Women's Concerns in 1912

Another Royal Oak Flea Market find is The Coates Sewing and Dress Making Manual, published by Lydia Trattles Coates of  L. T. Coates & Company, Cleveland, Ohio, in 1912.

The introduction begins,

"Many women go without as complete a wardrobe as they would like to have or pay out more money than they feel that they should spare to get their garments made or are forced to wear unbecoming, non-individual clothes simply because they do not know exactly how to cut and fit and make and finish the articles of their apparel and without complete instructions before them do not feel like risking the time and the material in experimenting."

Beginning with that very long sentence, the Introduction continues on to explain that this "simple and comprehensible set of Sewing and Dress Making Lessons have been compiled--without waste of words or unnecessary repetitions."

The booklet of 96 pages consists of a multitude of advertisements and illustrated 'lessons' on "Plain and Fancy Stitches," "Working Instructions," "Necessary Sewing and Dressmaking Accessories," "Complete Instructions for Specific Work," "Sponging, Shrinking, and Pressing," "Cutting," "Fitting and Alterations," "The Well Groomed Woman," "Milady's Wardrobe," "Maternity Outfit," "School Girl Supplies," Children's Clothes," "Infant's Outfits," and Cleaning, Dyeing, and Laundering.

The Lessons look like this:

 There are diagrams of clothing patterns.

 We can see 1912 style trends in the illustrations.

Suit Jacket

Shirt Waist

Dressing Saque

 "Aprons are the simplest of all garments to make," Lesson 87 begins.

 The Kimona, a traditional Filipino style, looks quite easy as well.

 The essential corset covers and 'drawers'.

Maternity Gown

"Have plenty of white petticoats plain or elaborate to match your
other lingerie of our outfit, but have them made the proper length to wear with your
hose and evening gowns. For your street, business, and traveling gowns,
silk, heatherbloom or even a good quality of sateen is preferable."

The advertisements tell us about women's concerns a hundred years ago.

"Laxative Bran Biscuits - do the work "The samples you gave me were delicious"" reads the Battle Creek Sanitarium Food Co. ad. They were considered part of a good diet and a health food.

Now that Milady is regular, it is time to deal with that sagging skin. Luckily, Ganesh has come out of India with treatments for tired eyes, frown lines, and radiant skin.

Ganesh for Loveliness

What was Oxydonor was exactly? The drawing shows a tank and a contact disk that attached to the ankle. The ad reads, "This wonderful little appliance, invented by Dr. H. Ache for the purpose of healing the sick, performs cures, which border on miracles," thus writes Edward Rigby of Lisbon, OH." The Oxydonor was invented by Dr Hercules Sanche of Detroit and patented June, 24, 1890.

A little research on the patent shows that the disk was strapped to Milady's ankle! The tank was filled with ice water! Imagine the miracles that ensued from cold ankles.

Perhaps Milady is intrigued by Ackerman's Patent Ideal Faucet Syringe and Bath Spray, "The most wonderful improvement ever made in a syringe. Can be used for everything a fountain syringe is used for." Now, that is vague. Dare we think the 'uses' were not to be named in polite society? Wait, it is suggested "A lady, in washing dirt from the porch, will use the lawn hose with such force as to drive everything before it."

But it also has "The Ideal Patent Cup Attachment which has a sponge in it, and when it is desired to use an antiseptic or sanitive treatment in connection with a douche, all that is required is to drop your medicine onto the Sponge in the cup, screw on the cap and attach to end of rubber tube before putting on the spray and then screw on the vaginal pipe whose stream of water is medicated with the medicine."

I am baffled to think Milady would want a vaginal douche that had the same force necessary to "drive everything before it" when cleaning her porch!

What would Milady put onto her Faucet Syringe sponge? "Sanar, the Wonderful Cleansing, Healing and Soothing Antiseptic Ever Used for a Douche for Practically All Female Weaknesses." Female weaknesses? "Sanar can be used without fear of injuring the most delicate" tissues and won't burn. Every married lady needed Sanar.

The Coates people admonished Milady that "There is one small article that no woman should be without and that is a Sanitary Belt, but there are many makeshifts on the market, but they are most unsatisfactory, as unless they are properly constructed they either will not stay clasped or will not hold the napkins in place, but a well made belt can not only be worn with comfort but can be easily adjusted and will prove secure."

Ladies are warned against the "ruinous habit" of employing safety pins instead purchasing Improved Sanitary Belts with a no-slip clasp.

Improved Sanitary Belt

In case the Improved Sanitary Belt fails, best to have "an article every woman will welcome," a waterproof skirt shield.

The AMA

When Milady is properly appareled and protected, her thoughts turn to her household obligations. "Dirt and Dust are a Constant Menace to Your Home," Milady is warned, but The Domestic is there to save the day.

After Milady's work is done, she must use her free time to beautiful the home. Embroidery is just the activity. Just buy six skeins of Richardson's Grand Prize Wash Embroidery Silk and receive a "fully illustrated lesson" for a pillow outfit for 25 cents.

I have a collection ot Richardson's Grecian Silk Floss stored in a vintage magazine, a gift from a lady. I wrote about it here.

Most important of all maternal concernts was the health of growing girls. You know how 'nervous, sickly, and weak' they can be. Zoa-Phora is just what is needed. This was another Kalamazoo, Michigan invention. The Coates booklet on page 95 notes that the product had been around for 50 years, was made of a vegetable compound, "does not make drug fiends," and the formula is available upon request. "Zoa-Phora begins at the seat of your trouble and builds up every part of your body, especially the sexual organism." 

No alcohol, opiates, narcotics or dangerous or harmful drugs! What a rarity! But what was in Zoa-phora? According to the National Museum of American History:

• Mandrake root is hallucinogenic and narcotic. In sufficient quantities, it induces a state of unconsciousness and was used as an anaesthetic for surgery in ancient times. 
• Black cohosh has been used to treat symptoms of menopause, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), painful menstruation, acne, weakened bones (osteoporosis), and for starting labor in pregnant women.
• Blue cohosh is used for starting labor, menstruation, inflammation of the uterus and also for muscle spasms, colic, cramps, and hysteria
• Life root has been used as a traditional medicine to hasten labor and relieve labor pains. Use is not recommended; the plant is toxic and possibly carcinogenic.
• Roman chamomile is used for digestive disorders, morning sickness, and painful menstrual periods.
• False unicorn is used for treating ovarian cysts, menstrual problems, menopausal symptoms, vomiting from pregnancy, and infertility. 
• Cramp bark is used for relieving menstrual cramps and cramps during pregnancy.

The Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club article tells us that Zoa-phora contained as much alcohol as a bottle of whiskey! It was invented by a Methodist minister turned homeopathic physician, Dr. Richard Pengelly, whose wife, Mary was the leader of the local Women's Christian Temperance Union and a champion of women's rights. Apparently, The Dr. kept Mary in the dark about what was in Zoa-Phora.

Mary Elizabeth House Pengelly

So many changes over a hundred years!

2017 CAMEO Quilt Show: Quilted Treasures

The local quilt guild, CAMEO,  held its biannual show the first weekend of June. With under 60 members, the guild was able to put on a wonderful show that showcased these talented ladies and offered a wonderful vendors mall.

several Joe Cunningham workshop quilts

Two traveling shows from The Great Lakes Quilt Museum out of Michigan State University were included. The Michigan Quilt Block Project includes 30 oversized traditional quilt blocks.

Michigan Quilt Block Project, Detroit News pattern

Michigan Quilt Block Project, crazy quilt

Coloring With the Masters from the Aussome Study Group, consisting of five Michigan quilters, created quilts inspired by artists including Peter Max, Louis Tiffany, and Dr. Seuss.

Coloring with the Masters, Peter Max

Coloring with the Masters, Tiffany

Here are some of my favorite quilts in the show.

The Megiddo Quilt by Linda Ibbs is an original design, quilted by Arlene Redman. It is a copy of a mosaic floor in one of the earliest Christian churches in Israel, dating to 230 A.D.

The floor was inscribed, "Offered...to God Jesus Chris as a Memorial. Gaianus, also called Porphrius, Centurion, our brother has made the payment at his own expense. Brutius has carried out the work."

Rosemary Spatafora designed Adventure is Out There for an 'UP' themed wedding. She created the paper pieced house pattern. It is quilted by Barbara Lusk.

Black White & Bright by Pat Balduf of Sharon Tucker-Grass Root Quilt Studio is so much fun! Pat did the piecing and machine quilting.

The Chicken and the Eggs applique is an original design by Theresa Nielson. 

A Rock and Roll Storm by Jean Schlegelmann is a two fabric bargello quilt, quilted by Barbara Lusk. I love the luminosity!

Lucy Lesperance created Lucy in the Sack with Sapphires, quilted by Barbara Lusk. It won Best in Show!

Linda Watkins used a Quilter Girl Designs pattern which she calls Rick's 'Stache. Quilted by Barbara Lusk.

 Sybil Derderian's Unraveled is machine pieced and quilted.

Janene Sharp is involved in dog rescue. Her Doggie in the Window quilts was designed by Leanne Anderson and quilted by Barb Lusk.

Tabacco Road was a postage stamp exchange. Machine pieced by Cindy May and quited by Barbara Lusk.

Rosemary Spatafora's Modern Sunrise is inspired by the work of Jacquie Gering. Machine quilted by Barbara Lusk.

Rosemary also made the Vista Maria Quilt, an original design. Quilted by Barbara Lusk.

Linda Pearce's First Snow is a pattern from Tina Curran in the Quilter's Newsletter. It is paper pieced, embellished, and quilted by Barbara Lusk. It won Best Wall Hanging.

Lennox by Laurie Johnson modified a pattern by Jen Kingwell. Quilted by Maggie Smith.

Bee-utiful Embroidery was a MODA Bakeshop pattern which I also worked on last year. This quilt by Kathy Debien was quilted by Quality Quilting.

 The Splendid Sampler  from Pat Sloan was completed by Terri Thompson

Stars for Jim by Dorothy Strefling is a design by Cheryl Malkowski and was quilted by Maggie Smith. It won second place in Bed Quilts.

With 176 quilts in the show, and the additional special exhibits, I can't share them all. 

Last of all, the Suzie Parron Barn Quilt workshop quilts were also part of the show

Guilt and Paranoia is Behind The Breakdown by B. A. Paris:

B. A. Paris has followed up Behind Closed Doors with another Domestic Noir psychological thriller, The Breakdown. 

On a dark and stormy night, Cass Anderson dismisses her husband's warning to stick to the main roads and takes a short cut through a woods. She notices a stopped car and pulls over wondering if the driver needs help. Seeing no flashing lights or the driver getting out of the car, Cass drives on. The next morning she learns that the parked driver was found murdered in the car--and that Cass knew her.

Consumed by guilt thinking she could have saved a life, and unable to admit to her husband Matthew or best friend Rachel that she had driven by, Cass becomes obsessed and nervous. Then strange things happen and she wonders if stress is affecting her, or if she has inherited her mother's early onset dementia. Plus, an unknown silent caller rings all day when she is alone. Cass is certain the caller is the murderer.

Told in the first person, the bulk of the novel follows Cass's mental health breakdown into paranoia, curtailed only by powerful drugs that leave her stupefied, until by chance she discovers that it is not her own sanity that she should mistrust.

Personally, I liked this novel better than Behind Closed Doors. Although I early on guessed the villain, it was not from any intentional clues left by the author. Some readers may want the plot to move more quickly, but Cass's breakdown is presented in a very probable way. It is the psychological intensity and the expectation that drives the narrative. If I found anything to be slow, it was the method of how the chain of events is revealed, which although thorough, went on too long for this reader eager for the wrap-up.

I expect this to be a successful 'beach read' but I will warn you: you won't want to stop reading and may end up with a bad sunburn!

Read an excerpt at https://us.macmillan.com/excerpt?isbn=9781250122469

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

The Breakdown
B. A. Paris
St. Martin's Press
07/18/2017
ISBN: 9781250122469
336 Pages

Pioneer Quilts: Prairie Settlers' Life in Fabric, Over 300 Quilts from the Poos Collection

Following their best selling 2015 book Indigo Quilts, which featured thirty blue and white quilts from the Poos collection, sisters Lori Lee Triplett and Kay Triplett now share over 300 more Poos Collection quilts in their upcoming book Pioneer Quilts: Prairie Settlers' Life in Fabric.

The Poos Collection is named for Martha Poos, the Triplett's grandmother. It is one of the largest privately held quilt and textile collections in the world with an emphasis on quilts from before 1860, including white on white, chintz, red and green, and indigo quilts.

Many of the quilts are fragile and cannot hold up to display. So quilters and quilt historians are grateful for the series of books featuring this remarkable collection. Previous books include Red and Green Quilts from the Poos Collection and Chintz Quilts from the Poos Collection. All are currently available.

Pioneer Quilts evolved from a request for an exhibition on quilts that told the American pioneer story. The Introduction offers a brief history of the Westward expansion beginning with the 1803 Louisana Purchase. The authors turned to personal diaries to understand the experience of the arduous journey and life on the Plains. The authors have pioneer roots in Kansas and share their ancestral pioneer story. The quilts are presented through the story of a fictional pioneer woman, Esther Heinzmann.

This beautiful book full is full of color photographs that show the quilts in whole and in detail. There are gorgeous red, white, and green 19th c quilts including the appliqued Wagon Wheel and Oak Leaf (1860) and the pieced Delectable Mountains (1850). The Pomegranate with Star and Pot of Flowers Border, a circa 1860 quilt from Ohio, adds Cheddar to the red and green. The indigo and white circa 1850 Sunflower and Nine-Patch quilt is a stunner.

Pieced quilts include a circa 1880 Jacob's Ladder, Bear's Paw circa 1870, and Wild Goose Chase circa 1875. Tree of Life, Star of Bethlehem, various basket quilts, star quilts, and Log Cabin based quilts also appear.

Included in the book are five quilt projects in a variety of sizes and skill levels: Delectable Mountains (120" x 120"); Wild Goose Chase (72" x 83"); Cake Stand (57" x 70"); Red and White Nine Patch (85" x 85"); and Double Four-Patch Crib Quilt (34 1/2" x 42"). Each pattern includes everything you need to successfully complete your project, including step-by-step directions with illustrations.

An exciting  block of the month to recreated the gorgeous 1856 Friendship Quilt featured in Pioneer Quilts will be of great interest to quilters.

https://www.quiltandtextilecollections.com/blog/authors/lori-triplett

Pioneer Quilts, published by C&T Publications, will be available July 17, 2017.

From the publisher:

Storytelling quilts from the era of westward expansion

Join fictional character Esther Heinzmann as she narrates the journey through authentic, pioneer-era creations from the Poos Collection - each featured in full color on a 2-page spread. Ideal for traditional quilters and quilt history buffs, this robust offering of 30 antique quilts, plus 5 quilt projects that readers can recreate at home. Offering access to the authors' privately held family collection, this book gives an in-depth look at the importance of quilts to the pioneer life. As you view the quilts, you'll also read accounts of the Great Migration, including preparation for the long journey and a depiction of real life on the prairie. 
• Full quilt photos and detail shots allow you to appreciate the beauty of these handmade quilts up close• Remake history with included project instructions for 5 of the antique quilts• Learn about the authors' own pioneer ancestors

Learn more about the Poos collection, quilts, and even fabric at https://www.quiltandtextilecollections.com

I received a free ebook from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

The Making of Jane Austen: The Creation of a Cultural Icon

Her novels were published anonymously when novels were still considered suspect, thought to arouse women's passions. She was presented as a spinster leading an uneventful life, with little knowledge of the world. The Victorians were not impressed by her and Charlotte Bronte detested her novels.

How did Jane Austen become the influential celebrity so important that the Bank of England will celebrate her 200th birthday by printing her image on 10-pound notes and the Royal Mint will portray her on a coin?

The Royal Mint described the novelist in its official statement as “a revolutionary romantic,” adding:“The Jane Austen 2017 £2 coin celebrates one of the best-loved authors in the world, 200 years after her death.

Jane died in 1817 after publishing four books; two more books were published posthumously. Her family idealized Jane as a pious maiden aunt.

Fast forward a hundred years and Suffragettes put Jane Austen on banners and feminists turned her into a role model.

Jump another hundred years and we have Jane Austen coloring books and fan fiction.

Pride and Prejudice Paper Dolls from Dover Publications

In The Making of Jane Austen scholar Devoney Looser traces how Austen was 'made' through her illustrators, the dramatization and adaptation of her novels in plays, movies, and television, the political employment of Austen, and finally through how her novels were used in education.

I became a Janite in 1978 in an honors class at Temple University. Guided by Professor Toby Olshin our small class read all of Austen's novels, juvenilia. letters, and the novels that influenced her. We came to understand Austen's social, material, and political world. Before taking this course no teacher had ever required me to read Austen and she had no popular culture representation.

Jane Austen Action Figure

I appreciated reading this book and enjoyed its approach showing how Austen became a culture heroine. I especially enjoyed learning about her early illustrators and how their choices impacted readers understanding. New to me was Austen's use in politics, a fascinating study.

Sense and Sensibility, 1913 Little, Brown and Company edition
copyright 1898 by Robert Brothers.
Illustration by Edmund H. Garrett

I have several sets of Austen's complete works, including a 1913 edition from Little, Brown, and Company. Illustrations by Edmund H. Garrett show period fashions for Austen's time. Many Victorian illustrators, and even the Laurence Olivier/Greer Garson movie version, put the characters in mid-19th c dress.

Sense and Sensibility,
1910 Little, Brown and Company edition
copyright 1898 by Robert Brothers.
Illustration by Edmund H. Garrett

Looser calls illustrator Hugh Thomson 'the Colin Firth of Austen-inspired book illustration." The Thomson edition ' is often called "Cranfordized," referring to the commercially successful novel Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell which Thomson also illustrated.

The Illustrated Pride and Prejudice Companion
illustrations by Hugh Thomson
Dover Publications

Detail from Pride and Prejudice Story Book Quilt
by Nancy A. Bekofske
I adopted a Hugh Thomson illustration from Emma
for Darcy's proposal 

Hugh Thomson illustration from Emma

Thomson picked up on the humor in Austen's novels and usually had the characters in social settings.

One of his competitors was Charles Brock. I adapted several Brock illustrations for my Pride and Prejudice Story Book Quilt.

Detail from Pride and Prejudice Story Book Quilt
by Nancy A. Bekofske.
She's tolerable... adapted from an illustration by Charles E Brock

Detail Pride and Prejudice Story Book by Nancy A. Bekofske.
Mr. Collins introduces himself to Darcy.
Based on an illustration by Charles E. Brock.

Charles Brock illustration

The Making of Jane Austen is a fascinating study. I would not recommend the book to the casual reader who wants entertainment over intelligent content. The Appendix includes Further Reading suggestions. The Notes and Bibliography are extensive.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Pride and Prejudice Story Book Quilt by Nancy A Bekofske

The Making of Jane Austen
by Devoney Looser
Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication Date: June 25, 2017
Hardcover | 304 pages |
$29.95 USD, £22.00 GBP
ISBN 9781421422824, 1421422824

Regency Redwork, based on Pride and Prejudice
by Nancy A. Bekofske