All posts tagged: Fortnight in 1916

The Fortnight in 1916: And so it begins…

Today was the first day of my two week attempt to live like a middle class educated housewife would have in Wellington in 1916. It was…interesting. And already I have learned some things. I had a meeting at 10am, so I rose at 8 (rather late for 1916, but Mr D was home, and I was trying to disrupt his schedule as little as possible), and got dressed, and made tea and porridge (oatmeal) with sultanas. First thought: getting dressed took ages. I’m pretty used to putting on historic garments in a hurry, but obviously I’d get faster through practice and repetition. Still, there are a LOT of garments to put on: combinations, a corset, stockings, a corset cover, two layers of petticoats, a blouse, a skirt, cardigan and shoes.* It all added up. If you’re the sort of dresser who takes a lot of time styling your hair and makeup, this would be comparable, but on a daily basis I’m as speedy as possible: unders, jeans, undershirt, overshirt, cardigan, chignon, foundation (if that), sorted. …

The Black & White 1916 corset

Published by The Dreamstress

On Monday I’m going to start living as close as I can to a 1916 lifestyle for two weeks. Naturally, this means I need a wardrobe. A whole wardrobe post is coming, but for now, let’s start with the item everyone is really interested in: corsets. Based on my research, the average middle-class NZ housewife in 1916 had between 1 & 3 corsets at any given time: 1 or 2 for everyday wear, and possibly a fancier, more constricting one for dressing up. Two corsets is ideal for everyday wear, because it means one can be airing while you wear the other. I’ve decided on two corsets for my experiment. One, based on a slightly earlier cut, that Leimomi circa 1916 might have had in her wardrobe from before the war, and this one, reflecting the more recent mid-teens cut: Previously all of my 1910s corsets have been based on my personally fitted draft of the 1911 corset in Janet Arnold’s book. However, very few women in NZ would have had personally fitted corsets. …

A sewing machine for 1916: meet my new (very old) Singer 27 series, VS-3

Published by The Dreamstress

Among the many questions I’ve been asked about the Fortnight in 1916 project is ‘Are you going to be sewing like you would in 1916’? Why yes, yes I am! My goal is to make a blouse entirely as it would have been made at home in 1916, and to cut and start one of my outfits for Costume College (obviously, one that is 1916 themed!) To do this, I need an era-correct sewing machine. Meet my new, very old, hand-crank Singer Model 27: She dates from 1893, and is version 3 of the 27 model. Singer launched the 27 series in the mid 1880s, as the first of their machines to use the new vibrating shuttle technology. A vibrating shuttle is a different kind of bobbin which swings back and forth inside the machine, instead of having the threads carried around the machine, like a modern bobbin. So the inside of the machine looks like this: That point silver bullet looking thing is the bobbin, and the arm that is carrying it swings back …