There was a big drop-off in submissions for the HSM War & Peace challenge.  Either the novelty wore off for some people after the first three  challenges, the theme was too obscure, or it’s just a really busy time of year.  Still, the submissions there were were fabulous, and hopefully  people will regain their enthusiasm and we’ll see a surge in entries for future challenges.

Not surprisingly, there were more entries tied to war’s influence on fashion than peace’s influence on fashion, but there was a fascinating spread of historical fashion from both ends of the spectrum.  While there weren’t as many entries, there were some of my favourite entries of anything made so far this year, simply because of the research and history and new things I discovered.  (and it’s become one of my favourite challenges personally because I finally had the excuse to make a dazzle swimsuit!  Cue major excitement!  Plus a 1940s dress and WWI era  skirt – super productive month for me!).

In picking items to showcase I’ve chosen the items that tell a story, that demonstrate research and knowledge and help spread understanding, and that I thought best represent the spirit of the challenge itself, and of the Historical Sew Fortnightly/Monthly as a whole; the quest to explore history, raise our skill levels and standard as creators and historians, stretch our comfort zones, and occasionally, just to get something finished.

As always happens, there were dozens of items I thought were fabulous that I couldn’t show off, so do have a stroll over to the blog post and the FB page  (yep, you do have to be a member to see it, yep, if you ask to be a member we’re going to ask you some questions, and yep, it might take us a few days to answer, but if you are really interested in the HSF, as a participant or active cheerleader, we’d LOVE to have you) to check them out.

And now, on to the intellectual stimulation and prettiness!  Entries with photos link to FB, entries without link to the blog post of the maker.

1. Cate’s 1944 Eisenhower Jacket.  A great piece that I would love to have in my wardrobe, and a total favourite for the fact that it is the perfect illustration of the challenge – the garment was directly inspired by Eisenhower’s wardrobe and his fame as a result of WWII.
   
   
2. Karin’s 1910s bust confiner  this is a rarely replicated piece of costume history based on extent examples and advertisements that might fit  Karin’s own needs and  an extrapolation on the needs of women entering the workforce during WWI.  Really cool!
   
3. Juliana’s 1807-1820  military inspired spencer.   Great inspiration pieces, research and construction all came together in a gorgeous spencer.  I love it!  
4. Blumen und Ferden’s boy’s sailor shirt.  A great garment, but mostly amazing for her fascinating exploration of the way the sailor suit transitions from a cross-national peacetime garment to a patriotic wartime garment and back again a number of times.
5. Michaela’s sheer 1860s gown:  a beautiful, beautiful garment, and a great write up on the way the South’s dominance of cotton production was used as a political tool in the Civil War.

For the rest of the favourites posts see:

Favourites for Challenge #3: Stashbusting

Favourites for  Challenge #2: Blue

Favourites for  Challenge #1: Foundations