittle. In 1896, her father took up the post of Professor of Astronomy at the University of Philadelphia, and the family moved to Upper Darby, outside of the city. She became a poet and over time, needlework inspired her writing and sustained her during wartime trauma. In 1901, she became friends with the American poet Ezra Pound (1885–1972), who encouraged her in both her private and her literary life. In 1907, they became engaged, to the disapproval of her father. By 1908, the engagement had been called off; Pound left for Europe and Hilda Doolittle, known as H.…

Socially Conscious Meet a fair-trade carryall constructed with economic and environmental sustainability in mind. Each Fibres of Life wool tote bag is felted by hand and colored with dyes free of heavy metals and other carcinogens. Personalize your bag with removable, water-based, screen-printed art. Tote shown in Emerald and Turmeric with the yarn ball and knitting needles design. www.fibresoflife.com. Michigan Made With a patented hexagonal shape, Indian Lake Artisans’ circular knitting needles help you keep an even tension while working on your knitting project. Each circular features a flexible cable and smooth join so that even your most delicate yarns won’t snag. Available in walnut, cherry (shown), and maple. www.indianlakeartisans.com. Rare Wools Marry the wool from two unique sheep breeds, Manx Loaghtan and Punta Arenas, and you have a special…

Isabel Ibarra sent us these displays that she made for the 125th Comal County Fair in September 2017 in New Braunfels, Texas. “A Brief History of the Paper Pattern Industry in the United States” incorporates patterns from Isabel’s collection and the collection of Helen Janicek. Isabel, who served as the chair of the Handworks and Sewing Division for the 2017 fair, teaches a youth sewing program each summer. The 2019 Comal County Fair will run from September 25 through September 29. For more information, visit www.comalcountyfair.org. Proceeds from the annual fair fund scholarships for local graduating seniors.…

A nightcap is an essential element of the costume for Argan, the main character in Molière’s play The Imaginary Invalid. Argan wears a nightcap throughout the play as a symbol of his house-bound existence as an extreme hypochondriac. Then, at the end of the play, when Argan is persuaded to become a doctor—because, as Molière posits, “il n’y a point de maladie si osée, que de se jouer à la personne d’un médecin” (“there is no disease bold enough to attack the person of a doctor”)—Argan exchanges his nightcap for a doctor’s cap and gown. When The Imaginary Invalid premiered on February 10, 1673, at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris, Molière himself played the role of Argan. Seriously ill with a pulmonary ailment, Molière collapsed during the fourth performance…

Long before the invention of fashion magazines, style blogs, or social media, fashionable ladies in Colonial America faced a quandary of how to stay à la mode with prevailing styles from the fashion capitals of Europe. Without the ability to simply flip a page in a magazine or peruse Instagram, how did these women know what was in style? Where did they go to find the latest in color trends and see which fabrics were in vogue? To whom did they turn to discover the most stylish cut of a gown or how to embellish their garments? And perhaps most challenging of all, how did they stay on trend given the considerable distance and lack of timely communication between Europe and the colonies? Among the upper- and upper-middle classes in…

In the late nineteenth century, Weldon’s Practical Needlework offered knitters of every skill level a wealth of projects, from outerwear and undergarments for every member of the family to lace edgings with which the lady of the house might trim its linens. Accessories, bazaar items, toys such as balls, and baby rattles rounded out the wide-ranging pattern selection. Although some projects are outdated curiosities today (the knitted overshoes in Volume 5 that promised a measure of traction on icy sidewalks come to mind), many others, such as this child’s scarf, are timeless. The pattern was published in Weldon’s Practical Needlework, Volume 1, in the Fourth Series of Weldon’s Practical Knitter. Although it was originally categorized as a boy’s scarf pattern, the gender-neutral staggered ribbing is every bit as appropriate for…

Knitting bags have been long overlooked as one of the patriotic icons of World War I (1914–1918). The Navy League and American Red Cross sent a clear message to knitters: Do not waste a minute of your time when you could be knitting to support our troops. Knit at home, in parks, at social events, in darkened theaters (get out the radium-tipped knitting needles). Tote your oversized knitting bag everywhere with pride! Popular magazines also urged Americans to knit for the war effort. The knitting bee and her enormous knitting bag from the cover of the February 9, 1918, issue of Leslie’s War in Pictures prove she is productive—and patriotic (in the lower left corner of the image opposite). The Great War had begun in Europe in August 1914, with…