Sometimes we spin our minds trying to come up with a cool gift for a costuming/sewing friend. Aside from the “generic” gift cards to the fabric store (online or in town), an actual box of a neat, useful tool or notion is just the thing for the pretty paper. I’ve searched around and compiled a Read More...
Category: Jen’s Musings
Sewing Subscription Box from The Sewciety
Now that’s an interesting idea! Back in September a call went out in a pattern testing group I’m in on Facebook. It was for a subscription sewing box full of goodies like fabric, a pattern and notions. Sure! I’ll try that out. Full disclosure: the gals at The Sewciety picked me, among several others, to Read More...
The BUB – Butt Ugly Brigade
In the last year or so conversations have come up regarding bullying and unkindness happening – more often than before – in our small community. My post on perfectionism touched on how striving for the (elusive) perfect costume project can blind us in applying our own rules of historical accuracy to everyone else’s creative work. Read More...
Costume College 2018
Another annual event is on the books… and it was WONDERFUL!! Honestly, it felt really good to be back after a three year hiatus. That’s an enormous canyon of time when you’ve been attending an event since 2000 and it’s now 2018. You may remember I had a baby in 2016 just a month before Read More...
For the Love of Dirndls – A New Obsession
The classic folkwear dress of southern Germany and Austria is not a new one to me. The Trachten and Lederhosen are lovely ensembles with a patriotic (and varied) heritage. Yet recently I’m finding the women’s dirndl – the fashion Tracht – popping up more in my path. Maybe it’s just me wanting to find “my Read More...
Why You Can’t Be 100% Historically Accurate
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in June 2012. In many reenacting circles, there is a force that drives participants to historical accuracy. Have the right tent structures, keep plastic out of sight, wear clothing only your period character would wear, etc. This is fabulous thought and great effort should be given to be Read More...
Happy New Year! What Are You Sewing?
Hello my costuming friends and Happy New Year!!! I jumped on Facebook today for a Live feed chatting about new projects and giving you some sources for 18th and 19th century sewing projects including patterns, books and websites. Enjoy! You’ll find my new online class: Hand Stitches for 18th Century Sewing on the Historical Sewing Read More...
Doing Your Own Costuming Thing – Live Chat Replay
My last post on perfectionism and judging in our costuming circles was quite popular. It’s worth sharing our love of historical sewing with other, but we must be careful not to put our own viewpoints onto others creativity. I wanted to chat about this more, so when my friend and class assistant, Gina White of Read More...