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I'm still stuck on rayon. What is cold rayon? And liquid rayon? Marian

What fabrics do you think it is made of? How do you get into it? A zipper? Where? Hooks and eyes placket? How are the seams made? It's a puzzler. Marian

Thank you. Just what I needed to know. Marian

Listing of the possible weaves and fabric names is so helpful, Maggie. Thank you. Should I (we) be able to tell triacetate from viscose from Bemberg? I get confused by all the terms and wonder how deep to go in rayon fabric identification and descriptions. Marian

I can identify rayon as a fiber quite well, but I am not sure what else to add. For example, I can identify rayon crepe, but what about the plain weaves? What is an example of a complete rayon fabric identification? Marian

I found this book helpful for dating children's clothing: Pink and Blue, Telling the Boys From the Girls in America, Jo B. Paoletti, Indiana University Press, Bloomington and Indianapolis, 2012. It looks at the genderizing of young children's clothing from a material culture point of view, but...

Why do you think it is soutache? I understand soutache to be a decorative braid. It looks like crochet, but I can't identify the yarn/fiber used. Yes, I agree, the collar looks like mink. It may be a little large for your mannequin. It may well be 1960's. Nice piece. Marian

Something about the shape, color and lining says 1940's to me. That is only a hunch, wait for other to join in. Marian

I am so glad you will be explaining rayon. I feel least confident about rayons. Marian

I see late 1960's. Nice. Marian

You gave a good description. Thank you. That bodice construction is so 1910's. Also the tiered skirt. Marian

Square dancing was a big thing in my rural area. Somehow, I associate the bouffant petticoats with the shorter skirts. I am not sure if that would help in dating. Marian

What are summer woolens? What is palm beach cloth suits made from? Marian

My experience is the same as Cin's - usually 1950's square dance dresses. Marian

@ The Vintage Merchant: "I kept hoping I would fit in to it one day...and it's just not going to happen. :hysterical:" That would be a great weekly theme! I am sure a lot of us could contribute. Marian

I knew there had been several attempts to establish a silk industry in the United States, but I had never heard of Paterson , NJ. This is part of a blurb about an Amazon Kindle book: "At the dawn of the 20th century, the social unrest in Paterson, New Jersey was palpable. Thousands of Dutch...

You can sometimes learn when companies and there labels were made through Google. Also Wikipedia sometimes has helpful articles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vintage_clothing How did you become interested in vintage clothing? what is your first language? Marian

I think you will find these VFG resources helpful in learning about vintage clothing. https://vintagefashionguild.org/fashion-timeline/ also https://vintagefashionguild.org/buying-selling/ Can you visit the shop of a VFG member? Midge is right, you need to handle items to really see the...

I have hesitated to post this tip for identifying fabric. Touch it with your tongue. I know, gross! But try it on a garment of your own that you know the fabric of, just before they go into the washing machine. I used this method infrequently at the museum, only when I was completely stumped...

To me it looks like sheared beaver, but I am far from an expert. Does it seem heavy for its size? That would tip my opinion toward mouton. I hope others share their ideas. Marian

I am glad that the subject of touching, feeling the fabric has come up. To me silk has a distinctive dry feeling and sometimes almost catches on my garden hands. Cotton also feels dry to me, but in a different way. That is not the only way to identify fabric and weave, but it is helpful to me to...

And it is not hand embroidery! Marian

I share your skepticism. As Marsha said, snaps (press studs) had been in use for a long time before the 1930's. The garment(?) is not embroidery. At first glance I think it is a type of tape lace. There was a time period - I think in the 60's and 70's - when it was popular to convert table...

It is great that you have these photos and know who they are. So many fine old photos are lost because no one knows who the names of the people in them. Marian

There have been attempts to establish a silk industry in the United States. One of the most interesting is the attempts of the LDS Church. The first reference is a short article. The second one is a long scholarly article. https://www.utahhumanities.org/stories/items/show/342 The “Reel” Story...

Middlesex is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Jeffrey Eugenides published in 2002. Silk pupae and the box they are carried in, is a theme in this story of a Greek family. Marian

Moths like where food has been. Like the very smallest dribble, quickly wiped off and not noticeable, they will find. Also, body oils. A reason for washing sweaters gently as Ruth and Maggie have described. Maybe that explains the moth trails we sometimes find on woolen garments. If not too...

So much information here from both Ruth and MaggieD. My brother had a band (2,000 more or less) of sheep that wintered on our old family farm and summered in the Sawtooth's above Sun Valley. I love wool, but have to be selective about what I wear. I remember him talking about various breeds and...

So pretty. Marian

I am no help on these items, but I want to recommend this reference book that I have found to be very helpful: Legacy of Lace: Identifying, Collecting, and Preserving American Lace by Kathleen Warnick and Shirley Nilsson | Sep 21, 1988. Marian