Feathers, frass and freezers

The Old House Museum in Bakewell has a fascinating costume and textile collection. It's the reason I started writing this blog, so I could share it with a wider audience than those who make it up the hill from the centre of town to visit and see it for themselves. In the last couple of weeks something every curator dreads has happened. Carpet beetle has been spotted in the museum. The Old House Museum is no stranger in dealing with disaster and set back is a positive way. The Museum building was rescued 60 years ago when a local surveyor spotted a call to tender for the demolition of a condemned block of tenement cottages, in a local newspaper. He recognised that part of the house was Tudor and the rest had been redeveloped by Arkwright. The Bakewell and District Historical Society was formed to manage the rescue of this architectural treasure and the rest, as they say, is history. So carpet beetles and their larvae, the charmingly named woolly bears, whilst unwelcome guests, are an opportunity for us all, volunteers and visitors to learn more about them, where they have come from and how to get rid of them.

An area of the solar display area has been given over to checking and packing clothes on display that may be affected. Two freezers are on order and websites and local experts are sharing their knowledge. Information is on show for visitors and plans have been made for training sessions for volunteers.

If you are reading this and are able to help, get in touch with the Old House either through this blog or via their website.

I have mentioned the freezers, frass is the excrement, as fine as grains of sand, and the feathers were part of the boa where we think the infestation began. The beetles can get in through birds' nests and there are jackdaws who nest in the eaves each season, in spite of being discouraged from doing so. The carpet beetle feeds on animal proteins so fur, feathers, natural history collections and the like are particularly at risk. I am guessing that the mild wet winter and recent hot weather has encouraged the infestation too. I'll share updates on the situation on this blog and over the next few posts I will explore some historic ways of getting rid of pests who take up residence in clothing!

Dressing up dolls

News of the Old House Museum's collection of clothes travelled as far as Japan recently, and two ladies came to research some of the dresses and to take photos for a forthcoming book to be published in Japan. Very exciting!

This doll, a recent donation, sat in a corner of the textile room. Her appearance took me back. Many years ago I had a Japanese friend who bought and restored Victorian and Edwardian dolls. She also sourced ladies' outfits of the era, often worn and torn. She then had clothes made for the dolls in these authentic fabrics in an appropriate style. These were taken back to Japan to sell to doll collectors there. It was fascinating to see these lovely dolls come to life. While some were originally intended as toys, others were literally mannequins, used to display and advertise the latest London or Paris fashions for dressmakers working elsewhere. Definitely a la mode.

In the swim

The sun is shining and it's hotter than July. In a shady corner of the Old House Museum, this knitted swimsuit is part of a forties display. Moss green, it's a far cry from the vibrant swimwear you find on sale today. Even a vogue for retro swimming costumes doesn't go as far as reviving knitted versions. Some of you may remember the woolly weight of water in a costume like this, often hand knitted for children. Once a suntan became a symbol of leisure and luxury, no longer associated with outdoor and farm work, then swimwear became a fashion item. From the glamorous upholstered costumes of the 1950s to the bikinis of the 1960 nowadays there's a huge range of swimwear or lack of it to choose from. Who could forget the swim hats of the 1960s, essential for maintaining glamour whilst protecting the perm. Serious and sporty swimwear follows fashion trends too. The outdoor pools and lidos of the 1920s and 30s created a desire for outdoor swimming. Park Hall Pool in Little Hayfield was my favourite, and there's still the increasingly popular Hathersage Pool in this part of Derbyshire. Wild swimming is in the news nowadays too and in a spell of good weather the rivers and waterfalls beckon.

Make Do and Mend

There's a huge interest in craft again among younger people. Recycling, upcycling, remaking and redesigning clothes and knitwear, using vintage patterns and fabrics to create something that reflects the individual. It's the direct opposite of high street fashion where everyone looks and dresses the same. Back in the 1940s a make do and mend approach was a necessity, not a creative choice or an expression of individuality.There's a corner of the Old House Museum in Bakewell that reflects a time when everyone darned socks, turned up hems, let out blouses and remade dresses. Amongst the collection are buttons and templates for patchworks, embroidery threads and sewing kits. We would love to see young people using the museum's collections to explore craft and creativity. They could take inspiration from the clothes in the collection. They could explore the possibilities of using traditional techniques and sewing kits. We are hoping to make links with local schools and students to do this. If you know anyone who might be interested, please contact the Old House Museum through this blog.