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Books & Articles





Recent publications



Lady's knitted Mitt



by Heather Vaughan Lee


The Lady’s Knitted Mitt is a lovely and quick fingerless glove based on an 1881 pattern published by Harper’s Bazar. Originally written for a crochet cotton or thread weight yarn, this modernized version uses a fingering (14 wpi) weight of a silk/merino blend. Knit from the bottom up, beautiful vintage details including eyelets, picots, and a turned hem. The all-over dropped stitch pattern is revealed at the end, and provides a bit of a thrill when you see how the glove transforms from a solid knit to one with an almost ribbed lacey texture.


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Gentleman's Knit Night Cap Pattern



by Heather Vaughan Lee


This pattern is based on one that originally appeared in the March 1876 issue of Harper’s Bazar. That version called for fine white cotton, and was most likely meant to be worn as a sleeping cap, such as the one worn in ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (aka A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore, 1823).




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Make Do: Feed-sack fashion in the first half of the twentieth century



by Heather Vaughan Lee


Women in poor rural areas of the United States made clothing from cotton commodity textile bags out of necessity. The practice was especially prevalent during the extreme hardships of the Great Depression (1929–1933) and during other materials shortages brought on by World War II. Dresses made from these sacks are evidence of the critical role that home sewing of reused materials played in everyday lives.




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Artifacts from American Fashion



by Heather Vaughan Lee (Editor)


Clothing and fashion accessories can serve as valuable primary sources for learning about our history. This unique book examines daily life in twentieth-century America through the lens of fashion and clothing.




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Silver, Steel, and Silk: A Material Culture Mystery



by Heather Vaughan Lee


How did Hepsibeth A. Edwards’s silver knitting needles travel from Nantucket to Northern California? Heather shares this nineteenth- century mystery.


and


A Sunflower Pincushion to Knit


Winter 2019 issue




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Clothing and Fashion: American Fashion from Head to Toe



by Mary D. Doering, Patricia Hunt-Hurst, Heather Vaughan Lee, and José Blanco F., Volume Editors


This unique four-volume encyclopedia examines the historical significance of fashion trends, revealing the social and cultural connections of clothing from the precolonial times to the present day.


Awards

  • Best Reference 2015 — Library Journal
  • 2016 Editors' Top Community College Resources - Reference — Choice
  • 2017 Best Reference Source — RUSA

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Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style



Contributor, Heather Vaughan Lee


From simple to sophisticated, elegant to excessive, discover more than three thousand years of shifting trends and innovative developments in the world of style. Tracing the evolution of fashion — from the early draped fabrics of ancient times to the catwalk couture of today — this book is a stunningly illustrated guide to the art of clothing.


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The Barron-Gibb Baby Bootie



By Heather Vaughan Lee


Hulda Petterson Gibb (1886–1973) of Minnesota made booties for her grandchildren (the Barrons) in the 1940s and 1950s. The bootie pattern was reportedly a part of her Scottish husband’s family tradition. (Hulda’s parents were immigrants from Norway.)


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The Knitted Knightengale



By Heather Vaughan Lee


Learn more about the history of the nineteenth-century wrap that became known as “The Nightingale.” Did Florence Nightingale ever actually knit a Nightingale? Heather (Vaughan) Lee reveals more about this intriguing garment.


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Books



A Complete List





Lee, H.A Vaughan. Artifacts of American Fashion ABC-CLIO, 2020.


Lee, H.A Vaughan. (Volume Editor and Contributor) Clothing and Fashion: American Fashion From Head to Toe, Volume 3 (1900-1945), ABC-CLIO, November 30, 2015.


Vaughan, H.A. (Contributor) Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style, London: DK Publishing, October 1, 2012.


Vaughan, H.A. "Foreign Treasures: Elizabeth Ginno’s Costume Etchings at the 1940 Exposition on Treasure Island" in Essays on Women’s Artistic and Cultural Contributions 1919-1939: Expanded Social Roles for the New Woman following the First World War. Paula J. Birnbaum and Anna Novakov (Eds), Edwin Mellen Press, May 30, 2009. *Awarded the Adele Mellen Prize for Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship


Vaughan, H.A. and A. Kellogg, 1920-1939 [Chapter]. Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing in American History. Greenwood Press (October 30, 2008).



Articles



A Complete List





Lee, Heather Vaughan. “Make Do: Feed-sack Fashion in the First Half of the Twentieth Century” Piecework Magazine (Long Thread Media), Fall 2020.


Lee, Heather Vaughan. “Silver, Steel, and Silk: A Material Culture Mystery” and the project “Sunflower Pincushion to Knit.” Piecework Magazine (Interweave), Winter 2019.


Lee, Heather Vaughan. “The Barron-Gibb Baby Bootie” and the project “Barron-Gibb Baby Booties” Piecework Magazine (Interweave), January-February 2018.


Lee, Heather Vaughan. "Wrapped in Comfort: The Practical, Fashionable Nightingale" and the project "Knitted Nightingale") Piecework Magazine (Interweave), January-February 2017.


Lee, H.A. Vaughan. “Found in the Museum: A Callot Soeurs Gown” Dress: Annual Journal of The Costume Society of America, 42.1, Spring 2016 (April 2016).


Lee, H.A. Vaughan. (contributed knitted piece), "Pincushions Knitted like a Lemon," Knitting Traditions, Fall 2015.


Lee, H.A. Vaughan (contributed knitted piece) "Uhlan Cap," Knitting Traditions, Spring 2015.


Vaughan, H.A. (contributed knitted piece) "Japanese Feather Scarf" Piecework Magazine, May/June 2014.


Vaughan, H.A. "The Jack Frost Yarn Company and Handknitting in the United States." Knitting Traditions, a Special Issue by Piecework Magazine, Spring 2013.


(Juried) Vaughan, H.A. (March 2009), "Icon: Tracing the path of the 1950s Shirtwaist Dress." Journal of American Culture, Special Fashion Issue.


Vaughan, H.A. (2008) "Natacha Rambova Fashion Designs." Costume Australia. A publication of the Museums Australia Costume Special Interest Group. Fall 2008.


(Juried)Vaughan, H.A. (2006), "Natacha Rambova, Fashion Designer (1928 – 1931)." Dress: Annual Journal of The Costume Society of America, Vol. 33: 2006 (released in May 2008).


Vaughan, H.A. (2007), "Foreign Treasures: Elizabeth Ginno’s Costume Etchings at the 1940 Exposition on Treasure Island." International Journal of Regional and Local Studies, Series 2, Volume 3, Number 2, Autumn 2007 (released April 2008).





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Heather Vaughan Lee