Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-07-21
IN THE DAYS OF HoMEsPuN


WOOL was a days stint in spinnin Q,
though a clever spinner could easily do
twice as much Wool was often colorcd
DeIore splnning-dyed black or red
then carded with white The resultant
Unread, steel or red mixed, was wonder
1ully soft and harmonious in color. Old
eh carefully raveled, then carded
with white wool or cotton, made the
SIX mixed that was such a favorite for
the long stockings worn with knee
oreeches. as well as for homespun
gowns They were woven in checks,
strlpes and cloudings. One of the pref
uest was dice-cloth-a kind of basket
weave, OF alternate white and black or
gray threads, thirteen to the group
IL was troublesome to weave -
thread too many made a balk in the
pattern Children and servants had
simple checks in blue, or copperas and
white Linseys for winter wear were
gorgeous In green and scarlet and black
and blue. Dyeing was part of the
nome work, as well as weaving and
spinning From walnut hulls, bark
and root came twenty shades of brown
Green walnuts and sumach berries gave
beautiful fast black that did not stain
the wearer. Hickory bark or peach
leaves gave glowing yellow; swamp
maple, blacklist purple; sugar maple,
a light leather tint, and oak bark set
with copperas, a handsome grayish
color. In fact, the skilled dyer could
get twenty colors from the woods and
fields.
Except for f1annels, carpets and
blankets. the warp was usually of fax
or cotton A very pretty carpet had
half the warp of coarse wool doubled
a strand of green and one of brown
In weaving. when the wool came up
permost, a very coarse wool thread was
shot in. When the cotton came up
very fine thread caught and held it al
most invisibly. Beaten up thick, the
effect was that of a messy, clouded
Turkey fabric Other carpets were
woven IN stripes or plain, like web
bling, the wooden wool threads pa ssing
over and under the cotton warp, two al
a time.
Size was estimated by the number of
threads that laid side by side, made
cloth the regulation yard wide. The
coarsest was four hundred. From that
it went up and up with hardly limit
except that of the spinners skill
and patience. There was scarce
ly anything they couldn't weave
on the looms-jersey and serge,
and cotton and linsey. house linen, bed
linen, blankets and counterpanes. The
counterpane was homespun high-water
mark Wooden ones had usually the
figure in colors skipped up on a white
or blue ground. Those of cotton were
left white and bleached till they daz-
zled the eyes Of some easy patterns a
clever woman could weave eight yards
in day.
OF honeycomb, huckaback and dia-
mond diaper three yards was a good
days work. FaEcy patterns were more
tedious The crown of skill and pa
thence was knotted cloth. The weave
was perfectly plain, but at intervals of
an inch big soft cord was woven in
and pulled up in little knots all along
its length. Over the body of the cloth
they formed regular diamonds For
the center they made an elaborate ara
besque design. Down one side of the
spread the maker generally drew them
up to shape her initials, with either the
date of making in Roman letters, or her
husbands name opposite.
There vas room, and to spare Beds,
in those days, stood four feet from the
floor COUnterpanes were three yards
by four, without the fringe, which was
either woven with dates and initials ia
the deep open heading or knitted in
open lozenge pattern to which deep tas-
sells were attached 1t fell over a val
ance, Also homespun, and was either
fringed edged with Melted points at
the bottom.
IN ,.f fho SN$
wifery in that era The good danes
knew as much of embroidery as their
favored great-grand- daughters One of
them has left behind her a monumental
piece of work. in which can be found no
less than nineteen different stitches,
many of them among the rarest and
most difficult known. A piece of work
somewhat similar is a stuffed coun-
terpane. The fabric-also homespun
linen-is taken double and stitched
into flowers and leaves with coarse
linen thread Then, through Sits in
the undr side, the figures were stuffed
with lint cotton, the medallion center
and the stemless roses standing above
the plain surface.
The netting needle and $tirrup filled
I'D many a day. The bed nas the piece
de resistance in furnishing then 1t
was q tall four-poster, and, besides
counterpane and valance, had Melted
curtains and Melted points edging the
Icnx pillow and bolster cases Win
dow curtains were Melted, too, besides
edsings and fringes for all kinds of
household articles In particular the
..toalets" that fell over the high. square
bureaus had often q netted fall half
ward deep around them i'm addition,
caps, ruffles, purses and fchus were
Melted. The latter were called dress
handlserchiefs, and folded high
about the throat over the low
cut gowns. On them the net
ter lavished her chmcest art.
Sometimes the mesh WIS as fne almost
as bobainet Melted cApes were high
in favor, but the square with long ends
was accounted better for young women.
Sometimes they had fringe e~ tassels
about the edge, or even a ruile of the
net with a rug pattern run En- The
handsomest finish was embroidery. For
that the net was tackled smooth over
cloth. the figures were wrought through
both. then the under fabrics were cut
away, leaving something closely ap-
proaching old rose point
The women who practised these arts
made tatting, knit lace, stockings, nit
tens, tufted gloves. overshoes- com