All posts filed under: Sewing

Things I sew – historical and modern

A Miramar Gothic Dress

Some of the most popular sewing classes I teach are focused on sewing with knits: lots of experienced sewers have never worked with knits, and knits are a great next step for beginner sewers. I teach classes on T-shirts, knickers & leggings, but the first two can be fairly fussy & stressful for beginners (bindings are tricky!), and they are all really pragmatic. I wanted to be able to offer a REALLY easy class with no bindings or set-in sleeves, for a knit garment that could be practical or glamorous, and winter or summer appropriate. So, playing around with this idea, and riffing off a couple of tops I’ve owned and loved over the years, I came up with the Miramar dress and top. It’s got cut-on sleeves, a flattering V-neck, and can be as fun or elegant as you want, depending on fabric. Plus, with just two pattern pieces, it goes together quickly. Quickly is where this dress comes in. Mr D & I were heading down to Nelson for his grandfather’s 90th …

A medieval moment in my 1350s-80s gown

Published by The Dreamstress

At long last, after lots of research, lots of work, some triumphs, and a few setbacks, I’ve finished my first proper medieval garment. I got it completely ready to wear, except for sewing four buttons on the cuffs, for a historical dinner on Saturday. I wore it for the dinner with cuffs unbuttoned, and then I finished the buttons on Monday. On Thursday the weather was beautiful (if cold) and the gorgeous Elizabeth of Ills Winter and I spent the late afternoon hanging out at the Sir Truby King gardens, taking pictures and generally having fun. I only ended up putting 11 buttons on the sleeves, because of buttonhole issues (more about that in a later post), but I could add more later if I wished. I’m reasonably happy with the finished result. The neckline is a little too scooped, the sleeves a little too long, my buttonholes more than a little rubbish, but as a learning piece, it’s not bad at all! The next one will be much better! I definitely feel I’ve got …

Not at all Slevils: Adventures in Medieval Sleeve Fitting

Published by The Dreamstress

With surprisingly little faffing and no angst at all, my 1360s-70s gown now has sleeves! Medieval sleeves have a reputation for being hard (I’ve heard them called slevils more than once) but sleeves are one of the things I’m really good at, so I wasn’t too worried about them.* I think it’s because I’d sewn in a dozen sleeves and drafted at least two before I heard that sleeves are supposed to be awful. I never had time to be scared! But I’m a good little bloggy scholar, and I want my dress to help me get to historical accuracy, so I read pretty much all the medieval sleeve drafting posts on the internet, and got myself all psyched up to sew 14th century sleeves. I started with the sleeve drafting tutorial at the Completely Dressed Anachronist. Nice and clear, and I like the way she discusses the pitfalls of drafting methods. By following it, I got this: I cut it out in toile fabric, sewed it up, and it DID NOT WORK. It was …