All posts filed under: Sewing

Things I sew – historical and modern

Scroop Patterns Eastbourne Trousers scrooppatterns.com

Meet the Scroop Eastbourne Trousers!

Meet the newest Scroop Pattern: the Eastbourne Trousers! With two lengths, two yoke options, the ability to go from casual to work to glam depending on the fabric, really clever sewing techniques that deliver a lot of impact for your much sewing effort, and HUGE POCKETS, these are pretty awesome trousers! (at least we think so!) The Eastbourne Trousers are named for the lovely coastal suburb of Eastbourne, which sits on the eastern shore of Wellington Harbour. The area is famous for its forests of native plants, beautiful bays, cute period cottages, and sheltered beaches. It was a popular summer retreat for well-off Wellingtonians, including Katherine Mansfield’s family, in the late 19th and early 20th century, and is still an ideal place to escape the pressures of city life. The areas vintage charm and relaxed feel are perfectly captured in the Eastbourne Trousers. The pattern comes in the full Scroop Patterns size range, from 34″-56″ hips Get your Eastbourne Trouser Pattern Here

The 1899 tea gown gets and outing (and tea)

Published by The Dreamstress

I made my 1899 tea gown back in 2012, and until this year, I’d never found an excuse to wear it myself. It’s been worn by models, but not by me. The Sew & Eat Historical Retreat was the perfect excuse to remedy that. We were having afternoon tea, and there was talk of everyone wearing 18th century, but my Francaise wasn’t going to be done in time, and in any case, my tea gown has a sacque back! Amazingly, 6 years after making it, it actually still fits me (the same cannot by said of everything I’ve made in the last 6 years…) My sewing skills have definitely grown since making it, and the problem with the fabric becomes more obvious every time I pull out the tea gown (its got metal in it, and WONT uncrumple. We ironed it for nearly an hour before I wore it, and you can see what it looks like…), but I still love it. It’s so elegant… Maybe someday when I have lots of free time (laughs …

A sparkles and tassels reticule

Published by The Dreamstress

November’s Historical Sew Fortnightly challenge was Purses & Bags – and, despite everything else that was going on, I managed to make a thing! It did take me more than a month though. I started it at our Historical Retreat (we tried to cram reticule making and bonnet making into one weekend – and of course finished neither), and didn’t get it done until the first Wednesday in December. I was inspired by the shape of this reticule from LACMA: And the decorations of this bag from MFA Boston: I used my gilt linen of doom: the stuff I used for these stays, and this pair of bodies (which were one of my entires for the very first Historical Sew Fortnightly – back when it was still fortnightly!) – and I still have a couple more metres of it to go! Because I was sewing sequins as decoration, I decided to line the reticule, to keep the knots and thread from catching on whatever I put in the bag. I used a blonde …