Wish CosTubers were a thing what I was a kid. Been sewing for 24 years (started when I was 14 in 18th Century) and just learned what interfacing layers were last year. I made up stitches by myself and looked at old paintings for styles and used body parts to scale to myself ( I looked at a hand on the painting and got some dividers/calipers out to measure and then used my own hand for a ruler).
If it helps, that’s exactly how we were taught to measure proportion in my costume degree - find a recognisable measurement and get out the callipers. I know I wouldn’t have worked it out on my own.
I like how you broke down the steps for beginners. Not just because I'm a beginner but because it was a nice way to give concrete goals to work towards. Thank you.
Thank you so much for speaking to me. I have been watching Historical Costuming for some time now, but always felt it was beyond my capabilities. You gave me the confidence to go ahead, "I can Do This". I think I might me the "Mee Maw" they have been talking about. 80 years old, sewing for many years, but still feel like a newbie when starting something new. The plan is to start with a camisole/petticoat/chemise if I can find an old sheet that will work. Thank you again for showing faith in beginners.
Just finished my first chemise. Time to move on to a petticoat! Teaching my self how to sew with modern clothes and then trying to play with more historical stuff. It's a journey!
My mom and grandma started me out sewing doll clothes. You get the basic idea how things are made and 18 in doll clothes patterns are easy to find sew. Then move on to people clothes 🙂
Thank you I really enjoyed this video. Baby costumer here! Although I’ve been sewing since I was 12, I’ve never made clothes or costumes. I just finished making a regency dress and altered it a little since I won’t be wearing stays. Now I have to make a petticoat because it’s see through Muslin! I might dye it blue so it looks like Eliza Hamilton’s burn dress. I’m doing a 1940s dress next because no special undergarments (although that’s more vintage than historical). My dream era/costume is to make a 1860s ensemble so that I can do civil war reenactment. I’m only in high school and I try to make things I’m excited about and can where places
I'm glad it was helpful! I would say get a friend to join along with you. As an introverted person myself, it's always easiest if you're going with someone you know.
This was an incredibly helpful talk. I've been sewing off and on since I was about 11 years old - so about 43 years now - and I still have little idea on how to alter commercial patterns to properly fit my figure. However, over the last year or so I've been watching videos by various CosTubers and I think I'm getting how to do that. I want to make a Victorian/Edwardian walking skirt for myself and about a month ago I got out from the library the Janet Arnold book with the skirt I want to attempt. I just have to clear off the table in my work area so I can have a go at getting the pattern from the book to the paper so that I can make a mock up (something else I've never done - a mock up that is. Mind you, I've not drafted a pattern before either). Your talk has encouraged me to have a go at this project instead of just putting it into the too hard basket.
You can do it! Make your life a little easier and get yourself some full-scale gridded paper - sometimes even wrapping paper can work if it has that 1-inch grid on the back. That will make the scaling up much easier.
Good advice for anyone starting sewing, either historical or modern. I've been sewing for over 20 years, and still use patterns as a guide. I still have the first costume that I sewed over 20 years ago (pied piper) and, boy have I learned a lot. Eg I did no seam finishes, no tailoring for fit etc, but it served its purpose. My son recently wore it to a party and it still looked better than most of the new commercial costumes most of the guests wore. New commercial "historical" costumes are just so bad. One poor girls costume started to fall apart whilst she was wearing it, but fortunately we had a suitable costume in our stash that she could change into.
I totally started my costuming journey the hard way, trying to scale up patterns from books. Finally, my first finished project was a Regency gown in cotton, from Sense & Sensibility.
Aww, I hope that it helps! I know sewing can be very frustrating sometimes, and the key thing is to just give yourself a breather, and then get right back into it.
There should be a hidden CoCoVid game to spot everyone‘s pets and learn their names. =) Thank you for another great and helpful video. I especially liked how you reasoned with which type of projects and which era you‘d suggest to start. Though I think I‘ll start my own costuming-journey with the dress-reform dresses that had their own little event this weekend. They also look fairly simple (if so desired), the style doesn‘t require a corset which makes it seem like a good place to start too.
There was actually a ribbon for spotting a pet in a video! Scraps and Sequins also has a Pets of Costube video on her channel from a month or so ago. And I'm glad it was helpful! I think a reform dress would be a totally reasonable place to start. Good luck on your project!
I literally did everything you said not to do 😂😂😂 I started wit the 18th century, bought the singer machine (inexpensive, I promise you), made the stays (two!), drafted a pattern, made a fitted thing....but it all worked out and was a lot of fun too
I keep thinking I'm a completely beginner with this stuff, but some of those things you listed off, "Make a buttonhole, work with elastic, follow a pattern," I've already done! I'm not as much a novice as I think I am.
Thank you so much, Rebecca. You're so encouraging, which is really helpful. I'm one of those who is by no means new to sewing, but is only just dipping a toe in the Historical Costuming world. I'd love a follow-up to this on attending your first HC event, especially when you are going in cold and don't know anyone. Someday we will have events to attend! This is Nancy from the Wednesday group, BTW.
You have such a lovely engaging manner, so easy to watch. I have been sewing my own everyday clothes for years but you got me wondering about dipping my toe into costuming. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this video! Your enthusiasm for people starting out in historical costuming buoyed my own excitement and made me feel so much more confident about starting my journey as a beginner
Thank you for being so encouraging!! I have been quilting for years and your video has given me the courage to make an outfit! Thanks for the push! I love how enthusiastic you come across. It's been a real pleasure to watch your video and I'll be viewing them all.
This video is so helpful!!! I have been so intimidated to start trying to costume! Your advice is really clear and gives me a solid place to start and great resources to check out! Thank you!!
I had been a knitter for almost 15 years when I decided I wanted to try making a Doctor Strange cosplay, Cloak of Levitation and all... but I hadn't sewn since, like, middle school and I was terrible at it back then. I had to teach myself how to sew and use a machine and soooooo many things, and it took MONTHS, but I got it done! That was a few years ago, and I've had a bit more practice. The next cosplay I'm starting in the new year is a mashup of a traditional Viking smokrr (apron dress) with Loki/Sylvie aesthetic -- I'll even be doing all the embroidery by hand! :D
I have been sewing for 40years and I still have trouble fitting clothes I am also a very new costumer starting with a walking skirt then a Gibson girl blouse so even though I have lots is sewing experience it is still a bit daunting I really enjoy it and your videos was very helpful thanks
Thank you for making this! I have such a passion for historical fashion but the act of starting out in making my own things seemed so daunting, your break down made it so much less stressful.
This is a super helpful video - I'm trying to get into historical costuming on my channel and wish I'd known about co-covid sooner, will be binge watching everyone's videos now haha
I agree with you about the sewing machines. However, I still use my Grandmama's 60+years old Singer machine for simple stitches. The old ones will last a long time if maintenance is diligent. My Brother machines I use for everything else. Thanks for the "review" bc I still learn something new!
I ran across a Husk Varna Viking Rose Sewing machine in a second hand shop, for twenty dollars, in excellent working condition. The second hand shop didn't realize what the had and I ended up with a great machine.
Thank you so much for this video, I’ve been sewing for a while just kind of making it up as I went along and didn’t know what to do next to move towards real historical costuming. This video was exactly what I needed!
I have been thinking about making a Regency style dress this week, but I mostly make 1950s/60s dresses so I’ve been kinda hesitant about trying something out of my usual era. But after your video I’m going to take the leap in to different eras and make a Regency dress now!! Thank you for the wonderful video and to CoCoVids who brought me to your and many other wonderful channels!
Thank you so much! This was such a comprehensive and helpful video and actually gives steps on how to start from the beginning instead of saying just start.
Very informative! enjoyed your talk full of encouragement, and support. i did RenFair many years ago - i loved the costume and wore it at home....if only I'd known then that there were so many with the interests in historical dress! Thank you.
Awww I am trying to be a costumer/costuber. This made me feel so good. Thank you!!! (My non sewist friends think I'm anexpert but I feel like I'm still a baby.) but mine are all sorts of costumes, not just historical.😅
Thank you for your positivity and encouragement. I needed to hear this more than I thought. Still anxious about starting my athletic tank top(s) from simplicity (and hopefully not mess them up too badly) but this made it a little less intimidating. Love from a baby sewer
my mum had a great machine too good, what happened was the lubricate dried out if it wasn't used at least once a month which it wasn't because mum wasn't a big sewer. If it dried out it needed servicing which is pricey. It was a real road block. My nan got me the singer simple for my 18th 6 years ago and it has opened the doors for me. I always say unless you want fancy stitches you just need a straight and zig zag
I only started in historical costuming last year and I choose to begin with a circa 1910 skirt, I think it was a good choice even tho the placket was a little challenging! I also feel like, for me, using a pattern from a small company can be good because you can ask the pattern maker for help quite easily :). I also feel like the Truly Victorian patterns are quite good because the instructions are quite easy to follow (I've used the one for the 1894s shirtwaist). As for the underlayers I did buy a cheap second hand corset but I am currently trying to make a better one myself :D, for the corset cover I get antique ones because they are cheap af here and easy to find in my size haha.
That's an excellent point about the pattern makers of small companies. I have only used a few TV patterns - most have been good, but if you saw my corset cover video, you'll know that one wasn't!
this is all good advice... I ended up learning on the go when I hit some snags in a project and took a pattern drafting class afterwards (the garment looked like it should be my size but... it was probably for a tall woman, not a plump short one).. I have been eyeing some grid patterns to try to get closer to what I'd like to achieve, but the size adjustments are intimidating... that would definitely be too much for this video, but if you have any resources to recommend on that, or any videos that include it (new to your channel--subscribed) I'd appreciate it.
oh, also for anyone new, I did take a couple online classes with Jennifer Rosbrugh at Historical Sewing and highly recommend for tackling tricky projects like corsets--would've been lost/overwhelmed with just the patterns.
Yeah, starting with gridded patterns is definitely a challenge! I learned to resize standard patterns first, and in doing so, it helped me learn what sizes pieces would need to be, which helped in enlarging/resizing the gridded patterns. I haven't personally done a video on it (I might need to do one in the future, I guess!), but I feel like I've stumbled across other videos on youtube on it? I don't have any links to any though.
Thank you for the hard work put on making this video full of wonderful information for newbies. Your positive energy is very much appreciated and enjoyed. ♥♥♥
@@LadyRebeccaFashions not as much as you would think. Today I canned for 11 hours. Lots of figs and pears and hot peppers and other things I can't remember right now. From now till the end of Sept, or the middle of Oct I'm gonna be busy canning.
This was really helpful, thanks. I've been sewing for years, but on non clothing stuff like quilts, handbags, cushions etc. Made a couple of bits using patterns taken from my own clothes and they've turned out decently but the first two commercial patterns I bought have me completely stymied! I really want a set of stays so I bought a redthreaded one, the 1790's front lacing and I think I have odd proportions, because I cannot get it to fit at all, and I tried to alter the pattern and still no joy! So I've got a bit disheartened and put it aside
Oof, starting your historical costuming journey with stays is definitely difficult! I would reach out to Cynthia if you're having issues with the pattern, though, because I think she's usually pretty good about helping.
@@LadyRebeccaFashions I didn't think it would be all that difficult with a proper pattern! I did message Cynthia, and she said I should try doing the slash and spread to adapt it, but it didn't really work. Really wishing I knew someone here who could take a look, but I'm in the depths of Dorset in the UK and of course, the lurgy is everywhere. Thinking I might just splurge and buy a ready made pair Thanks for the quick reply!
@@helent5114 aww darn. Well I hope you're able to find a solution and/or find a ready made pair. I know the 1790s is a little harder to find things for.
Thanks for this guide, very helpful. I'm just starting to learn to sew. Thus far I've made 2 aprons and I'm finishing a chemise. My ultimate goal would be to make a 1890s cycling outfit, but I think I got to level up my sewing skills before I can tackle that. I was wondering if starting with 1950s styles would be an easy starting point? I heard that historical construction is really different from modern construction, so maybe i should stick to earlier periods?
I'm glad it was helpful! Doing 1950s stuff can help with learning how to fit clothing and how to read patterns, so it's still going to help you in your journey for sure.
Hi, Lady Rebecca: I love your Bengal cat, he/she is beautiful and I always look forward to your videos. Fantastic job on both the tudor dress and the pogoda tea dress.
@Lady Rebecca Fashions I'm a beginner, and I was hoping you could help me with a question. I was planning on exactly what you suggested as far as getting started with Regency. I'm way too much of a beginner to even think about making stays, so for now, I'm going to plan to just wear a bra. So my question is, if I'm not wearing stays, do I bother with a chemise, since it would normally go under the stays? I assume I'd need to cover the bra, so then I'd need a bodiced petticoat instead of the suspender style if there's no chemise. Or do I wear a chemise regardless, just to hide the bra?
Depending on your body shape, you may be able to get away with just the chemise and bodiced petticoat underneath, and not have to worry about the bra. If you do go for a bra, I would say maybe bra, then chemise or modern camisole, then bodiced petticoat.
Thanks for the advice! I’ve been wanting to get better at sewing so I can get to this point. Also, what foundation do you use? It’s hard to find really pale foundation.
Thanks, I'm glad it was helpful! And I use Loreal True Match liquid foundation, in the color C0.5 Fair Ivory: www.amazon.com/dp/B07BHRCVCK/?tag=aiponsite-20&linkCode=ic5&ascsubtag=amzn1.infl.us.product&creativeASIN=B07BHRCVCK&ref=exp_ladyrebeccafashions_dp_vv_d
Wool is a little more challenging. I tend to gravitate towards fabricmartfabric.com and fashionfabricsclub.com sales, though occasionally the true wool content can be questionable from the latter site. Burnley and Trowbridge is a great source for wool, too, though it is more pricey.
Hi Rebecca, thanks very much. I've got a question, which is that I am a modestly experienced sewer, and would like to try for the 1880s. Would you recommend redthreaded for a corset pattern? Truly Victorian for skirts/bodices? Can I ask if any particular pattern lines favor any particular body shapes? Without oversharing, I am kind of pear shaped, but I'm also using S/M in most clothes and around 10-14 in Simplicity sizing.
I haven't personally tried the redthreaded corset patterns, but I've heard mostly good things. The only negative I know of with them is that they are single-sized patterns. A lot of people really recommend Laughing Moon's Victorian corset pattern, and while I haven't used Truly Victorian's Victorian corset pattern, I love their Edwardian pattern. Truly Victorian have pretty great patterns for anything Victorian, and they tell you in the instructions that you should cut the pattern for whatever size you are on that portion of your body (like if you're a 12 bust, 10 waist, then you would taper from one to the other.) I hope that helps!
@@LadyRebeccaFashions Thank you very much, that is actually really helpful. I think I'm making excuses not to get started, like selecting the correct chemise and drawer pattern ;). Seriously, I just need to start.
I love this video, but I wish you'd talked a little bit more about how to find sewing communities, when you go and do your thing. I'm interest in 17th century English clothing, and it's just ... crickets. I can find books, just fine. I can sew things, sure. But there must be at least a *few* people, even if we're not remotely proximate! That said, there are wonderful communities for most time periods, and I find a lot of people don't find out who those people are or where to find them. As a medieval fighter, I am constantly referring people who are fairly well-sewn to people-resources that I'm astonished they have never heard about -- and that's not even my period.
I think your best bet for something specific like that is going to be looking through facebook groups. I know I am in a couple for 18th century costuming, but I'm sure there must be at least a couple for 17th c as well. That said, there may not be a group that actually meets in person. I don't know of any 17th c groups in the US - though if you are in Europe, you may have much better chances!
Thank you for your videos. I am a sewist continuing to learn and grow. I want to do a Renaissance fair outfit. They use to have a fair in Wisconsin every year during the hot months of August and September. I brought a Simplicity pattern a year or so ago. Picked out denim embroidered fabric and gold fabric. Note: I am African American and do not know what fabric an Black Queen would wear to a Renaissance Fair. I need help with my fabric selection. From my research, maybe something cotton or linen. I love cotton and sewing linen would be new to me. Do you have any suggestion? I own Ankara prints and I do want to stand out but in an socially responsible way. Lol I would love your input. 💋
I love the idea of an Ankara print. Are you going for an English-style gown? The idea of mixing a gown like that with the print sounds absolutely beautiful, and kind of reminds me of how Not Your Mama's History mixed the printed fabrics with very standard 18th c styles.
@@LadyRebeccaFashions Thank you for replying so quickly. Yes, I am going for an English-style gown. I have seen Not Your Mama's History's beautiful Ankara gown and I love it. Thank you for your encouragement and we will be talking soon. 😊💋
For secondhand fabrics, the thrift store is definitely your friend! I know here in Seattle, we actually have a store in Pike Place market that is all secondhand/donated fabrics - maybe there is a place like that in your area as well? I believe there are a few small companies that do sustainable fabrics as well, but don't know any by name.
I want to sew my own costumes, but don’t have the skill yet. I have been sewing for a while, but haven’t really improved my skills for a while. I have a singer and the timing broke after my third time using it and I haven’t been able to get them fixed. :(
My guess is that your closest groups are going to be in the Reno area, but this video might also help: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wUcC6TYJEKM.html
Anyone can do costuming! To be honest, until a few years ago, I would say the majority of costumers that I know of were over 50. It's only more recently that a lot of younger people have gotten into it. It's never too late to start!
I started when I was 14 , but just started hand sewing at 36. I'm 37 now. Random note, but my sister still doesn't know how to sew a button or hem pants.
A long-line corset just means that it's long. So yes, a 1910s corset would also be considered long-line, but a long-line Regency corset is the style that goes from your bust point to over your hips, as opposed to the short corsets, which are just your bust and rib cage.
As in the video won't play again? I think that's because you were watching it as the premiere. You should be able to go back and pick up the badge now.
Badge code is e992eb. If you have scanned in a copy of the barcode - it is the same for every video on Cocovid - just go to the my badges page and click on the plus sign on the top right of the screen and enter the code. (Apologies if you already know how to do this. I didn't and thought every QR code was individual.)
