Tuesday, October 13, 2015

JEAN ANSWERS MORE QUESTIONS

I remember a while back, I said I was taking off for a while and had Elmer come to take my place.  Guess I didn't hold to that very well.  Elmer is here and I thank him very much.  But I am still putting on posts, too.  Guess my temporary retirement didn't work.  I really enjoy being here and have been glad to do it for three years.  Look forward to ;year four as God will have it.

Someone asked if I still sell baked goods.  Not as much as I use.  Now, I have a roadside stand that I sell flowers, herb plants, vegetables (fresh and canned), baked goods and some glass items.  As Marilyn likes to get hankies and aprons to sell on the computer, I get antique glass items and like to sell them at the roadside stand.

Our stand is set up between the house and our fields.  It is easy to see from the house.  We have a jar on the counter to put the money in.  David has made the rule that we ladies can only go out to wait on people at the stand, if he or one of the young folks is here.  He does not want Susan, Katie or myself out there alone.

I no longer sell at the Farmer's Market.  Another Old Order Mennonite lady does.  With all the children, we have time now, I think it is better if my time is spent closer to home.

What is the difference between Amish and Old Order Mennonite clothing?  My answer is between our Old Order Mennonite Group and Anna's Amish Group.  Then, I don't know if we got all the differences.

Anna's Amish group wears sold color dresses: black, brown, deep blue, and deep blue.  We Old Order Mennonite are allowed to wear lighter colors with designs in them - mostly flowers.  Now, some Old Order Mennonite ladies like Grandmother Olive still wear black.  It is rare that she will wear a dress with a print on it.  If it is, it is a home and not if going off our property.  Grandmother Olive doesn't feel right wearing prints outside the home.  Of course when she was raised, all the Old Order Mennonite wore solid colors like the Amish.  Today, Old Order Mennonite has changed, some. Anna's dresses are just a couple of inches longer than ours are - we measured them.

Anna and I both wear black stockings.  We both laughed remembering the days when we had to wear an under garment to holding our stockings up.  Anna's stocking must he heavier than ours.  They are allowed to wear pantyhose as long as they meet the the thickness and material.  I am allowed to wear knee highs or pantyhose, but they don't have to be as heavy a material as Anna's.

Our shoe are also different.  Anna wears tie shoes and in the winter a boot type. They are allowed to wear sneakers on their farms. We are allowed to wear loafers or tie shoes.  Also, we are allowed to wear sneakers on our farms.  Both Anna and my shoes must be black.  

As far as the white caps - Anna's are bit bigger than ours are.  With the covering caps she must wear hers anytime she leaves her property.  We are allowed to leave with just our white caps unless we are going to a service, funeral, etc.

Also Anna wears an apron down the front of her dress.  It usually matches the same color of the dress.  We don't.  I put on aprons at home, but they are not a must and don't wear an apron outside of the our home.

There are probably other differences, but we are just don't notice them.  Those are the major differences.

As for the men.  Elmer wears suspenders.  Our men don't.  Elmer wears a beard, but David doesn't.  Elmer usually wears white shirts all the time while our men can wear white, blue or flannel.  Elmer wears black slacks all the time.  Our men are allowed to wear jeans when working on our property.  When going into town, they must wear black slacks.  Elmer wears high boots where David is allowed tie shoes or loafers.  Elmer's pants hook in the front where David is allowed snaps, buttons or zippers.  Elmer's slacks are bit longer than David's.

What do we make and what are bought?  The men's hats are usually purchased.  Both their felt and straw hats.  Anna and I make our dresses, men slacks, shirts and coats.  We our shoes at the shoe store.  Our men's jeans are mostly purchased at the store.  Thomas has a hard time finding him do to his height, so I have made a couple of pairs for him, but store bought fit him better.  Slacks I make well for him, but jeans are better store bought.  Of course us ladies by our pantyhose at the store.  I know some people make their own, but Anna and I don't.

Here, too, I am sure there are things we forgot to mention.

Be With God,
Jean


13 comments:

Angela Tucker said...

Good morning, Marilyn. Yesterday and today's post were both very interesting. I love to learn new things. Please tell Elmer and Jean thank you so much for sharing. And to you for taking the time to put this all together. Have a great day!

New York State Of Mind said...

Good Morning Angela,

I will see that Jean and Elmer get your messages. Know that they appreciate them.

Hope you have a great day, too,
Marilyn

Tom said...

Jeans and tee-shirts for me!

New York State Of Mind said...

Good Morning Tom,

I wear slacks and a blouse most of the time.

Marilyn

littlemancat said...

Thanks Jean - an interesting post. The dresses of both Amish and Old Order Mennonite ladies always look so beautifully made. Especially like the flower designs. Do you have any special stores where you buy materials?
Mary

New York State Of Mind said...

Good Morning Mary,

Glad you like Jean's post. I will see that she gets your question.

Marilyn

Vickie said...

Thanks Jean! Very informative!

Lily said...

Thanks for the information on the clothing. When I went on a weekend trip a few months ago, I noticed what looked like amish/mennonite. That made me wonder on the clothes. I noticed some women were in solid colors and other in prints. I didn't get a close look at the white cap of the men's clothes. I didn't want to stare to get too much detail. After all, they are people, too, like me seeing the sights.

I'm just a jeans and gym shoes type of person. In the summer it's usually t-shirts while it's usually turtlenecks in the winter.

Anonymous said...

Thank you to both Jean and Elmer.
For Jean.....what are "cape" dresses? Do either Jean or Anna wear them?
What do they use for dress and pants patterns?
Do the women wear knee socks or heavy socks in the winter?
Where do Jean and Anna usually buy fabric?



New York State Of Mind said...

Hi Anonymous,

Will see that both Jean and Elmer gets your message. I will see that Jean gets your questions.

Marilyn

Dynna said...

Thank you Jean, for sharing all this clothing information with us. I found it very interesting. I did have a question but wouldn't you know, I can't remember what it was. I will have to write it down, if it comes to me again! Blessings on you Marilyn and all of our writers and families. Hugs to you and Pierre.

New York State Of Mind said...

Hi dynnamae n,

IF you remember the question, just let me know and I will see that Jean gets it. Your mind sounds like it runs like mine.

Blessings to you and yours,
Marilyn and Pierre

Anonymous said...

Hello,
as always, thank you for answering questions - the questions and answers are always very interesting.
Today I have a question, too. Since I have a new baby, I'd like to know: you have a lot of work to do (housework, garden, canning, etc.) - how do you keep up with the work while having a very small baby? Especially if it's a first child and you have no older children to babysit him or her. Do you carry the baby with you in a sling to keep your hands free? Or do they have to learn very fast to play by themselves until you are done with your chores? If so, how do you teach them to be patient? Or do you have a long lying-in period for the mother so she doesn't have to do chores and cooking while the baby is very tiny? My baby is three weeks and I find it hard to get all my work done at this stage. :-)

Thank you!
Birgit from Austria