Rug Hooking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RUG HOOKING

The earliest forebears of hooked rugs were the floor mats made in Yorkshire, England during the early part of the 19th century.  Workers in weaving mills were allowed to collect thrums, pieces of yarn that ran 9 inches (23cm) long.  These by-products were useless to the mill, and the weavers took them home and pulled the thrums through a backing.
Rug hooking as we know it today developed in North America, specifically along the Eastern Seaboard in New England in the United States and the Canadian Maritimes.  In its earliest years, rug hooking was a craft of poverty.  The vogue for floor coverings in the United States came about after 1830 when factories produced machine-made carpets for the rich.  Poor women began looking through their scrap bags for materials to employ in creating their own home-made floor coverings.  Women employed whatever materials they had available.  Girls from wealthy families were sent to school to learn embroidery and quilting; fashioning floor rugs and mats was never part of the curriculum.  Another sign that hooking was the pastime of the poor is the fact that popular ladies magazines in the 19th century never wrote about rug hooking.  It was considered a country craft in the days when the word country, used in this context, was derogatory.
Since hooking was a craft of poverty, rugmakers put to use whatever materials were available.  Antique hooked rugs were created on burlap after 1850 because burlap was free as long as one used OLD GRAIN AND FEED BAGS.  Every and any scrap of fiber that was no longer usable as clothing was put into rugs.  In the United States, yarn was not a fiber of choice if one did not have access to thrums.  Yarn was too precious, and had to be saved for knitting and weaving.  Instead the tradition of using scraps of fabric evolved.  Yarns and other creatively used materials have always been used for hooked rugs in the Canadian Maritimes.
Traditional Rug Hooking is a craft where rugs are made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric through a stiff woven base such as burlap, linen, or rug warp.  The loops are pulled through the backing material by using a crochet hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage.

The modern preference for using only cut wool strips in hooked rugs originated with Pearl McGown in the 1930s, and may have saved the craft from disappearing in the United States.



www.buchanoncountyhistory.com

Bittersweet

 

Bittersweet

 

What is American Bittersweet Vine?

American bittersweet is a vigorous deciduous, perennial vine that grows 15 to 20 feet tall. It is native to central and eastern North America. They produce yellowish-green flowers that bloom in spring, but the flowers are plain and uninteresting compared to the berries that follow. As the flowers fade, orange-yellow capsules appear.
In late fall and winter, the capsules open at the ends to display the bright red berries inside. The berries remain on the plant well into winter, brightening winter landscapes and attracting birds and other wildlife. The berries are poisonous to humans if eaten, however, so practice caution when planting around homes with small children.




Info from www.gardeningknowhow.com


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The Garden Cloche

A cloche can loosely be defined as a structure that is placed over a plant to protect it from the cold.  The first mentioning of a cloche can be found around 1630 in a gardening treaty.  John Evelyn (1620-1706) mentioned bell glasses as a mandatory garden tool in his Elysium Britannicum, or The Royal Gardens or Three Books.

While these first cloches were developed by the French and made from glass, the Dutch and English quickly built upon this basic design.  These cultures created cloches that were in lantern and pyramid style. The basic material was the same but the glass panes were held into place with iron frames.
Those who could not afford the expense of glass cloches were not deprived of this important tool.  Cloches made from straw could be found throughout many colonial fields.

Cloches throughout history have been very important in plant protection.  A basic cloche works by absorbing heat during the day and releasing it at night.  This allows the gardener to put their crops out sooner and harvest sooner.  But the story does not end there.  To prevent your plants from getting too hot during the day and cooking, one must vent it in some fashion.  Glass bell cloches need to be removed from the plant before the sun hits it or place bricks around the plant and set the bell cloche on the bricks.  These bricks will create a vent by which excess heat can be released.


Information from:  site.outdora.com

Colonial Gardening

 

Colonial Gardening

 

 

 Colonial gardens of 17th and 18th century America were as varied as the gardeners themselves and the locations in which they lived. While some gardens followed no plan, others were intricately laid out. Some gardens had plants designated to specific areas, while others were planted in a seemingly haphazard manner mixing tall plants with short ones, flowers with vegetables, and herbs mixed in amongst them all. Garden beds, varying in size and shape according to what was grown in them, were often raised by building up the soil and placing tree saplings on the ground around them. The purpose of raising the beds was to improve drainage, which garnered much attention. Walkways were usually made of tamped soil, gravel, clamshells, or brick, and were just wide enough for one person to walk through and weed the beds. The main walkways were, however, wider because they led to an outbuilding, namely the privy, located at the farthest end of the garden.

 Dutch gardens in New York, as well as those of merchants and townsmen of Virginia, were laid out in symmetrical patterns, yet were simple, functional, and well-balanced. Natural landscaping was seen as something that needed to be tamed and trimmed, not recreated, and resulted in gardens that resembled those of their homelands. Gardens were located near the kitchen house with walkways leading to many of the other outbuildings. The walkways were laid out geometrically in patterns such as basket weave, running bond, and herringbone and designed with either right angles or acute angles. Planting beds were “raised up” by boards allowing for good drainage, ease in planting, tending, and weeding.

 Fences were required by law as early as 1631. Legislation in 1646 set the minimum height of the fence at four and one-half feet and “close down to the bottom”. In 1705, the General Assembly enacted legislation to protect gardens from stray horses, mares, cattle, hogs, sheep, and goats. The fence had to be sturdy enough and so close that “none of the creatures aforesaid can creep through”. Post and rail fences, as well as picket fences, were typical for private gardens. The outlying borders of the fields were generally enclosed with a “worm” or “snake” fence, later known as the “Virginia rail”.

 Early colonists acquired seeds and plants by bringing them from their homelands, or through extensive exchanges across the Atlantic with friends and family. As a result, the majority of fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, and flowering bulbs came from Europe. Some plants such as the tomato and potato, although native to the Americas, came back to the colonies via these exchanges. These plants offered a sense of familiarity in an otherwise unfamiliar territory. Vegetables grown in the kitchen garden would have included leeks, onions, garlic, melons, English gourds, radishes, cabbages, and artichokes. Other vegetables that were needed in larger quantities like corn, beans, and pumpkins, were grown in the larger, outlying fields. Many vegetables and herbs served culinary, as well as, medicinal purposes while flowers were not only edible, but served as dyes and perfumes.

In summary, colonial gardens of the Dutch, merchants, and townsmen were simple, functional, symmetrical, and well-balanced in design while others were simply functional. Common features include raised beds, walkways, and an enclosure in the form of a “nature fence” or a wood fence to keep out stray livestock. Placement of these gardens was generally near the kitchen where they grew an assortment of vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

 

 

 

Taken from Colonial Gardening by Deb Browning

 

Tall Case Clocks

 

  Originally, tall case clocks were little more than wall or hang-up clocks. The transition to a tall case clock occurred in England from 1670 to 1700. It is likely that a hood was added to keep dust and dirt from the movement; later a case was added to hide the pendulum and weights. The craft of making tall case clocks in America began in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and later in Connecticut; Connecticut became the birthplace of mass-produced clocks about 1840. Except in rare instances, the clockmaker did not make the cases for his clocks. Cases were usually made by a cabinetmaker on order from the clockmaker or from the purchaser of the movements. Each area developed its own regional style; one can distinguish between clocks made in Philadelphia, New York, or Boston. Generally speaking, case styles reflected the furniture styles of the period. Cases with flat tops, no feet, and square brass dials are of the William and Mary style. Between 1715 and 1725 arches appeared on the dial and hoods were arched to conform. The ogee foot appeared, and the style developed into that known as Queen Anne. The Chippendale style developed around 1760, broken arches became popular on the hoods and some fretwork was used, brass or wood finials appeared, and ogee feet became standard. (OG -- ogee -- is a molding found in both architecture and furniture.) Around 1780, the Hepple- white style appeared. The cases of this period often feature inlay work. Dials of tall case clocks are another way to date clocks. The earliest ones (1600 to about 1740) were about 10" square and made of brass with spandrels of pierced brass; usually a silvered chapter ring contained the numbers. With the advent of the arched dial, a moon phase often appeared in the lunette, which had carried the clockmaker's name. The painted dial appeared around 1780 along with Arabic numerals. Movements of tall case clocks were most often made of brass and ran for eight days. Some brass movements were of the pull-up variety, however, and ran for 30 hours.  Excerpt taken from:  A Brief History of American Clockmaking by Mo Klein  www.EarlyAmericanHome.netwww.EarlyAmericanHome.blogspot.com 

 

 

The Blanket Chest

 

 

The blanket chest is used in much the same way today as it was in early America.

Whether antique or reproduction, a blanket chest can be a useful addition to a bedroom.

Placed at the end of a bed, it can store blankets for added warmth on cold nights.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

The Blanket Chest

 

 

Blanket chests were very popular during the 17^th thru 19^th centuries. Over the years, drawers were added to the basic form, increasing the height, and gradually a different piece of furniture evolved called the mule chest. The drawers in a mule chest were used to store slippers called "mules" by the colonists.
The first colonists had no closets in which to store their clothing, blankets, and household linens. Attics were not readily accessible, and cellars were apt to be damp. Thus, the chest came into use.
In its simplest form, the chest was a large wooden box with a hinged lid. Although it functioned primarily as a receptacle for clothes and valuables, it also served as an additional seating place, for chairs were a luxury in most homes. Frequently chests were used for the storage of linens and things, especially those a bride brought to her husband. This is known as the dowry. From this evolved the name "hope" chest, now commonly used.
Early ships' records show the chests to have been the sole items of furniture accompanying many settlers. It is not surprising, therefore, that the chests built by seventeenth-century joiners in this country were copied from English pieces designed in the prevailing Jacobean style popular in London at that time. As early as 1660, craftsmen in Massachusetts and Connecticut were fashioning paneled and carved oak chests, constructed of wide stiles and rails. These had floating panels with elaborately carved intaglio decorations. Instead of a paneled top in the English fashion, the Colonial chest had a plain pine board top. This unadorned top surface was ideal for seating and did not need cushions thereby making it more functional.
In their crude fashion, these chests were the counterpart of the elaborate coffers, and caskets owned throughout Europe by wealthy families. Many households would not do without one of these blanket chests as few homes had a source of heat within the bedroom. On chilly nights it was convenient to merely go to the end of the bed and extract more bed covers to keep warm on those chilly nights. During warm seasons the blanket chest stored bed covers in a convenient location.
In colonial America blanket chests were constructed of various species of lumber ranging from inexpensive pines used for "country" type furniture to more expensive hardwoods such as walnut, cherry, and imported mahogany. The latter were used for more formal pieces of furniture that only the very wealthy could afford. Some of these chests were lined or constructed of pleasant smelling aromatic red cedar that repels insects. Pennsylvania Dutch chests were often hand painted with traditional decorative motifs.

The finish consists of six coats of hand-rubbed low luster tung oil finish, with a final coat of carnauba wax. The hardware consists of a high quality brass-plated, full-mortise chest lock, and friction scissor chest hinges that conveniently hold the top open.
This chest is certain to become a future antique, due to its traditional construction techniques, use of high quality materials, and timeless beauty.

Information taken from:  www.wwch.org   www.EarlyAmericanHome.net