All posts filed under: Sewing

Things I sew – historical and modern

My 2019 Historical Sewing Year in Review

If I did a 2018 sewing round up, or set myself sewing goals for 2019, I don’t remember it, and can’t find it. So 2019 was a blank slate: I got done what I got done. And that’s kind of nice. I’ve been trying to be less demanding of myself. I wish I could do all the things, all the time, and I tend to beat myself up mentally when I can’t. So for the last few years I’ve been trying to just be happy with what I do, and I think I’m getting there! And I did do pretty well! Three Scroop patterns out, including the incredible hydra of a pattern that is the Augusta Stays (seriously, the amount of stuff we included in that pattern…it’s really four patterns, and was certainly the work of four standard patterns). A bunch of wardrobe sewing for me, a bunch of sewing for my mum (I packed more clothes for her than for myself in my recent trip home!). And actually quite a lot of historical sewing …

A dress made from a 1919 pattern thedreamstress.com

The 1918-19 ‘Not Another Blue Dress’ details

Published by The Dreamstress

I wore the 1918-19 ‘Not Another Blue Dress’ at Costume College, and loved it just as much as the first time I wore it. I made a few improvements to it, and got some help from friend for a few more, and paired it with my Costumers for Climate Action sash. For improvements, I loved the detailed yoke I’d made, but felt the sleeves were a bit plain in comparison. I had just a few scraps of the yoke fabric left, and by careful placement (and one small mend, which you can just see in the photo below if you look closely) I managed to cut a set of cuffs. I’d paired the cuffs with fancy cut-glass buttons that imitate jet, and added matching buttons on the shoulder, where the yoke opens. For more texture and visual interest, and a little bit of colour, Hvitr the tassel queen made me a set of tassels: And Madame O the embroideress extraordinaire embroidered little motifs taken from a 1910s embroidery manual on the sash ends – no …

Lounging pyjamas inspired by a pair by Callot Soeurs at LACMA thedreamstress.com

The 1913 Lounging Pyjamas finally get a red carpet

Published by The Dreamstress

Or, Leimomi find out why bifurcation never really took off in the 1910s… My Costume College Gala outfit didn’t get a lot of wear at Costume College because I was ill, so I really wanted another excuse to wear it. The Downton Abbey movie seemed like the perfect excuse – I certainly got enough Lady Sybil comments at CoCo! And it was a good excuse for the other Wellington historical sewists and I to go out dressed up. Our most extroverted member says that we need to stop hiding in the bushes and start wearing our dresses in public! We did a little searching, and found out that one of the Wellington theatres had not one, but two Downton themed events: an afternoon tea and an evening red carpet event. Unfortunately tickets for the one we really wanted: the afternoon tea, sold out before we found out about it. So we had to do the evening event. At least it would mean my outfit finally got a red carpet! But first…my outfit needed a little …