I’m following in the footsteps of my 3 x great grandmother Mary Hopkin. Mary was a dressmaker, a common occupation for unmarried women in the 1800s. Here are the occupations of her fellow villagers

https://hannah-howe.com/ancestry/mary-hopkin/

Dress maker

Eight-year-old Max Alexander holds the world record as the youngest runway fashion designer. He began designing at the age of four.

via beardedmrbean

#children
#DressMaking
#FashionDesign
#video

Just back from a work trip. Got to wear a #weekendSewingClub creation… a cut-and-shut of a Burda magazine skirt, with the top half of a dress from another issue.

It’s shorter than I planned, to eke it out of a shortish length of this lovely, light grey and sky-blue check wool.

I like it in its own right, but it’s actually the wearable-muslin for the midi-length version I have planned for THE MOST decadent fabric I have ever bought… dark grey SCABAL herringbone.

#weekendSewingClub

I’ve made a start on the floral satin dress, but I’ve been taking it slow with long sleeps between, because I’m starting my new (old?) job tomorrow, so energy-budgets are tight! Mostly I’ve been cutting out, interfacing, stay-stitching the fluttery, fluid viscose, and (thankfully not many) darts.

Here’s the pattern photo, and the bodice front, to give you a flavour of how the floral will look.

A ‘thread’ about #textiles at the #AberdeenArtGallery particularly a display about the changes in day dresses. This a late Victorian day dress made of heavy (warm) velvet #aberdeen #fiberarts #dressmaking #sewing

Finally, on Sunday April 28, there'll be another "At Home with c19th Dress and Textiles Reframed" event!

Programme:
Linda McShannock - A Living for the Earnest, A Fortune for the Capable: Dressmaking in Minneapolis, 1880-1920
Cecilia Soares - A transatlantic wardrobe: an analysis of the Belle Époque sartorial goods from the Ivy House Museum, in Vassouras, Brazil (1870-1910)
Alden O'Brien - TBD

Read more and register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/at-home-with-c19th-dress-and-textiles-reframed-28-april-2024-300pm-bst-tickets-715162378927?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios

#DressHistory #FashionHistory #MaterialCulture #Museums #Dressmaking #19thCentury #BelleEpoque #Brazil #Histodons @histodons @historikerinnen

Half-circle skirt is finished!!

I think, now I'm wearing it, I could have comfortably made it shorter and saved myself the trouble I had finding enough fabric left over for the waistband, but I wanted to make sure I could be comfortable in it not baring my knickers to the neighbourhood when I'm lounging in the garden, and there's certainly no danger of that.

My daily escape from the gloom and UK politics photo is of me modelling the new dress I made yesterday! First one since about 1977!! I'm actually quite pleased with it. Free fabric from our local Gratuiterie here in #France. Caught the #Dressmaking #sewing bug!!

Completed my pattern and have made a start on my red Jersey skirt.

This is leftover fabric from the red trousers I made, so there wasn't quite enough for four panels of equal size. Instead I folded the pattern piece in half and have made two panels at half the width, which, idk, I'm gonna call a design choice.

I would have loved a dress in this fabric - it has such beautiful flow! - but I have neither the skill nor enough fabric. #sewing #crafting #dressmaking

Finally, my best #Yarnuary tip. If you're lucky enough to be bought an adjustable tailor's dummy for Christmas, make sure you take your measurements like I did, early on Boxing Day. You may be horrified at the time but now I feel smug knocking off a few centimetres without suffering too much dieting hell.

#WeekendSewingClub

I got about half way through the blazer dress. Slightly weird order of working, because I wanted to get the lining front done while I can remember how I’d scrapped the lower facing.

Still vacillating about sleeves/no sleeves. No-sleeves is probably more the sort of thing I would wear, and nicer to sew, but there’s something about the substance of the fabric that I think asks for long sleeves.

#weekendSewingClub catch-up

The shirt dress has buttons. Oh Lord, I ballsed up the buttonholes, especially on the cuffs, but who ever looks at those?

The picture of me wearing it is a better colour representation of this GLORIOUS fabric: looks nice, but it feels even more incredible.

Bit short. Probably one for opaque tights IRL. But I do like it.

#WeekendSewingClub confession… I lost all patience with the red silk dress, so I have put it aside and been making a very short shirt-dress. Looks like denim from a distance, but is actually the wool/silk blend houndstooth. Really lovely fabric to work with, and will be to wear. #sewing #dressmaking #handMade

#WeekendSewingClub - an update on the pattern hacking of McCalls 7997 (blazer dress)

Pic 1 shows the blazer front piece split into top and skirt pieces. You can see the difference in the width of the darts.

The lapel is also raised by 4.5 cm to hit my collarbone rather than sliding halfway down my chest.

Pic 2 is the top front and matched facing pieces, with an extension added for the peaked lapel. I have some doubts about this particular frippery.

#WeekendSewingClub It’s a dress. It hasss #pockets.

#WeekendSewingClub latest… I’ve been making a dress! It’s a cut-and-shut of two Burda dresses: the bodice off one, changed from jewel neck to quite a deep V; and an A-line skirt off another, heavily doctored with radiating darts to each to the slanting pockets. Just need to finish closing up the lining along the zip.