Thank you all for your input on a HSF ’15 – I really appreciated  getting your input, and am just mulling through ideas and figuring things out.  You’ll hear something from me soon!

For now, here is the long overdue favourites post for Challenges 13-16.  I do these posts to highlight submissions that really inspired me, to show of pieces that you may have missed yourself, and to make it easier for those of you not on FB to see more of the creations.  It’s always really hard to pick, but I choose items that I think best demonstrate the goals  of the Historical Sew Fortnightly; the quest to explore history, raise our skill levels and standard, stretch ourselves (and actually finish items);  and  the spirit of the individual challenge.

Entries  without photos link to blog posts, and entries with photos come from Facebook.  Follow the links to the blog posts for pretty, pretty pictures and the full story.   To see the full facebook albums, you’ll need to belong to the Historical Sew Fortnightly FB group.  When you request to join the group you’ll be sent a message (check your Other folder) asking why you would like to be part of it.  Be sure to answer in full!

There are many more amazing  submissions  in the FB albums, and linked through the challenge pages.

To see some of my other favourites, here are  the post for Challenges 9-12, Challenges 5-8, and Challenges 1-4.

Challenge #13 — Under $10  (and the Facebook album)  

1. Klára’s 18th century pincushion-   Charming, period perfect, could be made by almost anyone for under $10, and the research and story are just fantastic!
2. Anna’s bustle skirt  —  I love that this is such a subdued take on Victorian (because it’s so tempting to go for OTT and flashy, while subdued was probably a lot more common on a daily basis!), and it illustrates how far you can go on a good fabric sale score.  
   
3. Miriam’s Regency Busk  —  A tiny bit of wood, a bit  of sanding, and a lot of love and care and you have a really gorgeous addition to your historical wardrobe – and one with a darling story.

Challenge #14 —  Paisley & Plaid  (and the facebook album)

1. Loren’s 18th C Turkish entari.  It looks just like the painting of Madame de Pompadour in ‘Oriental’ costume!  And it’s one of the earliest plausible examples of paisley that you could have.
2. Elizabeth’s 1880s paisley bustle  —  The V&A has a bustle in obnoxiously plaid fabric that I have long lusted over, and this bustle fills all my longings for it – and MORE.  It’s a great reminder that period undergarments don’t need to be plain white.
3.  Eva’s 1930s plaid skirt  —  Totally period, but totally wearable in a modern context, and a great example of the fun things you can do with plaid.
   

Challenge #15 — The Great Outdoors  (and the Facebook album)

1. Matsukaze Workshops  1818 frock coat  —  Great research, interesting inspiration, and a cat sleeping on the bit that you need.  Perfection.  Also, menswear.  Hurrah!
2. Quinn’s 1920s sunhat  —  It looks straight out of a fashion plate, or a museum, and is still practical today.  Lovely!
3. Le dressing de Melle de l’Isle’s 19th c parasol recover – Obviously she had a massive advantage in having such an amazing parasol to work with, and  the result is enviously fantastic.

Challenge #16 — Terminology  (and the Facebook Album)

1. Sarah’s Reticule  —  A lot of people got really worked up about this challenge, and found it hard, but Sarah did a perfect job of making a sweet, simple, beautiful reticule that completed her Regency ensemble, but could be used in modern life as well.
   
2. Amy’s 1880s Tea Gown—  I  love tea gowns, and am so excited that someone made one!  And in pretty, sweet pastel-y pink, how could you not love it?
   
3. Sewing Through Time’s Jumps  —  Jumps are one of those items that seem to have been quite common in period, but are rarely made by historical costumers.  I love this reproduction!

There are SO MANY more amazing things for every challenge through the page links and the FB albums, which is a big part of why I am so late with this post – it was just too hard to pick!  And seeing all the amazing things again has reminded me of all the phenomenal stuff that has come out of the HSF.  Y’all are phenomenal!