Sempstress

Somewhere in the Victorian era, people started coming up with ideas for making corsets more comfortable to wear. Gigglishiously ironical though that may sound, some great innovations came out of it. One of my favs is the single layer corset – no lining, no interlining, just a base layer of fabric and some boning. If you do outdoor events in the summer, it’s a trick worth adapting. (“It’s period! It’s just not quite your period, dear rennie…” says the voice of evil. Heh. ;)  )

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The first steel, front-fastening busk was invented in 1829. (Waugh, 79) They’re nifty little beasties, especially at the end of the day when you would really, sincerely like to be OUT of your ding-dang corset. I’ve hear rumors that they can be used to get into a pre-tightened corset, as well, but I’ve tried, and I’m clearly missing a clue or two there. :/ The clue I do have is in how to insert the little buggers. Interested? Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes, you need a knicker, or some other relatively non-denominational short, slightly poofy pantlet with a cuff at the bottom, and you don’t have time to make it from scratch. (Perhaps, for example, you have a cast of 37, and 9 or 11 of them are kids in Fagin’s gang and most of them are too short for proper long pants… Hey, it can happen!) Here’s the cheater’s method: Read the rest of this entry »

The simple, soft flat cap is a smart look for middle and lower class characters. It can be work alone, over a simple coif, or for women, over a caul. Read the rest of this entry »

This is a smart little cap for characters in the middle class and beyond. It can be work alone, over a simple coif, or for women, over a caul.  Again, ladies (especially of higher rank) will want to make this cap a little smaller so that it sits on the hair rather than the head. It looks much more dainty that way.

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The Floppy Gathered Hat is a rather unstructured, lower-class looking hat. There’s nothing pretentious about it, especially when it’s made up in a soft fabric. Read the rest of this entry »

For those of you out there who do Rev or Civ war stuff, this might come in handy. It’s basic, but it get’s the look. You’ll probably want to make the stitches smaller than I’ve shown. Read the rest of this entry »

This charming little headcovering is a northern version of the
Simple Caul, seen in a number of flemish paintings.
Like the Biggins and the Simple Caul, the Northen Coif is comprised of a Band and a Gathered Crown. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s really not so period, as far as I know, but just for yuks….
Here’s a two piece Beret pattern. Hey, a hat you can wear in your modern life too? Weird. Read the rest of this entry »