Questions about active communities and recommended books.
Good evening everyone, I have some questions and I promise I've done my homework first (hours spent searching online, watching book reviews and reading pdfs).
Question about (free, non paid membership) communities and forums;
The historical fashion boom on youtube has been going for a while and there are more costubers every 6 months, so I thought " ( Read more... )
I actually haven't been on this community since the last time you and I conversed, which was a year ago.
Re: Books.
I used to have a copy of "Evolution of Fashion;" it's no longer in my possession and I don't miss it, not even a little bit. The consensus of some other costumers is that this is a good book if what you want is theatrical costuming. I believe it had a diagram or plan for the pattern pieces of an Edwardian corset, but whether S-bend or straight-fronted, I don't recall. And I might be mistaken about it having a corset pattern from that period; at this point in time, we're asking a lot of my recall.
For groups: I can name only "The Sewing Academy" which is online, but whose focus is 1840 through the American Civil War (1861-1865.) Someone there might be able to recommend a community or forum more closely matched to your interests or needs.
Since, if I've understood your post correctly, you need or want Edwardian era corset patterns for minimal cost, patent offices may have something to suit.
I actually don't do very good internet searches, but on this community ("Corsetmakers") any number of individuals over the years have posted about working with this or that or some other pattern found at the U. S. Patent Office website, and they have included an image of the pattern pieces and the patent number. So, I would expect that either the U. S. Patent Office (online) might be a source for you although there might be some browsing and digging involved, and the community tags for this community might be another avenue to explore.
Both LJ and Dreamwidth have a "search by interests" feature which might help you to locate some community or forum. Those, I expect are not paid membership.
Hopefully my few suggestions, here, will help to get the creative research juices flowing for you.
Good luck!
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I will consider "evolution of fashion" not really worth the investment unless I can get it for 25eu or less. There are some second hand options around that I can look into.
As for communities; I've posted a similar post on the historical costuming reddit and on the corset making fb group I mentioned and I would say I've gotten a lot of answers. I think most groups regarding hobbies have moved away from LJ over the years, and now it's more on FB and Reddit. The trouble with FB is that it's not the most search engine friendly site (meaning you could almost perfectly search for the title of the fb on google and still not get a result linking to the group), and that's a good reason to ask around.
I think you understood well. I'm looking for an early edwardian corset pattern for minimal cost or at least get a lot of bang for my buck with a book having multiple usable patterns.
I rooted around in the Symington collection but didn't find anything that really spoke to me.
I'm tempted to go with the Ralph Pink version of the s-bend corset from Corsets and crinolines and then buy the Grimble books on the edwardian era because I've been told they include patterns for underwear articles (just no corset).
I never considered searching for patent corset patterns through this site, it's a great idea so I am giving it a go.
Thank you again.
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Something I overlooked is Pinterest. Do you have a Pinterest account? They're free; just the usual thing of a user-name and a password and an email account. I found some corsets being made; some historical corsets being displayed and---drum roll, please!---some of the corsets from the U.S. patent office.
I'll tell you this, though, something for nothing, in my experience you probably won't find better than Waugh's "Corsets and Crinolines." I don't recall how much I paid for my copy decades ago, but I considered it then and consider it today to have been worth every penny and then some, worth its weight in platinum.
Prices on many books, even in the last year or so, seem to have increased surprisingly.
I went looking on Amazon-dot-com to see if any of the Grimble books had a "Look Inside!" feature and one did but the table of contents didn't mention corsets at all. Still, one can but try, eh?
Wishing you the best of success!
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Someone else suggested I look on instagram. Apparently lots of costumers making corsets there as well.
I received very good advice from the people who own the grimble books (voice of fashion and edwardian modiste) I was interested in, they say there are no corsets in there but there are patterns for underwear (chemise, corset cover, drawers, petticoat) and regular clothes.
I intend to get those books for those patterns, so I know what to expect (no corsets).
Part of my homework before I posted the questions was to look at the amazon page to see if I could look inside the books, and what the reviews were saying it included.
Another thing I did (may be considered unethical) was search for pdfs of certain titles I wanted to look into. I was able to look inside Corset and Crinolines, The little corset book, Corsets by Jill Salen and The cut of women's clothes 1600~1930.
I posted my questions about the books I had no reliable way to look inside of. The amazon preview page also sometimes cuts off a section of the overview of contents part.
Thank you for the help. I hope this research phase is over soon.
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I hope, too, that you'll understand that I don't have the luxury of time, right now, to do more than the most cursory of searches, but I did find this one corset from the U.S. Patent Office, on Pinterest.
http://haabet.dk/patent/845582/index.html
1905, just a beginning, but there are some Edwardian corsets on Pinterest. May I suggest that when and if you do search on Pinterest, you keep your parameters fairly broad, inputting as few key words as possible, perhaps just "Corsets."
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That savoy corset reminds me of the horizontal seam savoy corset someone posted to this group. The paneling is so creative.
Today I searched google for all commercial edwardian corset patterns, searched for the "edwardian" key word in one of the corsetry FB groups (and got great pictures of the inside of off the rack/standard size edwardian corsets), and I rewatched a youtube video by Dressed in Time to see where she got her patterns from.
I'm really tempted to just buy the Truly Victorian pattern pack for the edwardian chemise, drawers and corset cover and use the early edwardian corset pattern from Corsets and Crinolines (there's a cleaned and scaled version by Ralph Pink on my PC), and then figure out the gored petticoat pattern on my own using the image from that youtube video. I also have an image of an edwardian gored petticoat pattern on my PC for reference if I ever need some confirmation about the circumference at the hem.
When I started this research phase two weeks ago the main goal aside from actually starting to work on an edwardian outfit was to prevent making a purchase I would regret.
I think I have gotten to the point where I've gathered enough info about which books are relevant and which aren't, but I also just want to get started with making things so I will probably not regret getting that TV edwardian underwear pattern pack.
These books are interesting to me at this time;
The edwardian modiste (Grimble), The voice of fashion (also Grimble), and Corset Cutting and Making by Marion McNealy (contains multiple corsets from the edwardian era incl patterns).
Thank you for all your help, I appreciate it.
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I actually enjoy searching, as long as I get some results. And as of two days ago my state's Governor had already implemented a curfew, essentially shutting down the state between the hours of 22:00 and 05:00; yesterday several counties' Executives issued a stay-at-home advisory, all of which is in the interest of slowing down the spread of the Corona virus so that our hospitals aren't overwhelmed. So, I have a little more free time.
Brainstorming is also always stimulating. ;^>
A couple more ideas came to me. One is "Ageless Patterns," which unless you're very good at resizing patterns isn't ideal because those patterns are taken from actual garments of the time, or so I understand.
Another idea is this: LiveJournal just opened up an annual community,"Holiday_Wishes," and if you were to put your wish list out on that group's site, someone might be in a position to grant you the wish of an Edwardian corset pattern by Truly Victorian. Or, perhaps, a book you especially want?
https://holiday-wishes.livejournal.com/
That "Corset Cutting & Making" looks fascinating! And I'd expect it to be good value, too. I'm glad you brought that one to my attention: it might have to be added to my wish list! :^)
Oh, and please do post photos of your work! I'd love to see your Edwardian corset and the rest of the ensemble.
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I like many more people I was forced to be at home a lot more in 2020 and have taken the opportunity to go through many projects that I had pushed to the side in years before because more important things had to be done.
This year I decluttered my entire house, sold a lot of unwanted furniture, repaired some things that needed repairing, recently thought of a better system to plan my time and then there was finally more time for hobby projects.
One of the biggest problems in the last years was that I felt unfulfilled. I could work on one project and then feel like I was missing out and unfulfilled because I wasn't also working on another project. There was so much I wanted to do and not a lot of time to do it in. Never really in control/on top of things, always missing out on something.
I figured out it wasn't an issue of me not spending enough time on projects, but more an issue of how I planned tasks and divided my time between projects.
Now I've learned to make sure I spend time working on all the active projects during the week.
And to feel like I am on top of things and doing fulfilling things I need to have one historical fashion project and one alternative fashion project going at the same time. Any other DIY is just a bonus.
I recently finished my halloween DIY stuff, and fabric dye tests for an alternative fashion project, and there was space to plan a new hobby project and one of the things that had been in the back of my head for a long time was the edwardian outfit.
This outfit idea had been nibbling at the back of my head for so long now (years).
I told myself "well, why do you want to wear this? Where are you going to wear it to?" and eventually said screw it, this idea and wish to make this outfit won't leave my mind until I actually make it.
So it doesn't really matter where I intend to wear it. I just have to do this for some reason.
It seemed like this big thing to start with but I told myself to just try to do small bits most days of the week so I would at least actively be working on it.
I finally had at least 2 hours a day to spend on it at least 5 days a week.
I'm glad I started because now it seems manageable.
Ageless patterns is a great resource, it did not pop up in any of my searches, so thank you for that.
I had no idea such a thing as the holiday wishes LJ existed, neat!
I intent to look for books and patterns available within the netherlands, I will probably be buying from local people with small stores and that way I also won't get slapped hard by customs.
I definitely will post progress pictures of anything corset related here.
Thank you so much for reading. Have a great weekend.
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In the past, my experience has been that it's easier to keep myself on track with a sewing project if I have a specific purpose for it, some event I wish to attend or know I'll be required to attend.
Now you've piqued my curiosity and my interest: which specific TV Edwardian corset pattern of their two (?) do you have in mind?
At the TV website, notes for the TVE13 mention "De Gracieuse," a Dutch fashion magazine and if you can find some of the old pages online, it contains patterns. The only hitch I can think of is this, that they're drawn with all the individual pieces on top of one another. But, you might find patterns there.
https://ateliernostalgia.wordpress.com/2014/03/25/de-gracieuse-a-walk-through/
And what about an Edwardian-era costumed tea? Would your friends * (male and female) enjoy attending such a thing, do you think? Perhaps just the hostess would be in an Edwardian outfit, for the first one.
Someone on LJ created a community for makers of historical clothing who want simply to wear what they make as if it were their usual every day clothing and that actually sounds reasonable, as long as the clothing is suited to the activities of the day. It's an idea, anyway.
Iirc, the LJ "Holiday_Wishes" community says something about specifying continent or country so the giver doesn't get surprised by exorbitant shipping costs, in addition to the recipient not getting hit with stiff customs duties. If you give it a thorough read-through (I admit I have not yet) you'll find---quite a few years ago someone I knew had posted their wish list---that no one is required to grant a wish in return, as this is not meant to be a gift exchange. It seems reasonable to ask that anyone granting your wish should be within the Netherlands, or at least Europe if limiting your gift givers to Europe would help?
Ageless Patterns, as I said, offers a wealth of variety, but if I'm not mistaken those patterns are drawn directly from the period garment each pattern represents so the pattern will come in the size worn by the person who wore whatever that garment is, and only that. I am pleased, though, that you seem pleased by it.
Now I'm going to wish you a great weekend, too, and that it will be a happily productive one for you! :^)
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The original plan was;
buy "the edwardian modiste" and "The voice of fashion" (both by Frances Grimble) books and scale up the patterns in them for the chemise, corset cover, drawers and petticoat. These books also include pattern for edwardian clothes (dresses, skirts, blouses).
Use the Ralph Pink version of the early edwardian corset from Corsets and Crinolines, and print it out and adjust to size but keeping the proportions intact.
But when I was ready to order them it turned out the grimble books were sold out and I could not find another seller within the country.
So I adjusted my plan and decided to buy these patterns to make it easy on myself;
the underwear pack https://trulyvictorian.info/index.php/product/tve02-edwardian-underwear/
the 1903 corset https://trulyvictorian.info/index.php/product/tve01-1903-edwardian-corset/
expected to arrive within 2 weeks.
I also ordered the following books;
Authentic Victorian Dressmaking Techniques by Kristina Harris
The cult of chiffon by Eric Pritchard
Corset Cutting and Making by marion McNealy and WDF Vincent
The waiting time for these items is multiple months because of stocking issues, but at least they're through a dutch shop so no getting slapped by customs or paying for international shipping.
A tea party sounds like a good opportunity to wear historical fashion. It sounds like it would also be a good idea for my birthday.
Thank you for explaining the holiday wishes community further.
Have a great week!
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"Authentic Victorian Dressmaking Techniques," by Harris, I have. Someone who reviewed this book complained of the "grey tone" making it hard to see precisely what was being demonstrated, but this is not a modern manual. And another criticism was made of the fact that illustrations don't face the page they are illustrating, but I've found that to be common in old or at least "older" (less old, as we use English) books. To my mind those criticisms are trivial, and the book is a treasure trove of information. Well worth the investment!
Your next two on your book list look fascinating, and I'm going to see what I can do about getting these onto my own bookshelves.
The patterns you've ordered---! So pretty! And I love that early Edwardian corset (1903)!
You're going to look so elegant and smart; I can scarcely contain my eagerness to see pictures of the finished garments and you in them!
Have a great week, and great success and enjoyment in your dressmaking. ;^)
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I will be keeping an eye out regularly to see if it pops up again, I clicked the "notify me if this comes back in stock" button on the listings for both grimble books.
When the international shipping situation returns to normal I will also have a look on ebay.
Unexpectedly the book "authentic Victorian dressmaking techniques" arrived today. 2 months earlier than expected. I will shamelessly plug my fb because I posted about it there
https://www.facebook.com/yvonne.derooij.77/
And I will also post about the progress of the edwardian outfit there. I will post about anything corset related on the corsetmakers LJ as well though.
And I do agree with you, I consider that book a treasure and well worth the money.
I cannot understand the mindset of the person complaining about this book. I was so happy the pictures in the book were clear and easy to read. I've seen other "old" (or reprinted old) sewing manuals where the pictures are very grainy and dark and difficult to decipher.
I had a second flip through of the book together with my mother on videocall (whatsApp is popular in the netherlands) and we both oohed and aahed at the level of detail.
I'm glad you're interested in the rest of the book list.
Likewise, have a great week.
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I shall look forward to seeing anything corset-related which you make posted here on LJ, however. 8^)
Such a disappointment to find any desired book out of stock just as one is ready to place the order! I felt the wind go out of my own sails as I read that.
Hurrah and a thumbs-up for the early arrival of "Authentic Victorian Dressmaking Techniques."
I don't understand the mindset of the complainers, either.
We've drifted a bit off the topic of corset-making, or have a tenuous connection, anyway. Before we irritate the moderators of this community too much, may I offer you my personal e-mail address via Private Message if we're going to continue this conversation, however sporadically?
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