Coronation Cord and Pinwheel Bedspread - Tracking down Crochet History

This past week I struck pay dirt and finally found the answers to two crochet mysteries.

Mystery #1

I was intrigued by the wavy line of work in the middle of this crocheted edging. I had never seen anything like it before and didn't know how it was done. The answer is coronation cord. Coronation cord is a trim used in embroidery, crochet and tatting work and its use peaked during the late 19th century and early 20th century.

The crocheted edging was attached to a linen cloth that was probably originally used as a hand towel. The cloth was stained and worn so I removed the edging and I'm waiting for the right project to come along to reuse it.

I'd like to find the pattern for this piece but I've never seen a crochet trim pattern that called for the use of coronation cord so I'm going to have to try looking in some new places.

Mystery #2

Over 10 years ago I wrote a blog post about Crochet at Colonial Williamsburg and showcased this bedspread. I FINALLY found the pattern!

The name of the pattern is Pinwheel Bedspead No. 423 and it was published in the book Bucilla Hand Crocheted Colonial Bedspreads. The book has a copyright year of 1932 which fits right in with the time that the Rockefellers moved into Basset Hall. You can find this book and hundreds more vintage pattern books at the Antique Pattern Library

My Crafting Pochette

Whether it's knitting, crocheting, sewing or any other "making" these are the tools I most regularly need and reach for. When I'm crafting in my "mom's chair" they are next to me in a small bag that I can easily pick and carry wherever I want to work.

I didn't know there was a name for it until I read this New York Times article: It Took 800 Hours to Make This Chanel Dress. The word is pochette, a small envelope shaped bag/purse. Designers in the fashion world each have their own pochette to hold their tools. Karl Lagerfeld’s pochette was specific to couture sewing but mine has a few additional items suited for knitting, crocheting, and general crafting.

Here are the items in my pochette:

1. Black and white thread. When I'm working on a particular project I'll have the color of thread for that item, but for basting and many things that need just a few stitches, black or white thread will suffice.
2. Seam ripper. I have three seam rippers. One is next to the sewing maching, one is next to the serger and one is next to me. I use my seam rippers a lot.
3. Pins. Most of the time when I'm sewing I use satin pins, but when I need a quick pin or two I like pins with heads.
4. Sissors. I use scissors on a lot of different materials (paper, plastic, yarn, thread, fabric) and this little pair has risen to the task of cutting almost everything and has become my favorite.
5. Crochet hook. Other than actually crocheting with it, I use a crochet hook to pick up dropped knit stitches and any time I need to a hook to grab something. I've found the size B hook to be the best suited for most tasks.
6. Ruler. I'm always having to measure things and this 6" ruler is my favorite. It's transparent so I can see what's under what I'm measuring. The width of the ruler is 1/2" and the height of the ruler is 1/4", two of the most frequent measurements I use. I've worn the markings off two of these rulers from using it so frequently.
7. Tape measure. Because lots of stuff I need to measure is more than 6"!
8. Chibi. I have no clue why it's called a Chibi. It's just a case to store tapestry/yarn needles.





9. Needle case
This is a crocheted needle holder that also holds extra safety pins and stitch markers. I frequently make this for gifts and the pattern for it can be found here.

Ecobrick

I try to pay attention to my carbon footprint and lately I've been working on reducing the amount of trash that goes to the curb each week. Plastic has been a particular problem. My city's single stream curbside recycling program collects the plastic bottles and containers but there are so many other types of plastic that can't be recycled this way.

While I was researching what could be done to reduce or reuse the plastic that isn't allowed in the recycle bin, I came across the Ecobrick. Ecobricks are made from plastic bottles that have been stuffed (and I mean STUFFED) with waste plastic. These "bricks" are then used to build things like benches, tables, and buildings.

I've written before about how certain ideas or projects grab my imagination and won't let go. The Ecobrick is one of those and I had to make one. It took three attempts to get it right.

My waste plastic - it's just too much

Try #1: Single serving water and soda bottles are most commonly used for making Ecobricks, however, I stopped buying those a long time ago, so I started by stuffing plastic into a Costco sized 2.83L juice bottle (bigger is better, right?) but this bottle was too large and difficult to pack.

Try #2: Next I tried a 1.7L juice bottle. I stuffed waste plastic into the bottle, I stuffed more plastic and I stuffed even more plastic but when I was done the bottle did not meet the weight requirements. A properly made Ecobrick will have a minimum density of .33g/ml so my bottle should have weighed at least 584g (651g if I included the weight of the bottle and cap) and it was more than 100g short of that.

Try #3: For this attempt I knew I needed to improve my plastic packing technique. I cut any plastic that wasn't soft and pliable into small pieces. I also used two different kinds of sticks. One stick was a 1/2" wood dowel and worked really well to push plastic down the sides of the bottle. The other stick was the wood handle from a broken toilet plunger (what a way to reduce, reuse, recycle!) and this worked perfect for pushing plastic into the middle of the bottle. Success! The total weight for the bottle was 667g and it is a solid plastic brick.

My packing sticks

Will assembling Ecobricks make a real ecological difference? I don't know but it has certainly opened my eyes for the need to do better about managing the amount of plastic in our lives. I still put all the plastic I'm allowed into my curbside bin and some of the plastic I used in the Ecobrick could be recycled by taking it to a plastic bag and film drop off location but an astonishing amount of plastic can't go to either location and there is also this additional dilemma detailed by the New York Times - Your Recycling Gets Recycled, Right? Maybe, or Maybe Not

What will I build with the Ecobricks? Again, I don't know. For now, I'll keep making Ecobricks and hope a project idea develops. Making Ecobricks can't hurt and in the meantime my hands and upper arms get a regular workout.