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!

Another New Shift!

Last year, I made a costume to wear to Renaissance Faires, and it required a shift to be worn under it. The sleeves of the shift would be visible, and my other two shifts just didn't have the look I wanted them to. So, for this year's Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, I decided to sew a new shift!

I used Burda pattern 7156 - my first time using a Burda pattern! Burda patterns aren't my favorite, but that didn't matter too much because I made my own alterations anyway. There's no elastic or anything inaccurate anymore. I wish I hadn't used the size suggested, the smallest size probably would have worked well for me - the sleeves are just a bit too poofy for my liking.

This was a nice afternoon project for me, and I am pleased overall with how it turned out. Even more importantly, I had a ton of fun spending the day at the Renaissance Faire with one of my best friends!

Me, holding up the shift before sewing the casings and putting in the drawstrings - it's huge!

The final product, worn with my Civil War era corset that I made a few years ago.

Last year's Faire, with Queen Catherine of Aragon.

This year's Faire!