Hexie Treasures
We had a little mini-vacation down on Galveston Island, and found a few treasures. First we came upon this bookstore — Where I found some wonderful books – After I bought them, I… Continue reading
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What Clothes Reveal
You know the image of our industrious forebears — After studying textile history for the last 20 years, I had a hazy idea that that image casts our ancestors in a glorified light,… Continue reading
White Elephant Treasures and a Mystery Item
Yesterday I went to the Brazos Valley Quilt Guild show. At these small local shows, I love to shop in the White Elephant area – people have cleaned out their closets, the guild… Continue reading
Three Clues in the Parchment
In the early 1960s, a young agriculture historian named M. L. Ryder had the idea to use parchment manuscripts to research medieval sheep breeds. He surveyed manuscript illuminations for evidence of the colors,… Continue reading
A Productive Spell
It’s a crafter’s dilemma – should I finish each project before starting another? Or is it okay to have multiple projects going at once? I like to have multiple projects going, but I… Continue reading
Dress Diary 1855-1917
A few days ago, when I was looking at the Hollywood costume sketches at the Brooklyn Museum, I noticed this wonderful dress diary in their archives. The diary’s owner, Ida Jackson, was born… Continue reading
Hollywood Sketchbook
Wouldn’t you love to be rummaging around at an auction or thrift store, and discover a box crammed full of costume swatches and sketches? Hollywood Sketchbook: A Century of Costume Illustration is the… Continue reading
Summer Rerun
Summer being known for reruns, let’s look at one of my favorite posts from the past. In it, I combined my love of old movies and textiles, and made up the kinds of… Continue reading
1880s Favorites
I’m still staying inside out of the heat, cataloging my antique photos. I’ve been working in the 1880s, and here are a few of my favorites. When you look closely, you can see… Continue reading
A Belle and a Wild Child
It’s August, it’s hot, and I have plans to only work on projects that involve sitting still and sipping cooling drinks. One that fits the bill is cataloging the antique photographs I’ve collected… Continue reading