Treasures 2 - A Knitted Spaceship and Wizzle, Twizzle and Betty

When I was a little girl, we lived in Connecticut where my father practiced medicine in an office that was part of our house. Many of his patients were neighborhood folks, some of whom lacked resources with which to pay the doctor. So my father took tomatoes, pickles and hand knitted items in return for tetanus shots and check ups.

One such knitted item was this flying saucer. At the time, dad and I would sit in the evening and watch hours of Sagan and Nova. I think he probably shared some of this info with his patients. And now, I have inherited this magnificent piece of art.

It is one of my greatest treasures, although Wizzle, Twizzle and Betty only make their appearances during the Christmas season. Perhaps I'll keep them out all year 'round?

What I Love About Christmas

Sometimes, during the Christmas season, we get lost in the "GET."

But what really "FEELS" good are these things...

Whats the stuff that evokes your favorite Christmas feelings?

source

John S. Goodall

It's the whole ENTIRE film, guys! The whole thing!!! (Thanks You Tube!!!!)

And....THIS! UNCLE!

Diversions #2 - How to Get Dressed

I'd say I am what some might a call a "slave to fashion," or perhaps a "fashion maven," or a "clothes horse." whatever the nomenclature is, I'd say it's true. I, like my mother and grandmother and sister, truly love fashion. I love textiles, the culture of clothing and dressing, the fashion world glossy magazines and shopping. But I also love history. In fact, I have curated an art show about fashion and published an academic paper in a university art magazine about the fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli and the costumes of Walter Schnakenberg.

Today we will look over something like this:

Mrs. Cadoux at The Tate

A friend of mine shared this with me becasue she knows my great love of clothing and fashion history. She's pretty thoughtful.

In the 18th Century (Britain specifically - for our purposes), wealthy women had servants to dress them. They needed lots of help getting dressed becasue the chore was sheer drudgery. See the video below which delineates all of the extraordinary details and the great undertaking that getting dressed was. This was the time of the Rococo art movement in Europe so opulence was a mark of high society and the fashion reflects that as well as the art.

This is from The Lady Lever Art Gallery 

   

But you can read more here at the Encyclopedia of Fashion.
And here at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
And here, too, at Jane Austen's World.