Ragged Soldier Sutlery and Vintage Volumes

Needlework Necessities and Novelties

Welcome to a discussion of needlework of the 19th century. All forms of needlework were a highly portable activity that women could take with them to work during free moments. Although some required careful attention to a pattern, others were repetitive and the women could engage in antimated conversation while still working on the project without any diminution in output. The productive use of time was also considered a virtue so that, regardless of whether it was a poor woman knitting socks or other garments as an element of frugality or a young lady of the upper class doing fancy embroidery, they were both using their time to produce products. The name for this section was chosen because it is our intent to display directions to make utilitarian articles as well as others which contain needlework merely for decorative purposes. If being used by a reenactor, the activity practiced should fit the personna being portrayed, e.g., a rural farmer's wife would be more likely to be doing something utilitarian like knitting socks or gloves while a wealthy lady in the city would probably be doing something as a decorative element. Right now we have an article, "Commend Me to a Knitting Wife" by Colleen Formby.

Knitting Patterns

For those who saw this item at a Ladies and Gentlemen of the 1860's conference in a past year, we have the pattern for a nubia which is a delightfully lightweight but warm scarf.

For those times when you want to keep your hands and wrists warm but want to keep your fingers free (like when you want to knit another project!), we have a pattern for mufatees.

The bosom friend or sontag pattern is for a very practical accessory that is wonderful for those cool mornings yet easy to put on, wear, and, when the day becomes warmer, remove. Just make sure you use the right needles and yarn weight!

A different scarf is made by using the braided scarf pattern. While this is a period design, it could be a very attractive accessory for modern wear. However, if you look at the period instructions which appear first, there is a prime example of how deceptive some terms may be. the period instructions call for "zephyr worsted" which is certainly not today's worsted weight. Colleen's translated instructions give the modern equivalent.

Also, to assist in those period projects where you want to get the same results as a person of the time period, we offer knitting and crochet reference cards. These are found in the Craft Supplies section of the website. These cards are a convenient-sized, laminated card which will translate period needle, crochet hook, crochet thread, or yarn sizes to modern sizes.