#vamuseum

[freshstitches]

In my previous post, I talked about the stacked stitch technique and said the idea came from warp knit textiles. I promised to tell you more about these knits so here's some info.

The terms warp and weft come from weaving where they are used to describe vertical and horizontal threads respectively (image 2). As hand knitters, we don't generally use these words in relation to our craft, but they correspond to the 2 primary methods of knit fabric production. In hand knitting and on home machines, yarns travel back and forth across each row horizontally (image 3). This is also called weft knitting.

Warp knitting is a process where yarn travels vertically as the fabric is created (image 4). We, as hobbyists, rarely use this term because it is very tedious to do by hand requiring a knitting loom or a lot of patience. Each needle has its own spool of thread and the width of the fabric is essentially determined by the number of bobbins/spools used. Imagine intarsia, but each color is just one stitch wide. Each thread must constantly zigzag from needle to needle in order to create a sheet of fabric and not a series of disconnected crochet chains. This lateral movement is referred to as "shogging." Threads swing to the front of the needle (overlap) and move one unit to the side then swing behind each needle (underlap) and and move to the side one or more spaces.

Warp knits are known for being sturdier with less elasticity and than weft knits. They can be very dense like stranded colorwork or contain extremely large holes. They do not run or ladder, if a yarn breaks, the fabric will slowly unravel and only a small hole will form. 

As in weft knitting, many different textures and colorwork effects can be created using only a few, basic stitches. Tulle, athletic mesh, and flame stitch (image 1) textiles are all manufactured using warp knitting machines.

The cover photo belongs to the @vamuseum and shows a silk shawl from c.1850. I made the illustrations from scratch and I'm very proud of them, please share them so lots of people see them.

[allthedesiredusernamesaretaken]

Advertisement by Alphonse Mucha for "Moet et Chandon's Champagne." 1890s.

(Credit : vamuseum )

[foucault]

豊永盛人・エナメル彩＋石川昌浩・硝子、による古典紋様八角コップ。V&Amuseum @vamuseum にはひと棚まるごとオランダのエナメル彩たくさん、みたいな雑な展示の場所がありますが、これもイギリスの思い出なのだろうか。今日から「豊永盛人の、土産ばなし展」、はじまります���

[thinkingimages]

glass beaker with designs of birds, with the Kufic inscription 'perpetual blessing' in Arabic

Nishapur, Iran, 800-1000 AD @vamuseum via @edmunddewaal

[emvidal]

From Art Noveau illustrator Alphonse Mucha, and from us too.

Advertisement by Alphonse Mucha for "Moet et Chandon's Champagne." 1890s.

(Credit : vamuseum )

[oswincoleman]

Jenna Coleman on Instagram, sharing pictures from the Chanel dinner at the V&A museum last week, for the opening of a new exhibition:

Celebrating the glorious new Gabrielle Chanel Manifesto exhibition spanning her life, career and legacy @vamuseum @chanelofficial 🖤 I am going back…

[dogandcatcomics]

Attribution: Daniel Maclise (practice in London, b. Ireland, 1806-1870), Cat and Children, pen and ink drawing, c. 1825-1870, 21 x 15 cm, collection of @vamuseum Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Thanks to @susan_holloway_scott_author for the tip. I appreciate the feline representation.

[flaviatomaello]

“En El amante del volcán (1992), Susan Sontag escribió “la necesidad del coleccionista tiende precisamente al exceso, al empacho, a la profusión. Es demasiado… Alguien que vacila, que pregunta ¿necesito esto?, ¿es realmente necesario?, no es un coleccionista. Una colección es siempre más de lo que sería necesario”. Esa fruición voraz que, según dice Miguel Delibes en su obra Los coleccionistas, no busca la aprobación de los demás, sino la satisfacción de la propia posesión, abrazó a Elton John (77 años) cuando la vida se le presentó con unos lentes nuevos.

A principios de los 90, el hoy Sir Elton acababa de emerger de uno de sus tiempos más oscuros. Sobrio y convencido de un cambio de vida, comenzó a dejarse embriagar por otras “sustancias” más disruptivas, pero saludables. La fotografía ingresó a su vida como una calesita colorida que presentaba sus montajes con climas dicotómicos: en ocasiones a ritmo de candombe o bachata, a veces en un blues nublado por el humo de la madrugada profunda y otras como un grito ancestral desde lo más animal de la raza humana.

En el suple #Conversaciones de @lanacion del domingo te cuento de la megamuestra del fondo fotográfico de la colección de #EltonJohn en mi museo favorito, el @vamuseum de #Londres y dialogo con la directora que relata los secretos del perfil #coleccionista del #artista.

#FlaviaTomaello #arte #muestra #fotografía #art 

[siguelaluzazul]

Costume designed by Oliver Messel for Jean Cocteau’s The Infernal Machine, 1940. Via vamuseum.

[trascapades]

👗#ArtIsAWeapon #NewExhibit "Africa Fashion" opens at @brooklynmuseum this weekend with a talk tonight, June 22, 7PM featuring @kehindewiley & @renoflife.

Reposted from @brooklynmuseum: Soon, you’ll be able to see for yourself the multidimensional facets of fashion, creativity, and culture on display in this exhibition which features work by mid-twentieth-century designers as well as works by a new generation of designers, collectives, and fashion photographers working in Africa today.

Share in the celebration of opening weekend with Reni Folawiyo (@renoflife), Kehinde Wiley (@kehindewiley), and Lola Ogunnaike (@lolaogunnaike) who will lead us through a conversation on Africa’s Influence during Brooklyn Talks on June 22 at 7 pm. Attendees will have after-hours access to the exhibition.

Get your tickets to #AfricaFashionBkM and #BkMTalks at the link in our bio!

Africa Fashion is created by the V&A (@vamuseum)—touring the world. The lead sponsor is Bank of America (@bankofamerica) with major support provided by ALÁRA (@alaralagos). Special thanks to OkayAfrica / Okayplayer (@okayafrica) and Nataal (@nataalmedia), media sponsors for this exhibition.

Our presentation is organized by Ernestine White-Mifetu (@ernestinewhitemifetu), Sills Foundation Curator of African Art, and Annissa Malvoisin (@unexfemmenoire), Bard Graduate Center / Brooklyn Museum Postdoctoral Fellow in the Arts of Africa, with Catherine Futter, Director of Curatorial Affairs and Senior Curator of Decorative Arts, Matthew Yokobosky (@matthew_yokobosky), Senior Curator of Fashion and Material Culture, and Rhea Stark, Curatorial Assistant, Arts of Africa, Asia, and the Islamic World, Brooklyn Museum.

#BrooklynMuseum #AfricaFashion #AfricanFashion #museum #BlackGirlArtGeeks

[virtualscotland]

The ultimate walk around Dundee - such an underrated city! In this video, we see inside the V&A Museum, the HMS Unicorn, RRS Discovery, and the McManus Gallery and Museum. We also walked around the city centre, including Caird Hall, the waterfront, Dundee Law where there are beautiful views over the city, and of course the two football stadiums uniquely situated on one street, Tannadice and Dens Park. Maybe even the odd character from the Dandy and Beano! Enjoy! 😍

[chamud1964]

#london #vamuseum #sculpture #sculptures #art #artinthecity #collection #cityphotography #cityview #citylife #city #mypov (at Victoria and Albert Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeBvos4trLQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[theoldsmelly]

#stopcopyingme #vamuseum #viviennewestwood (at Victoria and Albert Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVpOggOsvca/?utm_medium=tumblr

[kabiruabu]

Dapper gent @mercston in @kabiruabu bespoke at @grmdaily #grmgala 📸: @uncleashraf #kabiruabu #bespoke #grmdaily #mayfair #navytux #shawl #lapel #dinnerjacket #vamuseum #gent #blacktie #ootd #gqstyle (at Victoria And Albert Museum, London) https://www.instagram.com/p/CScmd7MA1tK/?utm_medium=tumblr

[larimar]

[weemsbotts]

“Virginians are of genuine Blood. They will dance or die!”

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

HDVI & The Town of Dumfries start planning for Celebrate Dumfries Day, formerly Charter Day, in the fall and winter of every year. From inviting The Chesapeake Mermaid to an info table on Virginia History Day, we were prepared to celebrate with you. Historically, the organization started celebrating this holiday from very early on in their formation and different years featured a range of activities, from music to interpreters to Victorian fashion shows provided by the Victorian Society at Falls Church. For 2020, take my virtual gloved hand and dance with me as we look at Dumfries fashionable and stylish history in the 18th century!

(Charter Day 2008)

In 1774, Philip Vickers Fithian, a tutor at Nomini Hall in Westmoreland County, observed dramatically, “Virginians are of genuine Blood. They will dance or die!” Dancing was a serious social obligation for Virginians in the 18th century, as dance masters traveled to plantations to instruct their students. Often, the community held dances after the lessons, encouraging the entire household and neighbors to join in with music provided by military bands, consorts, or enslaved persons. If you lived near an urban area, you could attend a dancing school, such as the one in Williamsburg in 1737 or Richmond in 1784. The style of dancing changed based on region and level of society. While fancier dances accompanied performances such as minuets, the less formal country dance featured social mixing of upper and middle classes. Derived from African society, jigs and Scottish-derived reels invited lower-class white persons, servants, and the enslaved to participate. Balls were popular in Virginia and commemorated everything from birthdays (eventually George Washington’s!) to military victories. Based on primary records and the busy commerce of our happening seaport, we know that people held balls in Dumfries. While Lucinda Lee Orr did not elaborate in her journal, she did note, “He said, at supper, he was engaged to dance with one of the Miss Brents at a Ball in Dumfries, but that was only conditioning.”

(Charter Day 2018)

Did you reject my virtual gloved hand? Perhaps you would enjoy some other type of celebration or pleasurable activity? Well, Dumfries was a “hotspot” for traveling in the 18th century, meaning the Town offered a variety of different social gatherings. Although travelers frequently complained about the poor roads around the area, they still attended plays and horse races. Miss Orr further noted Dumfries in her journal regarding another sociable practice we hold several times a year at the museum, “I have a thousand Questions to ask about them, but I hope you will write me an exact detail of every thing that happened while there. You have been at a tea-drinking lately, in Dumfries: Mrs. A. Washington gave me the whole History of it—told me your dresses, and every thing. But where am I running to? I had forgot there was Company in the House, so happy am I always conversing with my Polly. Adieu.” George Washington traveled to Dumfries in 1771 for a performance of “The Recruiting Officer: A Comedy”. This 1706 comedy authored by Irishman George Farquhar, followed the dating exploits of two army recruiting officers and earned this summary from the American Players Theatre, “Whether they’re attempting to fill their boats or their beds, these recruiters will need to apply some hefty truth-stretching to their deal-closing.”

(Charter Day 2008)

Although we will not dance with you on Celebrate Dumfries Day 2020 or join you for a scandalous play, we still consider ourselves a destination spot as we welcome the local community and travelers a great place to dine, rest, and participate in different events. We thank you for your continued support as your membership and donations help fuel our ability to still dance in Dumfries! Click here to help support us today!

(Sources: Virginia Humanities: Encyclopedia Virginia: Dance during the Colonial Period; George Washington’s Mount Vernon: George Washington at the Theater; The Project Gutenberg eBook (#22487), Journal of a Young Lady of Virginia, 1782 (1787), by Lucinda Lee Orr)