Housing from the past: Quonset Huts

The Nissen or Quonset hut was invented during WWI, and used in massive quantity during WWII. I love that the huts destined for the Pacific Theater were made entirely of spruce, since steel rusted out too quickly in the tropical environment.

There's a big Quonset hut behind our sewing contractor's factory in Springfield, Oregon. It's currently in use as a machine shop, but I'm constantly threatening to move in. Something pretty attractive about how simple they are. There are also several on the University of Oregon campus that I used to peer into -I'm sure they'll be torn down soon. All good things....

From the Archives: Post O'All Vests

Here are a few snap views of Post O'Alls vests from my personal collection. Inspired by vintage hunting and shooting vests, the Post O'Alls vest features an internal poacher's pocket and four outside flap pockets. The cargo capacity rivals that of an AC Rucksack. A fan of the hyper layered look - I wear mine interchangeably over wool and cord blazers.

Shopping from Japan

Herringbone wool

Cotton Poplin

Inspiration - Original Filson Hunting Vest

Archival DIY: Knotting a Kerchief

For the past few years I've been taking kerchief knotting lessons from John Ford characters. In my mind, my kerchiefs always look as snappy as the ones worn by John Wayne in Ford's cavalry trilogy:

Several weeks ago, I sent out a tweet requesting more formal, step by step instructions for knotting a kerchief. Several folks recommended that I check out Cotton Duck's helpful how-to guide originally posted on the discussion forum superfuture. I'm reposting the instructions below:

Archival Field Trip - Eastern OR

Tromping through the sage. Photo by Rick.

I got to spend a few great days out in eastern Oregon with a longtime friend of Archival. While we didn't have the most productive hunt, we chose to see it as a scouting trip. After a cold, slow day outside of Hermiston, we went down to the Deschutes and hiked around looking for grouse and chukar. I managed to get a rabbit, and lost a mallard drake to the fast river (bad karma).

A cold morning on Cold Spring Reservoir.

My beloved 1991 Toyota Previa van.

Looking for trouble.

Rick and his beloved Toyota pickup.

Time in camp with Digger. Photo by Rick.

Got into more fruitful duck land a few days later with friend Will. That's not all my bag, I only got two!

Hopefully I'll continue the hunting streak back on the East Coast with the William Brown Project.

Review: The Freeman Jacket

The kind folks at Freeman sent us a jacket to try out. They're based in Seattle, and make the jacket out of their house - an impressive feat, since it's sewn as professionally as anyone could ask.

It's made of a two-layer waterproof breathable, which, for those who didn't memorize Patagonia catalogs as a child, is an outer nylon shell with a laminate underneath - a laminate that's very fragile and must be lined. The Freeman feels like a Patagonia or Sierra Designs jacket from the late 80s - it's light, but not so light that it feels insubstantial.

Flapped pockets with logo debossed snaps. This type of spring clasp jingles a bit when it's unfastened, so if you're OCD about jingly hardware, keep it snapped!

Nice soft cotton flannel lining which is a joy to wear and is pleasing to behold. Ideal for the "sidewalk socialite," as Freeman puts it. I don't know if this would be my first choice for backpacking or skiing due to the cotton lining and lack of pit zips, but that's no deal breaker.

The fit is outstanding, and that's the main difference between this jacket and something vintage. I ended up with a size or two too small, but it's still nice and trim and the hood fits really well. I love the red drawcord and cord locks.

Recommended as a nice, clean, simple rain shell, made in Seattle by a super friendly crew. Classic synthetics don't come much better than this. Go check 'em out!

Criminal Faces of North Shields

The fellow above is wearing a fine Guernsey.

Posted from the male and female sets with kind permission from the Tyne and Wear Archives. If you, like me, hadn't heard of Tyne and Wear, it's the unusual name of a county way up in northeastern England.

Archival Handkerchiefs

As documented, Archival loves kerchiefs. My preference is for discharge printed, polkadot models from Japan and the UK. To diversify my collection, I'm going to shop for a few vintage kerchiefs from Cornell University's Political Americana Collection. When knotted, the rhetorical content reverts back to pleasing patterns and scrambled text.

Cleveland-Thurman Handkerchief

Benjamin Harrison Handkerchief, 1888

Theodore Roosevelt "Progressive Battle Flag" textile portrait

Benjamin Harrison Handkerchief, 1888

Benjamin Harrison-Morton Handkerchief, 1888

Garfield-Arthur Portrait Textile, ca 1880

Cleveland-Stevenson "Our Candidates 1892 " Portrait

Taft Tariff Reform handkerchief

Benjamin Harrison-Morton handkerchief, ca 1888

Centennial Celebration by Manhattan Lodge, I.O.B.B.