Also remember this: Your first ratchety janky looking costume will serve you well in the future. It will be both a source of endless amusement and remined you of how far you have come.
One of my first cosplay was made with cheap gold lamé and I didn’t line-it or properly finish edges. I had someone come tell me it was damaged at a con (like they were concerned I did realize) when I’d face it was just finished that way. 😂 I have pictures like, as the kids say it makes me cringe and I love it. I’ve learned soo much
I have Bernadette’s book and both of Abby’s books from American duchess. And they are available in the library. Please do go to the library for sewing books and Resources. Librarians are helpful and library’s are free resources that get financed by foot traffic. You can request that your local library get specific books. Okay done with my resource rant. It’s a use it or lose it thing
Yes! Libraries for the win! My first sewing patterns came from library books. At least for modern sewing, the books had pockets of patterns in the back that I traced onto parchment paper (what? Y’all thought parchment paper was only for making cookies? 😂). But seriously, parchment paper is amazing. It’s see-through enough to trace a pattern in good lighting but very sturdy. Only issue is that it doesn’t accept tape well, so if a pattern piece doesn’t fit onto your sheet, you have to pin them together and potentially get wounded 😅
I would say anyone with anxiety could make an apron, Victorian, Edwardian etc. Then move on to a petticoat. You learn pattern cutting, some adjusting, machine and hand sewing. Just a thought for us anxiety ridden souls.
Old sheets often have a better hand that new cotton. I've used them a lot to make Regency underdresses. Often you can get table cloths in linen or fine cotton with a lot of handwork or lace that you can used for petticoats or ruffles. But the linen store is my favorite! Almost everything I have is out of their linen! I would add Jubilee Fabrics and any other stores that sell handspun cotton which is fine with a nice hand and is "rustic." I've made a lot of really nice Viking smock dresses with tablecloths. And if you're sewing for someone who is a 5x, old sheets make wonderful smocks for any era.
@@FantasticalFolliesCostuming Kittredge Mercantile has wonderful homespun in plain patterns, not the Madras plaid you usually find. But both have "striped" homespun and Kittredge has Civil War prints, but that cotton is more like quilting cotton--a bit too heavy for nice historical.
My grandmother had a word for those types of shifty, silky, shed-y fabrics that make you want to cry: gizzony. It is now a permanent part of my sewing vocabulary, because it sums it up so well. No need for a multiple adjective explanation on why a fabric is nope, just one word that’s as shifty as what it describes.
I *love* that you love the 17th c so much! I had to laugh at the no-no of 'Silky & Evil' - I will always be in _awe_ of the fact that my mother sewed a cocktail dress out of waterwave taffeta in a single afternoon...
thanks for doing this, it's incredibly valuable. I'd only add, Don't let the "authenticity nuts" make you think you HAVE to use silk in everything. there were quite a lot of eras where cotton was king. and if you live in the Southern part of the USA, use the lightest cotton you can. because you'll die from heat prostration fast in the summer. (from March thru Nov.)
I would add this; don't give a damn what others say. Most who will criticize you are the dorks that they are calling you. Also those who must tear down others to build themselves up. Dress for yourself. Pick something that you can wear with your regular wardrobe such as a blouse or frock coat. I consider myself to be a rather lazy and nerdy Goth. A Victorian era jacket will go nicely with my jeans and granny boots. I've had issues with what you call gatekeepers. I ignored them as I've seen their work. I started costuming coming from a background of haute sewing. I like to encourage others.
The only reason I would tell people to steer clear of poly is because of how sweaty it makes a person but I think letting them know and then them making their own informed decision is the way to go. Maybe they're just not as sweaty as me ┐(‘～`;)┌
Agreed. I think it's up to the individual to choose how much they want to sweat 😆 It's all about giving them the option. Poly's definitely not my top choice, especially since I live somewhere where it's more than 80 F for at least 8 months out of the year, but I make it work when I need to.
I wish my body was more tolerant of heat and poly, but here we are. It's one of the main reasons I'm learning to sew, because it's getting harder and harder to find clothing made without poly. The added bonus is that I'll give fewer bothers about wearing whatever the heck I want if I've made it myself, so why not learn how to make all the pretty things from centuries past?
Back in the day, I showed up to my first SCA event with 3 completed Shinrone gowns (pattern by R.H., lol). I seem to never start with the simple! But now it's been a while since I've done much costuming, so getting back into it is almost (but not quite) like starting over :) Great tips!
My first faire event was Nordic, very basic tunic from the thrift store and one of my skirts with a Oden vest. Now a kirtle and switch up with overskirt, and Houpplelande. Patchwork scrap skirt for pirates. All mix and match and fun.
Yes! These are thing's I keep reminding myself of as I'm still a beginner and still playing in the shallow end of the sewing pool. My three big tips for other beginners are; Shift/chemise are excellent places to start as they are underwear, they aren't meant to be seen, so even if you mess up as long as it is wearable and can be washed, it's still a win. Bonus if you wear dresses or skirts anyway as you can also wear them under regular clothes, which as with historical garments helps keep modern clothes clean from body oils and smells and reduces how much they need washing, so they last longer. Linen is ideal for shifts as it is antimicrobial, so they don't start to smell nearly as quickly as cotton - and, linen is stronger when wet, so stands up to some serious washing. If you can't get or afford linen, cotton is the next best, and I'd recommend making the very first one from cotton anyway as a practice piece you can still wear, to help a little with confidence. When you look for hand sewing needles, look for brands with a good reputation, never buy cheep unbranded needles as they are often badly made and the eye can be rough, so much so they can drag and snag on the thread, making the experience so much worse then it should be. A good quality needle with a good clean eye is very much worth the small price increase. Lastly, like needles, good thread is worth a little extra spending as cheep thread will fray, break, and tangle so much easier. Problems with sewing machines can sometimes just be down to cheep thread breaking, snagging, bunching up, and shedding fibres everywhere. It's less of a problem with hand sewing, but can still make the process harder.
Thanks!! You know, that stomacher was in the naughty pile for like 3 months, I used the excuse of wearing the mantua in this video to motivate myself to fix the awful embroidery I did in December 😂
My tips for beginners: 1. Historical costuming is not a race. There is nothing wrong with taking 3 years to complete your first outfit. 2. Old bed sheets, table cloths, window curtains, and blankets can all potentially be great historical costuming material. Check you local thrift stores, charity shops, second-hand stores, antique stores, etc.
I’d add if you have a general crafty background or have done any sewing at all going for maybe not the dream project but a project that really inspires you can be great! A completed garment that you find boring vs putting in a whole summer of weekends into crafting an approximation of a velvet Cranach gown might actually come out on the side of the velvet gown (made from curtains because I grew up on Sound of Music and Gone with the Wind 😂 )
My first natural gorms dress was made of stretchy knitted sunthetic fabric. It is the only one I can still wear :-D It is totally enjoyable dress, made for modern times (no corset), a ribbon designed certain way to look a substitute for a train...
15:45 One thing to be aware of/consider if how easy or hard it is to get replacement parts. Our household has a machine from my great-grandmother that was a 1990s machine, and one of the computer parts is no longer made.
Oh, yeah, totally. I feel like once you hit computerized parts, you're venturing into the not-made-to-last territory. (And the irony of all ironies, you can't find parts for those made in the 1990s, but you can still find parts for the ones made in the 1890s!!)
I'm new here! Got a really pretty fabric (like six yards of it) from a face-off thrift store near me and was intending to make a 17th century gown from it. Now, after watching a few of your videos, I think that particular project is getting back-burnered for now. Haven't decided yet what I'll do instead. I do have a bit of sewing experience. I made an early 60s dress from a photo with no pattern and have made a corset, so I'm not a total newbie. (Plus I've done a bunch of non-clothing things).
Hello!! Welcome! Probably a wise idea to hold off on the 17th century gown for a bit. It's a lot of work!! But there are definitely a lot of other options to tackle in the meantime. Good luck! ☺️
I chose an 1850-1860 dress as my first historical costume 😂 I'm just going to buy a cheap crinoline and make it a middle class type dress so it's a little easier on me haha
Wow, good luck! Middle class should be easier, though I'm not versed in that period at all, so I could be TOTALLY wrong 🤣 either way, I'm sure it'll be great!
I would add when you are first learning hand sewing to make stuffed dolls and learn how to make clothes for them before making clothes for yourself... it is much easier to understand simple doll patterns then it is historical costume patterns. And the small amount of fabric you need to make a doll, their shirt or pants, can be found discounted in the remnant section of stores... both box and thrift.
I love the elaborate explanations in details. How to help any beginner get into historical costuming. I'm glad you said something about gay keepers. Because all my life I've been told. I can't wear historical garments from Eastern countries because of my race or being bi-racial , and I'm not allowed to respectfully wear it even though that's not a choice. I had coming out of womb. Now I can finally respectfully wear it and feel confident. So, seeing a video like this really gives me confidence❤😊
So glad you enjoyed it! And yes, let's not encourage gatekeeping! Although, just to be clear, I am generally talking about Western cultures. Things get a little different when we're talking about other cultures, and I do not have the authority to speak on that subject, other than to say, for sure, if you're bi-racial and want to historical costume in cultures that you are a part of, that's great! But if it's not a culture that's your own, I would do some research from costumers of that culture, and speak to your friends who are in that culture, and see what they say before costuming in it. 🧡
Great tips! Everyone should do historical costuming, really it is great fun! About patterns.. I am a cheap ass bitch, so it's easier on my mind to draft a pattern from historical book then to by one all ready. But I am a small person, and it is perfectly simple to scale down those patterns, unlike scaling up.
Yeaaah! It's such a great, wonderful thing to do! Drafting is definitely a cheaper option, and one I find myself gravitating to more as times get tougher. I do think that certain types of people have an easier time wrapping their head around drafting than others, though, the same way some people can't figure out pleating unless they math/mark every pleat evenly, and some panic at the thought and can only divide and conquer 😆
I just found your channel and tbh I'm over the moon because for every 5-10 costubers I find there's one that gels perfectly with my interests/personality :D (the Bowie video?? I can't wait lol) These eras/getting started videos are so helpful and informative, and I'm not even a newbie to sewing! But I am better at the design and research phase than the actual... doing phase, and seriously you're giving me so much encouragement right now 😊 Also the gender inclusive language means so much to me. It's such a small thing, but thank you, really
Hello and welcome! Hope you enjoy the Bowie vid--it's kinda old, but I'm still really proud of the reveal 👩🎤 Glad you found this useful! Good luck with your endeavors, and you're very welcome--it's a small thing, using the inclusive language, but it's easy! I wish more folks would 😓
Excellent tips, thanks. I think we should call it historically adequate instead, since accuracy is impossible as you say. 🙂 We can never 100% completely recreate what they had and used hundreds of years ago.
I absolutely love your energy and approach! My big problem is focus, because there are just so many events that I could make outfits for, and so few hours in the day. Right now, I’m trying to focus on a) knitting vintage patterns from my stash and b) repairing the vintage clothes I already own. I should take a good look at the upcoming year’s event schedule and pick a few that I can manage. So hard to not get distracted!
Thank you so much! 😊 I feel ya on that!! Good idea to look ahead for sure! Planning in advance is the best thing you can do for your future self. I learned that the hard way, just recently 😵💫
I really wouldn't recommend anyone start their historical journey as I did. about 10 years ago, i saw a pretty picture so made the thing. it was a corset!!😂 it came out really well, but I was already a hugely experienced sewer at that point. my first sewing machine was my mum's old one from the late 50s. it's still my go to. I don't own a machine that was made after the 70s. I've used newer ones, and not only do they not have the power, but they're so light that they move! oooh, war stories. yes please😊. I have enough of my own with slinky crap, but damn its perty. please tell me your war stories. bloody hell fire! you must of been roasting in that dress doing it 6 times! I can't really give any good advice about what to do,since I have a bad habit of not doing the sensible thing anyway. just don't start like I did!! I've been doing jack shit this last week. made some shampoo, conditioner etc last week ( before being disabled I owned my own company making and selling 100% natural hair and body care),then got taken down with a cold which quickly spiraled into a sinus infection.again. so I've been a hot mess, doing what I can to stop it from being another "you've had these infections for 6 months" situations. stupid body. anyway, how are you doing?
Eh, I wasn't that uncomfortable in the gown. The bigger issue was my voice, after like 3 hours of filming, it was raw. Dance skirts...oh god. Back when I was a dance instructor, they often commissioned me for custom costumes. I had 11 3-layered poly chiffon skirts I had to make hi-low...and I decided to try it on my brand new rolled hem foot. Not a crier, but I shed tears over that. Absolutely AWFUL.
@@FantasticalFolliesCostuming OK, so your sad slinky fabric story beat all of mine, hands down. My worst was having to make 3 belly dancing costumes for £45 and still factor in my time, materials and profit. It's the only time I've ever set a costume on fire. Amd that was (luckily) after the uptight snob I was making one for put on a ton of weight amd blamed my sewing skills for it not fitting. I very nearly burned her alive in it. But I was off the smell of roasting pig at the time🤣. At least you didn't roast. Though, your poor voice.
I will agree with the statement at about 15:40, don't purchase a cheap sewing machine to try to start costuming. My cheap beginner machine from the 1980 had a nervous break down when facing heavy fabric like denim. It just won't sew heavy fabric. Secondly, if you are new to sewing and want to purchase a machine, invest in sewing lessons. Learning the machine takes time. A good instructor will help you progress by your doing.
@@FantasticalFolliesCostuming There are even libraries that have lending equipment (not in my tiny rural community) that a person can try out using a sewing machine. I agree with B Case that having even just a little one on one direction from a knowledgeble sewist is very helpful.
Great video! I adore the 17th century - more, more please!! 🥰 Thanks for the heads up on Reconstructing History - is there any pattern for the baroque era that's actually useful?
Whoohoo! I'm working on it. I have a few things planned for later in the year, though I have to finish the outfits for the actual events I'm attending, first 😆 Nehelenia patterns looks promising, but there are limited styles.
I have their Sittingbourne stays pattern and am quite pleased with it. I wish it had included a stomacher pattern but as I don't think the original had one and it's a fairly easy piece to make I'm okay with it.
@@FantasticalFolliesCostuming I am currently making an Edwardian petticoat that is adjustable in length, and decorated in rainbows and handmade crochet lace for June to flash people my skirts and show my colors. 😂
Lovvve your channel! Just found you the other day and I love your energy and passion for historical costuming. It's something I have been wanting to tackle for years now. I've been watching Abby Cox, Bernadette, Morgan Donner, and Nicole Rudolph for years! Love them and they are so knowledgable. I think what holds me back is finding a community around me, friends that are into it too, and events to wear these pieces too. This video was helpful! Thanks you so much!! xo
Thank you, and welcome!!! That was something I struggled with, too. Look for facebook groups, meetup groups. Try going to your local ren faire and approaching people whose costumes you like. Folks are out there, but it does take some time.
Thanks for this video! About the only thing I'd add based on my own experiences as a "beginner for 30 years only now starting to learn beyond basics" sewist is to select projects that have no more than one or two new-to-you techniques like buttons and buttonholes, or various styles of welt pockets, zippers, eyelets and lacing, boning, French seaming, to name a few. I think my next project (which has recently been resurrected from the UFO/Try Again bin) is going to need a skirt placket, which I've never done cause I mostly don't use patterns, I make shit up as I go. Last time I made a skirt that wasn't a wraparound or elastic waist, I cheated and hid the opening in a pleat in the massively chonky wool impersonating fabric. Oh, and to TRY the new thing on a wearable mockup if you can manage that. And do all these small projects before you try all the techniques on a big expensive dream project. And if you get to a part on a project that matters where you're not confident you'll be able to Do The Thing, give yourself permission to put the project down and work on something else so you can skill up to where you're more confident in finishing The Thing. I just made up historybounding stuff based on "back then fabric, was precious and they'd have used every scrap they could" with a side orders of "they did NOT buy patterns printed on tissue paper back then, they just made shit up or copied what already works", "what can I find in the remnants bin?" and "is this sewing machine frigging possessed?" in the late 90s (before "picking an era" was easily googled) only to realize when I started hand sewing and learning patterning thanks to folks like Bernadette Banner and Abby Cox in the plague times that yes indeed that machine is possessed (80's plastic base model Singer), tissue paper patterns do not in fact fit everyone straight out of the envelope, and I was kinda right about the fabric (and still dive through remnant bins and the thrift store fabric section), as I tend to approach my historical costuming from a peasant's perspective rather than upper class. Though since I do armoured live steel fighting at medieval festivals I might need to up my game a bit for when I'm not armoured up. But then again, who's to say the knights didn't hang about on their off-time in the equivalent of jeans and t-shirts? Especially if they were the sort to tend to their horses themselves? I'm also often more interested in the men's workwear than the women's fashions anyways, and my current--day wardrobe of what actually gets worn reflects that too. But you know what? I still wear a few of those crappy garments I made in the 90s from the remnants bin at the fabric store. And they still work, as long as you're going for historical-fantasy rather than Historically Accurate (hell, even my armour barely counts as historically adequate, my steel half-gauntlets are hiding a pair of lacrosse gloves, my shield is a piece of plastic barrel with heater hose around the edges secured with nylon rope, and the various pieces of my plate mail may all be from slightly different places and time periods, I'm just going with the "not a rich knight, scavenging what she can find from battlefield wins and family hand-me-downs" story). I did make a short kirtle pinafore a year and a half ago from a metre of linen based on Morgan Donner's drafting (my measurements lie so there was some modification required, yay mockups) done in (slightly trimmed) rectangles with triangular gores, just like I've been making my medieval flannel house dressed) and it worked out well enough that I'm probably going to make another if we ever get medieval festivals back (thanks, plague) because it's great for fabric economy, which is A Thing for me since I'm desparately trying to stashbust myself back into being able to store everything inside 2 steamer trunks again. I don't really have a passion project, I just want to wear comfortable clothing I made, and I'm finding the old ways are working better for me. A funny thing though? That stupid Singer actually was pretty good on knits, I did rather a lot with stretch crushed velvet with it because the thoughts at the time for those of us with no real history of fashion knowledge and no internet was that it's kinda like velvet which DID seem historical, and when you don't know tailoring, stretch can cover a multitude of fitting issues, I still have a couple of those garments and they're still not too bad. Thought I do totally agree about scaling up then modifying patterns not being a great idea as a beginner sewist, I did that about two years ago now and after four mockups and a couple revisions, what I'd hoped would be my finished piece is back in the UFO/Try Again box waiting for me for feel like dealing with it again. Thanks again and sorry about the wall of text.
I am still a baby costumer, but have now done two historical items. My medieval smock/chemise was first, and is hilariously misshapen in the middle, but will work just fine underneath stuff and no one will ever know 😉. Then I made an 18th century petticoat for my everyday wardrobe that turned out fantastic, but after the first wash the ribbon ties shredded so it's in the repair pile to get twill tape ties instead 😂. As for no-no fabrics for newbies, I made the mistake of choosing a crinkle rayon for a blouse with a somewhat fitted midriff...... The seams stretch out SO BAD. Now I'm in the problem solving phase and deciding whether to line the bottom half or to just add elastic to the underbust seam..... Ah well. Live and learn, no? I'll do the same pattern in a different fabric sometime in the future.
Hah! Live and learn, indeed! Great attitude to have! Just don't let that petticoat live in the UFO pile forever...it's easy to do 😆 Good luck with your blouse fix!
When I've dealt with rayon, I have found-no matter how much I prewash it, it'll stretch in one direction, and then shrink in the other. I just can't figure it out. Just give me good ol' linen or cotton (and I'm beginning to love very light wool which is surprising because I also live in an area where it's hot and sticky much of the year.)
Just found you and immediately subscribed! Now I'm off to go binge watch your beginner friendly content. Also, I have Bernadette Banner's and Bertha Banner's books and would recommend Bernadette's over Bertha's. They're both great books, but Bernadette's is written more for modern sewists and it's easy to understand even if you've never seen a thing.
Oh gosh...I taught dance for 8 years, and they often used me for costume commissions. There was one time they needed me to take I think 11 floor length, 3-tier poly chiffon skirts and make them hi-low. I had JUST bought a rolled hem foot, so I decided to use that. Big mistake! Not sure if you've ever used one of those, but it's got a huge learning curve, and is NOT good with evil wiggle fabric. It ate my edges so bad and frustrated me to tears!! (And I am NOT a crier.)
@@FantasticalFolliesCostuming I have! And they do! I can only imagine! One time for a kids production of the Little Mermaid, I got handed most of a bolt of this green sequin-stretch-tulle nonsense and asked to make 7 mermaid skirts… in under 24 hours. But at least that stuff didn’t have to be hemmed!
Hello Jacki! Thank you so much for this much needed video… I have a question for you, what is the first thing you made “historically “? A shift? A chemise? A gown maybe? Tho I have some experience in hand sewing and sewing I’m new to this fantastic journey, I made a chemise hand sewed out of a table cloth lol …. Like in the “old days” I like to give a new life from an old garments lol. Oh, I have an other question for you: I’m 61 yo, and both my kids encourage me to fulfill this dream of mine, but I’m wondering am I to old to dive into this sea? Thank you for sharing ❤😊
You're so very welcome! You're not too old and you should go for it. There's plenty of folks in the community the same age as you! And to answer your question, technically, my first historical make was my purple stays, a decade ago, and then I made a non-historically accurate 1760's gown from a simplicity pattern. Really didn't know what I was doing. But in the historically-accurate iteration, I made two chemises (one medieval, one 18th c), then I made a 15th century kirtle and houppelande, then I switched gears and did the typical 18th century trajectory of pockets - underpetticoat - gown.
Thank you so very much for this video. It was just what I needed at the right time. You are a gem! New sub here….now where’s that kofi link…l found it 😀 Sending best wishes from Down Under 💖💕💐🌸🌺🇦🇺😎
I know I'm 5 months late but I do have a question. I live in the uk and I want to wear historical dress every day but I'm a bit embarrassed to wear anything historical so I haven't started what should I say if someone comments on my clothes?
Never too late on my channel, esp. for questions! As long as it's a new comment and not a reply off of someone else's, I'll see it 👍 More often than not, nobody's going to notice at all. If they do, 99% of the time it's going to be positive remarks. I really love when someone compliments my clothing to be like, "Thanks, I made it!" I LOVE watching their minds just totally get blown. It happens every time. It's great 😁 Of course, it depends on what you're wearing and where you are. Wearing a kirtle out is less obvious than a bustle dress, something really hardcore might get you some looks, but again, rarely negative. People may ask you where you're going, or if you're attending something formal, but almost always it's from genuine interest and curiosity, and not malice. Especially in the UK, where I feel like (from my limited few months living over there) it's not general practice to strike up random conversations with complete strangers, like they do here in the Southern US. The trick is to wear what you like, and wear it with confidence. If you seem confident (even if it's fake confidence,) people will not see fault 🧡 You could try easing into it, if you're nervous. Make a stola or chiton and try it out, or do some vintage, wet your feet a little with things only slightly out of the ordinary until you're ready.
Also remember this: Your first ratchety janky looking costume will serve you well in the future. It will be both a source of endless amusement and remined you of how far you have come.
YES!!!! Great point!
One of my first cosplay was made with cheap gold lamé and I didn’t line-it or properly finish edges. I had someone come tell me it was damaged at a con (like they were concerned I did realize) when I’d face it was just finished that way. 😂 I have pictures like, as the kids say it makes me cringe and I love it. I’ve learned soo much
I did outgrown my dresses and need new ines
I have Bernadette’s book and both of Abby’s books from American duchess. And they are available in the library. Please do go to the library for sewing books and Resources. Librarians are helpful and library’s are free resources that get financed by foot traffic. You can request that your local library get specific books. Okay done with my resource rant. It’s a use it or lose it thing
Yes, great point! I always forget about the library...I'm a bad writer 😳😆
Yes! Libraries for the win! My first sewing patterns came from library books. At least for modern sewing, the books had pockets of patterns in the back that I traced onto parchment paper (what? Y’all thought parchment paper was only for making cookies? 😂). But seriously, parchment paper is amazing. It’s see-through enough to trace a pattern in good lighting but very sturdy. Only issue is that it doesn’t accept tape well, so if a pattern piece doesn’t fit onto your sheet, you have to pin them together and potentially get wounded 😅
I would say anyone with anxiety could make an apron, Victorian, Edwardian etc. Then move on to a petticoat. You learn pattern cutting, some adjusting, machine and hand sewing. Just a thought for us anxiety ridden souls.
Yeah! An apron is a great first project! The only catch with that is you can't wear it on your own to an event. Well...maybe some events 😆🤣🤐
@@FantasticalFolliesCostuming I was thinking it would just be a project to make to learn the process of making before taking on a larger project.
Yeah, I was just being silly 🙃
@@FantasticalFolliesCostuming sorry rarely recognise 'silly' either spoken or written.Get pulled up about it all of the time. x
@@FantasticalFolliesCostuming but it's incredibly usefull in the kitchen!
Old sheets often have a better hand that new cotton. I've used them a lot to make Regency underdresses. Often you can get table cloths in linen or fine cotton with a lot of handwork or lace that you can used for petticoats or ruffles. But the linen store is my favorite! Almost everything I have is out of their linen! I would add Jubilee Fabrics and any other stores that sell handspun cotton which is fine with a nice hand and is "rustic." I've made a lot of really nice Viking smock dresses with tablecloths. And if you're sewing for someone who is a 5x, old sheets make wonderful smocks for any era.
Those are great tips!! I've never heard of Jubilee fabrics--I'll have to check that out, myself!
@@FantasticalFolliesCostuming Kittredge Mercantile has wonderful homespun in plain patterns, not the Madras plaid you usually find. But both have "striped" homespun and Kittredge has Civil War prints, but that cotton is more like quilting cotton--a bit too heavy for nice historical.
My grandmother had a word for those types of shifty, silky, shed-y fabrics that make you want to cry: gizzony. It is now a permanent part of my sewing vocabulary, because it sums it up so well. No need for a multiple adjective explanation on why a fabric is nope, just one word that’s as shifty as what it describes.
Hah! Nice 😆
I worked as a middle school teacher a number of years, and one year for our Ancient Greek unit I simply turned a lovely blue bedsheet into a chiton.
Awesome! I love that!
I *love* that you love the 17th c so much!
I had to laugh at the no-no of 'Silky & Evil' - I will always be in _awe_ of the fact that my mother sewed a cocktail dress out of waterwave taffeta in a single afternoon...
Aw, yay! Spreading the 17th century love! And HAH! What can I say, I've been burned 😆 But wow, that's impressive!! 👏👏👏
thanks for doing this, it's incredibly valuable. I'd only add, Don't let the "authenticity nuts" make you think you HAVE to use silk in everything. there were quite a lot of eras where cotton was king. and if you live in the Southern part of the USA, use the lightest cotton you can. because you'll die from heat prostration fast in the summer. (from March thru Nov.)
You're welcome, I'm glad you find it helpful! And I COMPLETELY agree. On the silk bit, and the dying between March and November 🤣🥵
I used to use wiki in college EXACTLY the same way. 😂😂
That's awesome! 🤣
I would add this; don't give a damn what others say. Most who will criticize you are the dorks that they are calling you. Also those who must tear down others to build themselves up. Dress for yourself.
Pick something that you can wear with your regular wardrobe such as a blouse or frock coat. I consider myself to be a rather lazy and nerdy Goth. A Victorian era jacket will go nicely with my jeans and granny boots.
I've had issues with what you call gatekeepers. I ignored them as I've seen their work. I started costuming coming from a background of haute sewing. I like to encourage others.
Yes!!! I love all of this! Thank you for contributing to the conversation! 🥰
The only reason I would tell people to steer clear of poly is because of how sweaty it makes a person but I think letting them know and then them making their own informed decision is the way to go. Maybe they're just not as sweaty as me ┐(‘～`;)┌
Agreed. I think it's up to the individual to choose how much they want to sweat 😆 It's all about giving them the option. Poly's definitely not my top choice, especially since I live somewhere where it's more than 80 F for at least 8 months out of the year, but I make it work when I need to.
I wish my body was more tolerant of heat and poly, but here we are. It's one of the main reasons I'm learning to sew, because it's getting harder and harder to find clothing made without poly. The added bonus is that I'll give fewer bothers about wearing whatever the heck I want if I've made it myself, so why not learn how to make all the pretty things from centuries past?
Great enthusiasm and I loved you dancing through the scenes modeling😂❤
Thank you! And thanks for watching!!
Back in the day, I showed up to my first SCA event with 3 completed Shinrone gowns (pattern by R.H., lol). I seem to never start with the simple! But now it's been a while since I've done much costuming, so getting back into it is almost (but not quite) like starting over :) Great tips!
Hah!! Love it 😆 Thanks for watching!
My first faire event was Nordic, very basic tunic from the thrift store and one of my skirts with a Oden vest. Now a kirtle and switch up with overskirt, and Houpplelande. Patchwork scrap skirt for pirates. All mix and match and fun.
Awesome! I love it 😄 having mix and match pieces is definitely the way to go!
Yes! These are thing's I keep reminding myself of as I'm still a beginner and still playing in the shallow end of the sewing pool.
My three big tips for other beginners are;
Shift/chemise are excellent places to start as they are underwear, they aren't meant to be seen, so even if you mess up as long as it is wearable and can be washed, it's still a win. Bonus if you wear dresses or skirts anyway as you can also wear them under regular clothes, which as with historical garments helps keep modern clothes clean from body oils and smells and reduces how much they need washing, so they last longer. Linen is ideal for shifts as it is antimicrobial, so they don't start to smell nearly as quickly as cotton - and, linen is stronger when wet, so stands up to some serious washing. If you can't get or afford linen, cotton is the next best, and I'd recommend making the very first one from cotton anyway as a practice piece you can still wear, to help a little with confidence.
When you look for hand sewing needles, look for brands with a good reputation, never buy cheep unbranded needles as they are often badly made and the eye can be rough, so much so they can drag and snag on the thread, making the experience so much worse then it should be. A good quality needle with a good clean eye is very much worth the small price increase.
Lastly, like needles, good thread is worth a little extra spending as cheep thread will fray, break, and tangle so much easier. Problems with sewing machines can sometimes just be down to cheep thread breaking, snagging, bunching up, and shedding fibres everywhere. It's less of a problem with hand sewing, but can still make the process harder.
Yes!! These are great tips!! Thanks for sharing 😁
And by the way, your mantua and stomacher are absolutely fabulous! Forgot to add that in my comment.
Thanks!! You know, that stomacher was in the naughty pile for like 3 months, I used the excuse of wearing the mantua in this video to motivate myself to fix the awful embroidery I did in December 😂
My tips for beginners:
1. Historical costuming is not a race. There is nothing wrong with taking 3 years to complete your first outfit.
2. Old bed sheets, table cloths, window curtains, and blankets can all potentially be great historical costuming material. Check you local thrift stores, charity shops, second-hand stores, antique stores, etc.
All great tips!
I’d add if you have a general crafty background or have done any sewing at all going for maybe not the dream project but a project that really inspires you can be great! A completed garment that you find boring vs putting in a whole summer of weekends into crafting an approximation of a velvet Cranach gown might actually come out on the side of the velvet gown (made from curtains because I grew up on Sound of Music and Gone with the Wind 😂 )
That's a great tip!
Thank you! You’ve given me the courage and a place to start- with Greek or Roman! I’m getting very excited now instead of scared!
AWESOME!!! I'm so glad to hear it! Good luck! 🧡
My first natural gorms dress was made of stretchy knitted sunthetic fabric. It is the only one I can still wear :-D It is totally enjoyable dress, made for modern times (no corset), a ribbon designed certain way to look a substitute for a train...
15:45 One thing to be aware of/consider if how easy or hard it is to get replacement parts. Our household has a machine from my great-grandmother that was a 1990s machine, and one of the computer parts is no longer made.
Oh, yeah, totally. I feel like once you hit computerized parts, you're venturing into the not-made-to-last territory. (And the irony of all ironies, you can't find parts for those made in the 1990s, but you can still find parts for the ones made in the 1890s!!)
I'm new here! Got a really pretty fabric (like six yards of it) from a face-off thrift store near me and was intending to make a 17th century gown from it. Now, after watching a few of your videos, I think that particular project is getting back-burnered for now. Haven't decided yet what I'll do instead. I do have a bit of sewing experience. I made an early 60s dress from a photo with no pattern and have made a corset, so I'm not a total newbie. (Plus I've done a bunch of non-clothing things).
Hello!! Welcome! Probably a wise idea to hold off on the 17th century gown for a bit. It's a lot of work!! But there are definitely a lot of other options to tackle in the meantime. Good luck! ☺️
I chose an 1850-1860 dress as my first historical costume 😂 I'm just going to buy a cheap crinoline and make it a middle class type dress so it's a little easier on me haha
Wow, good luck! Middle class should be easier, though I'm not versed in that period at all, so I could be TOTALLY wrong 🤣 either way, I'm sure it'll be great!
I would add when you are first learning hand sewing to make stuffed dolls and learn how to make clothes for them before making clothes for yourself... it is much easier to understand simple doll patterns then it is historical costume patterns. And the small amount of fabric you need to make a doll, their shirt or pants, can be found discounted in the remnant section of stores... both box and thrift.
Good tip, thanks for sharing!
I love the elaborate explanations in details. How to help any beginner get into historical costuming. I'm glad you said something about gay keepers. Because all my life I've been told. I can't wear historical garments from Eastern countries because of my race or being bi-racial , and I'm not allowed to respectfully wear it even though that's not a choice. I had coming out of womb. Now I can finally respectfully wear it and feel confident. So, seeing a video like this really gives me confidence❤😊
So glad you enjoyed it! And yes, let's not encourage gatekeeping! Although, just to be clear, I am generally talking about Western cultures. Things get a little different when we're talking about other cultures, and I do not have the authority to speak on that subject, other than to say, for sure, if you're bi-racial and want to historical costume in cultures that you are a part of, that's great! But if it's not a culture that's your own, I would do some research from costumers of that culture, and speak to your friends who are in that culture, and see what they say before costuming in it. 🧡
Great tips! Everyone should do historical costuming, really it is great fun!
About patterns.. I am a cheap ass bitch, so it's easier on my mind to draft a pattern from historical book then to by one all ready. But I am a small person, and it is perfectly simple to scale down those patterns, unlike scaling up.
Yeaaah! It's such a great, wonderful thing to do!
Drafting is definitely a cheaper option, and one I find myself gravitating to more as times get tougher. I do think that certain types of people have an easier time wrapping their head around drafting than others, though, the same way some people can't figure out pleating unless they math/mark every pleat evenly, and some panic at the thought and can only divide and conquer 😆
mid 1960-early 1970s Sear Kenmore sewing machines are great and can be had for less than $50
Great tip!! Thanks for sharing!
I just found your channel and tbh I'm over the moon because for every 5-10 costubers I find there's one that gels perfectly with my interests/personality :D (the Bowie video?? I can't wait lol)
These eras/getting started videos are so helpful and informative, and I'm not even a newbie to sewing! But I am better at the design and research phase than the actual... doing phase, and seriously you're giving me so much encouragement right now 😊
Also the gender inclusive language means so much to me. It's such a small thing, but thank you, really
Hello and welcome! Hope you enjoy the Bowie vid--it's kinda old, but I'm still really proud of the reveal 👩🎤
Glad you found this useful! Good luck with your endeavors, and you're very welcome--it's a small thing, using the inclusive language, but it's easy! I wish more folks would 😓
Excellent tips, thanks. I think we should call it historically adequate instead, since accuracy is impossible as you say. 🙂 We can never 100% completely recreate what they had and used hundreds of years ago.
AGREED. I feel like the term, "adequacy," too, takes less pressure off mentally. Less about perfection.
@@FantasticalFolliesCostuming Yes. 🙂
You're so kind for making this video, it feels like a big sister talk/fairy godmother vibe that I need to move forward. Thank you ❤
Aw, thank you for your kind words!! ☺️ Good luck, and thanks for watching!
I absolutely love your energy and approach!
My big problem is focus, because there are just so many events that I could make outfits for, and so few hours in the day.
Right now, I’m trying to focus on a) knitting vintage patterns from my stash and b) repairing the vintage clothes I already own. I should take a good look at the upcoming year’s event schedule and pick a few that I can manage. So hard to not get distracted!
Thank you so much! 😊
I feel ya on that!! Good idea to look ahead for sure! Planning in advance is the best thing you can do for your future self. I learned that the hard way, just recently 😵💫
I really wouldn't recommend anyone start their historical journey as I did. about 10 years ago, i saw a pretty picture so made the thing. it was a corset!!😂 it came out really well, but I was already a hugely experienced sewer at that point. my first sewing machine was my mum's old one from the late 50s. it's still my go to. I don't own a machine that was made after the 70s. I've used newer ones, and not only do they not have the power, but they're so light that they move! oooh, war stories. yes please😊. I have enough of my own with slinky crap, but damn its perty. please tell me your war stories. bloody hell fire! you must of been roasting in that dress doing it 6 times! I can't really give any good advice about what to do,since I have a bad habit of not doing the sensible thing anyway. just don't start like I did!! I've been doing jack shit this last week. made some shampoo, conditioner etc last week ( before being disabled I owned my own company making and selling 100% natural hair and body care),then got taken down with a cold which quickly spiraled into a sinus infection.again. so I've been a hot mess, doing what I can to stop it from being another "you've had these infections for 6 months" situations. stupid body. anyway, how are you doing?
Eh, I wasn't that uncomfortable in the gown. The bigger issue was my voice, after like 3 hours of filming, it was raw.
Dance skirts...oh god. Back when I was a dance instructor, they often commissioned me for custom costumes. I had 11 3-layered poly chiffon skirts I had to make hi-low...and I decided to try it on my brand new rolled hem foot. Not a crier, but I shed tears over that. Absolutely AWFUL.
@@FantasticalFolliesCostuming OK, so your sad slinky fabric story beat all of mine, hands down. My worst was having to make 3 belly dancing costumes for £45 and still factor in my time, materials and profit. It's the only time I've ever set a costume on fire. Amd that was (luckily) after the uptight snob I was making one for put on a ton of weight amd blamed my sewing skills for it not fitting. I very nearly burned her alive in it. But I was off the smell of roasting pig at the time🤣. At least you didn't roast. Though, your poor voice.
I will agree with the statement at about 15:40, don't purchase a cheap sewing machine to try to start costuming. My cheap beginner machine from the 1980 had a nervous break down when facing heavy fabric like denim. It just won't sew heavy fabric.
Secondly, if you are new to sewing and want to purchase a machine, invest in sewing lessons. Learning the machine takes time. A good instructor will help you progress by your doing.
Agreed!
@@FantasticalFolliesCostuming There are even libraries that have lending equipment (not in my tiny rural community) that a person can try out using a sewing machine. I agree with B Case that having even just a little one on one direction from a knowledgeble sewist is very helpful.
Great video! I adore the 17th century - more, more please!! 🥰 Thanks for the heads up on Reconstructing History - is there any pattern for the baroque era that's actually useful?
Whoohoo! I'm working on it. I have a few things planned for later in the year, though I have to finish the outfits for the actual events I'm attending, first 😆
Nehelenia patterns looks promising, but there are limited styles.
I have their Sittingbourne stays pattern and am quite pleased with it. I wish it had included a stomacher pattern but as I don't think the original had one and it's a fairly easy piece to make I'm okay with it.
What ever you might be up to, I'm game. Thank you in advance!! 😍@@FantasticalFolliesCostuming
@@LadyDragonbane That's great to hear, thanks! Boo for no stomacher, but you're right, it's easy to draft 👍
@@LadyDragonbane Thank you for the information! 🌷
It's my goal to sew 3 Edwardian skirts this year. I'm in a deep dive into cosmetics and their chemistry using my medical esthetician background.
Oh, that's super interesting! I bet you know all sorts of terrifying things about cosmetics 😆 Good luck with your sewing!
@@FantasticalFolliesCostuming I am currently making an Edwardian petticoat that is adjustable in length, and decorated in rainbows and handmade crochet lace for June to flash people my skirts and show my colors. 😂
@@Randomatcrazytown That IS SO COOL, happy Pride!!
Can’t wait to start sewing more! Hospitable and otherwise! Thanks for the help and pep talk!
Whoohoo for more sewing! You're very welcome, thanks for watching ☺️
Lovvve your channel! Just found you the other day and I love your energy and passion for historical costuming. It's something I have been wanting to tackle for years now. I've been watching Abby Cox, Bernadette, Morgan Donner, and Nicole Rudolph for years! Love them and they are so knowledgable. I think what holds me back is finding a community around me, friends that are into it too, and events to wear these pieces too. This video was helpful! Thanks you so much!! xo
Thank you, and welcome!!! That was something I struggled with, too. Look for facebook groups, meetup groups. Try going to your local ren faire and approaching people whose costumes you like. Folks are out there, but it does take some time.
Thanks so much! This video was awesome! Plus size fashion in any era is a struggle for me, this was a boost of courage!
You're very welcome, thanks for watching! Glad to be of help! 😄
Thanks for this video! About the only thing I'd add based on my own experiences as a "beginner for 30 years only now starting to learn beyond basics" sewist is to select projects that have no more than one or two new-to-you techniques like buttons and buttonholes, or various styles of welt pockets, zippers, eyelets and lacing, boning, French seaming, to name a few. I think my next project (which has recently been resurrected from the UFO/Try Again bin) is going to need a skirt placket, which I've never done cause I mostly don't use patterns, I make shit up as I go. Last time I made a skirt that wasn't a wraparound or elastic waist, I cheated and hid the opening in a pleat in the massively chonky wool impersonating fabric. Oh, and to TRY the new thing on a wearable mockup if you can manage that. And do all these small projects before you try all the techniques on a big expensive dream project. And if you get to a part on a project that matters where you're not confident you'll be able to Do The Thing, give yourself permission to put the project down and work on something else so you can skill up to where you're more confident in finishing The Thing.
I just made up historybounding stuff based on "back then fabric, was precious and they'd have used every scrap they could" with a side orders of "they did NOT buy patterns printed on tissue paper back then, they just made shit up or copied what already works", "what can I find in the remnants bin?" and "is this sewing machine frigging possessed?" in the late 90s (before "picking an era" was easily googled) only to realize when I started hand sewing and learning patterning thanks to folks like Bernadette Banner and Abby Cox in the plague times that yes indeed that machine is possessed (80's plastic base model Singer), tissue paper patterns do not in fact fit everyone straight out of the envelope, and I was kinda right about the fabric (and still dive through remnant bins and the thrift store fabric section), as I tend to approach my historical costuming from a peasant's perspective rather than upper class. Though since I do armoured live steel fighting at medieval festivals I might need to up my game a bit for when I'm not armoured up. But then again, who's to say the knights didn't hang about on their off-time in the equivalent of jeans and t-shirts? Especially if they were the sort to tend to their horses themselves? I'm also often more interested in the men's workwear than the women's fashions anyways, and my current--day wardrobe of what actually gets worn reflects that too.
But you know what? I still wear a few of those crappy garments I made in the 90s from the remnants bin at the fabric store. And they still work, as long as you're going for historical-fantasy rather than Historically Accurate (hell, even my armour barely counts as historically adequate, my steel half-gauntlets are hiding a pair of lacrosse gloves, my shield is a piece of plastic barrel with heater hose around the edges secured with nylon rope, and the various pieces of my plate mail may all be from slightly different places and time periods, I'm just going with the "not a rich knight, scavenging what she can find from battlefield wins and family hand-me-downs" story).
I did make a short kirtle pinafore a year and a half ago from a metre of linen based on Morgan Donner's drafting (my measurements lie so there was some modification required, yay mockups) done in (slightly trimmed) rectangles with triangular gores, just like I've been making my medieval flannel house dressed) and it worked out well enough that I'm probably going to make another if we ever get medieval festivals back (thanks, plague) because it's great for fabric economy, which is A Thing for me since I'm desparately trying to stashbust myself back into being able to store everything inside 2 steamer trunks again. I don't really have a passion project, I just want to wear comfortable clothing I made, and I'm finding the old ways are working better for me.
A funny thing though? That stupid Singer actually was pretty good on knits, I did rather a lot with stretch crushed velvet with it because the thoughts at the time for those of us with no real history of fashion knowledge and no internet was that it's kinda like velvet which DID seem historical, and when you don't know tailoring, stretch can cover a multitude of fitting issues, I still have a couple of those garments and they're still not too bad. Thought I do totally agree about scaling up then modifying patterns not being a great idea as a beginner sewist, I did that about two years ago now and after four mockups and a couple revisions, what I'd hoped would be my finished piece is back in the UFO/Try Again box waiting for me for feel like dealing with it again.
Thanks again and sorry about the wall of text.
You're welcome, glad you enjoyed! Thanks for the tip!
I am still a baby costumer, but have now done two historical items. My medieval smock/chemise was first, and is hilariously misshapen in the middle, but will work just fine underneath stuff and no one will ever know 😉. Then I made an 18th century petticoat for my everyday wardrobe that turned out fantastic, but after the first wash the ribbon ties shredded so it's in the repair pile to get twill tape ties instead 😂. As for no-no fabrics for newbies, I made the mistake of choosing a crinkle rayon for a blouse with a somewhat fitted midriff...... The seams stretch out SO BAD. Now I'm in the problem solving phase and deciding whether to line the bottom half or to just add elastic to the underbust seam..... Ah well. Live and learn, no? I'll do the same pattern in a different fabric sometime in the future.
Hah! Live and learn, indeed! Great attitude to have! Just don't let that petticoat live in the UFO pile forever...it's easy to do 😆 Good luck with your blouse fix!
When I've dealt with rayon, I have found-no matter how much I prewash it, it'll stretch in one direction, and then shrink in the other. I just can't figure it out. Just give me good ol' linen or cotton (and I'm beginning to love very light wool which is surprising because I also live in an area where it's hot and sticky much of the year.)
Just found you and immediately subscribed! Now I'm off to go binge watch your beginner friendly content.
Also, I have Bernadette Banner's and Bertha Banner's books and would recommend Bernadette's over Bertha's. They're both great books, but Bernadette's is written more for modern sewists and it's easy to understand even if you've never seen a thing.
Wow, thank you! So glad to have you here! 🥰
And thanks for the thougths on the books! Great insight!
I gotta know about the dance skirts!
Oh gosh...I taught dance for 8 years, and they often used me for costume commissions. There was one time they needed me to take I think 11 floor length, 3-tier poly chiffon skirts and make them hi-low. I had JUST bought a rolled hem foot, so I decided to use that. Big mistake! Not sure if you've ever used one of those, but it's got a huge learning curve, and is NOT good with evil wiggle fabric. It ate my edges so bad and frustrated me to tears!! (And I am NOT a crier.)
@@FantasticalFolliesCostuming I have! And they do! I can only imagine! One time for a kids production of the Little Mermaid, I got handed most of a bolt of this green sequin-stretch-tulle nonsense and asked to make 7 mermaid skirts… in under 24 hours. But at least that stuff didn’t have to be hemmed!
@@FantasticalFolliesCostuming oh dear gods, that sounds like a project from hell.
Hello Jacki! Thank you so much for this much needed video… I have a question for you, what is the first thing you made “historically “? A shift? A chemise? A gown maybe? Tho I have some experience in hand sewing and sewing I’m new to this fantastic journey, I made a chemise hand sewed out of a table cloth lol …. Like in the “old days” I like to give a new life from an old garments lol. Oh, I have an other question for you: I’m 61 yo, and both my kids encourage me to fulfill this dream of mine, but I’m wondering am I to old to dive into this sea? Thank you for sharing ❤😊
You're so very welcome! You're not too old and you should go for it. There's plenty of folks in the community the same age as you!
And to answer your question, technically, my first historical make was my purple stays, a decade ago, and then I made a non-historically accurate 1760's gown from a simplicity pattern. Really didn't know what I was doing. But in the historically-accurate iteration, I made two chemises (one medieval, one 18th c), then I made a 15th century kirtle and houppelande, then I switched gears and did the typical 18th century trajectory of pockets - underpetticoat - gown.
Thank you so very much for this video. It was just what I needed at the right time. You are a gem! New sub here….now where’s that kofi link…l found it 😀
Sending best wishes from Down Under 💖💕💐🌸🌺🇦🇺😎
You're so very welcome, I'm glad it was useful for you! 🧡 Thank you so much! Glad to have you here! ☺️
Hi ❤
Hello! Welcome, and thanks for watching!
I know I'm 5 months late but I do have a question. I live in the uk and I want to wear historical dress every day but I'm a bit embarrassed to wear anything historical so I haven't started what should I say if someone comments on my clothes?
Never too late on my channel, esp. for questions! As long as it's a new comment and not a reply off of someone else's, I'll see it 👍
More often than not, nobody's going to notice at all. If they do, 99% of the time it's going to be positive remarks. I really love when someone compliments my clothing to be like, "Thanks, I made it!" I LOVE watching their minds just totally get blown. It happens every time. It's great 😁
Of course, it depends on what you're wearing and where you are. Wearing a kirtle out is less obvious than a bustle dress, something really hardcore might get you some looks, but again, rarely negative. People may ask you where you're going, or if you're attending something formal, but almost always it's from genuine interest and curiosity, and not malice. Especially in the UK, where I feel like (from my limited few months living over there) it's not general practice to strike up random conversations with complete strangers, like they do here in the Southern US.
The trick is to wear what you like, and wear it with confidence. If you seem confident (even if it's fake confidence,) people will not see fault 🧡
You could try easing into it, if you're nervous. Make a stola or chiton and try it out, or do some vintage, wet your feet a little with things only slightly out of the ordinary until you're ready.