Sticks In Petticoats: Parasol Manufacture for the Modern Costumer

By Rachel E. Pollock

Written as a resource for costumers and propbuilders in the performing arts industry, this reference volume contains a range of in-depth information on the design, construction, and repair of parasols. Chapters include a brief history of the parasol, step-by-step instructions on different patterning methods for parasol canopies, and suggestions for making material and trim choices. Numerous illustrations, diagrams, and photographs augment the text, and appendices include a thorough glossary of parasol component terms. Sticks in Petticoats is an invaluable addition to any costumer or propbuilder's professional library. This edition contains over a dozen full-color interior photographs by Ryan Jones.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9781257149520

Book preview

e9781257149520_cover.jpg

Sticks In Petticoats

Parasol Manufacture for the Modern Costumer

Rachel E. Pollock

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any

means without written permission of the author.

Frontispiece by Rachel E. Pollock, after an engraving of 1833.

Text and illustrations© Rachel E. Pollock, 2007.

Photographs © Ryan Jones, 2007; used with permission.

9781257149520

STICKS IN PETTICOATS:

PARASOL

MANUFACTURE

FOR THE

MODERN

COSTUMER

e9781257149520_i0002.jpg

RACHEL E. POLLOCK

This book is dedicated to A. Dominy-Cusráque,

who gave me my first really nice parasol.

Thank U.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

INTRODUCTION

Table of Figures

Chapter One: - An Overview

Chapter Two: - Patterning the Parasol Cover

Chapter Three: - Stitching and Lining a Parasol Canopy

Chapter Four: - Materials Choices and Fitting Tips

Chapter Five: - Care and Repair of Parasols

APPENDIX A: SOURCES

APPENDIX B: SUGGESTED READING

APPENDIX C: GLOSSARY

APPENDIX D: APEX ANGLE MEASUREMENT CHART FOR PANEL DRAFTING

APPENDIX E: PHOTOGRAPHS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

About the Typeface

About the Photographer

INTRODUCTION

When I sat down to write this book, it was initially for a very specific need: I lacked a textbook for a graduate level costume production course in Decorative Arts for which I intended to teach a parasol project. I searched for anything I could use—a pamphlet or magazine article or instruction manual, something extant on the technical methods of parasol covering, recovering, and repair—and came up empty-handed.

The book’s first incarnation took the form of a PowerPoint presentation coupled with a few handouts of mathematical formulae and vocabulary words, but the more I worked on the lesson plan, the more the body of information grew. I began to avidly devour history books, peruse 19th century portraiture archives and fashion magazines, anything related to the subject of parasols. I began to take notes on my process as I recovered, altered, and repaired parasols for various theatrical and practical purposes. I soon realized that I no longer had a study guide or a pamphlet-style handout; I had a textbook in the making.

The title comes from a period reference I discovered in the course of my research, a quoted phrase coined by children a couple centuries ago, apparently typical kids struggling to describe an object entirely foreign to their experience—a parasol: they called it a stick in petticoats. I found the anecdote and the phrase charming—an excellent metaphor, a touch ribald, a perfect title.

My intent for the book as it stands now is to serve as a resource for professional costumers in the performing arts and entertainment industry. In addition to the brief historical overview (brief because much more in-depth works on parasol history exist already, cited at the end of the text in the appendix of Suggested Readings) and chapters on canopy production and frame repair, stage-related topics are included as well. These sections include a discussion of visual distance aesthetics in parasol trim theory, methods of approaching parasol construction in the context of a fitting