Some interesting finds
“Booksale” is a chain of second-hand book shops in malls across the country. This is where I’ve have found a lot of really good and inexpensive books on a variety of topics. There’s a lot junky books, of course, so it takes patience and luck to find the gems.
As far as crochet and needlework books are concerned, I’ve found a few at “Booksale” and all of them are quite rather ‘retro’ (but not too bad). However, just a week ago I stumbled upon a pretty good one.
The book is “150 Favorite Crochet Designs” from Dover Publications. I got it for only 90 pesos (that’s less than 2 US$). The book is a collection of classic heirloom-quality patterns for tablecloths, bedspreads, doilies, edgings and insertions.
And I love this book - I’ve already been able to use some patterns of edgings for my new crocheted corset (that has now turned into a crocheted blouse with puff sleeves!)
There I realized how beautiful antique patterns really are, and how fine and meticulously made they are. They really provide one of the best foundations for learning crochet.
Because of this re-newed interest and appreciation for things antique, and the fact that such antique knowledge should already be in the public domain, I decided to look up a couple of things on the Internet and see what the past could provide.
1942 Modern Pattern Design
by Harriet Peppin
I found this book because I wanted to know about the technical terms used in dressmaking, particularly, the various styles of collars and necklines. Nevertheless, I did buy 2 locally written and published books (in Filipino language) on the subject matter: “Basic Course in Pattern and Dressmaking” and “Ladies Fashion Wear Volume 1″ - both by Yoko Shirane Venzuela (costs around 250 pesos each at National Book Store).
The two new books are very comprehensive, including patterns for blouse, skirt, pants, one-piece dress, jacket and coat among others, as well as instructions for proper pattern making and measurement. The books also include full-size block patterns.
The Full Roll CollarThe “1942 Modern Pattern Design” book seemed to be written more for the layperson. Nevertheless, the book has sufficient technical information on pattern design, and some interesting, insightful remarks, for instance, on the “Full Roll Collar” also known as the “Peter Pan Collar” due to its youthful style:
“Because of the roll, it is especially pleasing for the woman who has an exceptionally thin, long neck as its round shape softens her angular features. It is youthful, so is not suited to elderly or mature women and should be definitely avoided by the woman having a round face and short, broad neck.”
Tight Linings and Boning, Woman’s Institute of Domestic Arts & Sciences, by Mary Brooks Picken1922 - Tight Linings and Boning,
Woman’s Institute of Domestic Arts & Sciences
by Mary Brooks Picken
I found this book while doing a search on corsets and corset making. While my own crocheted corset has now evolved into something else, finding detailed information on corsetry will surely make my second attempt more successful.
The book by Mary Brooks Picken introduces, “Pay particular attention to the definitions; a correct understanding of them is essential.”
Indeed, definitions and the use of technical terms are essential. This is the foundation of professional meticulous work,
… this book covers how to properly bone a bodice, including how to finish the ends of the bones, and what is meant by “springing the bone.”
Although some technical terms have changed since then, and there are of course some variations on the local cultural practice, it aids much in understanding if I could establish more consistency in my use of terms and definitions in my own work.
And yes, of course, I did stumble on Elizabethan corsetry. The website provides easy-to-understand instructions on making the patterns, selecting corset material, sewing the corset, and putting it on.
There is also a special item on “The Effigy Corset: A New Look at Elizabethan Corsetry” by Drea Leed.
Gems are hard to find, that’s why it’s good to share them…
Just like at “Booksale”, finding gems on the Internet is getting harder and harder. Obviously, one can say that there’s just more junk than gem nowadays.
For me, however, there are more reasons. For one, the Internet is becoming more and more commercialized and even knowledge that should be in the public domain hasn’t made it yet to the Internet, and even when they do, they are accessible only at a cost (for example, the book on vintage Crochet Designs from Dover Publications costs nearly 10 US$ plus the cost of shipping).
Secondly, search engines which are essentially our gateway to materials on the Internet (and therefore very powerful gatekeepers), tend to rank highly those websites and materials that are accessed by most people. Thus, a keyword search for the different types of necklines and collars would serve links to videos I can’t access because I use a slow dial-up access to the Internet. Surely, video materials on the Internet are extremely popular now with majority of users connected to the Internet with broadband access. However, there are still people like me who can only access low-bandwidth materials, and actually prefer textual data to video. Websites with large images are also becoming nearly impossible for me to browse, and there is a growing number of such websites because people who put the photos on them have broadband connections and do not realize the enormity of file sizes they are uploading. Image compression and optimization for the web now seem to be passe.
Anyway, there are still some more interesting finds - on-line and off-line - and I’ll surely write about them when I find them!