All posts filed under: Miscellenia

The HSF Challenge #18: Re-make, Re-use & Re-fashion

A few months ago when I solicited suggestions for future Historical Sew Fortnightly challenges someone asked if we could do an ‘Up-Cycle’ challenge and I said “Absolutely not.” Not because it’s a bad idea, but because I loathe that word. The word was a good idea to begin with, but has been used to describe so many silly, dreadful things that it has lost its credibility. While I don’t like ‘up-cycle’ as a trendy word, I distinctly applaud the idea of taking old things and giving them new life, and new purpose. It’s a very historical idea – fabric and materials were very expensive, and people got as much use out of them as possible. In this spirit, the Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenge #18 is Re-make, Re-use & Re-fashion. Sew something that pays homage to the historical idea of re-using, re-making and re-fashioning. Turn one thing into another. Re-fit or re-fashion an old gown into something you would wear again. Re-trim a hat for a new outfit, or re-shape a modern hat to be a …

Hallelujah textiles: a quilted petticoat

Published by The Dreamstress

As a costume and textile historian with a little collection of antique textiles, there are pieces that I dream of adding to my collection someday, and then there are pieces that are so remote and fantastic and unlikely to come my way that I daren’t even dream of them. Just before Easter, one of those textiles came my way. Yes, I am now the proud, thrilled, and somewhat overwhelmed owner of a quilted petticoat. How? Where? More like who. The amazing Lynne bought it in an antique store in London some years ago, and I got to visit her in March, where she played doting honourary aunt/textile fairy godmother and gave it to me. I know, how amazing, phenomenal and wonderful is that? The petticoat is made of black silk taffeta, and is lined in a very soft, rather loosely woven, cream cotton, now rather soiled. The quilting only extends about 2/3 of the way up the petticoat, and the ‘length has been regulated’, to use a delicious old sewing phrase, from the top of …

The HSF Challenge #17: Robes & Robings

Published by The Dreamstress

For the Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenge #17 we’re going to play with words, and their multiple meanings, a little. The challenge, due 26 August, is ‘Robes & Robings’, and you can make anything that could be described as a robe, is usually called by the name robe, or has robings. How does this work? The basic T shape that we call a robe, and its many variants, is one of the most classic shapes for garments. As such, it is found across the dress of millenia and continents, ranging from the costumes of some of the peoples mentioned in the bible, to the foundations of medieval garments, through 18th century banyans, Regency evening robes, 19th century wrappers, some tea gowns, and the early 20th century kimono borrowed from the East. If it looks like what we would call a robe today, it counts for this challenge. What else counts? Thing that are called robes by a reasonable percentage of English-language museums and costume books (because if we use French, everything is a robe!), so the …