The Seamstress by Charles Baugniet, 1858
“If you sew for fun, don’t feel like you’re falling behind if you see others talking about their sewing progress. Stick to what works for you – time & budget. It’s not a race. Enjoy the ride accomplishing new designs & techniques.” ~Jennifer Rosbrugh
The response I got from posting the above status on the Historical Sewing Facebook page totally surprised me. It was not expected. But yet, I think so many of us who enjoy historical costuming occasionally feel like we’re not keeping up with the leaders in our hobby.
It’s not wrong to have the inner drive to keep up, to be personally inspired by others’ projects. But does this feeling of not being good enough or fast enough take our passion out altogether?
Sometimes I’ll see other fellow bloggers (like my friend, Lauren’s Wearing History blog) post pictures of their progress on a certain project. This is on Monday. Then by Wednesday they’re posting photos of a completely different project. Whoa! But then a week later they’re back to the first project. – And it’s nearly finished!
What astounds me is the amount of photos they are posting. Indeed. If you’ve not taken photos as you progress through each step in a costume, you may not realize just how time consuming it is. And then to add to that – these amazing costumers have the time to actually sit down and write a blog post with several pictures.
(I say “have time” as our lives are really set by the priorities we take the time to allow for.)
But I have to wonder if I’m just abnormal with a full-time day job, husband, two cats, friends online & off and trying to run an online website with active classes PLUS get in sewing time now & then.
Really? (Said sarcastically) “These successful bloggers must have no employment and must be rich with both time & money to produce costume after glorious costume.”
Well… at least that’s what it seems to me (on the outside looking in). But I know that’s not the truth.
That I currently don’t have a life of leisure to stay at home all day and sew up lovely articles for my historical wardrobe while my maid cleans the house and fixes all the meals must mean I’m falling behind all those other successful costumers, right?
Why can’t I keep up??…. argh…
But that’s not the point, is it?
I would LOVE to have more time to sew. To finish that 1884 red day dress just because I want to; to complete a new lovely lime green 1916 dress for a Downton Abbey gown of my own….
Laura Carmichael (Lady Sybil Crawley), Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary Crawley) and Jessica Brown Findlay (Lady Sybil Crawley) from Downton Abbey
I deeply admire my fellow costumers who dedicate themselves to continually working on their craft, their skills. That doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t doing the same thing. It’s merely that we’re all on various tracks to different destinations.
The best way to stay on YOUR track and arrive at YOUR destination is to acknowledge the limitations you have. Accept them. Recognize that another costumer may have a larger money bag than you. That’s completely ok because they are at another point in life that’s different from yours.
TAKE HEART – your skills will improve by using them… free time comes & goes… and we all live through the highs and lows of financial well-being.
Our individual projects reflect particular points in our lives. Isn’t this the same for the REAL antique clothing that exists? It was a reflection of the wearer at the time – who they were, what they did, where they traveled. Copy this idea into your own sewing and you’ll find that those projects reflect the real you at this point in your life.
And the fun thing is, they will each have a story to tell about YOU….
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Personally, I’m able to post on my blog so much because I have a full time office job that frequently has a lot of lag time in between projects. I choose to use that time to work on hand sewing or to update my blog. Maybe the same applies to other bloggers as well.
I too do a lot of article & ebook writing on my lunch hour. I’ve been seen with my sewing basket there too when I’m running out of time at home before an event.
I’m very new to costuming and oooh and ahh over every new costuming blog I find. I have to keep telling myself that I’ve just started and some of these people have been costuming for years! The sheer amount of pieces that go into a historical costume is overwhelming to me too so my mantra is one thing at a time (and research, research, research).
Ah… don’t we all feel that way! I know you mentioned me, but I don’t feel like a leader in this in any way. I’ve barely had time to work on any personal projects in the last six months, but have projects from the last year that I finished and never blogged, so am playing catch up with those
But I’ve been wanting to get more into doing historical stuff and I know those can be quite time consuming compared to the vintage stuff!
It’s so funny, how we look at what others made and wish we could do the same. When I was working full time for someone else I’d spend more time on my personal projects and get a lot more sewing done, and wish I was at home doing my own business! But now, trying to be a small business and run it myself, I am so tired at the end of the day that I don’t want do do anything but veg out in front of the tv and do a bit of sewing on the weekends when I can fit it in- almost no sewing after work like I used to do! Maybe that’s why I made so many vintage outfits last year- I knew I could finish most of those in a day or two
Plus, I’m a hermit and seldom go anywhere
I suppose I should add, in case anyone gets the wrong impression, that most bloggers I know are not at all wealthy. I know I’m not! Far from it! I source most of my fabrics and trims at big discounts or buy at estate sales or thrift stores where I can, and I’m all about coupons for stocking up on thread
I started doing my small business as a stint in between jobs and I’m still looking for something in my field.
I really like being able to look at the costumes I have and think about what my interests were at the time I sewed them! I completely agree on how much they reflect what was going on in my life at the time.
I also play in a vampire larp, and my favorite part of it is costuming! I love looking back at what I created for the characters I’ve played and remembering good times! And it also means my costume closet varies from Tudor gowns, Italian Renaissance dresses, Hindi lehenga choli’s and veils, medieval bliauts, and victorian undergarments made from upcycled silk sari’s(my latest obsession)! And every piece was made under a different deadline and budget.
I do admit to feeling overwhelmed looking at other peoples blog sometimes. Not because they are sewing faster than I, but because I want to try more new things! Seeing everyone’s plans for Edwardian is driving me nuts!! I want to make one too!
I keep this posted on my design wall. It is adapted from Keri Smith’s The Artist’s Survival Kit
(Just as her checklist in meant to be tongue-and-cheek, so is mine!)
How to feel miserable as a costumer.
Constantly compare yourself to other costumers.
Talk to your family about your “work” and expect them to take you seriously.
Base the success of your entire career on the opinion of one unpleasable customer.
Stick with what you know.
Undervalue your costuming expertise/knowledge.
Let money dictate which projects you take.
Bow to societal pressures.
Take every commission that comes across your desk.
Do whatever the client asks- i.e. remake something, offer a discount, rent your custom designs, share your trade secrets, do pro bono work.
Set unachievable goals and expect them to be done by tomorrow.
Follow every other “costumer’s” site and constantly try to keep up with them.
Continually wonder why others do not follow (or stop following) your blog or facebook page.
Smiles!
This was such a good article! I think that we also should be more understanding towards others and the costumes they’re wearing or making and we should also understand that other people might have more or less limitations than we do.
Thank you so much for this. I am a *costumer.* I am not a recreationist. I do not make historical outfits. However I do try to keep some elements of them in mind whenever I work on something that could be applied to a particular era.
While I have been sewing and creating costumes and outfits for almost 30 years now, since my early teens, I feel like an amateur whenever I encounter a recreationist. Comments downgrading the type of material I use, the cut of the sleeve, etc., they hurt. But I have to remember, I aim for the 10 foot, or even the 5 foot rule – looks good at 10 feet.
I also have one really big benefit that recreationists don’t – I have a lot more artistic license than they do. If I don’t like that sleeve cut, that skirt draping, I have a lot more options to change it to.
I suppose I should take it as a complement that the recreationists are analyzing my work in comparison to theirs, even though it’s a completely different category, because it means that I got it close enough that they didn’t realize I wasn’t attempting to recreate.
So, again, thank you.
Wow !After reading the article and comment I do recognize myself.I never had a lot of time and I know I did not sew fast at all.I wish I could present more costumes I made on my blog and be a leader or at least close of it.When I see other blog with so much costumes and so many activities people are going I wish I could do the same.But the reality is I’m not a fast sewer and I’m a new mom since december so every free moment is precious and rare .Do you know what I like the most about the article?I feel it was written by someone who have her feet on earth and fully conscious of the reality.Did anyone went to an activity and having the impression people are looking at you and make you feel uncomfortable because you’re not enough good or historically correct for them?
My friend Gwenyver add a post every day on her blog during one year because she was a new mom at home.Now it’s more when she have time.
Costume and blog did reflect the different stage of our life.It’s good to see people who realize that.Costuming and blog are both time consuming.
Such a great post! I think we all need this reminder from time to time. I’ve felt like I’m not good enough for other costumers, because I don’t sew that many things a year, but I have to remember that I’m a graduate student with limited time and money. I also have to remind myself that the people I really admire have been sewing for much longer than I have, and my skills are still developing. So thanks for writing this!
Thank you for writing this article, there certainly is a sort of secret pressure to keep up with the costumers and bloggers and the reality is that most of us really can’t. I make costume and clothes semi professionally on top of a full time job and it really is a struggle to do it all. Though something I have found that is an amazing help is an app which allows blogging direct from my phone, I snap a picture of what I’m making, type in a few words, press upload and boom! Its out into the world without even going near a desk. Admittedly the length of my posts are generally shorter and only include one picture, but at least they’re done, whereas before I had the nagging back log of projects that would just never get written up.
But however many I manage to do, or however much sewing does get crossed off the to do list, there will always be people who do more. So you are quite right, work at your own speed, enjoy what you do and don’t let it become a chore.
Thanks, Jennifer,
I was just feeling depressed that I am not having a new warkrobe to wear at Costume College, and how I have so much sewing to do and no time for my own. And feeling overwhelmed with all that I HAVE to do (like get my figures together for SBOE and pay them before I even think of packing). Yet, some think I accomplish so much and what vitamins am I taking? I think we all accomplish a lot in each of our lives, some are more verbal about it and some don’t count the non-costuming /sewing things we do, also. It takes time to keep up relationships or businesses, even though we are barely breaking even. Thanks for letting me feel I am not alone. It’s OK to just go alkong on the pace that I am and inspire and help others.
Shelley Peters
SewPeriod!
Kansas Mercnatile
I don’t write. I do however take photos at the end of a project an put them on my pintrest sight. Some times this happens in one big post of several outfits.