I like the history of the middle to late 1800's. My niece does Civil War era re-enactments and I've followed her activities and helped her a little with some with her costumes. She has made some beautiful gowns for their dances, teas and balls. That era of sewing and crafts is fascinating to me, also the gold rush era too. E

<<That is alot of stuff to haul around with you. >>

Man, you ought to see what people take with them to the two week event in PA!  I haven't been yet, but I've seen pictures.  Someone we know has their own bathroom.  They turned a cargo trailer into a bathroom--nicely decorated--and I seem to recall that they have a real toliet in it even and have the trailer outfitted with a waste system on it like a motor home.

Sometimes it's almost a comptetion of how elaborate people can get.  In certain areas of this campground we go to in MS, they will let people build permanent structures, and people have gotten together and built a small but accurate replica of a viking longhouse (anyone can go in and hang out) and several camps have built large, free-standing gates, complete with doors and torches that run on propane (although the best thing I've ever seen are pictures of a guy wearing a "viking" horn helmet that had flames coming out of the tips of the horns; he hid a small bottle of propane to fuel it under a fur cloak).    Oh, and someone built a tavern a couple of years ago that's very nice.  It's just for looks, though--I don't think anyone sells any food or drink there, although you can go inside and sit by the fire and socialize.  Even the door latch, with its counterweight system, is accurate. 

The place we camp, unfortunately, is part of the regular operating area of the campground and is not open to building permanent structures there, or we'd have oursleves a dining hall.  As it is, my husband and I have a 20x30' tent that we also take with us to use for the communal dining space.  I have to admit, I'm prideful about it all, lol.  My husband is the owner of that strip of land--which is the best strip of land in the entire campground.  So it's "our" camp and we pick who camps in our spot with us and it's our big tent, so we put our dining table in the best spot.  I get that Lady of the Manor sort of feeling sometimes, lol.  Of course, that comes with responsibilities--like I'm in charge of making canvas walls for the kitchen section of the big tent because the old ones have died; there's not time to get anyone else to help.  And I'm repainting the group banner.  And we arrive first, so we get to start the eradication of the fire ants that have appeared since last year, and general leaf and stick cleanup.   

But I wouldn't give it up!  We missed last year because we went to England and Scotland instead, and even though we loved our trip, we also pined for not being at the event.  I'm sure we'd all be tired of it if it went on for a month, but it doesn't seem like that when the end of the week comes; we all wish it would last longer.

When the TV shows have been on about activities like yours I've always enjoyed watching them.  Sometimes food channel will do chuck wagon competitions, sometimes History channel will show something, PBS stations too. It beats watching most of the survivor reality type shows. I don't like those at all. E

wvtrailseeker:

Don't you find it amazing at how you can look back at things you have given away, like the treadle sewing machines or the wringer washers and now, that you have decided to learn to do things the "old fashioned way" you would really like to have them back. They may have been less expensive to use, but when I used my wringer washer, or my treadle sewing machine, I felt that I was doing something to help us (my husband and myself) save some money and to be more self suficient too.

Now I would give my eye teeth to have those two items back.

They still make the wringer washer, but stand by for sticker shock: $899.00 + shipping.

See http://www.lehmans.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=613

Yes Walt 34, after picking myself up off the floor, I decided that I will have to live without a new one, even tho it is nice to know that if my rich uncle ever gets out of the poor house, I may be able to afford one, if he remembers me in his will that is. LOL

I will just have to make do with what I have for now. I am looking at the Wringer tho, for I can use it in my washtubs with a good plunger and was my clothes without any electricity at all.

I do love that Lehman's site tho, but they make me want things all at the same time that I am striving to stop all the "need"less buying. So for now, I will content myself with drooling.

Lehman's is a good catalog, good to do business with. E

elovestea:

When the TV shows have been on about activities like yours I've always enjoyed watching them.  Sometimes food channel will do chuck wagon competitions, sometimes History channel will show something, PBS stations too. It beats watching most of the survivor reality type shows. I don't like those at all. E

Hehe, you know, you can always go and do re-enactments instead of just looking at them.  East of the Mississippi there are a lot of Civil War things.  Out West I hear that cowboy action shooter events are what it's about.  The East coast and way up north and into Canada is popular for 18th century re-enactments.  The medieval group that I'm with, the SCA (www.sca.org) is EVERYWHERE.  It's not nearly as big in Europe--as it competes against a lot of medieval re-enactment groups over there--but it's the by far and away the largest medieval organization in the U.S. and the overall world in general.  I hear tell that there are two very large groups permanently located aboard two aircraft carriers.  Supposedly, in the opening scenes of Top Gun, there is a guy in the background somewhere carrying a medieval helmet, not a pilot's helmet, because the ship the opening scenes were filmed on happened to be one of the ships with the permanent group of re-enactors and they do their re-enactments up on the deck, lol.

My husband and I pooh-pooh the "reality" shows for the most part.  Of course, my husband can start a fire with wet wood and flint and steel.  I watched him start one at an event where it had been pouring rain by the buckets part of the night before and for an additional hour that morning; he said that evening (I left early) that people were coming up to stand by his fire because he was pretty much the only person that had one going, lol.  So he generally laughs at the thoughts of Survivor.  "Survivor" to him is being turned loose in the woods with a knife and maybe a lighter (although flint and steel will do) and that's it.  I will admit that I've watched a bit of Victorian House and Frontier House and find that pretty interesting, although sometimes the participants are a bit too whiny.  But learning how people lived on any given, average sort of day is the way I like to approach history.  My husband says that historians like to go on about grand social theories and look at society as a whole, but the re-enactor wants to know: what did our ancestors carry in their pockets?  Some things you just can't understand until you have made it and used it. 

Like when I discovered why medieval women of the 1330's-1370's looked a certain way.  I thought--as many people think--that it was an artistic thing.  Women from this time period all stand with an arched back and their bellies sticking out in front like they are pregnant.  Then I made a dress from this time period that had accurate seams and fit me accurately and when I looked in the mirror, I noticed immediately that I looked JUST LIKE THEY DID!  It's something about the way the dress is made that gives that profile.  I also found, when I put on a sideless surcoat, why so many medieval women are depicted on their tomb effigies as having their arms held in front of themselves in a certain way.  When I held my arms in different positions while looking in the mirror, I found that the medieval placement of the arms is the most flattering to the figure; if you stand with your arms at your side, as we do modernly, it hides the curves of the figure and actually makes you look fatter.  So when I had my wedding pictures made, I adopted that same pose most of the time.  I also try and walk with my hands clapsed before me because it is a similar, but slightly more casual look.  Again, it makes me look better.

So those medieval people weren't as green as they were grass-colored; if you do something exactly as they did it, you'll probably find out WHY they did it that way.  It's pretty exciting when you discover things like this for yourself; it's like you know things that no one else (alive) knows. 

I have 2 treadle sewing machines, one a Kenmore and one a Singer. The Kenmore has attachments, I got it for 25.00 a few years ago and the Singer has been electrfied. My dd got it for me in a pawn shop in New Mexico when they lived down there.  I don't know how to use them or even if they are all there. Neither of them have needles. I also have a machine head from Germany we picked up when we lived there in the 70s, We traded for it for a bottle of booze. It has a date of 1918 on the case. It is so pretty, all golden scrolls.I have looked on line for info on opperating them but as I say don't know if they are all there. They are something. I have one in my sewing room. It makes feel connected to the needle women of long ago. My mother was a seamstress, self taught, and I feel closer to her when I sew. I would love someone to check out my machines. I have my eye out in the Traders here for someone to work on them.  J

gerbergerber:

I have 2 treadle sewing machines, one a Kenmore and one a Singer

Two of the best sites for information on sewing machines and treadles are:

www.needlebar.org   and   www.treadleon.com

Needlebar is about vintage and antique machines, not just treadles, Treadleon is almost exclusively about treadles and handcranks, both of which they refer to being "people-powered".

Needlebar has information about foreign machines as well as those made in the U.S. There are lots of pictures too. Both sites have instructions for restoring sewing machines and cabinets, plus they also have  forums you can join.

I have collected several machines (total, 15 now), in the past few months to fix up if possible, so these sites have been very helpful. I know mostly about old Singers, I have a Kenmore electric that was given to me but have never used it. It is a fascinating hobby, that also takes up alot of room in my house. LOL!! Edey