Time Travel 2 - Undergarment
Your undergarment is the closest thing to your skin, and you wear it all day. Therefore, I think the undergarment(s) should be comfortable, and worth the money for the right fit and feel.
I made the chemise, using a sewing pattern, cotton fabric/lace and thread, shell button, and sewing machine for assembly. Project work was spread over five days. I would like to acknowledge my mother for her technical guidance, and pinning the gathers of the body panels to the yoke! a painstaking task for me.
Before Prêt-à-Porter (French phrase for Ready-to-Wear)
Airing Your Dirty Laundry: Talking about things, usually a problem or dispute, that should be kept private. - idiomreference.com
The mid-layer garments experienced less frequent washings. For women, mid-layers were corsets, blouses and petticoats; for men, cotton or linen shirts and neckerchiefs.
Outerwear were aired rather than washed. Dresses and shawls (see above), jackets and suit pants. For those living in mild climates like California coastal area, operable windows were designed in as a integral part of the clothes closet. When opened, the window allowed in fresh air to ventilate the the just-worn clothes.
Laundry List: Idiom for a Very Long List of Items.
Laundry at Agua Caliente Rancho, California (Mexican Era)
The rancho was located in the present day Warm Springs district of the city of Fremont (Alameda country, CA), and had springs and streams that made for good laundering, and apparently it was a good fiesta venue. The Rancho owner, Fulgencio Higuera, had family that owned ranchos in surrounding area, including his half-sister Maria Josefa Higuera Molina Livermore of Rancho Las Positas, and their father José Loreto Higuera of Rancho Los Tularcitos, in present day city of Milpitas. Here is an account of a laundering event at Agua Caliente Rancho.
From "Las Positas" by Janet Newton, 1969:
 |
| A typical sitting pose for formal portraits of the 1800's. The slight smile is NOT typical. |
This post is part of a series about my living history project, Time Travel. To bring the 1st person impression of Juana Inés Nieto to reality, I am starting by putting together a clothing ensemble. The first clothing item (prenda in Spanish) is an undergarment (ropa interior in Spanish) called the chemise (a French word). Nowadays, we would say that the chemise is like an old-fashioned night gown. See photo above.
 |
| Chemise pattern is from Laughing Moon Mercantile, #100, for 1840-1900 period. The fabric is 100% cotton, "lawn" weave. This chemise is a very good historical reproduction (4.5 on scale of 1-5). Cotton shawl is hand embroidered with yellow-orange border and flowers. My shawl is a fair representation (3) of what was worn in the mid-1800's. |
I made the chemise, using a sewing pattern, cotton fabric/lace and thread, shell button, and sewing machine for assembly. Project work was spread over five days. I would like to acknowledge my mother for her technical guidance, and pinning the gathers of the body panels to the yoke! a painstaking task for me.
 |
| The finished chemise yoke, ready to be attached to main body pieces. |
 |
| Mom cutting the pattern template for the chemise body |
Before Prêt-à-Porter (French phrase for Ready-to-Wear)
Acknowledgement to Mom
My mother was a college student and working woman in the mid-1950's to early 60's when the concept of ready-to-wear fashion clothes, that is factory made clothes sold in finished condition and in standardized sizes, was nascent in the fashion industry.
Making a good salary (that she shared with her parents' family) and being a fashionista, she taught herself dress design. The design styles she wanted to wear were simply not available at stores. She bought fabric from textile stores, created patterns to her specific body measurements, and sewed the outfit using a [pedaled] sewing machine.
Making a good salary (that she shared with her parents' family) and being a fashionista, she taught herself dress design. The design styles she wanted to wear were simply not available at stores. She bought fabric from textile stores, created patterns to her specific body measurements, and sewed the outfit using a [pedaled] sewing machine.
The Genius of Mom's designs
 |
| Right - Mom, recent college graduate and first job; her box-pleated skirt is made from fabric with alternating white bands and red/gold/blue printed bands; her clever design takes advantage of folding the pleats along the wide vertical bands, white band is folded inside. Left - Mom and me; Mom's A-shaped dress, using a cotton textile printed with painting of purple/green flower and matching trim; round neckline with V-slit so that dress can be slipped on overhead, no zipper nor buttons. My child's dress also designed and made by mom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
 |
| Handy tools - curve guides (vs. straightedge ruler), colored pencil and gridded cutting board. |
Airing Your Dirty Laundry: Talking about things, usually a problem or dispute, that should be kept private. - idiomreference.com
In the old days, the idea was that the closer the garment was to the wearer's skin (think sweat, body oil, dirt), the more frequent is was laundered. The further out the garment from your skin, the less often it was washed. For the outerwear like dresses and suits, were washed infrequently and the common practice was airing and spot cleaning. Garments made from 100% wool are hard to completely wash clean, even with today's woolite liquid detergent, so they were often aired.
For women, the most inner garments were chemises, bloomers, stockings; for men, undershirt, long underwear, socks. Collars and cuffs were made to be detachable so they can be separately laundered from the main outer garment. People used to heavily starch undergarments, something you can do with potato starch and hot water today, and the starch helped to keep the body oils at bay.
 |
| Dress and Shawl, 1843 daguerrreotype. Detachable collar. If not detachable, lace cuffs were spot cleaned. |
The mid-layer garments experienced less frequent washings. For women, mid-layers were corsets, blouses and petticoats; for men, cotton or linen shirts and neckerchiefs.
Outerwear were aired rather than washed. Dresses and shawls (see above), jackets and suit pants. For those living in mild climates like California coastal area, operable windows were designed in as a integral part of the clothes closet. When opened, the window allowed in fresh air to ventilate the the just-worn clothes.
Laundry List: Idiom for a Very Long List of Items.
Laundry at Agua Caliente Rancho, California (Mexican Era)
The rancho was located in the present day Warm Springs district of the city of Fremont (Alameda country, CA), and had springs and streams that made for good laundering, and apparently it was a good fiesta venue. The Rancho owner, Fulgencio Higuera, had family that owned ranchos in surrounding area, including his half-sister Maria Josefa Higuera Molina Livermore of Rancho Las Positas, and their father José Loreto Higuera of Rancho Los Tularcitos, in present day city of Milpitas. Here is an account of a laundering event at Agua Caliente Rancho.
From "Las Positas" by Janet Newton, 1969:
 |
| Background - laundry in Tomebamba River, Cuenca, Ecuador |
I like this photo.
ReplyDelete