2nd out of the box!

Does this look similar to the #1 out of the box?  Well, it is the same pink striped fabric.  I think the first one was left unfinished, but this one is finished and is a gem!

This one is in pretty good shape, although there are a few places where the fabric is breaking.

The Bodice:  The sleeves look so modern, and the bodice is very interesting.  the stripes going horizontal  go all around to the back, join there with a bow on each of the 3 stripes.

Lace underneath the pink striped organza and cream colored bows at the shoulders.

So many things were packed in the box, we took fast photos so they aren't the best, sorry.

Update: I found several more photos on this garden dress.

There is a ruffle just at the waist and then these 2 strips of lace below the ruffle, at the hips.

The back.  The strap on the left side is one of the 3 horizontal stripes that wraps around and hooks in center back (under the vertical stripes) and ends with a bow each.

Close-up of the back. you can barely see the 3 bows

Hope you enjoyed this garden dress and now . . . .What do you think is next?

First out of the box!

This was the one on top!
The pink/Ecru dress:  The bodice is pink/ecru organza fabric.  The ecru is very sheer.  The lining is the same fabric as the skirt.  This is another one of those mysteries.  The bodice bottom hem is not finished.  Perhaps there was to be a pink/ecru skirt to be added on top of the ecru fabric?? 

The Back.  Look at the ruffles in the inside front, to boost the bust!

The unfinished bodice hem

More to come!!!!

Some more Christmas!

Part 2 of some Christmas Photos at the Patterson House, Ardenwood Historic Farm, Fremont, CA.

The Farm Office

The Sewing Room - notice the crank sewing machine!

The Sewing Room - Getting the Party Clothes Ready for the Party!

The Smoking Room

The Kitchen 

The Butler's Pantry

The Library

The Dining Room

The Old Stairs

Just wait until you get my NEXT post!  Today we opened 2 more boxes and found some real treasures!  It's like Christmas!

A little Christmas Peek!

2018 Christmas at the Patterson House, Ardenwood Historic Park, Fremont CA

Just a little bit of a peek inside!

The first thing you see!

The family Parlor

And a tiny view of the kitchen!

Hats and Feathers

We have 2 hats today! 

 In the 1800s it was the fashion to use feathers on hats, often, the more the merrier.  And rare birds were a real prize for a hat.  Eventually some people started noticing the bird population was really suffering and cutting the story short, laws were passed, bird watching became popular and feathers on hats were considered in bad taste.

The first hat has a lesson.  It is covered with peacock feathers completely around the rim.  The hat seems to be from the 1890s, possibly.  Clara loved peacocks and had peacocks as pets so there may be a connection there, although we do not have evidence that the hat was Clara's  It seems like a home-made hat because there is no lining.

The 2nd hat is all black with cording covered with silk and has little dangles hanging from each corded decoration.  the top has a netting with spangles attached.  The spangles are in the shape of leaves. There is a large bow in the back with a group of spangles flowing down.  I haven't pinned down a date yet.

Front and side

Back bow and spangles

The cutest tangles!  The cording is supposed to be completely covered with black thread but a lot is wearing away.

The lining is a very sheer fabric and the buckram can be seen through it.

1850s vest

This vest was donated years ago with the 1850s black bonnet I showed earlier.  Not many things we have found in the house have notes or who the donor was.  So, if you ever donate an item, please, add a note with everything you know about the item.  It adds so much to it to have a story of its history.

This is the vest.  The donor"s note said that it was from the 1850s and was owned by her Great Great Grandfather.
You can see there is a lot of wear on the hem but the rest of the vest is in great shape.

This is the back and it has a clasp and tie to fit the vest.

The clasp is in very good shape, not rusted at all.

There is a spot on the back that looks like something had been laying on it when it was stored for a long time.  It has worn the vest back through to lining and discolored the fabric a bit.

Another REAL Mystery!

This bodice, that goes with the brown silk skirt, is a real mystery.  The fabric is a very pretty medium woven piece. From the outside it looks like a very stylish Victorian bodice with wonderful trim and stable.  But on closer look, the fabric is really deteriorating and is very fragile.  The buttons are covered buttons and are of the fabric that makes up the brown silk skirt. 

Then, unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of the inside.  The linings are cotton, rather modern looking.  There are actually 2 linings.  One consists of all above the waist area.  And it is loose at its bottom edge. Then you notice the back seams seam to be really off.  At the waist, the back seams are at about .5" from the center seam.  There is no boning. 

Then there is the 2nd lining... it looks newer and is mainly basted in and does not attach to the top lining, there is just a loose edge.  Looks really strange.

There is lots of wear on this piece.  Stains around the neck and back, tears on the outside under each arm and middle of the back at the waist.

I'm thinking that possibly someone had started this piece long ago and finished the outside but never got to the lining.  Possibly it had sat in direct light for a long time, weakening the fabric.  Someone else years later finished the top lining and wore it, then added the bottom lining, sort of.

Anyhow it is a mystery.  I love the outside but it is so delicate.  We may display it once in a great while with the brown skirt though.

Velvet Green Bodice

This is another of my favorites!  A beautiful green velvet bodice with silver buttons.  It is in perfect condition except 3 stains of yellow near the waist. But it will go on display in 2019!  It will have to be after the wedding dresses which I am hoping for a May 2019 display, so maybe this piece will go on display in September 2019.  It is so nice to have such a piece in great condition!

The Front

The Back

The stains

The cording around the bottom hem has a little spot where it has come loose.

And for those like me that like to see the "rest of the story"!

This wasn't the optimum time for trying to do any textiles.  We were in the process of moving lots of books and what not to a new storage space.  There was not much room left to work. When this piece is on a dress form, I will have to remember to take new pictures!

Then there are fun mysterious things like this.....

The brown silk skirt!  I love this fabric!

This skirt is very interesting.  It is completely hand sewn and done in a very old style of sewing.  The back of the skirt is cartridge pleating, very full and then the front of the skirt is more flat. 

This is the pattern woven into the silk. The brown color is washed out in this photo, it is more like in the top photo, nice and rich brown.

The skirt is not lined except for a dust lining which is basted at the hem edge to the front fabric and the hem edge is then finished with a twill-like tape.

About 1/3 of the hem does not have the twill tape attached to cover the hem.  Instead it is actually scotched taped to the dust lining so it wouldn't get hooked on something and damage the skirt.  I will be basting that tape to the hem and getting rid of the tape!

Why is it that a safety pin seems to find its way to every skirt closing.  Even old ones.  This is the third safety pin I have removed, and they are OLD safety pins!

The mystery of this skirt is that there is absolutely no wear on the hem.  It is like it was never worn!?

Then we come across things like this.....

Several items we have found are in such bad condition there is no way they should be on display.  This is one example, a silk nightcap that is really shattered all over:

This is the top of the cap

This is the view from the side.

This night cap had been archived when it first came into the collection.  Evidently it had been on display a lot, maybe with some sun hitting it.  It is listed as light blue but looks white now.  So faded and disintegrated.  So, what to do?  So far it is just back in the collection.

Another article is an umbrella.  The Umbrella stick and base are in good shape.  The base has a couple insect hole near the top but is stable other than that.  But, the ruffles attached to the base is totally falling apart.  When on white tissue paper you can see little pieces of the ruffle fabric that are falling off.

The ruffles have come off in areas, as well as, are disintegrated.

The ruffles are a gauze-like fabric and is totally falling apart.  

Since the base fabric is fine, I decided to baste the ruffles back on and sort of together where they were separated.  I used gray thread to designate this is a bit of conservation and not original work.

This item is also back in the collection with a decision made at a later day if the original gauze ruffle should all be removed and a new ruffle of some kind be put on, in order to be able to display.

Black Bodice with interesting sleeves

This is one of the first bodices I have archived.  It is a rather interesting piece.  The exterior fabric is  shattering a bit on the sleeves and down at the waist in the front. 

There is lace around the neck and part way down the center front and at the wrists.  At first I thought it had been added later, but on closer look it hadn't.  The lace itself looks like a modern pattern but since it is machine made I guess they are still using that pattern.

The most interesting thing about this bodice is that the sleeves are puffed at the top of the arm.  Then the rest of the sleeve, from the wrist and up to the bottom of the puffed sleeve  is open at the top!  I don't know why the bottom sleeve would be separate from the puffed sleeve and not attached.  They don't cover much of the puffed sleeve and I would be afraid then open edge would hang down and show where the puffs ended. 

  This picture is trying to show where the bottom sleeve ends at the top.