Wanted: Brainerd & Armstrong patterns

[LaceMistress]

Hey, folks, I need your help!

I'm from one of the families that gave rise to the Brainerd & Armstrong Silk Mill in New London, Connecticut. My great-grandmother on that side of the family tatted (I learned to tat from one of her doilies about fifteen years after she passed on), knitted, quilted, and crocheted like crazy, and I would LOVE to have some old Brainerd & Armstrong tatting and crochet patterns for edgings and doilies that aren't in the Antique Pattern Library database. These patterns would be sold/on display at the museum and the actual items made from the patterns would eventually be sold at museum events.

So, being the marvelous pack-rats of tatting, knitting, & crochet patterns I know you all are, please help me find these patterns! It means a lot to me, especially considering I've inherited the family skills with the fiber crafts. Original patterns I can put on display for the table at the museum would also be terrific!

Thank you in advance!

[PattyD]

Well, for the Brainerd & Armstrong patterns, you will have to rely on other tattypus collectiva, but I will see what kind of patterns I have done that would be interesting. Do you want just table settings? or anything: like jewelry or hearts or angels or snowflakes or flowers, etc?

[stringydogs]

I did a quick Google search. Dakota Prairie Treasures has some books on CD. Otherwise, eBay and Etsy look like they might have some possibilities.

Linda R

[LaceMistress]

I would like ANYTHING that is Brainerd & Armstrong related. :D

[LaurieE]

You may also want to contact the Library of Congress. When I was trying to find music composed by my great-grandfather, I contacted them and I was surprised they had originals. They sent me photocopies since I was a direct descendant. They may have copies of the patterns Brainerd & Armstrong published.

[AnneB]

You could also have a look at the Antique Pattern Library, they have a lot of old books online. I only found one book by Brainerd & Armstrong.

[PattyD]

I just ran a search on Google and found some of their crochet books. Georgia Seitz has some pages with crochet and tatting from one book

[LaceMistress]

I just did an internet search for the Brainerd & Armstrong Co. Rather interesting stuff! In Connecticut there were a number of silk mills in the 1800s. Two of the more prominent mills were the Nonotuck Mill and, of course, the Brainerd & Armstrong Co. In the early 1900s they merged to form the Corticelli Company, and the Corticelli Company also provided one of the very first ads on the Great White Way (i.e. Times Square Area in New York City). The Corticelli Company eventually went out of business during the Great Depression.