I’ve been asked why my historical garments don’t always look perfectly pressed in my photos. There are five reasons for this (what a lovely coincidence, it means this works perfectly as Five for Friday): First, my garments are made from fabrics that are as close to historically accurate as I can manage, which means they are made from natural fibres (silk, wool, cotton and linen), which don’t always press as crisply and smoothly and permanently as synthetic fabrics, nor stay as crisp and pressed. This makes them look rumpled, but its also part of their charm, and part of what we value them for. Think of Princess Diana’s wedding dress, and how rumpled it looked as she got out of the carriage. If the woman about to become the Princess of Wales can’t have a perfectly pressed, non-rumpled dress out of certain silk fabrics, it’s not possible. For an example of this, look at the photos that Mandi Lynn of A La Mode photography took for the Radio New Zealand photoshoot. I spent hours ironing …
Amber of Virgil’s Fine Goods and I have an exciting new 18th century pattern almost finished, so we need testers to help us make it as perfect and fabulous as possible! We’ve already asked a number of testers with specialised skills, so we’re only looking for a few extra testers. If you’d like to be one of them, keep reading to learn more, and how to apply¦ The Pattern: The pattern is a fashionable ‘Italian’ Gown with two bodice views. The fronts and backs are interchangeable, and the skirt can be made with or without a train. View B can made with or without the zig-zag trim. It will be available in the full Scroop + Virgil’s Size Range of 30”/76cm bust to 52”/115cm bust. Testers: This is an advanced pattern, and we’re looking for testers with prior historical sewing experience, OR extensive non-historical sewing experience. Testers MUST have the correct undergarments already. As part of the application you’ll need to have a photo of yourself in 1770-1790 suitable stays that you can send us a …
2022 is the 10th year of the Historical Sew Monthly! How it works: The Historical Sew Monthly (HSM) 2021 is a monthly historical garment challenge. Every month in 2022 will feature a themed challenge. Sew (or knit, or crochet, or tatt, or embroider, or milin, (or whatever it is you call making a hat), or otherwise create) a historical garment or accessory that fits the monthly theme. We’d love it if you did all 12 challenges, but how many you complete, and what order you do them in, is up to you. Push yourself and participate in all 12 challenges, do a half-marathon with 6, or just pick and choose the ones that fit your sewing schedule. Do them in order, or skip around doing the challenges as it fits your schedule. Finish all 12 challenges by the end of 2022, and there will be an exciting finishers badge for you to put on your blog/IG/FB page/Twitter/ etc. Your HSM 2022 items can be as basic or elaborate as you want, from a simple fichu …
