Skulking about in design history

I am still poking about the V&A and discovered a fascinating series of articles on of all things …the history of wallpaper. The section on Design Reform speaks about the influence of the Great Exhibition of 1851. Some have suggested that at this exhibition women where exposed to the asymmetrical patterns of Japan and this interest developed into crazy quilting. The article features a wallpaper swatch book. Take a look as many of the designs tweaked a little would pass in todays homes. Even the colours look contemporary.

For those who are interested in the Arts and Crafts Movement the article on William Morris is really worth reading. It really is a an interesting series of essays make a cuppa and settle down to read a bit. OK I will get off the site and go and so some work now!

 

Constance Howard Resource and Research Centre

I have been poking about the Constance Howard Resource and Research Centre in Textiles housed on VADS which is hosted by Goldsmiths College, University of London.

The collection houses images from Constance Howard’s Study Collection. Make your self a cuppa settle back and enjoy browsing these textiles.

I particularly enjoyed this modern sampler of geometric blocks and lines exploring surface and counted stitches, and this modern pulled work sampler, and this modern sampler of short lengths of different stitches. A sampler was worked in the 1930s and contains counted thread, drawn thread work, couching, needle weaving and a large variety of surface stitches. A small panel of appliquéd rag done in the 1980s still looks as if it could have been done last month. I really liked this metal thread work panel of a landscape.

There are many contemporary samplers on the site which I think people will enjoy. This sampler done in the 1960s is an interesting piece of canvas work and this piece looked as if it has been worked for TAST. I simply loved this little sample.

As I say make yourself a cuppa settle back and enjoy this collection as there is a lot there to look at and think about.

 

Waving from New Zealand

I suggest you grab a cuppa and if you have not already done so browse the CQMag online which was released last week. As many of you will know by now, due to Nora’s illness and problems with getting a visa in a timely manner, my teaching tour to the United States has been canceled. I must admit to being very disappointed as I had hoped to meet many people who I have been in email contact with over the years. That disappointing news aside, do check out the issue as Barbara Blankenship has proposed a challenge for all Crazy Quilters. After reading Marsha Michler’s reasons for hand piecing will have me hand piecing before long, and don’t miss Rissa Root’s article on Biscornu Basics. The whole issue is worth reading if you have not already done so.

Now on to the travel news I am still in New Zealand writing from the Christchurch City Library. You know all those picturesque postcards you see of the New Zealand south island? Well they are true. The landscape is really beautiful and more than any romantic could want. To an Australian eye after seven years of drought the first thing you notice is that the landscape is green.Green, green and more green. Seeing so much lush growth is really a rest for the soul. New Zealand is definitely scenic. I am not going to inflict scenic photographs on you however as the landscape is somehow reduced by my camera and the grandeur of the place is simply not caught.

We are staying in a backpackers hostel in Christchurch which has had some interesting moments! Everything, perhaps I exaggerate but bear with me a moment, everything here is about heights and jumping off them. People are either bungie jumping, hurling themselves out of air planes, taking hot air balloon rides, hand gliding or climbing some impossible slope and then telling tall tales about it. So it is a real pleasure to sit and have a simple non energetic cup of coffee as I feel exhausted just listening to the chatter in the communal kitchen!

What have we seen other than beautiful green scenery? Well on a trip to the Christchurch museum we discovered a small display of Maori artifacts. After being accosted by a very enthusiastic and proud museum guide we took our time to enjoy the spiral patterns expertly carved in wood. These designs are endlessly fascinating and I am sure attractive to many textile practitioners. The photograph is part of a roof support from a meeting house. It was apparently carved between 1860- 1880. The figure is Tutekawa who came to area many generations earlier.

The Christchurch museum also has an interesting exhibit of buildings and items that were from Cape Hallett Station in Antarctica. The station was in operation from 1956 to 1973 and the Museum holds some of the accommodation huts used on the station. This sounds boring but the plywood panels of the huts and buildings have been weathered in the harsh conditions to produce the most wonderful textures.

Never let it be said I strayed too far from the topic of textiles and to keep this post on topic this ivory wool winder caught my eye as well as some ivory tatting shuttles and the display of sewing equipment that accompanied them.

The museum houses a small costume collection. Some of the dresses from the 1920s are really lovely. The first photos is of a beaded dress which I am sure the beaders out there will enjoy.

The second had a design which consisted of couched ribbon which I think is an uncut chenille ribbon or tape.

As you can see the effect is very dramatic.The ‘belt buckle’ design was couched gold thread and beadwork. I thought readers would enjoy seeing this.

 

The Art of Islam

While in Sydney this weekend we took in The Art of Islam at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. What can I say except some of the pieces were absolutely exquisite. If you are Sydney sider get along to see it. Apart from relishing the textiles, I took great pleasure in the illuminated manuscripts, and wonderfully detailed Persian and Ottoman miniature paintings.

Check out the The Art of Islam website as it has information about the exhibition and images of some of the objects in the historical overview.

The exhibition is described as being

… the finest display of the arts of the Islamic world ever seen in Australia. It is a rare opportunity to experience rich and diverse artistic achievements from the 7th to early 20th centuries.

 

A yarn winder in a bottle

People don’t just build miniature ships in bottles, the bottle artists at Ship Folk Art and Whimsey in a Bottle put miniature crucifix, tools, tables, chairs and sometimes whole scenes in tiny bottles. The site documents and highlights the art and craft of making ships, folk art, and whimsy in bottles and light bulbs. The gallery section features each item with images, a description, and detailed information.

I was delighted by a miniature yarn winder or niddy noddy .

Thanks goes to Jerry who emailed me the link.

 

A Map of Texile Museums

Liz of Dreaming spirals has complied a Map of Textile Museums in the United States using Google maps.

As Liz points out often a google search turns up sketchy information on aspects of collections. It is a great idea not only if in you live in country but if you are a visitor it would be good to know where the worthy textile collections are.

It’s a pity it is not internatational but as Liz says on her blog post she is still adding museums and will happily take suggestions.

I get a heck of a kick seeing resources like this developed within the textile community online as although some museums have a huge amount of information online others barely have thier opening times listed let alone what is actually in their collections.

Correction
I misunderstood Liz’s email the project is international so anyone anywhere can help her out with information on museums that hold extensive textile collections. Drop her an email and get it added to map!

 

Getting lost on the NYPL Digital Gallery site

I still get lost on the NYPL Digital Gallery site. This morning I am running late because of a section of the site titled Dress and Fashion: Design and Manufacture Click on the collection contents link and you will be lost. Not lost in the site because of bad navigation but I warn you, your morning will be gone! Don’t resist just make yourself a cuppa and settle down for some fun browsing.

For anyone who enjoys fashion plates or fashion illustration a real gem is a 1904 publication titled Enter! Wash dress fabrics  Click on any of the images for details and from there you can zoom in on the images further.

The site is described as

Several rare and unusual published resources of interest to students of western dress and fashion from the 19th to the early 20th-century. Includes historical surveys as well as manufacturers’ booklets and sample swatch catalogs.

Simply put this description is underselling what is here.

If you have an interest in the history of dyes and dyeing fabrics the mordant dyestuffs of the farbenfabriken vorm. Friedr. Bayer & Co swatch books will fascinate you.

Another swatch book that had me hooked is the 1930-1933
Imported French fabrics, of E. Meyer & Co. The fashion illustrations are just gorgeous. (Double screen shot below)

I told you that you need to settle back with a cuppa – now go make one and enjoy!

 

Getting lost on the site of the Fine Arts Museum San Francisco

I have been poking around the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco site. With 82,000 digitised art works there is a feast of eye candy for any one.

I got lost for a couple of hours in the My gallery section of the site. Then started using keywords such embroidery, lace and the like.

It was my downfall as there is an option to “zoomify” which will reveal close up details that take you far closer to see any object than you would be able to get in normal circumstances. This meant I was lost for a couple hours looking at goodies in their collection.

 

A Crazy quilt online in the Memorial Hall Museum Digital Collection

Browsing the Memorial Hall Museum Digital Collection led me to discover this Crazy Quilt with a Netted Border. The site has options to zoom in on the image and take a really good look at the details (the icons are found on the right hand side of the screen.)

The Digital collection houses about 2,000 items each displayed in a thoughtful manner on the site. Web features hve been associaed with objects appropriately. Objects such as quilts you can ‘zoom in’ to see details journals and documents are transcribed so that you can read them.

One of the gems I delighted in was my discovery of Elsie Putnam’s diary . Elsie was single when she wrote it in 1888 and lived in Deerfield, Massachusetts. You will find transcripts of many of the pages via a drop down menu at the top of the image.

 

Needle Book Museum

Connie McGinnis collects needle books, and she shares them with us in her Needle Book Museum. Most women I know who sew have one or two needlebooks. Sometimes more, as they are often given as gifts as they are small, quick to make and act as nice mementos.

Apart from housing numerous images of various needlebooks the site houses articles of interest and a great source of inspiration if you are designing a needlebook for a gift or are in a swap.