Liebster Blog Award

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.

Thank you to Fashion Through History! She has beautiful work from a variety of eras; check her blog out!

2. Nominate 10 other bloggers, and notify them of their award.
I thought I would highlight some folks who I have been lucky enough to meet in my costuming travels around Boston and Washington DC. Both areas are home to a variety of talented costumers. We all know the great blogs/websites that paved the way for sharing costuming on the internet, sites by folks like Maggie of Costumers Guide and Jenny Rose of Jenny La Fleur. Here are some others whose work I have also admired:

Isabella: in addition to fun posts about sewing, she also talks about her adventures in cooking and baking. She is a research fiend, able to dig up lots of interesting tidbits on the internet.
Learning to Costume: Judy is a costumer who is a more recent convert to historical stuff, but she is learning by leaps and bounds. And she is open to tackling many different eras.
A Dedicated Follower of Fashion: Amanda is a really creative seamstress, who makes beautiful, often hand-sewn, garments. I especially love her 18th c and regency work.
Sew Loud: Not only does Robin make wonderful outfits (including menswear for her husband!), she is also just a ton of fun to hang out with.
Madame Modiste: Kat makes AMAZING bustle-era outfits. And then proceeds to style them with hair and accessories to make them even more impressive. In more recent years she has branched out into regency and 18th c to great success.
Dames A La Mode: I met Taylor back when we both lived in the Boston suburbs, and I was very impressed with her beautiful 18th c work. Happily, she moved down to the DC area about the same time as I did! Her jewelry is to die for.
Sarah(lizzi): Sarah is the most meticulous hand sewer that I have ever met. Hands down. Her hand sewn garments and accessories are so perfect!
The Mantua Maker at Midnight: Carrie makes gorgeous and highly researched 18th c and early 19th c clothing, along with other eras. Her tutorials on 18th c techniques are very helpful!
A Fractured Fairytale: Aubry's francaise gowns are some of my favorites of that style. They are always so well fitted, use gorgeous fabric, and are perfectly accessorized. Plus the victorian gown she made for costume con a couple years ago was equally stupendous.
Historically Dressed: Jenni and her awesome website was the one who introduced me to historic costume. My life has never been the same!

3. Come up with 10 questions you want your nominees to answer.
I don't know if I can come up with 10 questions...but I'd like to know the story behind your favorite garment that you've made. What did you make it for? What inspirations did you use? What did you learn in making it? Would you make it again?

4. And lastly: Answer the questions you received from the one who nominated you.

1.When and how did you get into sewing?
I wanted to make a Halloween costume in order to dress up as Lizzie Bennet back in 2006. I had bought a sewing machine a while before then, but I had barely even touched it!

2.What was your very first garment (historical or other)? And what did you learn from it?

My first garment was the aforementioned Lizzie Bennet costume. Above is a bad picture of it. It was a simple regency-style gown made using the Sense and Sensibility regency pattern. I had no idea what I was doing, but I did end up with something that was wearable. I learned a lot about the basics (cutting, reading a pattern, the controls on my machine, etc). Then I immediately started on another regency dress, and the rest is history....

3.Do you have a dream project? And what it is? (Picture?)
Depends on what day you ask me! Lately I've been thinking more of the practical, event-driven projects. But I have also been daydreaming about making a long-sleeved 1790s outfit. With a huge fichu:


4.Which of your costumes are your favorite and why? (Picture?)
Again, it depends on when you ask me. Thinking back, I'd have to say a simple 1840s dress that I made a couple years ago. I found the shape flattering, and it was fun to wear.


5.What will be your next big project?
I'm in the middle of a c. 1910 day dress, but I would not call that "big." It's a pretty simple outfit. This summer I may switch gears to a comic book costume. I am hoping to make something new for Baltimore Comic-Con.

6.What part of costuming do you enjoy the most (the planing, patternmaking, sewing, details etc)?
I'd say it's a tie between the planning phase and the hand sewing phase (particularly when I am sewing cotton). I do not like lots of machine work.

7.And what part would you rather not do?
Cutting! I am always afraid I'm going to mess something up (and I frequently do something like cut out two left sleeves instead of a right and a left).

8.Do you have a costuming role model or muse (historical, fellow blogger or other)?
I find lots of bloggers inspirational, and I feel blessed to live in an area with many other active historical costumers and cosplayers. The ones I nominated above are a small sample, but there are really too many to mention! The costuming community is amazing.

9.What's the reason you decided to start your costuming blog?
I started out in order to meet folks online, and later in order to have a record of what I had done. It's nice to be able to look back and see the progression over the years.

10.What is your best advice for anyone wanting to get into historical costuming?
Just go for it! Make what you like! Pick an era that you've always been curious about and start researching. You'll be hooked before you know it.