#historical reproduction

[zwierendezwam]

Wore my new kirtle to Muiderslot today!!

[warclad]

Finally done! I'm so proud of these. What an absolute joy to make. I hope to try something a little more ambitious in the future. Inspired by examples from the 13~1400's.

[upmala]

Duck dagger reproduction, iron age, based on archeological find in current Lithuania

[futuristicsaladparadise]

Samantha Dresses for School

Note: Francie Whitman is playing the role of Samantha Parkington.

Good morning, Samantha! Are you ready to start your day? No? At least you’ve managed to dress in a chemise and drawers. That’s a start.

Let’s get moving, because breakfast and Grandmary await, and you’ve got a lot to do to get ready before you head to school.

Next, stockings, shoes and stays. At least your toes won’t be cold. 

(Stockings of the time were usually secured with garters attached to the stays, or as part of a separate garter belt/harness. I didn’t have the pieces to make them.)

Are we all laced up, nice and tidy? Good. It wouldn’t do to go without a supportive undergarment like your stays. They’ll help you maintain proper posture. 

And now to protect the stays from contact with your clothes, since it has to last a good 6 months, worn every day. EVERY DAY, Samantha. Not wearing proper undergarments is both a moral and physical failing, and you wouldn’t disgrace your grandmother, now, would you? 

(Yes, people of the time believed that. The term “loose woman” as a euphemism for prostitute came about because workers in that profession either didn’t tighten/relace their corsets between clients, or went without them entirely. Also, upper-class people in the very early 20th century were extremely conservative about their values. I’ve heard stories about referring to trousers as “the southern necessity” because to talk about virtually any body part, especially below the waist was considered rude. That includes words like “leg” and “pants”.)

Very nice, and you’ve properly secured your petticoat to your corset cover so it won’t fall down. It would never do for a proper young lady, which I’m sure you are, to look unkempt or untidy by having dragging underclothes. Now, go brush your hair and get your dress on. Grandmary is waiting.

Lovely! You look like a proper young lady. Enjoy your breakfast and have a good day at school!

Samantha and Rebecca are the most extreme examples of layers among the 20th century historical girls. Stays and corsets went out of style during/after WWI, and thereafter girls only had to wear one or two layers under their clothes (no stays and covers) depending on the weather. Central heating wasn’t common until the 1950s, so kids needed more clothes to keep warm in the winter.

It frustrates me how AG makes their clothes for pre-WWI dolls so tight they can’t wear period-correct underclothes. Samantha’s lacy pink meet dress won’t fasten in the back if she’s dressed correctly. Her original clothes were blousy for a reason. She needs THREE layers on top underneath her dress.

[annebrontesrequiem]

Full body workout ideas: Boning 18th century stays

[stevviefox]

Absolutely stunning work!!

All repairs have been made. All ends have been trimmed. The shawl has been dragged through a ring.

This is a mostly accurate reproduction of an 1880s-1910s Shetland lace ring shawl.

I used Jamieson and Smith Shetland Supreme 1ply in natural white. This yarn was developed with Shetland Museum and Archives as part of the Shetland Fine Lace Project, and is a 100% Shetland wool reproduction of the original handspuns used.

For additional historical accuracy, I also had borderline severe anemia for this entire project without knowing what was wrong with me.

Dimensions are 5 foot 8 inches square.

Detail shots:

Bonus slow-mo gif of it in motion. You can kind of get a feel for how it tries to velcro to itself at the very end (the edging points are flipped up and stuck) which is the main reason I didn't try other methods of capturing the drape capabilities. You'll have to take my word for it that it's super drapey.

Ring shawls got their name from the fact that one of the ways to prove the authenticity and quality was to pull it through a wedding ring--provided, of course, that the diameter of the ring was half an inch or less.

I do not have wedding rings.

I have goth rings.

I dragged it through a size 5 (approx 1/2 inch diameter) coffin ring. I do not recommend this.

Tumblr seems to be objecting to me trying to post the video of this. I'll either get it in a reblog of my own post, or link the two posts together once I can upload it separately. There is some BBC archive footage on YouTube of a reporter interviewing two lace knitters who demonstrate this at the end of the video. The reporter stated the shawl being used for this demonstration is 27 square feet.

Mine is a little over 32 square feet.

This was made particularly challenging by the fact I could NOT block it at max tension--the cotton thread that strings it up to the blocking frame sawed through part of the edging, and I had to stop at the dimensions I had. As a result, the density of this fabric is thicker than it would have been otherwise.

But I did it and I retain the bragging rights forever.

@battleblaze I'm going to beat you to the punch this time and tag @knottybliss myself. Thank you for the object lesson in "don't post pics when still in the pits of stress over blocking going horrifically wrong" lmao

@the-fibre-stuff Thanks! I made the frame, too! I think the skew in that very hasty photo is largely the angle--there's just not enough space without moving very heavy furniture to get a good head-on angle. But my crochet cotton DID saw through an edging point while I was trying to make sure that it was all perfectly even (and it's hard to get my frame to stay square) so I think there is a skew, but hey, if I'm the only one that knows, I'm chill. Glad to hear that it passes the galloping horse test, in any case.

@ghostrepeater I'll never tell. You can't make me.

@invisiblefoxfire I still think you said it best: This thing is determined to simply not exist at all, but my will is superior.

And finally (maybe) @lacewise as predicted, now that the finishing details have been completed, better pictures taken, I AM proud. Exhausted. But proud. It remains to be seen how often I allow this thing to leave the house.

Everyone else that complemented my very hasty, zero contrast, probably super eye-strainy "please send help and/or booze" quick pic--thank you. I legit never post anything, I truly am a habitual lurker. I've only ever gotten that many notes on boop day. I'd tag some more mutuals, but honestly, you're seeing it in more than one place.

[english-history-trip]

The gowns designed by Walter Plunkett for Diane (1956), with Marisa Pavan as Catherine de Medici and Lana Turner as Diane de Poitiers, alongside the historical portraits he based them on.

[boselliart]

[smol-warrior-1258]

This is maybe really dark, but since the election I think I've been sort of slowly processing the full scope - since it's really too much to take in all at once - and today this just solidified in my brain.

I just was thinking about this famous photo from during the AIDS crisis and how much it still resonates today. How visceral it was/is, and how it perfectly encapsulated such a devastating era in this country - socially, politically, and medically.

And all I could think was "if I die in childbirth - forget burial - just drop my body on the white house lawn".

Really you could change the subject to a dozen different groups whose lives will be put in active danger by the upcoming administration, but the complete medical disregard for so so many people that is about to drop on this country just feels so similar I can't stop thinking about it. The idea that safe reproductive care exists out in the world but will be made inaccessible only because of the government's so-called morality.

[youweremovingyourfeet]

This is insane!! I always love looking at corsets from this period because they have so much shape already built into them before the boning is even completed! If you have any process photos, I'd love to see them!

Sewing 1890s Day Dress in Doll Scale

I went slightly overboard with this second historical doll project. Here's my first one. The style is from around 1897 and more of a middle class style. As with my first doll outfit, I tried to stick to historical methods as much as possible, but the scale forced me to do some deviations. I hand-sew everything though sewing machine was already widely used, because in this scale it's easier to control the stitch, there's not that much to sew anyway and also I just really like hand-sewing. Here's all the items I made. As said, I went a little overboard. One thing that's missing is the corset cover, but the layers of fabric were creating enough bulk on the waist as is so I decided to not make one.

This time I decided to try repainting the face. I don't have any doll customization materials, so I used acrylics. After couple of attempts I got decent results. Acrylics can't make as smooth and delicate finish as pastels, pencils and gouache, which can be used on vinyl with basing sprays, and I'm not experienced with painting small details on 3D objects, so it's a bit smudged at points, especially with the other eye. I aimed for 1890s very neutral make up and the type of expression that was popular in fashion plates and other illustrations.

Undergarments

Combinations and stockings

The combinations are split crotch as they were in the period. They are from thin cotton voile I have a lot of and is very appropriate. I didn't have really tiny enough lace for this, so it's kinda bulky, but I think it's okay enough. The stockings are cotton knit, which fits well. The garters are not actually necessary for this doll since her legs are rubbery.

Corset

I made the corset from a firm-ish linen and satin rayon pretending to be silk as the fashion fabric. The stitching of the boning channels is not super neat, this fabric is very unforgiving, I didn't have exactly matching thread and the scale made it very difficult. I of course didn't have tiny busk, so I used small hooks, sewed thread loops for them and used narrow metal wire for the edges. I think it looks surprisingly right on the outside. I used the same wire as the boning to reinforce the lacing on the back. I didn't actually use boning elsewhere but the tightly packed linen edges in the boning channels kinda work like lighter boning. I think it keeps the shape pretty ways even with just that. I stitched cotton tape inside to shape the corset further. I also didn't have tiny metal eyelets so I hand-sewed the lacing holes.

Bustle pad

The bustle pad is from linen and stuffed with tiny cabbage.

Petticoat

The petticoat is from the same cotton as the combinations.

Outer wear

Skirt

The fabric is cotton half-panama. It's pretty thin, but firm. I would have liked to use a woven wool, but I didn't have any that's thin enough to work in this scale. I think this cotton looks close enough in this scale to a wool with a tight weave, so I'm imagining it's that. My problem was that the cotton was white, but I wanted light brown. I wasn't going to buy any fabric for this, so I did the reasonable thing and dyed it with red onion peals (I've been doing natural dye experiments so this worked well for me).

Shirtwaist

The shirtwaist is from the same cotton as the undergarments. Yes, I dyed it too. I didn't have thin enough cotton in a color that would fit with the skirt and the purple bow, so I dyed it light blue with fabric color. Since I already went the trouble of dyeing I decided I might as well make a small flower print to it since that was popular in the era. I didn't want it to jump out too much but the lighting makes it even less visible. I made it with a white fabric pen. The collar and cuffs are reinforced with linen. I also sewed small stick-like beads to the cuffs on both sides, so one acts as a button (I sewed a buttonhole too) and the other makes it look like they are cufflinks. The bow is from the same fabric as the corset and the belt is sewn from the same cotton as the shirtwaist. The buckle is from a barbie belt.

Waistcoat

The waistcoat is from the same fabric as the skirt, thought the lapels and the back are from another satin rayon. I tailored the front panels and the lapels by stitching the linen interlining with tailor's stitches (I don't remember if that's the correct word in English) into shape. There is some wonkiness on one side of the hemline for some reason.

Boots

I made the slightly insane decision to make the shoes fully from leather, like they would have been in the period. I had an old broken leather wallet I had saved in case I needed some leather scarps. It has fairly thin leather, so it was workable here. It's light brown though, so I used black shoe polish to darken it. I wanted black or very dark brown shoes. I stacked the heels from glue and leather pieces and carved them into the right shape and sewed the shoe itself to leather shaped as the sole and glued it to the heeled and shaped sole. After I had shaped the shoes and the heels as much as I could I painted the heels black.

[zwierendezwam]

De verkleedkist

[manicpixistonergirl]

pics i took yesterday while “vandalizing” bathrooms & changing rooms w these stickers

[sitdwnandstudy]

I was so brave in class today for not derailing the entire conversation when my prof said there was no difference between the pro choice and reproductive justice movements

[fabledquill]

Hi! I have to source historical reproductions pretty regularly and the following are a few I've found reputable and good quality for menswear (mixed US and UK sources):

Mid 20th century: Revival Vintage (good quality, but affordable) Chester Cordite (WHOO MAMA SPENDY but worth it)

Georgian/Regency: Fugawee, Jas Townsend & Sons, Darcy Clothing

Victorian: Darcy Clothing, Historical Emporium (the latter is more affordable/mass produced feeling, so check fiber contents of each product individually, and the cuts of their coats are a little modernized at times, but I LOVE their high waisted men's pants and their pintucked shirts. Really lovely. Also note that their collared shirts err 1/2 to a full inch larger than the suggested measurement, so for a period fit with a tie, go down a size)

Good luck, happy shopping!

Do you have any suggestions on where to purchase vintage/reproduction/historically inspired menswear? This is often the first question I get when people find out I went to school for costume design, at which point I am forced to explain that my training... really does not cover that. At all. The shops I'm aware of make either costumes, or exclusively women's clothing, which seems rather unfair.

I'm tempted to just make some, but my program taught exclusively design and no construction. The end result is that I know exactly how a garment is made in theory, but in reality I'm still figuring out waistbands and closures.

I'm afraid I haven't a clue! I don't really buy clothes, aside from socks, shoes, and underwear. But I'll post this and maybe some of my followers will have suggestions.

It sucks that your program didn't teach sewing :( It's so important to have experience putting things together when you have to design those things.

(If you do want to make some, here's an obligatory link to my 18th century menswear resources post.)

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

if I were a printer & bookbinder I would simply recreate first editions of western classics

[annebrontesrequiem]

Also not to flex, but I’m actually making stays guys! By hand! With… zipties. Ignore… the bloodspot