So, that time of year has come.  We’re almost at the end of HSF 2014, and are thinking about the new years sewing.  People have been asking if there will be a HSF 2015. The answer is, I don’t know. I’m tired. Running the HSF is a lot of work.  There is the stuff on my page: writing the challenges, the page, answering questions.  Writing inspiration posts.  Organizing voting for the HSF Choice Challenge.  Favourites posts (which I am ridiculously behind on).  Just compiling the list of contributors takes hours and hours – and then half of the list turns out to be bloggers  who do one project and then loose interest. And then there is the Facebook group: keeping spammers out, folders and events up, and information updated in the files.  Plus the occasional squabble.  The only reason I’ve survived the FB page at all is the fantastic  Sarah of A Most Peculiar Mademoiselle  and equally fantastic Elizabeth of Sewing & Sightseeing, who have been co-moderating.   All of these things mean I’m not …

It’s that time of year!  Time to decide what the Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenge #22: Fortnightlier’s Choice should be. What do you want the 22nd theme of the year to be?  A fabric?  A colour?  A motif?  A construction method?  A particular source of inspiration?  A kind of embellishment?  The possibilities are endless! Leave a comment with your theme suggestions, comment on those suggestions that you think are really good ideas, and in a week’s time I’ll collate the most popular suggestions (based on comments on them)*, and we’ll vote on which one we most want to do. There are a few things that I keep in mind when I set themes (I don’t always get it right, but I try!) It should be a theme that works for any period, so everyone can participate (e.g ‘Handsewing’ would work, because there are handsewn garments and elements of handsewing in garments right up to the end of WWII, but ‘Sewing machines’ isn’t fair to those who costume pre-1860, and try to do it accurately) It shouldn’t …