Farb Shirt, Trousers & Dress

[ElizabethClark]

Re: I bought wrong trousers, so what era can I portray?

Actually, if costume pieces are listed as costume pieces on eBay, it's not likely to show up as living history clothing. It's the pieces that are quasi-historical and listed as "costume or Civil War" that cause problems down the road. An honest description of a piece allows the buyer to make up their own mind on whether or not the item works for their own personal purpose.

[ElizabethClark]

Re: are shirts with ticking proper? and questions about my wifes dresses

A bodice can be cut exactly on the saggital plane and not bunch or bind--that's a product of poor fitting, not cutting. Modern dressmakers making modern clothing use seams that align on the saggital plane with great precision, and do not get clothing that bunches or binds, even with high fitted, very complex bodices. Calling aligned seams a "problem" because they "cause bunching or binding" is not really accurate--they absolutely do work for modern sewing purposes, *IF* the fitting is done well.

The directly-aligned seams will not generally be "period placement" though--that would be the block-point against it for period clothing. Slight bias seaming at sides and shoulders is very common for mid-century women's clothing. It allows for tighter fitting without stress wrinkles, but again, bunching or binding is a flaw in fitting, not seam placement or cutting, regardless of the precise orientation of the seams themselves.

It's a wise man who knows women's clothing. :) Seriously--there are SO many variations in citizen's clothing that *can* factor in! There's far more to it than "big skirt, it's historic," as you're finding out rapidly. :)

Still, best advice: get the understructure done first. Nothing sits right without it.

[Chessa]

Re: are shirts with ticking proper? and questions about my wifes dresses

Also another suggestion: Even if you aren't planning on sewing anything, do visit Mrs. Clark's forum (www.thesewingacademy.org). If you have questions about anything, they've probably already been answered there, and if not, the ladies (and gents!) are happy to help! :)

Good luck!

Chessa

[Secesh]

Re: are shirts with ticking proper? and questions about my wifes dresses

Hello,
Check out the book "Frozen in Time", regarding the exhumation of the 3 graves on Beechey Island in the Arctic. These 3 men, 2 British sailors and a Royal Marine, all who died in 1846, were members of the Franklin Expedition, which was mysteriously lost top a man. Scientists exhumed the graves in order to see what killed these 3 men, and if it could perhaps shed light on what happened to the rest. To make a long story short, all 3 bodies ( who were buried in 1846), were excellently preserved / frozen, and 2 of the men were wearing blue and white ticking shirts. Excellent photos in this book detailing the hairstyles, clothing, etc. of these men. Best regards, Tom

p.s. The 3 died of a combination of TB and pneumonia, brought about by severe lead poisoning from the tin cans used to store the food for the expedition. It lowered their resistance to fight of infection.

[Hank Trent]

Re: are shirts with ticking proper? and questions about my wifes dresses

To make a long story short, all 3 bodies ( who were buried in 1846), were excellently preserved / frozen, and 2 of the men were wearing blue and white ticking shirts.

Ticking, or hickory? I don't know enough about those fabrics to identify the difference, but others have said they're similar but not identical, and hickory was typical in that pattern for hard-wearing shirts in the period. I seem to recall there was a thread on ticking and hickory in the past.

Edited to add: This is best thread I could find http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/...?t=8095&page=2 but the difference isn't specifically noted. Was it Terre Lawson who described it, maybe? Is there a difference? How does one tell?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Carolann Schmitt]

Re: Farb Shirt, Trousers & Dress

The classic ticking stripe pattern is a pattern of colored (usually blue) narrow-wide-narrow stripes on a light (white or ivory) ground, as shown in the first photo.

The stripe pattern on hickory cloth is usually a narrow light stripe alternating with a slightly wider dark stripe, as shown in the second photo.

[NoahBriggs]

Re: Farb Shirt, Trousers & Dress

. . . In talking with the gentleman from the Watchdog, . . .

You probably had the pleasure of chatting up Bill Christen, editor of the Watchdog. The 'Dog is the Consumer Reports of new reenactor products and repros.

Bill and his wife Glenna Jo are yet another pair of professional garbage minds on nineteenth century material culture. They can be reached on their website, The Curiosity Shoppe. Talk with them, visit Liz Clark's website and forum, and you will be in trustworthy hands.

[Secesh]

Re: Farb Shirt, Trousers & Dress

The shirts were ticking, not hickory. Best regards.