Day 7: Made for Someone Else

I finally had the opportunity to sew gowns for two young girls!

For a few years now I have told everyone with children back in my hometown that I would sew their children colonial outfits if they ever came to visit Colonial Williamsburg. That finally came to fruition at the end of June, when I received a text message telling me I would have visitors by the end of the week! I quickly got the sizes for the two girls, and then immediately went shopping. I found two great printed cottons in colors that I knew the girls would love, and patterns that were extremely close to some seen on extant garments from the period.

I used the Mill Farm Child's Gown pattern as my base, although I made a few very slight alterations. The gowns came together very quickly - I used my sewing machine, but both dresses from start to finish took less than a total of 4 hours!

It was great to see how happy my young friends were with their new dresses once they arrived in town, and they told me they had so much fun exploring Colonial Williamsburg dressed like the wonderful young ladies that they are.

So, as a reminder to any of my friends with young children: I will gladly sew 18th century clothing for any youngsters who are coming into town! (And for those only young at heart, I'll sew for you too, just let me know when!)

As always, if you have any questions about any projects, want more clarification or tutorials, are interested in commissioning an outfit/accessories, or simply want to talk sewing with me, please feel free to comment below, or send me an email!

Day 6: Book Recommendation

            I have a lot of costuming books, and especially historical costuming books. So, choosing a favorite is pretty difficult. However, Fitting and Properstands out to me, being one of my first costuming books, as well as the first book I drafted a pattern from.

            My parents got it for me as a reward for finishing an extra online class ahead of schedule, as well as buying me my first pair of 18^th century shoes. I’ve sewn a gown, mitts, shortgown, and a calash so far from the patterns in the book, and it couldn’t have been easier to follow!

            In a similar vein to The Cut of Women’s Clothes, the book places traced patterns on a grid, so they’re easy to reproduce exactly as they exist in real life, but they can also be sized up or down to fit each individual. The book also provides the thread count for the materials, instructions for the construction, photos of the original garments, and a written history of both the generic idea of the type of garment as well as the extant piece itself.

            I highly recommend this book, especially for those costumers who are just entering the historical costuming world, or anyone who is learning how to draft patterns. And, even if you don’t make anything from it, it’s still a wonderful book to flip through and learn from!