The first true Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenge of the year (due 15 Jan) is  Bi/Tri/Quadri/Quin/Sex/Septi/Octo/Nona/Centennial  – sew something from a year ending in _13, whether it is 13AD, 1913, or 1413. Obviously people don’t throw away their clothes at the end of every year (as I write this I’m wearing a T-shirt that is at least 4 years old, and a pair of shorts that I bought at an op-shop and could be a decade old), and it’s hard to date historical garments to a precise year, so what you really want to do is make something that would be worn in 1813 (or 913, or 1613) without looking too outdated.  If your item would have been worn by someone poor, it could be quite a few years earlier, if it’s a Paris ballgown, it should be very close to the date. I’m making a dress based on a 1812 fashion plate – it’s a wool dress, so I presume it would have been worn during the winter, and would have been quite appropriate in …

To ease into the  Historical Sew Fortnightly challenge for 2013 there is a bonus challenge due on the 31st: ‘Something Simple‘. I thought it would be nice to give us something a bit easier to start with, and I think it’s good to remember that not every important historical garment is massively elaborate and over-the-top. Throughout history people have depended on simple, workable garments – the historical equivalent of our T-shirts.  There are lots of periods when even the very rich wore mix-and-match separates that were (relatively) washable and easy to make.  One of the things about Princess Alexandra that particularly impressed Queen Victoria when they met was her frugality in dress – Queen Victoria commended her for wearing the same jacket with multiple skirts, and thought it demonstrated a praiseworth restraint and sensibility in dress and character. I was hoping to do a whole post of simple historical inspiration, but the problem with simple, easy to wear, easy to make garments is that not many of them have lasted to come down to us. …