Stoneware

This guy is super to work with from Dakota Stoneware. Although the pictures on the website are a little too "busy" for me, you can get plain stoneware and the price is right!

THIS close

This site has a great connection from the seemingly distant past to now...although not that distant!  Thanks, Claire.

Corsets

Originals by Kay is a great place to get custom made corsets or just look at what she has to offer.  If you do get something custom made, it does take time on your part to get correct measurements and time on her part to get it done, but the results are great. 

Corsets, or earlier stays, are controversial when you look back at them.  Books, but movies especially, have made them look frivolous and like torture items!  However, they have a very practical purpose of creating support for a woman's back (think about those belts workers wear at lumberyards and hardware stores), especially if they are lifting in the kitchen - cast iron, wood, coal, etc.  They were worn snuggly, but usually not as tight as they were portrayed in movies.  The sizing in catalogs is even misleading since you usually ordered 4-6 inches lower than your waist (for example, a 30 inch waist might get a corset size of 24-26 inches) since you would have a good sized space in the lacing.  Many times women did lace them up tighter for special occassions and evening events.  But think of what we go through for special events today - higher heels, spanx, and special padding!

Not to say corsets did not cause problems sometimes.  Tight lacing would make it hard to breathe, fashions dictated how it was worn and caused a body to conform to that shape, and people, as they do now, took it one step too far, which sometimes harmed health.  Worn properly, they do add extra support and shape and can make a era's fashions really come back to life.

Bree's Blog

If you haven't come across Bree's Blog yet, try it out!  Brenda does an exceptional job telling about living on Mackinac Island.  She often comes to the MSHP offices and verifies facts and asks more questions to get the full story.  Her husband, Ted, also volunteers at the Visitor's Center during the summer and does a fantastic job - a true gem!