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Documentation, Citation, Information: Knowing What You Know!
The Pioneer’s Home on the Western Frontier (1867, published by Currier & Ives; Frances Flora Bond Palmer) Living history is a different sort of hobby. Whenever we claim an aspect of ‘educating the...
View ArticleTesting: RedThreaded’s 1860s Gored Corset Pattern
Redthreaded has been making quality historical corsets for quite some time, but their home-sewing patterns are a newer addition to their lines. It’s rare I use a commercial pattern, but it is time to...
View ArticleCorsetry Toolkits!
I’m working on finishing up a full (and largely positive) review of the new RedThreaded 1860s corset, but while I’m finishing up, I wanted to share some tool resources that can help you dive into...
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Corsets & Cravats 2018: Don’t Miss This!
Image courtesy of Corsets & Cravats I’m sitting down today with Dannielle Perry, one of the masterminds behind Corsets & Cravats, a new regional conference with some great national-level...
View ArticleMahaffie Sunbonnet Sewing Review
Only a few weeks after we debuted the new free sunbonnet pattern, made possible by the lovely folks at Mahaffie Stage Stop and Historic Farm, one of our lovely Sewing Academy readers and long-time...
View ArticleEmbroidery Stitch Tutorials
Sometimes, a video tutorial really helps! Mary Corbett’s Needle N’ Thread has just such tutorials, for free… Of course, not every tutorial presented is appropriate for mid-century use. Take a look at...
View ArticleChoosing Your Maker
Some questions from newer folk lately have sparked my own ruminations, and I thought it was about time to do a Part The Second to an older post about Why Things Cost Money. Hiring sewing work done is a...
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A New Sunbonnet in the Compendium!
During workshops in Olathe, Kansas this February, I was pleased to be allowed to study an original slatted sunbonnet in the Mahaffie Stage Stop & Historic Farm collection… and then even more...
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Mr Sullivan, Lilly, and Me: A 19th Century Fan-Girl Moment
Lilly Martin Spencer Selfie about 1848 One of my all-time favorite genre artists of the mid-19th century is Lilly Martin Spencer, the England-born daughter of French immigrants to Marietta, Ohio. Lilly...
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Christmas for Your Old-Fashioned Girls
So many have already taken advantage of our new digital-download doll pattern! It’s very exciting to see pictures posted on social media of the various unique little cloth girls everyone is making;...
View ArticleWhat Did They Really Wear?
Just a quick cool thing today! Here’s a fantastic look at African-American clothing in the 2014 Daguerrian Annual, by Dr Karen Bohleke: Click Through to the Article
View ArticleAdventures In Women’s Underwear
Or: What a Man Needs to Know about Dressing a Woman It is a typical scenario: a man comfortable in military impressions meets a nice woman. They fall in love, or at least deep like. He wishes to...
View ArticleFitting Out A Sewing Box
Many of us sew in living history situations, and thus have need of an accurately fitted-out set of tools and supplies; others of us simply find the historic tools and styles charming, and wish to have...
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A Quick Note
Just a quick reminder: you still have time to get “Early Bird” registration discounts for the Harrisburg Symposium, but only for a few more days. The full price is a great deal, but the Early Bird has...
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Get Thee To The Symposium!
Every March, something cool happens. It’s January right now, but you still have a month to get in on the cool March something, so I wanted to take some time and share it with you! And we all know I...
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How Much?
“My Dear, it was HOW much?” (Southworth and Hawes. Editorial liberties taken with all captioning.) It’s a topic that comes up quite frequently in living history circles: how much does a good repro...
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Curious About Color?
The mid-19th century is a time of tremendous color… in everything except most photographic information. By the 1860s, photography had developed to the point that it was no longer just for artists and...
View ArticleBook Review: I Like That Good Old Song
Imagine yourself strolling down a quiet village lane on a fine early summer day. A gentle breeze blows; dappled shade from the trees plays over your face as you walk. You can smell firewood in the sun,...
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Fanciful Utility: The Newest Book from Anna Worden Bauersmith!
Are you ready? Are you a fan of historic sewing and particularly, historic sewing accessories? Would you like to be able to make gorgeous, functional, accurate pieces for yourself? For gifts? As...
View ArticleMeet the Editor: The Citizen’s and Soldier’s Digest
We’re very excited to sit down with Connie Payne, and bring you some exclusive details about a terribly keen new project of interest to anyone who enjoys living history and the mid-19th century! The...
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