Corsets: Retro-Cool or Completely Insane?

 I just stumbled upon an ABC news clip about the growing trend of women wearing corsets, not just for dress-up, but every day...full-on waist training. I'm aghast!

x-ray of corseted waist and rib deformation

Here's a link to the abc news clip

I do think corsets can be beautiful, and who wouldn't love a tiny waist? But every day? Aren't we taking a major step backward here ladies? What's next, Chinese foot binding?
Here's what wearing a corset does to your anatomy, when you do it to the extreme level that these ladies are doing it:

drawing showing displaced internal organs

 ((not the most up-to-date illustration, but it gets the point across)))


 I did a bit of quick poking around on the old interwebs and found that opinions abound on this subject...I found lots of corset-enthusiasts who swear up & down that there is no medical reason that extreme corset training is bad for you...many of them say that "it's the same thing that happens to your internal organs during pregnancy"...um, it's not?

In my opinion, wearing a corset for a special event, like a costume ball, or for stage performances and things like that seems OK. It really does create a dramatic look, but at what cost? I recently came upon a quote by Mahatma Gandhi, who said, "be the change you want to see in the world". Is this really the change we want to see? A giant step backward into pre- women's rights times? A world where looks matter more than health? Where freedom of breath and movement is less important that image? No thanks!

I think one of the real reasons this bothers me so much is that it hits me on a personal level. You see, I have a weird little medical condition called Idiopathic Gastroparesis. What that means, in a nutshell, is that my stomach empties more slowly than the average person's. I have to eat small meals, and I have to avoid certain foods like carbonated beverages and hard-to-digest things, or I get really, really sick. No-one knows what causes it, and there is no cure. It's not the end of the world, and I'm leaning to live with it, but why someone would do this to themselves intentionally is beyond me. Because, in effect, that's one of the "side effects" of corset training: a person wearing a super-tight corset is basically giving themselves this condition. The "corset expert" in the video even says (a wearer) is going to get really bad heartburn. Lovely! What do these people think heartburn is? It's the acidic contents of your stomach burning away at the sensitive lining of your esophagus. Yeah, that's healthy!!

OK, enough ranting for now...
what do you wonderful readers think? Is this a trend that needs to go away, fast, or something you like?
Id love to hear your opinions :-)

Vintage Science Friday...Episode 2

 (To preface this post, yes, this is science! There are chemicals involved, and chemicals = science, right?)

One of my favorite things to do is find some beautiful piece of vintage something-or-other that needs major TLC and fix it all up so it looks shiny and new.
Here are a few things I use to bring vintage pieces back to their former glory. But first, one note of caution! Use all these things with care. They're all strong stuff!

I mostly use the above items for textiles. I use the "Cold Water Wash" (it's like Woolite) for delicate things like scarves, sweaters, etc. I use *very* cold water and a capful of this stuff in a clean bucket...submerge your items gently, and then very gently swish them around a bit. Let soak for just a few minutes (10 max) and then rinse & rinse & rinse, with cold water. Lift the item out with great care...some fabrics are super-fragile when they're wet and you don't want to tear the fabric! Then lay it out flat to dry, on a towel or on a rack.
**********One quick note: you probably already know this, but you can't wash anything with a lining that's made of a different material! For instance, a beaded cashmere or wool sweater with a chiffon or satin-type lining. Usually the lining will shrink. Sometimes the outer part shrinks and not the lining. Either way = very bad. Take these items to a dry cleaner. You say your dry cleaner won't clean beaded things? Find a "theatrical" dry cleaner.**************

The Biz is remarkable stuff! I use that only on cottons and polyester-type, man-made materials. You can soak things for hours, even days...Biz is an enzyme wash and it works incredibly well on the type of yellowing you get on fabrics that have been stored away for decades. The Soft Scrub I use with the toothbrush only on tough, white fabrics that have resistant stains...like a vintage tablecloth. Scrub it on the spot, wait a few minutes, then rinse thoroughly.

The "Miracle Cleaning Eraser" (generic Magic Eraser) is great to take little scuffs off of glasswear, ceramics, and it takes magic marker/sharpie off of things, just be careful to use an extra-light touch...it's abrasive & it'll take the shine off, too!

The Rust Stain Remover here is an absolute miracle worker! Once I washed a sweater with metal buttons and then left it wadded up, damp, overnight (I know! Bad Vintage Owner! Bad!) this, of course, left huge horrible rust stains where the buttons were resting against the wet fabric. A little bit of this stuff and *Poof* the stains were gone! It was like a magic trick. Seriously.

Baby wipes are for things that can't be washed, like a fabric-covered handbag or belt, or a hat. They gently remove surface stains and don't seem to leave a residue.

Hot glue gun...I use this to stick down shoe insoles that are lifting at the heels. Also for lots of other things where you need instant adhesion. Watch your little fingers, though! that stuff's like napalm!

I have lots more tricks up my vintage sleeve, but I'll save some for another post...
I hope these things help :-)
Does anyone out there have tricks for cleaning & fixing up vintage items? Feel free to share!

Introducing...Vintage Science Friday!

You guys out there in Blogland don't know me that well yet, but if you did, you'd know that I'm secretly a big'ol nerd. A dorky, science-loving, sci-fi watching, bug-collecting, library lurking nerd. So in that vein, I'm gonna do a little thing I'll call Vintage Science Friday!!!! Not every Friday...I can't commit that much, but perhaps most Fridays? Or every-other? Anywhoo..here's the Premier Edition:

MOTHS: They are not our friends!

Anyone who has experienced the heartbreak of pulling a beloved vintage cashmere sweater out of storage and finding, instead, a cashmere piece of Swiss cheese knows that moths are not our friends at all. Specifically clothes moths, or Tineola Bisselliella, the common clothes moth.

Our Enemy (thanks to WikiPedia for the pic)

He looks innocent enough, right? Not so much...he, rather SHE is our enemy! She is a very good Mommy, and searches for a safe and sound place for her babies. Her HUNDREDS of babies. A safe place like your closet, or your drawers. She will lay 100's of eggs in a place that's dark and quiet, and where there's a ready food source, like your favorite 1950's cashmere sweater set. When those eggs hatch, they become tiny caterpillars who munch their way through your clothes, sometimes for months. They turn Keratin, which is the natural protein of which hair and wool consist, into food. They will eat any natural fiber: wool, alpaca, cashmere, silk, cotton (yes!), silk, fur, feathers, linen, etc. Only your 70's polyester is safe :-)

These little darlings especially love it when you've put your sweater away dirty (ewww) as they love sweat and food particles, however microscopic. They use this stuff to get their moisture, because they can't drink.

"But how do I stop them???" you ask in horror...here's how:

* Never put your clothes away (for any length of time) dirty! Hand wash or dry clean first, always!

* Dry Cleaning kills moth eggs and larvae.

* Freezing kills moth eggs and larvae. This is what I do when I get a wool sweater from a thrift store or some such...I wrap it tightly in a plastic bag and put the bag in my freezer for 3 or 4 days. My husband loves it when he opens the freezer and finds sweaters instead of food :-)

* Heat kills moth eggs and larvae. 120 degrees F. for at least 30 minutes. The hottest setting on your washer and dryer *may* get that hot, but do you really want to do that to your vintage clothes? Probably not.

*Old-fashioned mothballs kill moth eggs and larvae, but only in an air-tight container. Yes, they are poisonous and they smell funky. Keep them safely away from pets and children, and don't stick your head in the container looking for that one sweater...
The mothball smell can generally be completely removed by putting the item out in fresh air and sunlight for a few hours. Sunlight degrades the smell, and fresh moving air carries it away.

* Lavender Oil will work, but only just barely...it has to be STRONG, refreshed often, and in an air-tight container.

* Things that don't work: Camphor (needs too high of a vapor concentration to be practical),
Cedar: smells lovely (if you like your clothes to smell like a hamster cage), but doesn't really work, other commercially available herbal/spice things...go ahead and try if you like, at your peril!

That concludes this episode of  Vintage Science Friday.  Stay tuned next week for more fun with science! ;-)