Slow Day
Today doesn't seem to be a very busy day on my LJ Friends page, so I'm filling up the silence with a fun discovery that I made the other day while browsing in my university library: a book of embroidery patterns from 1780-1820! It is called Embroidery Designs, 1780-1820 by Mildred J. Davis and is from the manuscript collection at the Valentine Museum in Richmond, VA. I didn't get a chance to look at it too closely, but it appears to be a bunch of designs drawn by some guy from the era that have been collected and published. It's mostly pictures of the designs, with just a bit of text at the beginning and end of the book. I guess this means I need an embroidered dress or two soon, before I'm not a student here anymore. (I've already been thinking of a 1790s gown with silk polychrome embroidery and a 1810 gown with white embroidery. My tambour needle is going to come in very handy.) The patterns are really pretty, lots of different sorts of borders (wide and narrow) and corner designs. (The narrow designs really remind me of the ones jenthompson painted on her most recent gorgeous gown.) Mostly plant-like designs, sprays of flowers, acorns with oak leaves, scrolling vines, etc. They are very reminiscent of the ones by Ackermann's Repository, although those designs are mostly later (I think 1809-1829), so there are some differences in style. Some of the designs are also done in colours. I was pretty excited when I saw this book randomly on the shelf. :)
In other news, aside from being slowly crushed by the weight of all my end of term essays, I've also been working a little bit on my 1790 stays. The bottom is almost entirely bound. Then it's just binding the top, the eyelets for the straps, and putting in some horizontal boning at the front. I want to add tape over the seams but can't find any narrow enough locally, which brings me to my next point...
In other, other news, I will be going over the ocean for about a week and a half on May 1st to visit Paris, London, and Edinburgh! Definitely hitting up a few fabric stores while there. Right now I'm thinking Edinburgh Fabrics and the stores on Goldhawk Road. Also going to check out all the pretties at the Victoria and Albert Museum. But first, I need to get through these essays. And hopefully finish my stays in time for the HSF UFO challenge. And I may be left with enough time to try out this pants pattern with some tan stretch houndstooth I have sitting in my stash so I have more things to wear on my trip.
In other news, aside from being slowly crushed by the weight of all my end of term essays, I've also been working a little bit on my 1790 stays. The bottom is almost entirely bound. Then it's just binding the top, the eyelets for the straps, and putting in some horizontal boning at the front. I want to add tape over the seams but can't find any narrow enough locally, which brings me to my next point...
In other, other news, I will be going over the ocean for about a week and a half on May 1st to visit Paris, London, and Edinburgh! Definitely hitting up a few fabric stores while there. Right now I'm thinking Edinburgh Fabrics and the stores on Goldhawk Road. Also going to check out all the pretties at the Victoria and Albert Museum. But first, I need to get through these essays. And hopefully finish my stays in time for the HSF UFO challenge. And I may be left with enough time to try out this pants pattern with some tan stretch houndstooth I have sitting in my stash so I have more things to wear on my trip.