All posts tagged: Historical Sew-Fortnightly

Rate the Dress: The Countess as Flora in 1613 (ok, sort of)

Last week a lot of you loooooooved the Poiret negligee gown. And then, predictably, some of you were less than enthused about the daring colours. Less predictably, some of you got hung up on the tassle, insisting the wearer would trip over it (you could clearly see the hemline behind it, no tripping happening there). Despite this perplexing criticism, the dress managed a 8.2 out of 10 – quite good for something so avant garde. I had the hardest time finding a Rate the Dress for this week. I wanted to keep with the theme of _13 for the Bi/Tri/Quadri/Quin/Sex/Septi/Octo/Nona/Centennial Challenge, but simply couldn’t find a _13 garment that I hadn’t already featured and which appealed to me. I finally settled on this 1611 portrait of the noted beauty Frances Howard (this one, not the notorious Frances Howard) by Gheeraerts, with the assumption that there is every chance that the Countess would have been wearing the same items in 1613 (backed up by evidence that that definitely happened in this post). Gheeraerts paints Frances in …

The Kashmiri Shawl, and the dress made of Kashmir shawls

Published by The Dreamstress

I love paisley (the design) and the history of Kashmir shawls. The interaction between the paisley design and Western fashion is fascinating, with both elements impacting the other in equal fashion. Kashmiri shawls were first introduced to Europe in the late 18th century by English traders who had encountered them in India. In India the shawls were worn by men, but in Europe they were taken up by women as the perfect warm wrap to accompany to new light muslin dresses. The cashmere wool was lighter, softer and warmer than anything available in Europe at the time, and the paisley patterns were deliciously exotic to Western eyes. Kashmiri shawls were also the perfect status symbol – they were extraordinarily rare, and prohibitively expensive. As with anything rare, expensive and incredibly desirable, those who could afford it flaunted it, and those who couldn’t scrambled to find a cheaper alternative. Manufacturers in Europe almost immediately began to replicate paisley designs (the name paisley comes from Paisley in Scotland where many imitation Kashmiri shawls were made) on wool-silk …

Five for Friday: Tips for doing the Historical Sew Fortnightly

Published by The Dreamstress

I loved doing the Sew Weekly last year because it really made me look at my sewing: my stash, how I sew, what I sew, what I spend the most time on, and what I waste the most time on. At the end of the year, I’m sewing much more efficiently, both in how long I take, and in creating things that I’ll really use and that work with what I have. That was part of the reason for suggesting the Historical Sew Fortnightly this year: I want to turn all that I learned towards my true sewing love. Here are five tips based on what I learned last year that may help you tackle the Historical Sew Fortnightly. Plan ahead I’m announcing the Challenges 8 challenges ahead so that you have plenty of time to figure out what you are making for each challenge, where you are going to spend your time, and what you need for each challenge. Make a list of the challenges and note what you are going to make. …