I present for you herewith my collection of Singer sewing machines.
My Grandmother’s Antique 1939 Wedding Dress
When does something that was “vintage” become “antique”?
Is there a rule for this? Let me know in the comments!!
My grandmother, born Phyllis Marie Ripepi in 1921, got married in August of 1939.
She was born in a small mining town, to an ordinary immigrant family.
After she passed away in 2011, I ended up with her wedding dress and shoes. Continue reading “My Grandmother’s Antique 1939 Wedding Dress”
Making the Victorian Symington Pretty Housemaid corset (1890s) – phase 1
Quite a few years ago, I made a corset.
I made it out of a heavy-weight burlap-style material. I had no intent on wearing it close to my skin. It was foundation. It was support.
I used coat hangers (because this was prior to the recent popularity of corsets, and busks were hard to find (and cost-prohibitive at that time), approximately 30 hooks and eyes, and some commercial 1/4-inch ribbon for lacing.
It worked!
But I wanted more. Continue reading “Making the Victorian Symington Pretty Housemaid corset (1890s) – phase 1”
A “pieced-together” chemise
I created my mock-up for a Symington “Pretty Housemaid” interpretation last year. The idea was that the corset (being stiffened more with hemp cording rather than steel bone) would be something to replace my normal supportive undergarments – something that I would wear on a day-to-day basis.
Still not designed to be washed, however, ensuring that I could prevent it from direct contact with my skin became imperative. Continue reading “A “pieced-together” chemise”
Historical garment-making for gentlemen
After starting a group for locals who might be similarly interested in historical and vintage clothing, I realised that most of the resources I’d seen were for women.
I guess it makes sense – I wasn’t really exploring the creation of a 1890s Gentleman’s ensemble for myself!
But when I started trying to find resources for the gents in my group, I realised that it wasn’t something easily found!
Granted – in the age of algorithm-populated search results, the chances of finding something that deviates from my normal profile is greatly decreased – so perhaps there are loads of resources, but for someone like me, they just don’t show up. Who’s to say.
It is possible, however, that given the status quo of the day, more resources were provided through magazines and catalogues for women of the home to sew for themselves and their children. {Though again, why no patterns for them to sew for their husbands?}
Men worked. Those who were tailors would have apprenticed under other tailors. They were taught their trade hands-on, without the use of printed manuals or guides. But these are just my musings.
In any case, for any men who are looking for historical Victorian (or thereabouts) tailoring guides or patterns, hopefully this list of digitized freebies will get you started. Continue reading “Historical garment-making for gentlemen”
Victorian-boot-style Christmas Stockings
This project started a few years ago in 2016, when I made a similar Christmas stocking for my mother-in-law, Ferne.
She had recently become very much in love with all things “Steampunk”, so I fashioned a Victorian lady’s boot – style stocking which was ornamented with various cog-style buttons.
This year, I decided it was finally time to make a pair of “boots” for our own enjoyment and what better double use of the project than document the steps for you!! Continue reading “Victorian-boot-style Christmas Stockings”
A collection of [mostly] 19th century garments
Back in 2012 (on the platform I used as my blog at that time), I created a rather large collection of images that I extracted from various digitized magazines made available through archive.org.
I felt it was worthy of sharing again, as the pictures are both timeless and of utmost use as historical inspiration.
Continue reading “A collection of [mostly] 19th century garments”
Opening 24 Washington Avenue!
This site has been a long time coming.
It’s the product of personal evolution and an undying quest for understanding.
As should be evidence by too much wording on my “about” page, I have something of a history of sewing – going back just about as early as I can remember.
But it was always rushed.
In a fast world fueled by instant gratification, even my sewing projects were all about getting it done as quickly as possible. Continue reading “Opening 24 Washington Avenue!”