The Jane Austen Handbook (9 page)

• 
Carpet work
. Use wool yarn to stitch a tapestry carpet on canvas. Use it to cover a footstool or a chair seat.

• 
Netting
. Make yourself a purse or a sweet cloak by winding worsted yarn or cotton or silk thread onto a netting needle and tying knots to form a mesh fabric
(
Figs. C
–
F
)
. Use a wooden or bone gauge to keep the mesh even
(
Fig. C-1
)
. Knots can be tied in patterns, or if you are making a fine mesh, you can embroider over it later to create filet lace. If you have a sailor around the house, he will know this skill, which is used to make fishing nets. He might even design an improved netting needle for you!

• 
Knotting
. Using silk or cotton thread wound onto an oval-shaped shuttle, tie a series of knots to create a decorative trim or fringe. Using the couching method, sew the trim carefully to fabric that will be used to upholster furniture or make curtains or other household items. When finished, the fabric will look as though it has been embroidered with French knots.

• 
Tambour work
. Stretch fabric tightly over a hoop, then use a long, thin hook to draw fine thread through the fabric to make a chain stitch in a pretty design. This kind of embroidery looks lovely on a ball gown. Crochet, or “tambour in the air,” is a descendant of this art.

• Gold or silver paper cut into 1/8-inch-wide strips (you can use another color if you prefer, but gold and silver are festive and pretty)

• A quill feather (not a pen; the end should be intact)

• Wooden or paper basket

• Paste (have the cook boil it up from flour and water)

• A small paintbrush

1. Wrap the coil. Take a strip of gold paper and wrap the short end tightly around the end of the quill
(
Fig. G
)
. Keep wrapping until the entire strip is coiled around the quill
(
Fig. H
)
.

2. Set the coil. Hold the paper roll for a minute or so. If you want the coil to be tight, hold onto it as you slide it off the end of the quill. If you want the coil to expand, let go and it will expand and slip off the quill.

3. Shape the coil. You can change the shape of the coil by pinching one end to make a teardrop, or both ends to make
a diamond shape. Squares, triangles, and other shapes can be made using the same method.

4. Make several different shapes
(
Fig. I
)
. Try rolling each end of a strip of paper in different directions for a pretty, swirly shape. Use shorter strips of paper to make smaller coils.

5. Lay out the design. Arrange the coils on the tabletop or a piece of scrap paper and move them around until you find a design that you like. Experiment with different shapes and coil tension to find the prettiest effect.

6. Paste the coils to the basket. When you have decided on your design, brush a little paste onto one side of the coils and place them on the basket. You do not have to cover the whole basket; sometimes a minimalist look is just as pretty.

7. Wait for the paste to dry thoroughly. Leave it at least overnight. If possible, give the paste a week to cure thoroughly.

8. Apply the finishing touches. You may paint it if you like, but if you used pretty paper, painting is unnecessary.

9. Give the basket
(
Fig. J
)
to a friend.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A REGENCY LADY

7
A.M.
:
Rise.

7–7:30
A.M.
:
Wash, tidy your hair, dress.

7:30–8
A.M.
:
Meet with your housekeeper, choose dinner menu.

8–9
A.M.
:
Look in on the nursery; make sure the children are awake, washed, dressed, fed, and usefully employed.

9–10
A.M.
:
Practice your instrument.

10–11
A.M.
:
Breakfast.

11
A.M.
–3
P.M.
:
Pay morning calls or stay in and receive your own callers. Between calls, take care of darning and other family sewing. While guests are present, do only fancy needlework.

3–4
P.M.
:
Tend to your correspondence: Write letters and answer invitations.

4–5
P.M.
:
Play with the children or read an improving book.

5–6
P.M.
:
Retire to your dressing room to rest and dress for dinner.

6–8
P.M.
:
Dine.

8–11
P.M.
:
Spend time with your family or guests you have invited to dine or drink tea.

11–11:30
P.M.
:
Undress and prepare for bed.

11:30
P.M.
:
Retire.

HOW A GENTLEMAN SPENDS HIS LEISURE TIME

Fox hunting:
Begins in late October and continues through March. Requires a sizable outlay of cash for horses and equipment, and wealthy neighbors to sponsor the hunt.

Shooting:
Starts in late August, when grouse season opens, and continues through January. The dogs flush the birds with help from the beaters, who raise the coveys so the birds fly into the air where they can be sighted and shot.

Fishing:
Season runs from early spring through late autumn. Includes fly-fishing for trout on a river or stream, or coarse fishing for pike and eel in a pond or lake.

Playing billiards:
When outdoor sports are unseasonable, many gentlemen occupy themselves at the billiards table. Many houses have a small room set aside for this purpose, which is exclusively male territory.

Maintaining the family library:
Books bound in cardboard are purchased and sent to a bookbinder to be bound in leather with gilt ends.

Attending clubs:
In the city, many gentlemen belong to eating clubs such as White’s, Brooks’s, or Boodle’s. In the country, gentlemen might have a local eating club or whist club that meets once or twice weekly.

Boxing and fencing:
The well-known fencing instructor Henry Angelo and the retired boxing champion John “Gentleman” Jackson share premises at No. 13 Bond Street in London, where they instruct gentlemen in their respective arts.