All posts filed under: 20th Century

An inspired swimsuit

The HSF Challenge #19 was Inspiration: be inspired by the wonderful things other HSF sewers have made for previous challenges. I was super excited about this challenge, but it was also really hard, because there are so many amazing pieces of inspiration that have been created! I really, really wanted to make 18th century gauntlets, but there was another thing that I really wanted to make, that I’d never considered a possibility until I saw other Fortnightliers do it: a 19th century swimsuit. Now, I don’t know why I put swimsuits in the ‘not-possible’ basket – after all, I’ve (often foolishly) waded into MUCH more complicated projects. But still, they just seemed way too complicated and esoteric in my mind. Then Cation Designs made an Edwardian swimsuit dress (using a ’70s pattern as a base), and Loran made an 1860s swimsuit from a fashion plate I’d posted by frankensteining Colette’s Laurel dress and the Folkwear 1900s swimsuit pattern, and they were both fabulous, and suddenly I realised – “Hey, I can do this! A swimsuit …

Monogrammed unders in the 1920s

Published by The Dreamstress

This winter I picked up an early 1920s ‘Bestway’ Initial Transfer catalogue. All the transfers are long since gone, but I wanted it for the delicious illustrations anyway! And it’s a great piece of social history: the presentation of the models; the comparisons between ‘ideal’ drawings, and the reality of humans; the use of exoticism in setting the scene for the undergarments; and simple the changing vocabulary. Here are the bits from the catalogue that focus on undergarments. I’ll post the initialed sportswear separately. Enjoy! Like the lovely lady on the cover, lifting her slip to show her embroidered drawers (and a rather fabulous, if quite large, pair of shoes!) Or the pages with all the different styles of initials, and instructions on working them up. Obviously I’m most taken with the second one down from the top right corner! Though the dove holding an initial, and the nickname topped with a bow are very sweet indeed: One thing that caught my attention immediately was how not-perfect many of their examples are. I feel …

A dress for when I was a bird

Published by The Dreamstress

I climbed up the karaka tree Into a nest all made of leaves But soft as feathers. I made up a song that went on singing all by itself And hadn’t any words, but got sad at the end. There were daisies in the grass under the tree. I said just to try them: “I’ll bite off your heads and give them to my little children to eat.” But they didn’t believe I was a bird; They stayed quite open. The sky was like a blue nest with white feathers And the sun was the mother bird keeping it warm. That’s what my song said: though it hadn’t any words. Little Brother came up the patch, wheeling his barrow. I made my dress into wings and kept very quiet. Then when he was quite near I said: “Sweet, sweet!” For a moment he looked quite startled; Then he said: “Pooh, you’re not a bird; I can see your legs.” But the daisies didn’t really matter, And Little Brother didn’t really matter; I felt just like …