#1 - Old book
My friend Gloria visited yesterday, and shared this amazing book with me. It was published in 1916, revised from the original 1907 publication. The title is:
Henley's Twentieth Century Formulas, Recipes and Processes
Containing ten thousand selected household and workshop formulas, recipes, processs and money-saving methods for the practical use of manufacturers, mechanics, housekeepers and home workers.
Here is the cotton entry, covering bleaching by "steaming", with calcium sulphite, and with hydrogen peroxide.
And here is the silk entry, covering artificial rubbered silk(?), artificial aging of silk fabric, bleaching silk, and washing of light silk goods.
The range of entries is huge - no table of contents, just in alphabetical order. "Silk" is preceded by "Sign letters - to remove black letters from white enameled signs", then "Sign letter cements - see Adhesives", and "Signs, to repair enameled - see Enamels." After silk comes "Silk sensitizers for photographic purposes - see Photography" and followed by "Silver."
The number of ingredients and supplies that are unheard of today (or known by different names maybe) is amazing.
The use of dangerous chemicals is scary. We may get fussy about how over-the-top safety precautions are these days, but honestly, seeing these recipes without any mention of danger is kind of freaky.
#2 - New book
Here's my book, making its debut at the Fine Art of Fiber show last weekend. I am officially a published author now - how amazing! I am learning how to sign the title page like authors do.
I've been working hard to get all the logistics set up to actually open up for on-line sales and shipping. Hopefully all will be ready in a week or so!
