Saturday, October 18, 2014

Ocean-Front Property



Included in this post are some beach-scene paintings  by artists of the 1800's. By the popular culture of today, it does not appear that the ladies are wearing beach clothing, but they are.  There were special costumes for sea-bathing, while those who wanted to "take in the air"  wore clothing they considered perfect for the sun and sand.

Above: a mother gently shows her child how to play in the sand. This keeps her baby close by and being entertained by the little shovel and pail the mother is using.

Another painting of structures that resemble the  bathing houses, and ladies at the beach.  A horse would pull the wagon that had a little structure on it that provided privacy for ladies to change into bathing costumes and then climb down a little step into the ocean in front of the cabin.  Afterwards they entered the shelter, dried off and changed and came out the other side to walk on the beach or sit on the sand.  I understand Queen Victoria had one of these specially made for her.


Above photo: Fabric Traditions brand 100 percent cotton dresses and shirt - girls size 8, boys size 10 shirt, and ladies size 12 dress.  I am still working on another dress in this line. 

I plan to replace these photos in a few hours with some clearer ones.  I do not know what was wrong with my camera, but it may have been there was a little fog early this morning when I took the pictures.  I did not want to wait for a new picture to show my beach line of clothing. It is most likely the only Ocean-Front Property I will ever have, so the labels inside the garments will reas "Ocean Front Property."

The boys nautical shirt was very prominent in the 1800's and most boys wore them for special occasions.  The above photo shows the loop in the back to keep the tie.


                                            Trim and tuck on the sleeves.



One of the nice things that goes on in this area is that a woman has a card class in her home, where other ladies pay a small fee to come and make the card she has prepared.  The car-card is made with several layers and mounting tape to give it a dimensional appearance.  




I was feeling a little uneasy yesterday  although I didn't communicate to anyone. I found in my email a message from someone I do not personally know, saying she was praying for me.  Just that knowledge brightened my day and I was able to forget any worries and get inspired to do things I had planned. Everyone needs a lift, so if  you have been thinking about someone lately, be sure and phone them or send an electronic message. You do not know the good it can do.


We did go to the beach so my models could wear their special beach-themed clothes. It was a blustery day with rain and very exciting to see the foaming water from the window by the table where our lunch was served.

In the previous post I  was talking about behavior fitting for older women, and I would like to continue with some of the thoughts that the ladies contributed to the discussion yesterday.

Ladies should never cause problems with the church they attend. It is a juvenile custom for girls to form a circle with their backs to other people and make others worry they are talking about them. Older women should be wary of the social rudeness that goes on. A young woman should be advised that gossip can break hearts and ruin reputations and destroy careers.  Loose lips sink ships, as the saying goes.  

While gossip is sometimes excused as learning pains for younger women, if the habit is continued into the mature years, it seems more odious.  In your younger years, practice what you want to be as an aged woman. If you lack discretion now and talk about any inappropriate subject at will, you might still be doing it as an older woman.  In an older woman, gossip and hasty, sharp replies seem more exaggerated, and will make a charactericture of her.  If you want to be a gracious older woman, make it a point to guard your thoughts and control your tongue so that the habit will be established later. 

Negativism and gloominess practiced in younger years can be hard to shake off in older years.  An older women with a sarcastic bite to her conversation will be avoided by the younger women and that will ruin any chance of teaching the younger women or fulfilling the Titus 2 role.  

As always, your comments are valued, so please leave more than one each.



6 comments:

anonymous said...

Oh Lydia,
you've done it again. What a beautiful job on those dresses and the shirt. I especially love nautical style dresses and tops.
The blue fabric with stars is a good choice for the outfits and the white braid you used is the perfect trim. So creative.
Did you use a pattern or make up your own?

33yrs ago I took my husband's old dress blue wool Navy uniform and refashioned it to fit our 4yr. old son who was ring bearer in my aunt's wedding at a chapel on the Navy base in San Diego, Ca.
One of the sailors in the wedding party asked him where he got the small uniform. His reply was, "my mom shrinked it". I still have it today in the cedar chest.
Mrs. J.

anonymous said...

I agree that gossip can really ruin reputations and hurt people. In the past I have been hurt by gossip when an untruth gets passed around a neighborhood and willing tongues start wagging.

If you are a willing listener, you are part of the engine that runs it and just as guilty as the one who started it.
Its all fine and good for a gossip to spew out trash talk about others until it happens to them. Be assured that one day the talk will come home to roost.

My mom always told me,"what goes around, comes around".
The bible says what you sow you will reap.

I've had hot disagreements with people who start gossiping around me and have even walked out of their homes when they persist in gossiping.
I have no use for the person who insists they are letting you know some slimy bit of info about another in order to "pray for them".
I wouldn't blame you Lydia if you don't want to print this. I tend to get really heated about this subject. Go ahead and edit it as you please.

Mrs. J.

Southern Girl said...

I read your blog daily and appreciate your sewing skills. I no longer sew clothing but enjoy reading and viewing your garments. You are very talented. I noticed you rarely make curtains and wondered why. Maybe simple lace style window covering look best in your cottage interior? Curtains and pillows are the only items I make now and it is normally for friends and not myself. I am getting close to retirement age and I find myself trying to purge and have a more minimalist home environment. As far as gossip goes, I do believe what goes around - comes around and try to just worry about myself.

Lydia said...

I make curtains often. My kitchen curtains and decor are sewn and changed seasonally. My living room window is over six feet wide and 5 feet tall so it takes more than 12 yards of 45- inch fabric or 6 yards of 60 inch fabric and it is very expensive to change often. Besides that, the rod hardware underneath the shelf is difficult to to manage when replacing the rod after putting it through the curtains. It takes several people to steady it and help get both ends of the rod, which also has extensions that sometimes have a problem, inserted in the hooks in the wall. Because of all this, I leave up my curtains on that window til they need replacing. Also,even though I used white muslin to make the curtains that are there, the ball fringe trim cost over 5 dollars a yard and it takes over 6 yards to sew on the edges. When that curtain wears out, I will cut off the fringe and use it again.

My kitchen curtains and cloth accessories (hen, pot holders, table cloth, towels, and more) are black and white toile this year. I sew new ones often because they get worn out with so much use. The living room and bedroom curtains are not used in the same way and do nit get things splashed on them, nor are they handled, and so there is no wear and tear on them like in the kitchen.

Lydia said...

I will ask about this. I know some grandparents that have left the area of their grandchildren, and maybe they can tell me something. But children do it too, leaving the parents and putting so much distance between them that they cannot visit often.

Alex said...

I love your latest, seaside line of clothing! Blue is my favourite colour.

Good to catch up with all your news, advice and tips, Lady Lydia.