Practices Encroaching on Modern Day

[Matthew Semple]

So, my wife thought I was crazy when I bought an original darning egg for a few bucks so I could repair my old socks that I have worn holes in over the past several years. When she looked at me perplexed on why I would spend a few dollars for something she had never seen or heard of before, I told her what it is used for and what I planned on doing with it.

In the modern mentality, she naturally said, "why don't you throw away those old socks with holes in them and buy new ones instead?"

And naturally my thought process was and still is: I would spend a few cents on thread and a necessary ten minutes repairing old socks instead of going out and spending an unecessary ten dollars and a few minutes on buying new socks (that would not be of the original quality anyways).

And now, my primary question that I pose to those of this forum:

Do you ever find those mentalities or practices of the 1860s (i.e. repairing and saving clothing, repairing and saving utiliarian items, making your own item instead of spending 'too much money', using a reproduction item for what it was originally used for in a modern day setting instead, etc...) encroaching on your daily thoughts and practices instead of falling into those modern day thoughts of a disposable world and throwing everything away and buying new?

I eagerly await what others may think on this subject.

[brown]

Re: Practices Encroaching on Modern Day

The first thought that comes to mind is my wife making fun of my gear, until it gets really cold and she wants a REAL blanket. What blankets are the warmest in our house? I bet you can all guess.

[ajhamler]

Re: Practices Encroaching on Modern Day

Lindsey...

My wife discovered the same thing about the warmest blankets in the house. However, she also found out that they are the smelliest blankets in the house...

A.J.

[Jimmayo]

Re: Practices Encroaching on Modern Day

This is a little off topic but you could have gotten off easier than a few dollars for a darning egg. Family lore says this gourd came to Va. from South Carolina with my Great Grandmother. Evidently it had been in the family for a while. Check out the date. I can remember her using this for darning socks. When she died the sock darning stopped and the gourd went in the corner cabinet with the rest of the family heirlooms.

[tenfed1861]

Re: Practices Encroaching on Modern Day

I,too,use my period blankets on my bed on regular basics.I also wear my wool overshirts when it's cold out.Heck,right now,I have on period socks,also wear slouch hats when I need to go out in the cold or rain for a little bit.
Just my two cents.

[yeoman]

Re: Practices Encroaching on Modern Day

Yes sir, this may have come from my grandparents but somewhere along the line I picked up and kept the whatever it takes attitude. If I can save tools by repair then that's the ticket. I've acquired several kinds of wood working hand saws, brace and bits, star drills, hand planes and older hand tools in general...,and use them. I do think of how folks got along years ago and try to use their experience in my work and efforts today.That utilitarian way of life, the self reliance and can do way of thinking..., yeah, I may be "thrifty and hard headed" enough to carry some of that mentality today.

[KathyBradford]

Re: Practices Encroaching on Modern Day

All these years later, I still remember Karin Timour's recount of how the things she learned helped her in New York on 9-11.

[Indianabugles]

Re: Practices Encroaching on Modern Day

recently we were going to be subjected to flooding, thankfully never occurred and my wife moved all the personal photos, stuff etc upstairs for safety. I immediately suggested moving my box of reenactor gear. The response, my wife is a non believer, was not good to say the least and she accused me of having distorted priorities. That was till I pointed out that there were two candle lights and three oil lanterns, hard tack, tinned food, extra blankets and water bottles to store clean water in it. The box now lives upstairs. As for the original question, sort of yes. I will wear a pair of shoes till they fall off my feet. If I cannot repair them or the cobbler then they get thrown. My friend gets rid of his as they go out of fashion which is something I cannot understand.

[bdyanko]

Re: Practices Encroaching on Modern Day

I find a lot of the things my wife and I do somehow reflect back to the mid 19th century. We cannot grow our own food, so we are part of a co-op. Eating in season is a big change. We started to try to can and preserve as much as we can. It is something to stop and think to yourself "have we put enough away for the winter?"

I try not to use power tools, instead preferring to use my small collection of 19th century saws, planes, and the like.

We knit an sew a lot of our clothing accessories, and I have patched and repaired old blue jeans to get one more year out of them.

I guess after spending half of my lifetime in this hobby, I cannot help but view things through a historical lens.

[Brandon]

Re: Practices Encroaching on Modern Day

I live in Florida and this has been the coldest winter of my life. I have found myself wearing my greatcoat out along with my period socks and issue shirt because I know it is the warmest thing I own. I have also realized I have been more practical in day to do life.

Brandon Hand
Unit Clerk/Newsletter Editor
48th NY Co. F
SCAR

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: Practices Encroaching on Modern Day

Yes the hobby has affected the way I look at things. The central question of reenacting -- the one that keeps us engaged -- is "how did they"? How did they fight, camp, get around, entertain themselves, run an army of a million men without computers, &c. &c. It puts everything in a different light, and I realized, after my first progressive event, that it's a small step from "what do I need in my blanket roll for the weekend?" to questioning how much stuff I need in the house the rest of the time.

Even when we give in to our consumerist instincts, the results are instructive. Although we often make fun of ourselves for accumulating hobby stuff, it tends to differ significantly from the other gewgaws in our lives. It's made of materials like wood, wool, leather, or steel, it's robust and functional, and it requires a little bit of skill to use to maximum effect. It doesn't rely on batteries and it's value doesn't evaporate with the release of new software. And yes, it's generally repairable and worth hanging on to.

[Becky Morgan]

Re: Practices Encroaching on Modern Day

In a word, yes. My parents lived through the Depression in coal country, so the mentality was already there. (Not, interestingly enough, for my sisters, all of whom moved to large cities as fast as they could.) I can't imagine not knowing how to cook, not wanting to make my own jam and jelly and, when time permits, bread, or not knowing what to do in case of a power failure. Yes, I fix knitted and crocheted items rather than throw them away. (BTW, a darning egg is nice to have, but there are two possible substitutes that are cheaper: a wooden egg shape from your local discount store's craft and hobby shelf, or a real large hard-boiled egg!)

I am frustrated by the people who think having basic skills is somehow "alarmist". There's nothing alarmist about not needing to panic in an emergency.

[Parault]

Re: Practices Encroaching on Modern Day

About ten years ago in the area where I reside, we had an atrocious icing that literally shut down everything for days, and in some areas, months. It shut down a vast area. At our house I pulled out several items which I have used frequently at events. Things like my wife's dutch ovens, coffee pot, my lanterns, greatcoats, tinware, and other items. We had no electricity for two weeks. We made it just fine.

I remember reading period literature by candlelight which I found to be interesting. It was like being at an event for two weeks. Being able to survive by having knowledge of the 19th century is a plus.

[Craig L Barry]

Re: Practices Encroaching on Modern Day

In the 1860s, nothing went to waste...think recycling wool into shoddy. Waste is the part of modern living that is most different to me. I save everything, a musket part from a long forgotten project will come in handy years later. I save the buckle off my worn out haversacks if they are still serviceable, etc.

[D Harrelson]

Re: Practices Encroaching on Modern Day

I use my period socks to work in (ask Karin Timour-- I keep her busy darning a few pairs at any time). Wear my canton flannel underwear also. They're much less scratchy than those thermal things. Blankets--three on my bed right now. I like to sleep in a cold room with lots of covers.

Shirts aren't considered worn out until the collar's been turned and that side wears out. All my worn out shirts and underwear become cleaning rags for the work shop. I also recycle the buttons when a shirt goes in the scrap pile.

I was born and raised in a small Southside Virginia town with parents who lived through the Great Depression and were about as thrifty as you could get... I guess some things wore off. I think one reason that I wear nice clothes is that I got to the point I could afford to and not have to wear my two older brothers' hand-me-downs (my rebellion).

D Harrelson