Corticelli Silk Thread

I became interested in Corticelli silk thread when I acquired a box of it in an old sewing basket. If you haven’t noticed by now, I am a scavenger for everything sewing when I go to garage sales, estate sales and other purveyors of old things.  Despite the vintage nature of the thread, as evidenced by the neat wooden spools, I could not believe the luster and the depth of the colors.

Since that first acquisition, I’ve amassed quite a little collection of these spools.  Once you start collecting something, it seems as though the universe arranges for you to have more of it, or make you more aware of it, or something.  Another of my interests is in advertising ephemera, particularly of the Victorian era.  I started to notice ephemera related to Corticelli threads popping up on Pinterest, on boards related to sewing, crafting, and advertising history.

The company began in the 1830s in Florence, Massachusetts.  Today, we certainly never think of Massachusetts, or any other state in the Union, as being producers of silk.  At one time, this area was very much the center of sericulture in the US.  At the time it was the Nonotuck Company.  Some time later the name Corticelli was adopted.  Corticelli was not the name of any of the principals in the company but is thought to have been adopted to create an association in the mind of the consumer with Italy, then a powerhouse in the silk industry, renowned for quality.

A lot of the advertising for the company centered around adorable kittens.  They had me at silk, but now kittens?  What could be better than silk thread and kittens?

Making Over Victoria: Laundry Rules

 One of the more minor decorating projects around the new home has been completing our laundry room. This is also temporary home to my sewing area – in the spring we hope to begin renovations to our 140 year old basement to put in a finished room down there which is planned to be my new sewing room.  The planned room will be large enough to accommodate an actual cutting table, as well as multiple sewing machines and ample fabric stash storage!

I believe this pretty much un-insulated laundry area was once an upper-level back porch, with its five bright windows, and near access to the back stairs.  I’m not sure when it was converted to a laundry, but that was the purpose the previous owners assigned to the room as well.  I think the it is coming out pretty cute, so I’d like to share a few pictures from the room… while not haute couture, I am sewing the curtains for this room, using one of the latest Pinterest trends, burlap and lace.  These are the completed valences.  The burlap was purchased from www.burlapfabric.com, and the lace was a yard sale find.  I scored a whole spool of it for pennies.  As you can see, there’s plenty left to complete the curtains, and then some.

This legless dresser was left behind by the previous owners of the home.  It makes a great place to store sewing supplies, and an equally nice window seat.  I’m planning on covering a cushion to make it even cozier.

While I lack a “before” picture, the walls in this room were formerly stark white. We definitely wanted to jazz things up a little, and we wanted to pay homage to the Victorian era without sacrificing modern convenience.  Corrugated galvanized steel roofing is the paneling we chose for the walls, with a periwinkle blue upper wall.  We first saw this used as a wall treatment in a regional fish fry restaurant. Galvanized buckets are used as light shades, and antique washboards, wringers, and clothes drying racks help to tie the theme together. 

We chose to stack our front loading washer and dryer because this saves floor space, and allows free access to the attic via the pulldown ladder in the ceiling of the laundry.  Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think about this room renovation.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lesson From the Past:3 - Collar Craze

I went to college in the beautiful and historic city of Troy, NY.  Troy has many an historical claim to fame.  It was the home of Uncle Sam, the place of the first publication of A Visit From St. Nicholas ('Twas the Night Before Christmas) and it was the birthplace of the detachable collar.

The detachable collar was first invented in 1827 at #139 3rd Street, Troy, NY, by Mrs. Hannah Lord Montague (1794-1878).  Mrs. Montague was tired of scrubbing her husband's collars.  The inside of the shirt collar seemed to magnetize sweat and dirt, while the body of the shirt remained quite clean.  In answer, Mrs. Montage fashioned a detachable collar so that the shirt could continue to be worn while the collar was removed, and replaced with another, while laundering. Her husband, Orlando Montague, proudly showed-off his wife's invention and soon several commercial concerns embraced the idea, including the Cluett-Peabody Company, makers of the Arrow shirt.  Troy became a major producer of shirt collars for the entire country and earned its moniker as the "Collar City".

Women also embraced this new fashion creation.  Especially in the lean nineteen thirties and forties, detachable collars and faux blouse fronts, called dickies, were used to extend the wardrobe by making it seem as though one owned multiple different blouses.  One could wear one well made dress or suit and change out the collars or dickies for different looks.  Make and Mend for Victory includes several ideas for making these incredible wardrobe stretchers!