The 13th challenge in the Historical Sew Fortnightly 2014 (due Tuesday July 15th) is about frugality: make something with materials that cost Under $10 (using US dollars as the de-facto standard). Frugality is a particularly historically appropriate theme, as  seamstresses throughout history have striven to make as much as possible, with as little money as possible.  For most sewers, every garment had to be carefully budgeted and saved for, and every bit of fabric would be used, and if possible, re-used. Even the most decadent of seamstresses practiced frugality: we know that Madame de Pompadour (whose clothing expenditure far exceeded Marie Antoinette’s) had petticoats with fancy silk fronts, and cheap coarse linen backs, to save on expensive silk.  And Worth, the epitome of 19th century sartorial luxury, made a practice of using the selvedges of his fabrics in his designs – utilizing every bit of fabric. While I doubt that many of us would be able to make something Madame de Pompadour or Worth worthy for $10, I still can’t wait to see what we …

It’s the Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenge #12 – when we get to this we’ll be halfway through the year! Challenge #12, due Tue July 1st, is Shape and Support. Throughout history humans have changed their form and silhouette with garments that pulled in and pushed out.  Few eras of fashion have been entirely satisfied with the natural human body.  In this Challenge make a garment that changes and distorts the human form, whether it pulls it in, as with corsetry, or extends it, with ruffs and sleeve supports, fathingales and bustles and hoopskirts.  As long as the garment creates an extreme silhouette, it counts Throughout history we have extended our heads with mad hats: Lifted our bust and pulled in our waists with bust bags and corsets: Turned our bottom halves into stiff cones with farthingales: And our top halves into stiff cones with stays: We’ve ‘improved’ our bums with bum rumps: And our busts with bust enhancers: We’ve lifted our feet with heels and chopines: We’ve been cone shaped and bell shaped and elliptical: …