All posts filed under: 20th Century

A modern Red Riding Hood

In addition to all my historical sewing, and client sewing, and teaching, I’ve been sewing for me. I’ve just been so busy I haven’t managed to blog about it. Case in point: my latest project, which was finished over a month ago, but which I haven’t managed to photograph and write about until now. I made this cape as a demonstration piece for a cape class I was teaching. It’s made from McCall’s ‘Generation Next’ M6446. In some ways it’s good that it took me so long to blog about it. I wasn’t sure about it as a garment when I finished it (and I still have significant reservations about the pattern), but now that I’ve had a chance to wear it a bit I’m in love. It goes over everything so easily, and is the perfect transitional garment with the changeable late-winter weather. The felted wool also repels water quite effectively, so I’ve worn it in the rain with the hood up and stayed nice and cozy. You can actually see the rain spots …

Rate the Dress: 18th century meets 1920s

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week you found our unknown Spanish beauty’s stripey separates pleasant, but not inspiring, garnering the ensemble a rating of 7.3 out of 10, which was pretty much exactly what most of you rated it individually anyway. The real interest from the Rate the Dress came in the discussions: how were her sleeves cut (very snuggly, with a curve!), was the black lace a particularly Spanish affectation, and most intriguingly, did she have a slight mustache, and if so, what did that mean about 18th century standards of beauty, that the artist had taken the care to paint it in, and our modern standards, that we noticed it as being particularly unusual? This week’s Rate the Dress comes to you not because it particularly makes sense or inspires me, but just because I’m exhausted and super busy, and I drafted this post up a year and a bit ago, and it sort-of fits the ‘Robes and Robings’ theme. The late teens and early 1920s saw a brief fad for 18th century inspired fashion, most notably …

Tea, Chinoiserie & a Bison

Published by The Dreamstress

I love Wellington: it is an amazing little city, with fascinating stuff happening all the time. The one thing that I really miss based on other cities I have lived in is a historical costuming community. I long for Tissot inspired picnics in the garden, and grand Victorian fancy dress balls, and scintillating18th century French salons happening every other weekend. We have the occasional fantastic event, and I’ve organised a few myself, but there are only so many I can plan a year without completely wearing myself out. It’s getting better: there is a nascent steampunk community, and my classes are producing corseteers, and every time I go out in an outfit I meet someone new who is fascinated and has always wanted to wear hoopskirts and bustles, or who has already dabbled in making their own. Really though, the things that keep me sane as a historical costumer in (relative) isolation are the online community, which keeps me connected and motiated, and having a delightful group of friends who are either interested in historical …