12/12/2019 by The Artist's Child

The Tree and Creative Family Celebrations

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The Tree as a centrepiece of the festive season brings joy to family celebrations and allows for all kinds of creative interpretations. In our home it has been the focal point for gatherings of family and friends so we try to put an effort into making it a little bit different each year, without spending a fortune or getting too stressed. I can usually find something in our decoration stash to re-invent the tree every season whether it is a real or artificial pine, or the alternative kind.

One of our most memorable trees was a Monterey Pine that we placed beside the fireplace in the old part of our house. This was the largest tree we have ever had. It was nine feet tall and nearly reached the ten foot ceiling. Ellie and I went to a tree farm to choose it and brought it home with the help of our uncle and his trailer. It was a job getting it on to the tree stand and I’ll never forget the strong scent of pine that permeated the house. We fed the tree regularly with sugar, vinegar and a few drops of bleach (to kill mould) that was added to the bucket in which the trunk was placed. This kept it looking fresh for the whole festive period.

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We had an old fashioned Christmas party that year where everyone came dressed in costumes of the late Victorian era. The pine tree was decorated in this style, with candles, toys, papier mache and glass ornaments. We already had many of these decorations and found inexpensive items at two dollar shops and chain stores. On top of the tree was a large papier mache star.

We did not light the real tree candles in case naked flames ignited the volatile pine needles. Instead the room was lit with large candles in the fireplace and assorted candle sticks and holders, as well as some oil lamps. The light reflected in the shiny glass baubles of the tree and created a lovely atmosphere. Luckily it was a cool summer’s evening and the candles did not generate too much heat.

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All our guests entered into the spirit of the occasion and we had a wonderful evening trying to recreate a celebration from a bygone era. We may have lacked the snow but once the sun had eventually set it was hard to tell that it was summer and the tree gave us a taste of a northern winter Yuletide.

More recent trees at our place have been the alternative kind, being created from a music stand, a dead tree and a ladder, all of which suited the more modern section of our house and fitted well with the summer season. Here are some photos.

This year I dug out a 1970s, six foot, green tinsel tree from the attic. (That is the great thing about old houses with roof storage. Plenty of places to store old family items that can be rediscovered and reused.) We have not put up this tree since 2007, so I thought it was about time and it looks good in our more casual family room.

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When sparkling aluminium and vinyl trees first appeared they must have seemed so modern compared with the traditional pine trees. The only thing they have in common are the branches formed into a cone shape. They remind me of something from the space age, like some strange satellite antenna. Many examples of these shiny vintage trees are available to buy online and they are especially relevant where it is summer and no sign of snow. They look great with the sunshine reflecting on the metallic foliage.

Mixing both original and contemporary ornaments can give new life to a vintage tree. As well as some vintage decorations, such as the synthetic silk balls, I used more recent decorations from our collection that also suit this tree, like white, gold and silver stars, aluminium tree and butterfly cutouts. Basically anything sparkly and shiny. Amongst the branches are white and silver Christmas Crackers (or bon bons) to hide the trunk. I did not put on any lights or glass baubles because electricity, glass and dogs are a recipe for disaster. And speaking of dogs, we have placed our tree on a small table to prevent the original silk balls being appropriated by our dogs. The last time we set up this tree one of our previous fox terriers stole and destroyed a few. It would be too tempting at ground level, especially as our younger dog loves balls. So far so good. The tree looks quite dramatic and nearly touches the ceiling.

Our vintage tree will be a cheerful feature at our end of year party and will allow us to time travel back to the mid twentieth century for our celebrations. Nothing like cocktails and retro finger food partaken around the tree on a summer’s evening to put everyone in happy, holiday mood, especially when the sun does not set until around 9.30 pm.

Have fun and be creative with your tree. Whether it is real, traditional or modern, there is something special about getting together with family and friends around the tree for whatever you celebrate at this time of year.

Thank you for dropping by to my erratic blog and wishing all of you Happy Holidays and a joyful Festive Season.

Kat

The following is a typically Aussie, irreverent take on a well known Christmas song by Bucko and Champs (Greg Champion and Colin Buchanan) You won’t hear this one in stores!

29/03/2018 by The Artist's Child

What’s it About Rabbits?

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Many in Australia are about to celebrate Easter with its symbols of renewal in the form of eggs distributed by the Easter Bunny, which may have originated with the Moon Hare, associated with the German Celtic goddess Eostre (or Ostara) who bestowed eggs at spring festivals. As always the spring theme seems in opposition to our autumn weather with the days gradually cooling down and the chill starting to set in, especially at night. Still people persist with the symbols of spring and look forward to decorating real eggs or eating chocolate ones. Chocolate rabbits are also very popular, as are representations of this furry animal, which I find quite ironic, as it is one of Australia’s worst introduced pests, which many have tried to eradicate from the landscape to no avail. So why are rabbits still so popular here?

Easter Bunny Postcard 1907 (Image Wikimedia.org)

Because of the damage this creature has done to the Australian environment there have been attempts to replace the Easter Bunny with the beguiling native Bilby, a marsupial bandicoot that has big ears, a long tail and hops. Unfortunately the bilby is endangered and is not as prolific as the rabbit, which competes for burrows and food. There is an extensive breeding program and these animals are being reintroduced back into the desert regions where they normally live. You can find delicious chocolate bilbys as gifts, which help to support these programs.

It will take a lot to replace the Easter Bunny with a Bilby. The rabbit is a spring fertility symbol because it is so prolific and has managed to survive no matter what humans throw at it. For centuries cooked rabbit has prevented people from dying of starvation during lean times. Also you can keep rabbits as pets while the bilby is a protected species and can only be kept by qualified wildlife carers. The bilby is very sweet but rabbits have the cuddly pet factor on their side. While the rabbit might not be great for the bilby, chocolate does not discriminate and you can enjoy both versions at this time of year.

Rabbits are cute. It is hard to resist their allure and toys and figures of rabbits are popular to collect. Ellie and I have a small fun collection of rabbits that can be put with eggs or as alternative decorations. I decorated a small dead tree, appropriate for autumn, with some wooden hanging rabbits and have placed this in our front hall.

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We have some quaint vintage textile rabbits that look good in a basket. Two are handmade, one knitted and the other made from felt.

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One of the world’s most famous literary rabbits, who existed long before the infamous Marlon Bundo, came in a little bag. It is nice to see his illustration in 3D form.

Small rabbit figurines are good to collect as they take up little space and are made from all kinds of materials. Here are some glass, china and pewter examples.

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Rabbits are also used to decorate eggs. A Chinese babushka style egg displays a rabbit family and there is an empty innermost compartment where you can place a chocolate egg to surprise the recipient.

The rabbit is one of the Chinese Zodiac animals, popular in Asian countries and adopted by many other communities. We have a small collection of Japanese rabbits. There is a vintage 60s flower power papier-mâché money box in the shape of a rabbit; three beautiful textile rabbits wearing kimonos and a tiny pair of wooden rabbits inside a shrine-like structure which is a good luck symbol for marriage.

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Rabbits have endured as a fertility symbol and are popular for so many reasons. While they may not be wonderful out in there in the Australian bush and it is a good idea to support the bilby, rabbits do make cute pets. They have inspired stories and other creative arts and crafts. Let’s face it, rabbits make you smile and that’s a good enough reason for having them around.

Kat

Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday season no matter what you celebrate at this time of year. I’m having a couple of weeks off blogging to recharge the creative batteries, so see you later in April.

The following song by Australian Indie band, Boy & Bear is called Rabbit Song. It doesn’t have much to do with rabbits, but the song is a delight and the video is wonderfully creative.

03/03/2018 by The Artist's Child

Distractions and Culinary Delights

You know the feeling. You start doing something and you find yourself going off of a totally different tangent that leads into different but fascinating territory. This week I was looking for a favorite recipe (flourless chocolate cake) that my mother used to make and found myself looking at an old cookery book that has been in the family for generations. Now I’m not really a cook, Ellie being the one who inherited that creative ability, but I like to eat and am fascinated by unusual dishes of the past and this old book took me on quite a journey.

Cookery For Every Household by Florence B Jack was published in the UK in 1914 just before WWI completely changed the world. It is a reflection of the previous Victorian and Edwardian way of life, where many people still had maids and cooks to do a lot of the domestic duties. Some of the elaborate recipes are heavily influenced by French cuisine and reflect the old style of entertaining of the wealthy. Our copy at same stage lost its original cover and was rebound in red. The book has over 3,000 recipes and is quite a tome. The book is full of line drawings to illustrate the recipes and as well as basic cooking, there are some culinary dishes that seem quite strange by todays standards.

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It is also amazing that cooks could produce such complicated cuisine with gas rings, simple stoves and equipment.

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Here are some illustrations of the latest technology of the time: The electric stove.

I had to laugh at the mention of low electricity rates. Some things were better back in the early 20th century.

Ingenious contraptions were designed to make cooking easier. The Hutchings’ Patent Cooker was a tall steamer which could hold an entire meal to be cooked all at the same time. Imagine having this towering on your stove. I suppose it was the microwave or Thermomix of its day. Great for the busy housewife.

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In complete contrast, the basic meat safe was still in use for storing perishables. This hanging example was very common in Australia to stop ants and other creepy crawlies from getting at the leg of lamb for the Sunday roast.

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Improvisation was encouraged if you did not have the right equipment. If you did not have one of these for straining soup.

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You could do this.

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The book contains recipes based on ingredients that are no longer common in modern books. Take for example Fried Smelts. It made me wonder about the smell. Apparently it is a small fish, which smells like a cut cucumber and should be eaten as soon as possible. Yeah it probably smelt if left too long.

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Another unusual dish is Salsifis. These are a root vegetable similar to a parsnip and are either black or white. Taste wise these resemble asparagus. In America they are called Oyster plant because they were thought to taste similar. The drawing of the dish shows that the pureed salsifis were placed in scallop shells to look like seafood complete with lemon segment bow ties.

I noticed that many of the recipes followed a similar line. No food should look like its original form. For instance Stuffed and Baked Cod resembles a pair of eyes. I don’t think that this is any better than having a fish on your plate looking at you. Quite odd.

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Vegetables were presented so that there was no sign of any leaf. With Dressed Spinach the cooked leaves were put through a sieve, then butter and seasoning was added and the dish was decorated with triangular croutons of fried bread and segments of hardboiled egg. Anyone who had an aversion to spinach would never know that this plant was on the plate. Maybe not such a bad idea after all.

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There seem to be a lot of recipes where the food is dressed. Dressed Crab is another example. It involved the complete dissection of the crab then a mixture of the flesh and mayonnaise was put back into the shell with some claws on top to remind the diners that they were eating what was once a crab. No struggling with a naked crab.

Prawns (shrimp) got a similar treatment. In the Prawn Salad it looks like the two garnishes are dancing in a sea of prawn flesh, lettuce and sliced radishes, a reminder of their origin.

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Meat dishes also seemed to disguise the form of the original animal. The traditional Game Pie with its raised pastry case contains a variety of bird meat. The illustrated example is decorated with the feet of birds in the top hole that seems to be saying “let me out of here.” Not very appetizing.

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There seemed to be an obsession with molding things into cylinders or cones so that they became architectural structures like the following example.

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In those days cooking leftovers was a whole art form in itself. These dishes were not merely an afterthought. Here are a couple of extraordinary recipes.

Proper table linen was as elaborate as the food. There were a myriad of ways to fold napkins. Although the bishop’s Mitre seems a bit sober for a jolly night of feasting. Maybe that was the intention to avoid excess.

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To me it is the elaborately decorated desserts of this period that are incredible and make my mouth water. You may not have lived in a castle but you could eat a Castle Pudding (I think it must be a smear of pudding on the page).

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Nothing defines the period like Jellies. Great wobbly mountains of Jelly. The following recipe for Coffee Jelly could still be made today and would certainly liven up a party.

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The name of this dessert says it all. Tipsy Cake is an elaborate form of the classic Trifle. Layers of sponge cake, custard, strawberry or raspberry jam doused with a cup of sherry and decorated with cream and toasted almonds. Yum.

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For those with delusions of grandeur there is always the Princess Cake with it’s pink royal icing.

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Invalid cookery is where things take a down turn. No wonderful desserts if you were sick. It was a drab world of steamed food, soup and broth. The following advice in the book tells the sorry tale.

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Many of the more elaborate recipes found in this book are the type that nowadays would be made by chefs and are not the sort of food you would have everyday, although there are hundreds for normal meals for the ordinary housewife to feed her family.

I think that old cookery books from the past can still inspire and provide useful information for those interested in creative culinary skills. They also tell a story of the lives of our ancestors and the kind of society in which they lived. You often learn something new when you get distracted.

Kat

03/07/2017 by The Artist's Child

Strange Social Entertainments of the Past

Times change. What can be fashionable in one century can seem really peculiar in another. This is especially true of types of entertainment. We have an old battered copy of a magazine called Social Evening Entertainments produced by The Butterick Publishing Co in 1895. It is full of ideas for social get-togethers that were popular in the late 19^th century. This book has both motivated and amused several generations of our family. Some of the celebrations included are still relevant like Christmas, Easter and Halloween and there are some interesting ideas to inspire. There are others that are quaint or just plain weird.

Frontispiece, Social Evening Entertainments, 1895

Each party theme is told as a story with a family or group of friends deciding to hold a social gathering. We learn about the invitations, decorations, food and entertainment, through the eyes of the characters. This is why the magazine so delightful to read as you are taken into the lives of people over a century ago and learn a lot about the attitudes of the time. It is a work of fiction and a social history, as well as an instruction manual.

The Artist’s Studio Party got my attention because I was interested in how the ordinary person perceived the creative life in those days. You can read it for yourself below (just click on the image). The scene was set to create the 1890s idea of Boho, with the “garret” decorated with exotic rugs and Asian objects. A drawing game was played on an easel that could be a forerunner of Pictionary, with guests having to guess the object drawn. Wooden trays were cut into palette shapes upon which the simple but probably expensive food was served. There does not seem to be any alcohol provided so it does not bear much resemblance to a real artist’s life in that period. No Absinthe in sight. And the English walnuts served in silver paper paint tubes held together by glue and dabbed with possibly toxic paint were likely to poison the guests. This type of entertainment is a wonderfully naïve depiction of the artistic life and must have provided a lot of fun for the participants who were spared the reality of starving in a garret.

There seems to have been an obsession with instructional themes. Today the very idea of a Mutual Improvement Entertainment, an Evening with Familiar Objects or a Geography party would make people come up with all kinds of foolproof excuses for non-attendance. But these were obviously popular subjects back then before radio quizzes and TV game shows. The suggestions for the Geography Party are very detailed from globe-shaped invitations to scorecards for geographical guessing games and decorations. Further entertainment consisted of a geography match with two teams who competed by answering more geography related questions. The prizes included a gold metal Grecian style stick pin and silk and globe decorated Mouchoir Case (handkerchief case). Even the menu stuck with the theme. This is a party that you would need to study for in advance and can’t have been much fun for those with poor general knowledge about the world. Glad this type of event has died a natural death. Trivial Pursuit is much more fun.

Some quite odd party themes were for a Senses Party, a Jewel Party and a Poverty or Hard Times Party. In the senses party entertainments were based around each of the five senses with mystery substances to smell and taste, memorizing objects on a tray for sight, recognizing musical instruments for sound and touching unknown items while blind folded for touch. The sixth sense did not come into it, so no ESP games. Taste and smell did not always include pleasant things. To me the activities are a bit like some strange scientific experiment that you might never want to repeat. For a jewel party, the female guests were invited to wear as much of their jewellery as possible and to tell myths and legends about the type of stones they were wearing. It could have ended up being an occasion devoted to one-upmanship like todays socialites and celebrities walking the red carpet.

In complete contrast the Poverty Party was about entertainment without any frills. It was to show solidarity and sympathy for the poor. All items of good furniture, curtains and ornaments were to be put away, and replaced with blankets and plain linen on the floors. The hosts and guests would dress in old clothes, eat simple, homemade food and dance to music provided by local needy musicians. After the event the fabric and blankets were to be donated to the poor. I can’t help thinking that this theme is trying a bit too hard in the frugality department and it is all about the well off feeling good about themselves. Holding a public event for the local poor, who could not afford a party, with lots of food and fun would have been kinder and if you are experiencing hard times, who wants to be reminded of the fact.

There are some very quaint party ideas in the book that would have been time-consuming to produce such as a Logomachy Party. Logomachy was a word game with the letters of the alphabet on a set of cards. It is like Scrabble meets the old card game Casino. The guests were to take part in this game for entertainment. The party in the associated story was held in the springtime, so there were homemade flower shaped invitations and cardboard butterflies and flowers decorated the room and tables. Rabbit decorations were made from peanuts in the shell with brown paper ears. You don’t see a lot of peanuts at children’s parties anymore because of the allergy dangers.

The most unusual food item was the dessert: nests of whipped cream in shallow crystal saucers filled with coloured eggs made from wine jelly. Blowing the white and yoke out of real eggs created these eggs. The liquid jelly was then poured into the cleaned shells through a funnel. After it had set they were peeled to reveal the jelly eggs. This dessert would have taken a lot of patience and care to prepare, as the potential for disaster was ever-present. Jelly was very popular in the 19^th century but I doubt that anyone would have the time to go to this much trouble nowadays.

While many of the social entertainments may seem out of date and rather boring in the 21^st century, one can only admire the ingenuity and imagination employed in the creation of this book. It can teach us a lot about making do, recycling objects and materials and valuing the handmade over the mass-produced. There was also a great sense of community in those days where such gatherings brought everyone together, even the different generations. This is evident in an Old Folks Entertainment, where young people and their parents dressed in clothes from past decades, sang old songs and ate nostalgic food. Not dissimilar to modern 60s, 70s and 80s parties.

Hollywood party decorations

Hollywood party decorations: recycled tinsel, film negative strips, red scarf and 2$ shop feather boa, vintage glass head filled with gold fabric remnant

60s flower power party decoration, recycled fabric flowers from op shop and ribbon, white paper shopping bag with attached vintage note paper

Perhaps popular themes of today, like Hollywood or Hippie Parties, will seem bizarre to future generations. Whatever the period everyone enjoys a good party.

One of my favorite party songs from the past is Lionel Ritchie’s All Night Long. Love those 80s clothes and dancers. It is so joyful.

Kat

12/05/2017 by The Artist's Child

Before there were Emoji

Washi Ningyo (paper dolls)

I was looking at some of our Japanese doll collection and noticed that the simplified faces were like emoji, first used by the Japanese in mobile phones. These traditional dolls have been around for a long time so maybe this type of art inspired the creators of emoji. The following photos demonstrate the similarity. But whether there is any relationship or not it is still fun to speculate and to enjoy the skill and creativity of Japanese doll art.

The paper dolls above are tiny examples of the art of using origami (folded paper) to make beautiful paper dolls. The boy on the left has a thoughtful expression while the girl’s face is blank so I would liken them to questioning emoji faces.

Vintage Kokeshi Doll (circa 1950s)

Vintage Kokeshi (detail)

Vintage Kokeshi Dolls (1960s)

The above traditional wooden kokeshi dolls are from the mid-twentieth century. The girl and the older woman with a child both have a very typical calm expression but the little boy is smiling brightly to indicate youthful happiness.

Pin Knitting Doll

Detail Pin Knitting Doll

Love the look on the face of this Japanese pin knitting doll that I bought to use for my textile work. She seems to be really pleased and content with the world like she has just eaten chocolate.

Vintage Daruma Doll

The fabric Daruma doll is a depiction of the founder of Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma, who meditated for nine years so that his arms and legs atrophied and fell off (for more info on these dolls go here). His eyes seem to be looking inward like he is in a trance and his mouth seems very determined. Maybe this expression would indicate quiet reflection if it were an emoji.

Ceramic Toy Bells (Left to Right) Benzaiten, Ebisu and Daikokuten, three of the Seven Lucky Gods

The Seven Lucky Gods are popular figures in Japanese art. You often see depictions of Ebisu in Japanese stores and restaurants because he is the god of prosperity and wealth in business. Daikokuten is also a god of wealth and a demon hunter while Benzaiten is the goddess of music and beauty (based on the Hindu Goddess Saraswarti). Ebisu and Daikokuten have very happy contented expressions, as you would if you always caught the big fish or had a bag of valuable objects and a mallet for killing demons. Benzaiten has a wistful look as she plays her instrument. Useful emoji characteristics.

Kaibina Dolls (Clamshell Dolls), Omamori Amulets

This pair of kaibina dolls made from clam shells are good luck charms (omamori). They are covered with Kimono fabric. The pair are supposed to represent a united couple. While the female doll looks very happy her male counterpart has quite a sour look on his face. Maybe this is supposed to be an expression of strength and seriousness but it’s more like he has eaten a bad clam.

Japanese dolls are made from all kinds of materials and display a variety of facial expressions and emotions in a simplified manner. There is probably a lot of tradition involved in these choices, especially with the vintage dolls. The pin knitting doll that I purchased new a few years ago seems to have a more modern exuberant face than the older dolls like many emoji.

Whatever the origin and influence of emojis, our brain can make all kinds of visual connections between these and Japanese dolls. The past appears to influence the present and the present adds to tradition. That’s the way creativity often works.

Kat

Sticking with the Japanese theme I have included a traditional Japanese piece Sakura Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) played on the ukulele and a Japanese animation with the crocheted duo U900 playing the Beatles Twist and Shout on the ukulele.

07/05/2017 by The Artist's Child

A Window to the Past

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An old book can be seen as a window into the past and is a way to learn about the lives and interests of previous generations. In our household library we have an original copy of The Universal Self Instructor (1883) that was a popular book for the home in the 19^th century in Australia and America. In it’s day this book would have given anyone who had basic schooling some kind of further education. What I find fascinating about this book are the sections related the to the visual arts and crafts, particularly with regard to women.

The frontispiece depicts a goddess figure holding a torch with the words “knowledge is power.” It was a way to improve your life whether you lived in a city or the country. This book contains all kinds of information about business, law, agriculture, the domestic domains, leisure activities and general knowledge on many subjects, as well as social etiquette. It is full of detailed black and white illustrations and is very much a depiction of the ideal life more than a century ago.

There is a whole section in The Universal Self Instructor devoted to handwriting. It was considered important to be able to write well. The cursive script is beautiful and would have taken pains to master. Flourishes and images were added to documents so it was a real art. Today, unless you are a calligrapher, many people’s handwriting has definitely deteriorated probably due to the constant use of keyboards and the ballpoint pen. Inside the Self-Instructors cover is a beautiful example of handwriting done by it’s first owner.

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The book is all about rules and shows how restrictive it must have during that period. There are whole sections on social etiquette. Life was a minefield of manners that included etiquette for introductions, visiting, conversation, public places, clothes, marriage, birth and death, the carriage trip, riding, debuts into society and entertaining. Nothing was relaxed.

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The situation that amused me was the visit to an artist’s studio or gallery exhibition. Artists had reception days when ladies could “pay their respects” to artist friends and were to be on their best behavior. Pushing in front of others to view a work (something that is really annoying today), talking loudly and laughing were all considered extremely rude and you must never ask if a work is for sale unless you wish to buy it, which seems a bit stupid given that artists are not always great at selling their creations. In galleries negative comments about the works should be kept to a low voice in case the artist is nearby and you should not linger in front of a work for too long. Adherence to such etiquette today would make visits to crowded exhibitions a lot more enjoyable and artist’s would feel more comfortable if they did not have to listen to any uniformed criticism. So not all etiquette is obsolete and without merit.

By the look of the accompanying illustration it was assumed that the professional artist was a man. Women and girls were expected to keep to the domestic circle. Girls were to be discouraged from being idle. To quote:

“Girls are very apt to fall into a habit of lounging about doing nothing, gaping out of the windows or napping on the sofas.”

Sounds a lot like teenage boy behavior as well but there is no mention of this.

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To keep them busy, Girls (and boys) were encouraged to learn drawing and painting for pleasure. It was also a way to decorate the home. Suitable activities for girls were to paint china, greeting cards, furniture, book covers, and silk for clothing. Many ordinary women must have produced some beautiful creative artworks, often as a way to save money.

One of our female ancestors was a talented painter who took oil painting classes for young ladies at an artist’s studio in the 1880s. She did some large paintings of landscapes. I have included a photo of a small oil painting that she did on glass and a large seascape of Cape Schanck in Victoria (my photo does not do the latter justice as I was teetering on a ladder and kept wobbling). Unfortunately after she was married and had children she did not continue with her art. She was probably not taken seriously or encouraged to become a professional artist. There are a couple of tiny painted china plates in the first photo that were probably considered a more acceptable pursuit for women in that era.

Needle point items, pressed flowers and moulded bread dough flowers would have been typical crafts of the period

There are all kinds of suggestions for appropriate craft activities for women and girls. Of course there is embroidery, lace work, knitting, crotchet, patchwork and dressmaking, all popular textile crafts. There are also crafts such as creating scrapbooks, molding coloured wax flowers and fruit and the making of trifles (not the dessert). Trifles were attractive but fairly useless little novelty gifts made to pass the time. Inside the Self-Instructor, which is quite a tome, I found some dried flower petals pressed by a previous owner. I wonder if they were for the creation of some “trifle.”

Pressed flowers found in our copy of The Universal Self-Instructor

Another craft mentioned and probably long gone is “wall pockets,” decorative baskets lined with odds and ends of fabric, filled with dried flowers and foliage, tied with ribbons and attached to the wall (more like dust traps and spider homes to me). Such gentille activities would have only been possible for middle class women and girls who were not forced by their circumstances to work long hours in underpaid jobs.

A beautifully illustrated poem by Longfellow

Poetry is included in the book. There are a few by women poets, like American Magaret E Sangster, and this would have been an inspiration to young girls who loved to write poetry and demonstrated that they could also become writers.

The Universal Self-Instructor conveys an idealized view of the period, but for ordinary people who did not possess many books or have the means for further education, it would have been a valuable asset. It was like having access to the Internet in its day and opened up a world of possibilities in all kinds of fields for many people.

It’s a fascinating book and I hope it inspired some girls, as well as boys, to pursue their dreams in the arts despite the social restrictions. With all our modern freedoms, resources and technology there is nothing to prevent us from living an artistic life.

Kat

09/03/2017 by The Artist's Child

Bags of Creativity

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In this world of mass production I love handmade things. They tell the story of their creation and continue the skills and traditions valued by the people who made them. I have a collection of handmade bags and purses from the past and the present. They are examples of textile crafts that require time and effort to produce and reveal the various ways different cultures embellish utilitarian objects.

Some of my little bags came from ancestors and old family friends. They were produced in the early part of the 20^th century when ordinary women had more time to make their own clothes and accessories and they learnt various crafts that are now usually practiced by artisans and keen hobbyists. Other more recent bags and purses in my collection are examples of the textile crafts of other countries that are still being created in villages and towns today.

Art Deco Beaded Evening Bag

Art Deco Evening Purses

The black beaded evening bag and two rectangular purses were made in the 1920s and 30s by an old family friend. She must have spent hours sewing or weaving the tiny beads into art deco style designs that were fixed to the fabric backing. Women’s eveningwear would have been an added expense in those days, especially around the time of the Great Depression and many women made their own party clothes and accessories. They probably got ideas from overseas fashion magazines. When I look at these I can hear the sound of jazz bands and the clinking of martini glasses and see couples dancing in their finery. Such objects remind us that the owners were once young and enjoyed going out to parties and other celebrations.

Japanese Crochet Beaded Purse, 1960s

I also have a small vintage 60s beaded crotchet purse from Japan. This type of Japanese beadwork was popular in the 50s and 60s for bags and purses. You can find lots of examples for sale on the web. It seems to have been a common Japanese style of beading and purse shape. These tiny purses were widely produced and are still being made today. I like its miniature size and design. It must take a lot of patience to do such fine, fiddly work and to fit on the small beads while working with a crotchet hook.

Beaded Evening Bag, China, 21st Century

Cross Stitch Purse, Uzbekistan (top left); Red Beaded Purse, India (right); Beaded Crotchet Purse, Japan, 1960s (Bottom)

Beaded bags are still admired in the 21^st century and new ones are readily available. I have a grey beaded evening bag made in china and a small red beaded purse from India, where handicrafts are still common and are created for a wider market. There are also many obsessed independent crafts people who create their own beaded purses for sale online. It is good that this time-consuming craft has not disappeared. There is something magical about the way light catches on the surface of the beads. It is like miniature mosaic.

Evening Bags, 1930s & 1950s

Needlepoint and Petit Point Evening Bag, 1930s

Austrian Petit Point Evening Bag, Circa 1950s

Another popular craft of the past and present is needlepoint. I have had a go at this with cushion and picture kits and it is a slow and relaxing pastime. Before these kits became commonplace women would use unmarked canvas to create their own designs or could purchase graph style patterns to copy. Of the two bags that I possess one is a combination of petit point and standard needlepoint and the other consists entirely of petit point. An ancestor created the former in the 1930s and the latter is an example of Austrian petit point, possibly from the 1950s. One can only imagine the eyestrain caused in stitching such fine needlework, especially before the availability of magnifiers with lights. Austrian bags like this are still made today but are extremely expensive because they are so detailed and slow to produce. Anyone who does this painstaking work deserves to be paid well. Luckily there are still plenty of vintage bags available for a reasonable price for those of us with limited means. I sometimes wonder where the owners took these bags; from the theatre in the 30s to concerts in Vienna in the 50s, it seems a world away from our modern life today.

Hand Embroidered Silk Evening Bag, 1950s

Other types of embroidery were applied by hand to mid-century bags. The stylish 1950s black silk clutch in my collection has very fine couching embroidery on the top flap. Nowadays a soulless machine would be employed do this type of detailed embroidery. This purse reminds me of Audrey Hepburn’s elegant style in a Breakfast At Tiffany’s.

Embroidered and Crocheted Guatemalan Bags

Buying craft items made in another culture helps to keep the local textile traditions alive. I have three bags from Guatemala that demonstrate examples of different textile crafts. From woven fabric and rich embroidery to crotchet, these decorative bags represent the work of individual Guatemalan women. An ordinary bag is turned into a joyous expression of their creativity. I love their use of color and texture and when I carry these bags, they make me feel happy.

Iroqui Uzbek Cross Stitch, Uzbekistan

A small handmade cosmetic purse that I use all the time comes from Uzbekistan in central Asia. It is an example of Iroqui cross stitch, a traditional craft of the Uzbek tribe which uses silk thread. Equally colorful yet so different from the Guatemalan textiles, this purse belongs to the stylized aesthetic you associate with the central Asian communities along the legendary Silk Road.

At a time when computer technology is giving humans less to do manually in the workplace, it is good that there are still some things where a machine does not produce the best result. Automated textiles just don’t have the same character as those created by hand. It is the imperfections that make them unique and visually pleasing. No wonder so many people are rediscovering old crafts for their own pleasure or to sell on-line.

My small collection of handmade bags and purses display craft traditions from several continents that span nearly a century. It is wonderful to see the varied methods that have been employed in their creation and decoration. I really admire the patience and ability of the makers of these objects. They have transformed what is just a receptacle for carrying around ones possessions into expressions of their creativity and concepts of beauty.

Kat