I like sewing. I like Burda fashion magazine. I just spend hours looking at all the technical drawings and instructions. My husband also got me a computer program that drafts sewing patterns to measurements. I can spend hours making up different style combinations. This is more fun to me that playing computer games.
I do sew some clothing for myself, mostly because it is usually less expensive than buying clothing new that fits.
I am also interested in historical costumes and dress. I like looking at books in the library on that topic.
I have a lot of books on historical clothing. Have you seen the pattern book for women's clothing from about 1700's onwards? I can't remember what its called right now.
It has scaled down patterns that you could scale up.
Its something like 'the cut of women's clothing - 1700's-1890's'.
Jane Arden? Yes. I go to a local university library and really have fun.
I would love to have an empire/regency gown and walk around town in it.
I did have a volunteer job at a historical house where we could wear costumes. I did some sewing for them but it is costly for real linen and yardage for those big skirts.
I find the historical re-enactment groups to be terrible snobs. They use the events to show off how "authentic" (more like how expensive) their costumes are and just criticize anyone so much who doesn't measure up to their standards. I thought the idea of re-enactment was to make studying history so much more fun.
I went to an enactment day and all they did was shoot cannons and scared me half to death, I left quickly.
Go to any historical site on a slow day (week day, not when lots of school groups are going through) and you will get an interpreter who will talk your ears off. It's a great job for aspies to practice talking and eye contact. My volunteer job was sometimes so slow, we were ready to pounce on any victim coming into our space. So much information we loved to give. Due to my aspie tendencies I often had to stop myself from chasing people down the stairs and hallways to give them more information. It often took me as long as ten seconds to realize their moving away from me was a sign that they had enough.
Strange enough there was one volunteer there who we called the "historical interupter". He was an old man who I think had some kind of attention deficient disorder although he had made millions in managing construction companies. He would just corner people and talk about his vacation travels and anything but the house. Oddly, he was engaging enough that people just seemed to stay and talk with him. Maybe that is what some people call charisma. I just thought most of the time he was annoying and always trying to get into my personal space.
I would like to work in an historical house, but working on fabrics, and soft furnishings, costumes etc.
Oddly enough this was a volunteer job at the historical house. I was very nervous before the interview. I thought somehow they would reject me. They couldn't be too picky since I was working for free. I was really surprised. We were treated well. I found it to be a positive experience. I turned out to be a very good volunteer because I always showed up when I was booked, I was always early, I followed the rules.
They had to close the house for renovations. They kicked out all the volunteers and told us that we could come back when it is finished.
Sadly, most of the volunteers are very old women. Some of them will be dead by that time. They really enjoy volunteering and have been there for years. There is a problem in getting new volunteers. They seem to favour retired people. Younger people like myself are often even refused volunteer training because we might "find a paying job and quit." People find it very strange that I am a housewife. Being very religious helps the image but people often ask me "what do you do all day? Aren't you bored?"
So until my house is open again to the public, I don't know whether I should try the pain of looking for a part-time job or get another volunteer job. I would like a part-time job but husband is picky about me not being out at night, working week-ends etc. I like to be home to cook dinner.
Being a volunteer has been a positive experience for me but I could only afford to work one day per week because of the car fare. If I got free car fare I would volunteer more as long as I could still get my housework done.
I used to volunteer at the cats protection league one day a week.
It was so lovely to see the kittens especially.
Jane Arden? Yes. I go to a local university library and really have fun.
I would love to have an empire/regency gown and walk around town in it.
I did have a volunteer job at a historical house where we could wear costumes. I did some sewing for them but it is costly for real linen and yardage for those big skirts.
I find the historical re-enactment groups to be terrible snobs. They use the events to show off how "authentic" (more like how expensive) their costumes are and just criticize anyone so much who doesn't measure up to their standards. I thought the idea of re-enactment was to make studying history so much more fun.
I'm a part of one of those groups, but the only thing with the group I'm in, they just expect you to make an attempt at something historical. My first event, I showed up in Renaissance Faire garb and was accepted.
The group I'm involved with is the Society for Creative Anachronism(SCA) and NOT the Society for Compulsive Authenticity! We call those snobs either authenticity police or if female, a Mistress Laurel Seamchecker. I have heard of those people, but not been criticized because I didn't do something completly authentic. http://www.sca.org
I think the authenticity police are more likely to be in US Civil War re-enactors than any other group. I could be wrong, but then again, their stuff is very authentic.
Surely in the olden days a lot of people were wearing ragged clothing and could not afford fancy things? Only the landed Gentry would have fancy clothes.
I'm currently sewing a little doll I've designed by myself. I'll call her Emble and she's pretty cute, but I'm pretty sure that she's some kinda mutant. My teacher, who helps me sewing it, almost sew on one of the legs on the head, but that's fixed now. Now I've only got one leg, hair and the face left, as well as clothes. She's weird but adorable, just like me!
sounds very cute, could we see a picture of it when its finished?
Of course, she's gonna have awesome photo-adventures IN THE FUTURE!