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The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911)

3/25/2019

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Picture
Image of Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire on March 25 - 1911. First published on front page of The New York World 1911-03-26. Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Today is the 108th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.  This workplace disaster galvanized America to pass labor laws that protect workers, and we see the benefits every day.  Does your job have lighted exit signs?  Doors that open outward? Fire alarms?  You have them because the Triangle Waist Company girls didn't. 

NOTE ON PICTURES:
All of the photographs in this post are, to my best knowledge, in the public domain (click them to see their source-pages) or used with permission.  If you're doing research for yourself, you may find it useful to search archives for the "Washington Place Fire", which is how they labeled things in the immediate aftermath, before the fire got its "Triangle Shirtwaist" notoriety. 
This will be a long post, mostly concerning the fire in 1911 and the pro-labor legislation that followed in America, but also touching on the global sweatshop problem today.  Make some tea and join me for a talk. 

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Girly Gorget Idea

3/21/2019

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I have long felt that--for me, at least--clothing is a kind of armor.  Of course, it can also be a diary, a poem, an invitation, or a window... but some days, it's the armor I need. 

Recently, I encountered the word "gorget", realized I didn't know how the pronounce it*, and looked it up.  A gorget is a piece of medieval armor that covers the neck.  That lead me to do a Google image search, which led me to this interesting bit of machine embroidery.  So much to love: the concept of a purely decorative fabric gorget, the way it's a variation on the idea of a tie, the tesselated bird pattern...

Now, obviously, a wee little gorget like that wouldn't protect anyone's neck in battle, even if it were made of metal, but gorgets have evolved with modern warfare into badges of authority rather than actual armor:
Picture
Archives of Pearson Scott Foresman, donated to the Wikimedia Foundation.
Picture
Gorget of Nicolas Gabriel Marie Maheu, 1st Lieutenant, 22nd Regt. Infantry, "Armee de la Loire" under Napoleon Bonaparte. Between 1805 and 1813

You can see how the Napoleonic gorget is smaller, and wouldn't cover much of the neck at all.  It might be tied on with ribbons, as a decorative element to a uniform. 
This is more of an idea-post than a project-post... but wouldn't it be cool to make a similar embroidered gorget, to wear with collared shirts?  It's a neat idea! 
* It's pronounced with a hard-G: "GORE-jit".  "gor-ZHAY" is a common alternative pronunciation, as people think it's a French word and they make the -et sound like -ay by analogy with "ballet" and "valet".  However, it's not a French word; it's an English word with a French root.  It comes from the Old French word "gorgete", but the modern French word is "gorgerin".  I'll say "GORE-jit" but not correct people who say "gor-ZHAY".
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"Red Fox Vintage" Dress - wearable muslin

3/18/2019

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Last week I told how I rubbed off a pattern from a vintage rayon dress I found at Red Fox Vintage store in Woodstock, Portland.  The rub-off is a collection of muslin pieces, which doesn't include seam allowances but does show all the seamlines and the places where they intersect.  It's the start of a pattern! 

Today I'll show you some more of the process.  I picked two fabrics to test the garment, and used the rub-off pieces as pattern pieces, adding seam allowances as I cut. 
Picture

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"Red Fox Vintage" Dress - pattern rub-off

3/14/2019

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I'm calling this project my "Red Fox Vintage" dress because I bought the original dress at Red Fox Vintage in Woodstock, Portland.  I tried it on because I was intrigued by the collar, which has two long lapels that criss-cross in front and are held by a buttoned-down tab.  I found it fit perfectly, and I loved the silhouette (late forties, early fifties is my guess), but not the color.  Still, I brought it home, because it fit my back in a way that I have a lot of trouble getting patterns to fit my back.  (I'm high-waisted with a slightly forward shoulder). 

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Glamor Gown - A friend's first project

3/11/2019

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Picture

My friend Eryn (remember her?) learns in much the same way I do: starting with a vision beyond her ability to achieve, then jumping in way over her head, learning along the way, and achieving something she's proud of even if it's not the vision she started with.  And, like me, she is a woman who speaks with her clothes, so it's no surprise if the dress options at the store failed to impress her this year when she wanted a gown for a Christmas charity event.
She came to me with a vision: a gown with old Hollywood glamor, with batwing sleeves, V-neck front and back, and a fitted torso.  I said I'd help, but she would do the work, and our deal was struck! 

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Back After a Gap...

3/7/2019

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For various personal reasons I have not been blogging lately, but several people (I'm looking at you, Rosanne!) have told me they miiiiiisss meeeee!  So here are some random updates to tide you over until the next scheduled post (a long research-y one will go live on March 25th) or the next time I write one (not sure when that'll be). 

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    Karen Roy

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