Never hold anyone by the button, or the hand, in order to be heard out.

To keep myself busy while sitting in the seemingly endless hours of lecture each week, I have been working buttons. lots and lots of buttons!

Perfect for the cuffs and collar of your finest linen shirts or shifts, these solid thread buttons are sturdy yet never uncomfortably hard. As a bonus, they don't break, rust or wear away the sewing threads during the harsh laundry treatment 18th century underclothes frequently under go.

Run like the Devil from the Excise Man

The latest addition to the C. Black Coffeehouse demonstration is this fine journal, hand made by Mr. P McClintock, the stationer. It will soon house 2 years worth of research on taxation & laws concerning the business of an 18th century coffeehouse, as well as the detailed accounts needed for the proper reporting of said business.

In preparation for this ledger, over the past 18 months I've been keeping waste-books, the preliminary stage in the so called "Italian style" of bookkeeping popular during the mid-18th Century. I've steadily been writing down various the "transactions" at events; who took so much coffee on Sunday, who I purchased ribbon from in exchange for a cup of tea, who promised to pay for that 1/4 pound of coffee and those newspapers, who owes so much in gambling &c. Now all that remains is translating the information into the new ledger, which I'm sure will require many more trips to my bookshelves to check that I'm following the proper format. While not necessarily difficult, I do find the act of bookkeeping to be daunting. So many steps, so many things to remember & above all, it has to be organized well for fear the King's Man might find something questionable!

Letters Are Never Worth Going Through the Rain For

I have vowed to spend the next few days of my spring vacation attempting to catch up with all the small projects which fell by the wayside these past months. Up first was a long awaited letter to the Doctor. Our correspondence has been enjoyable thus far and I would not want to be the one to let the letters drop. Plus, he's never once complained about my atrocious handwriting or spelling which is enough to send lesser men fleeing in terror!

On fortune's cap we are not the very button.

In lieu of a complete tutorial on the construction of deathshead buttons I give you, my faithful readers, this photo collage of the process and a few interesting observations regarding the buttons themselves.

In researching for this article, I had a difficult time finding many references to "deathshead" buttons. It was only by a happy accident that I learned why. The proper 18th Century term seems to have been death head, two separate words with no "S" in-between. These buttons could also be called by any number of other names; thread buttons and mohair turning up the most frequently. In fact, thread & mohair turn up in reference to this style of button noticeably more often than death head does.

The Virginia Runaways Archive lists only two matches for the term death head button. One of the advertisements is for a Scotch servant man who had on when he went away "a cloth coloured frieze coat with white metal death head buttons". Clearly these metal buttons are not the same as the thread covered buttons we commonly associate with the term. I would speculate that the design on the button itself matched the cross design on thread “death head” buttons even though the material itself was different.

When we then turn to The Proceedings of the Old Bailey for reference to death head buttons, we find only one listing; the case of Mr.s Robert Roberts and Willaim Blann. These two gentlemen were put to death for a robbery in Feb of 1785 which included "1 pair of stuff breeches" with "horn buttons put to the waistband, and the flap, and the pockets, and death-head buttons... put to the knees." It seems in this case the death head wasn't only on the buttons, but on the thieves themselves.

If we then use the same archives, yet change the search terms, we find a wealth of additional listings. The Virginia Runaway Archive lists 5 runaways with "mohair buttons" on their clothing between 1752 & 1773. Two of these listings, from 1768 & 1773 respectively, specify the buttons as "Mohair Basket Buttons", perhaps a variation on the wrapping technique commonly employed in the button construction. The Proceedings of the Old Bailey adds 3 instances of mohair button theft and one unlucky highway man by the name of Silas Dowling, who wore a drab colored fustian frock with matching mohair buttons.

To widen the search even further we can look to the Old Bailey for references to thread buttons. Most of the 8 listings specify metallic thread, either gold or silver, leading me to believe these are also thread wrapped over a button mold in the same style as death head or mohair buttons. It is also interesting to note that all the button thefts, both for mohair & thread buttons, are for large quantities, usually several gross at a time. Although few can rival the grand larceny charge against Patrick Cockhall, who went before the Judge in January of 1782 on charges of stealing 3420 dozen of thread buttons valued at 22 l. 16 s. Mr. Cockhall was fortunate though. As an "old offender" he was only sentenced to hard labor, 2 years in raising sand and gravel upon the river.

According to A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain, by Daniel Defoe, Macclesfield & Congleton were well known in the mid 18th century as having "thriving manufacture(s) of mohair buttons". However, The American Museum, or, Universal Magazine of 1789 by Mr. Mathew Carey, suggests that in absence of foreign manufacture, which by this time includes Britain, we should turn to items made at home. It is "therefore to be hoped that the expenfive article of foreign buttons will be omitted in making up our winter clothes". It is further suggested that "Inflead of the silk twift button, called death head, a button covered with cloth, or a firm taffety, of the colour, would be neat, modeft and genteel".

Of course, one could also become too modest & genteel and risk being called a "mohair" by the local thugs. A mohair, according to Captain Grose's 1796 edition of A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, is "A man in the civil line, a townsman, or tradesman: a military term, from the mohair buttons worn by persons of those descriptions, or any others not in the army, the buttons of military men being always of metal: this is generally used as a term of contempt, meaning a bourgeois, tradesman, or mechanic."

Perhaps that silk ditto suit covered from head to toe with matching 8 sectioned silk polychrome death head buttons is a little too much after all.

~~~

Works Cited:

Fuss, Norman H. 2005. "Death Head" Buttons, Their Use and Construction. Williamsburg, Virginia. Burnley & Trowbridge Company.

Wooded Hamlet Designs "Instructions for Making the Deathshead Thread Button". http://www.woodedhamlet.com/howto_advice/deathshead_instruc.htm (accessed March 21, 2009)

Virginia Runaways “Runaway Slave Advertisements from 18th-century Virginia newspapers”. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/subjects/runaways/search.html (accessed March 21, 2009).

Proceedings of the Old Bailey "London's Central Court from 1674-1913". http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/ (accessed March 21, 2009)

Defoe, Daniel. 1748. A tour through the whole island of Great Britain: Divided into circuits or journeys. S. Birt and T. Osborne.

Carey, Mathew. 1789. The American museum, or, Repository of ancient and modern fugitive pieces [afterw.] The American museum, or, Universal magazine.

Grose, Francis. 1796. A classical dictionary of the vulgar tongue. Hooper and Wigstead.

The 18th "Scent"-tury

or the Manner of making various Sorts of thefe little Bags or Sachets to scent linen or wear in the pocket.

To Make A Sweet fcented Bag to wear in the Pocket

TAKE thin Perfian and make into little bags about four inches wide in the form of an oblong fquare. Rub the infide lightly with a little Civet then fill them with coarfe powder a la Marechale or any other odoriferous Powder you chufe to which add a few Cloves and a little Yellow Sanders beaten fmall and fow up the mouths of the bags.

FOR this purpofe may be ufed different parts of the Aromatic Plants as Leaves of Southernwood, Dragon wort, Balm Min,t both garden and wild Dittany, Ground Ivy, Bay Hyfop, Lovage, Sweet Marjoram, Origanum, Penayroyal, Thyme, Rofemary, Savoury, Scordium, and Wild Thyme. The Flowers of the Orange, Lemon, Lime, and Citron Tree, Saffron, Lavender, Rofes, Lilly of the Valley, Clove-july-flower, Wall Flower, Jonquil, and Mace. Fruits as Anifeeds &c The Rinds of Lemons, Oranges, &c Small green Oranges, Juniper berries, Nutmegs and Cloves. Roots of Acorns, Bohemian, Angelica, Oriental Coitus, Sweet Flag, Orrice, Zedoary &c The Woods of Rhodium, Juniper, Caffia, St Lucia, Sanders &c Gums as Frankincenfe, Myrrh, Storax, Benjamin, Labdanum, Ambergreafe, and Amber. Barks as Canella, Alba, Cinnamon &c

Care muft be taken that all thefe ingredients are perfeftly dry and kept in a dry place. To prevent their turning black add a little common Salt. When you chufe to have any particular Flower predominant a greater quantity of that plant muft be ufed in proportion to the other ingredients.

Pierre-Joseph Buc'hoz, The Toilet of Flora; Or, A Collection of the Most Simple and Approved Methods of Preparing Baths, Essences, Pomatums, Etc. 1772, pp.216-219

The above pictured "bags" are remembrance gifts to a few lady friends. They are a quick way to practice some period needle work skills; stem stitch, split stitch & (not so well counted) cross stitch and a nice small detail to have in ones kit. The bags measured ~4x5" prior to sewing. I added a little roving to each, not enough to make them pillows, but enough to give them some puff and softness. They are scented with a combination of cloves, anise seed and juniper berries, all items dug out of my spice cabinet and appropriate to scents in the last half of the century as seen in the suggested list above. I hope the ladies enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them, I just might have to make a few for myself now as well.

The very ink with which history is written

Or the simple process of making black walnut ink using objects found around the home and yard.

I will start this tutorial by admitting that I have not found any definitive evidence that black walnut ink was used by the English in North America during the greater 18th century. However, the materials are easily obtained often for free, the process is almost fool proof and the resulting ink creates a nice dark brown to black color which looks nice on reenactment paperwork and personal letters.

Materials:

Large, non-reactive pot. I use an old canning pot that I have reserved for just such an occasion.

As many black walnuts as you want. I simply went into the yard & gathered what ever semi-green, semi-black nuts that the squirrels had left scattered in the grass. Three handfuls later and I had plenty of nuts for more than one batch of ink.

Two or three rusty objects. In ink, rust creates an iron-tannate solution which deepens the final ink color. I found 2 old bolts in the basement that were suitably rusty & tossed them in.

Enough water to cover your walnuts with plenty of room for the nuts to move.

A wooden spoon that you don't mind staining a darker color.

Process:

Toss everything in the pot, cover & allow to boil for several hours. This will smell up your kitchen, so use your oven vent fan if you don't want everything smelling strangely organic and musty for the next several days.

At this point some instructions suggest crushing the walnuts outer hull. This is beyond messy and not something I wanted to tackle indoors, so I skipped it. I've seen no ill effects in my resulting ink. If you want to dye your hands, floor, stove top and everything else within 10 feet of the pot, feel free to crush away.

Allow the walnuts & ink to steep over night or longer.

Strain out the walnuts and rusted pieces.

Continue to boil the strained ink until the liquid is reduced by approximately half. Periodically test the ink color as it boils using a paint brush or quill pen.

Allow the ink to cool in the pot.

Add 1 tablespoon gum arabic to increase ink flow. I prefer to use powdered gum arabic because it stores indefinitely & is inexpensive when purchased on-line. Adding 5% denatured alcohol can prevent mold if this becomes a problem in your ink bottles.

Bottle, label & use.

Nose to the Grindstone

Another interesting artifact found in a random search. This does seem consistent with what I've been reading about coffee procedure & tools in the 18th Century.

clipped from www.objetsobjects.com 18th century Dutch coffee mill in brass, wood, forged iron and brass inlay with removabe handle, most probably replaced at some point in time.  Excellent condition with small tear in brass body  height 6 1/2"

Catching up

This will be a randomly jumbled post because I realized today just how long it's been since I updated. So much has happened and changed in the last month or so. Where to start?

I'm now an official member of the Great Lakes River Pirates. My first event with them officially was last weekends Pike River Rendezvous. I'm still working out the of moving from a 1690's English focus, to either a French Habitante or frontier in 1750 focus. I do know that I'm running an 18th century style coffeehouse which is especailly loved by the coffee drinking crew. W says that I should be in the Ohio valley, which is urban enough at the time for the coffeehouse but still regional. Meanwhile, he's quickly becoming a French Dr. with a gambling problem (finally someone that will play cards with me!) That leads to my benches and tables.

Benches

Tables are currently disassembled in the garage waiting to be repacked for this weekends event, Pirates of Paynetown. I'll try to get a good shot of them this weekend to share. J did a wonderful job and they came in super handy.

In other news, I made L a generic "urchin" dress to wear. I knew it was going to be hot and that her usual jumps/skirts combo would be to many layers. So I looked at the standard back lacing dress that everyone seems to have their kids in and thought, hey that looks just like a Kwik Sew pattern, but with the back laced. So I made one and it worked. The skirt needs to be longer and maybe the sleeves but otherwise it worked really well. Because it was so quick to put together I didn't mind that L promptly got it covered in sand and mud. Even after washing it's not "clean".

Other than that I made W's SIL J a bright red bed jacket, ruffled cap and apron. She looked super cute. W is also making me a list of clothes that he wants, new breeches for the Colonial Ball in Nov, a waistcoat with the lacing in the back. I'm also currently researching for a round gown to wear to the ball myself. I have this super soft, light, purple flannel that I'm considering. Although I would also love to do something in green, since it's my favorite color. I'm also making a quick ugly bed jacket today, as soon as I finish blogging of course. Also, because the GLRP does a lot with the boats, I need to have a back up set of slops, jacket and shirt. It's not an issue of "looking like a man" because when you're out on the water, it's impossible to tell. Meanwhile it's impossible to be useful on a boat in a skirt & stays.

My tent is great, I need a fly but for now am borrowing one from the LT. I've got a big piece of canvas that I'm going to paint as a floor cloth. Just as nice as a rug but lighter and cheaper. I also have to work on a long term sign for the Widow Black's Coffeehouse. I whipped on up the night before Pike River out of a scrap of fabric and my fabric marker. I "pirated" the three jugs on the sign from J&T since I was in a rush but it worked and looked good. I'm not sure what the long term image will be. For now I have to come up with a better way to get the sign to hang for Paynetown.

Anyway, that's the long winded, random updating. Keep a weather eye out for more frequent updates as I sew some new clothes.

Camp Dog

About a week ago I ordered a tent from Falls Creek. I know I said I was going to sew my own but lets face it, I'm not up to that yet. So I ordered their very basic A frame although I splurged and got the extra foot of height and the second door. That way it can be opening into a lean to if needed. A bell back tent would have been more appropriate to the time period, however I don't like trying to get the bells to lay out nicely.

In the mean time J has made me 2 benches similar to the 30 years war design I saw. They are very simple, 2 flat sides that fit into a top. They fold down quickly and easily with no hardware. I think he is also going to build himself a smaller bench to sit on while he plays his cello. Today's task is sanding and staining, although I'm tempted to paint one of them. I'm trying to make sure all the pieces are "matchy-matchy", even though they are pretty much the same.

J also build me a collapsing X legged table not dissimilar to the folding table Washington took on campaign. The sorts of folding tables where the top splits are very popular in camps I'm noticing. Mine looks much the same but doesn't have a split top. It actually has to have 4 pegs pulled in order to flatten. I need to stain up that one as well, but I want to make sure I like the stain color since the table is so nice looking.

Sometime next week hopefully J will make me the trestle table that I sent him links for. This one I'm thinking of painting, maybe if he does one with a nice center trestle area, I'll even paint a design on that part.




In other camp news, I need to find out if tent poles would have been painted or not. I've seen people with their poles painted and like the look. Plus I need to do something to hide the remaining lumberyard marks on my uprights. However I don't want to do something that is a reenactor-ism if I can help it. I'm not finding anything on-line telling me either way though. Frustrating since I need to get this stuff done soon.

A little side project

Just something I whipped up last week while waiting for patterns to arrive.





This is actually a reprint of select directions from "Games & Gamesters" By Charles Cotton, (printed in 1674). I picked out the directions that were similar to modern games and that actually made sense. There are several card & dice games. I choose to skip instructions on bowels and tables variations.

The cover is just art paper from the new Martha Stewart crafts line at Michael's. It's nice stuff. Stitched with linen thread. I owe the layout to J. I did several versions with a different binding, but this one, where the pages fold around each other is the period correct version (as far as I can tell).

I am already putting together several more period "booklets", in part for the broadseller impression and in part because they are fun and an easy add to the little details of a kit.

and no, I'm not sharing the secret to how I got the text to include the medial S ;) I deserve to keep some things a secret don't I?

Little Things

Just the little things for my kit that I picked up at the Macktown Gathering this weekend.

First two very nice, turned bowls. Each is about 6" across and 2" deep. They came unfinished. The lady suggested rubbing them with mineral oil, but I had a better idea, food grade flax oil. They had several other sizes available, including a beautiful huge bowl for only $80. Unfortunately I didn't take a business card so I don't know who I got these from or if I could get more on-line. Bummer.

Before & After

Also picked up a very nice spoon. I'd like to replace all the cooking spoons in my house with these. Not only is it nice in the hand (great for swinging at people who attempt to taste test) but it's just plain pretty to look at, which might make me want to cook more.

Stay away from my stew you lot!

And last, a couple of things for L. A Jacobs ladder toy. She's been begging for one every time she sees them at Cost Plus. Well this one is raw wood and simple ribbons, not like the painted up ugly versions. I'm much happier with this one. Next I'm getting her a wooden hoop. With her marbles and deck of cards she'll have no reason to be "bored" at an event so long as she can find someone to play with her.


I also got a very nice wooden comb for L's hair. I don't know if a wooden comb is strictly period correct, but I have to be able to do something with her hair at events. This works nicely, is a dream to hold and is pretty. A lot better than whipping out the big paddle brush while sitting in my period correct tarp shelter!

Birds of a Feather

Cut a few quills the other day. The ones I got on e-bay were sadly too short. But as it turns out Hobby Lobby had all their feathers on %50 sale last time I was there. I grabbed a few packages of plain white goose feathers. Can't go wrong with those.



After a few tries and shaking up my ink a bit more, I started to really get the flow right. It's a very different motion than modern ball point pen work. Very, very light. I find that I get the best flow if I turn the quill just slightly to the side rather than having the splits come down straight.

Here is the final sample after about 20 minutes.



Now I just need to do some practice. This is the Italian Hand that I am hoping to write in, with my quills. Some day.

Looney for Lucet

While sitting at the coffeehouse today I pulled out some cheap pearly cotton & the lucet that Paul from Wm. Booth Draper convinced me was "easy" & "a useful skill". After a few attempts at getting started I finally got the balance right between too tight & too loose. It's slow going. I know that I'm at least going to make the cord for L's jumps & something new & longer for lacing my stays. I've also promised L "collars" for her puppy dog toys. Not costuming related but a good use of the imperfect practice cord I'm creating.

Bottle Up Your Enthusiasm

Just a few touches to my "things".

From the wonderful Mary at Westmoore Pottery



I already have to replace the cork, since my reshaped wine cork broke. These are the most lovely pieces I have ever seen. Hand blown glass "shaft & globe" bottle made in vA by John Pierce and Dave Byerly. The green mug is even prettier in better light. Plus it holds an entire pint! Nothing like a big drink to make a pirate happy.

Awl's well

I bid on a nice wooden sewing awl today.

I figure if I'm going to have to hand bind the eyelet holes on my stays I might as well do it with a nice tool. Nice tapered wooden awls are really hard to find. Seems everyone wants to use metal these days. Of course I *have* to have a wooden one so that I can keep it in my kit after I've done all that work! Will post a pic when it gets here.