The question came up on my Facebook page: do I use all historical techniques in my period costuming like hand sewing, or do I use modern methods like synthetic thread and sewing machine?
Some of you already know how I cheat with modern methods. But I’ll go a bit further and list out the techniques I use when sewing and whether they are found in period clothing or not.
Historical Sewing Techniques
These are found in originals and that I use in my historical costuming. I’m generally speaking of Victorian garments in these lists. Although, I do sew from late 18th century through 1920s.
- Machine stitching of major seams in all garments forward from the late 1850s
- Flatlining both bodices and skirts, although not all skirts need an underlining
- Applying bones to seams by machine sewing the casing to the seam allowance
- Finishing bodice hems, sleeve hems and necklines with bias strip facings and hand tacking them in place
- Hand sewing skirt hems
- Hand finishing waistbands
- Using hem facings and hand tacking to finish
- Adding skirt plackets at openings
- Creating bodice closures of hook & eye sets or buttons and buttonholes
- Clipping seams before pressing open
- Sewing French seams but only on sheer garment seams that will not be supported by an underlining fabric – for example, an unlined sheer summer skirt
- Using sew-in underlinings and interfacings to support items like collars and cuffs
- Adding a waist tape to support the bodice and silhouette
- Hand tacking trim to a garment instead of machine sewing it to attach
- Using a crinoline base to attach trim onto it before mounting to a garment
- Using 100% cotton lace and other trims as well as 100% silk ribbons
Modern Sewing Techniques
The methods listed here I use in my historical costuming but were either learned in childhood from sewing modern clothes or shortcuts I’ve picked up over the years to speed up my sewing. They could also be from materials the Victorians used but not available to us in the 21st century.
- Machine stitching of major seams in all garments prior to the late 1850s
- Use a serger to overlock raw edges – I mainly do this when in the flatlining stage
- Understitch a neckline and other separate facings when used to finish raw edges
- Use metal bones in bodices and corsets (as opposed to whalebone which is now illegal)
- Grade seams – although, grading can be seen on some antique, late Victorian garments the general use was to merely clip and shape the seam allowances
- Use modern skirt hook & bar sets to close skirt plackets and waistbands
- Use cotton-wrapped-polyester or 100% polyester thread on most everything
- Modern liquid starch (chemically formed) used to set petticoats
- Defer to the occasional polyester or rayon/poly blend fabrics if the color or print is the best match for my project. Although, it is rarely the primary fabric in the entire outfit.
- Use fabric glue when constructing hats and bonnets (and every once in a while to apply trim to headpieces)
- Use poly or nylon “silk” fabric florals and greenery for trims
- Use rayon or polyester trims
- Use nylon netting for bustles and poly batting for bustle pads
- Make buttonholes by machine
Modern Sewing Techniques I Don’t Use
- Bag linings. I flatline with an underlining fabric instead. However, you will find later 19th century garments that have both underlinings mounted to the fashion fabric as well as a full lining slipstitched into the garment. The bag lining method sews a complete bodice to a complete bodice lining right sides together then turn out and press. Bag linings are quite 20th century not historical.
- Zippers of any kind and anywhere. Nope. I stick with buttons & buttonholes, eyelets and lacing, and hook & eye sets. No velcro either.
- Shaped facings like you see on modern blouses to finish neckline and center front (or back) openings.
- Machine sewn hems…. UNLESS it’s a petticoat and some ruffle trims. Then it’s both a modern and period correct method I use.
There are some costumers who are of the opinion that “if the Victorian woman had it she would have used it.” As in the electric sewing machine (not treadle powered) or the electric steam iron.
And others who strive to only sew the way our ancestors did.
I’m not sure which way you create historical garments, but I am ok myself to use shortcuts and different materials or better techniques when possible.
Life is short and, for me, my sewing to-do list is HUGE. I want to make as many projects as I can and want to.
I want the pretty dress and the warm cloak but strive for the silhouette to be correct. I won’t necessarily concern myself with historical accuracy within the entire project. I concentrate on getting “the look” right and also challenging myself to more difficult techniques to improve my skills.
In my classes I teach both historical methods and modern counterparts when they come up. My students and followers land on both ends of the sewing spectrum – historically accurate as possible down to *really modern* shortcuts – and everywhere in between.
As I study 19th century clothing I realize how un-complicated it is.
Peeling back the layers of fabric and trims the construction is really not difficult… Seams, darts, set-in sleeves, hems and facings, mainly four types of closures, and hand tacking anything that can’t get into a machine.
So I use means that will produce a good-looking and well-made ensemble but take advantage of modern tools and materials all while saving myself time and thoroughly enjoying the process of it all.
What modern techniques to you use in your historical costuming? Any cheaters out there? What historical methods do you love using?
I will be honest, I do not have the TIME, nor the practice, to produce a garment entirely by hand (and my area of focus has largely been Renaissance). I machine the seams, hems on undergarments, and bag linings because 1. I didn’t know it wasn’t period, and 2. then I don’t HAVE to spend time finishing my raw edges, because they’re protected inside. One thing, though, that I will NEVER do, is use machine embroidery on a period costume. To me it’s just so glaringly obvious that it’s been stitched by machine–soulless, to me. On the other hand, my embroidery fu is pretty strong, so even on particularly complicated projects, I’ll tend to get it done pretty fast.
Also, fabric painting goes back way further than most people think and is a perfectly appropriate substitute for embroidery if I’m in a time crunch–just watch and use something more like Jacquard Dye-na-flow or fabric markers rather than the acrylic-based paints, since historic fabric paints were mostly dyes that had been thickened (with various natural gums or egg yolk, etc.) and they don’t look remotely the same.
I love having an antique sewing machine as my main machine, it makes the issue of “to machine hem or not to machine hem” into a pretty simple one. If I’m working on an 1870s or 1880s dress, I won’t hesitate to machine stitch my hems; anything earlier is a definite handstitch hem. I don’t like working with zippers anyway, they’re a pain in the behind to get even and have never really turned out just right for me regardless of how closely I pay attention to the instructions. If only button up backs worked better for 1950s dresses… *sigh*
I have a dislike of overlocking, aka serging. (I’m British, hence my use of terminology. 🙂 ) This isn’t only a historical accuracy thing; I just don’t find overlocked edges handsome, and have always disliked resorting to that technique, whatever the vintage of garment that I’m sewing. With my current historical project, which is my first, I’m hoping to learn loads of handsome alternatives for finishing off raw edges! What are people’s favourites? What would be a good alternative for raw edges in skirt seams? How about the raw edges in Victorian bodices?
Thanks!
Anna
Seam finishes in antique garments include: pinking, binding with bias or lining fabric, and hand whipstitching. French seams were done on the most sheer fabrics. Flat felled seams were also very common but more often kept to undergarments. This is all for both bodices and skirts. 🙂
Thank you. 🙂 It’s gratifying to discover that much of what you wrote about seam finishes wasn’t a huge surprise – I’m clearly doing my research right! 🙂 The exception the bit about flat felled seams; I didn’t know that! Interesting. I’m working on an 1890s petticoat of cotton lawn, and I’ve been doing French seams, as I always find they look very lovely on translucent fabrics. Would you have done likewise, or would that be the sort of undergarment for which you might use flat felled seams?
The more I work on historical sewing, the more I want to stare inside garments from the time period and inspect them in great, minute detail!
You mostly find the flat felled seams on undergarments so they stand up better with all the washing. The shirtwaists of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras can have flat felled seams too. If it’s a sheer fashion fabric and seams will be visible then I’ll do French ones and they are period appropriate.
I machine sew all seams where you cant see the stitching, and overlock almost everything. I’m also quite fond of the blind hem stitch on the sewing machine, but will also hem or sew on trimming by hand. Until recently I used authentic closures on everything, but last week I was running late on my 1899-gown and, had to be sure I was able to get in and out of it myself, so I put in a side zipper *hangs head in shame*
So far I’ve used bag lining and shaped fecings when lining, but I will look into flat lining now. I never thought if it as a modern technique, just the way I was thought to sew.
I think you have a very nice list, and a good balance between historical correct and sane.
Have you ever tried serger ruffles! Most sergers can do this with a special foot using the differential feed. It is very fast! The top of the ruffle is serged so you can sew it on upside down and then press it down, and not worry about threads escaping out from under the ruffle when you wear the dress. I made an 1860’s skirt with multiple rows of 3 inch ruffles using this technique. I have also used serger heirloom sewng techniques to do lace insertions, etc.
I also have a computerized sewing machine that can emulate some types of period stitching. Some of it works better than others – the rolled hem on the machine doesn’t look like a true rolled hem. But I have used the blind hem on thicker fabrics and it works quite well. I also use the embroidery functions to make embroidered trim – there is even a company that sells machine embroidery files digitized from period sources (Romantic Recollections).
That said, I sometimes hand sew entire outfits IF I that suits my goals with that project. But I like you have a huge back log of projects I want to do and not a lot of time, so I love my technological cheats! Thank you great article!
Have never purchased other feet for my serger. But then, I love traditional two-row gathering. 🙂
And Denise at Romantic Recollections is a friend of mine. Great stuff!
I cheat! Yup:) everything I can see on machine I do but anything that shows I do by hand. Of course most of what I make pre 1880 has to survive kids playing in the creek in them 🙂
I hate to admit it, but until recently, and mostly because I was always finishing things at the last minute, I have always machine sewn my hems. I have a petticoat which I did hand sew, and it looks sooooo much better that I might have to go back and redo everything over time.