[h-cost] Classes that Teach Traditional Tailoring Methods
The author of Vintage Couture Tailoring, Thomas von Nordheim, is teaching a short course (5 days) at London College of Fashion, in London England, called Couture Tailoring on July 8-12, 2013. http://www.fashion.arts.ac.uk/short-courses/by-subject/garment-production-se wing/couture-tailoring/ It is 7 hours each day and costs £495. I am considering taking it, even though I live in Seattle, Washington USA. Does anyone know anything about this course, or other classes that teach traditional tailoring methods? Thanks for your help. Bobbie Kalben bkal...@msn.com http://tailoretta.wordpress.com/ ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Victorian construction list information
Hi Cassandra- For reproduction patterns, I suggest you consider Truly Victorian http://www.trulyvictorian.com/ Their patterns are highly recommended by many costumers. Regarding sewing books for the 1890's, Authentic Victorian Dressmaking Techniques, edited by Kristina Harris is published by Dover Publications, Inc. is readily available and was originally published in 1905 by the Butterick Publishing Company under the title Dressmaking, Up to Date. There are lots of sewing books from that period on Google Books http://books.google.com/ and https://archive.org/ , such as: The American System of Dressmaking by Miss Pearl Merwin (1906, 1912) The Art of Dressmaking by Sophie Klug (1895) Cutting-Out and Dressmaking by Mdlle. E. Grand'Homme (1879) The Dictionary of needlework: an encyclopaedia of artistic, plain, and fancy needlework (1885) Hand Sewing Lessons: A Graded Course for Schools and for the Home by Sarah Ewell Krolik (1901, 1905) Home and School Sewing by Frances Patton (1901) Longmans' complete course of needlework, knitting and cutting out by T. M. James (1901) School Needlework: A Course of Study in Sewing Designed for Use in Schools by Olive C. Hapgood (1893) The Elements of Modern Dressmaking for the Amateur and Professional Dressmaker by Jeanette E. Davis (1896) There are lots more! Bobbie Kalben bkal...@msn.com http://tailoretta.wordpress.com/ -Original Message- Message: 2 Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2012 08:44:13 -0700 (PDT) From: Cascio Michael rosen...@yahoo.com To: h-costume@mail.indra.com Subject: [h-cost] Victorian construction list information Message-ID: 1347291853.60861.yahoomailclas...@web160406.mail.bf1.yahoo.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Hello All I've lost enough weight that I need to start sewing a new wardrobe andI'm looking at doing more 1890-1909 blouses, skirts and suits.? Is there a late Victorian list that is very active?? I've been picking up original pattern sheets from ebay, some in French and German, and some patterns from Ageless Patterns so I could use some construction help.? A recommendation for a good basic period sewing text would be great also, something that covers all the basics like the old Reader's Digest sewing manual but for the late Victorian, early Edwardian period.? I'm in the? process of rereading Fran's books but she has 't published the late 1890s volume yet.? I'd like something that I could go to the index and find out if all wool skirts were lined, how they handled fur trimming, jacket hem weights, co-ordinating colors within outfits, etc,? I don't know if I'm explaining this well but I should have a decent corset and chemise by the time my graduate student daughter leaves in about a month.? I'm also hoping for at least one basic blouse that I can then alter other items to match the fit and play with the sleeves.? Hopefully this makes sense. I know I can come here with questions and definitely will but different lists have different people on them so I'm looking for a more focused list for this next year or so.? Thanks much. ?? Cassandra ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Advice on new sewing machine
Fran, I think I understand what you are looking for, but, in my experience, the quality of any electric tool (iron, sewing machine, etc.) today is a crap shoot. No matter how good a reputation a model of an electric tool has, some of those items will operate wonderfully and some of the exact same model will perform poorly, and I have no idea how to tell which is which before I buy. In order to sell things today, it seems that a company must price the item low, so the quality is mixed. It seems that quality control today is just a word in the dictionary. So one person may have wonderful success (good luck) with a particular electric tool, while another person may have only failures (bad luck) with the exact same model of that electric tool. So I don't think there is any way to assure you that if you buy XX model of sewing machine, no matter what brand or model, that you will have success with it. Because the race to the cheapest is fairly recent, older machines may be more successful than new ones. Adding to this problem, the warranty period for electric tools is quite short. In years past, electric tools were over-engineered so that they would work for much longer than the warranty period, but today we are lucky if they last through their warranty period. My solution to this dilemma, when I was looking to buy an iron, was to buy only from retailers that have a very good return policy. The retailers I purchased from were Costco and Bed, Bath Beyond. Fran, one of your requested features is infrequent need for service. I'm not sure if you mean routine maintenance or service to fix an problem. In order to keep sewing machines operating properly, they all need routine maintenance, some that the user can do (such as cleaning out lint or oiling) and some that a sewing machine repair person generally does. For example, I have a Bernina that I love, but when I purchased it I was instructed on how and how frequently to clean out lint and to oil, but I was also instructed that it should have routine maintenance by a qualified sewing machine repair person annually. I hope this helps. Bobbie bkal...@msn.com http://tailoretta.wordpress.com/ Message: 1 Date: Sun, 02 Sep 2012 15:52:11 -0700 From: Lavolta Press f...@lavoltapress.com To: Historical Costume h-cost...@indra.com Subject: [h-cost] Advice on new sewing machine Message-ID: 5043e31b.6080...@lavoltapress.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed I do not want a serger, or an embroidery machine. I want a machine with the following features: * Metal body * Durability * Infrequent need for service * Not quirky * Really good straight stitch * Zigzag capability * Easy buttonholes * Ability to sew both light and heavy fabrics easily, including crossing seams * Free arm or narrow bed? so I can sew sleeves easily * Probably the ability to lower the feed dogs * Mechanical machine, except I'm confused about the term. Even the mechanical machines (new not vintage) clearly have some computerization * A machine that doesn't try to make my decisions for me! * Probably a new machine, since I don't want to inherit someone else's problems and want to be able to get parts easily * Good track records. I have bought two expensive machines (over time) that were supposedly good machines from reputable manufacturers, yet they turned out to be a chronic PITA I am considering the Bernina 1008, since as far as I can tell the 1015 is no longer made. But clearly other manufacturers are also making mechanical machines. Thanks for any advice. Fran Lavolta Press Books of historic patterns www.lavoltapress.com www.facebook.com/LavoltaPress ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Spelling Errors
Can I request that you re-read your email for spelling errors before you hit send? There have been emails recently that have so many spelling errors that I have no idea what was intended. Thanks!! Bobbie Kalben bkal...@msn.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] h-costume help/advice needed re: closure
When I was a little girl in the 1050's, my dresses had buttons on the center back on the bodice, and the opening continued down into the skirt as just an open placket - no buttons or other closure in the skirt, just a wide overlap. Bobbie Kalben bkal...@msn.com -Original Message- Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2012 19:19:36 -0700 From: Julie Tamura jtkn...@jtknits.cts.com To: h-cost...@indra.com, h-costume@mail.indra.com Subject: [h-cost] help/advice needed re: closure I'm making a 50's-ish sundress for my daughter. It has a fitted, boned bodice with a gathered skirt. The pattern was designed with a zipper in the center back seam. I've modified the skirt to have four gores. Can I put a zipper in that will have to kink off to one side to follow the gore? What would be a good closure? Everything I think of would be difficult for her to fasten in the back. Julie ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Irons
I agree with modern irons being a real problem. I have considered buying a gravity feed or other high end iron, but they only have a one year warranty. I remember when appliances were over-engineered and were designed to last years past the warranty period, but now they seem to die just after the period ends, if they last that long. Does anyone know of a store that will extend the warranty period? Any suggestions for a really good iron are greatly appreciated. Bobbie Kalben bkal...@msn.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
