If you’ve dabbled even a little in Regency and Edwardian costuming, you’ve more than likely come across the Sensibility Patterns site with lovely sewing patterns and blog posts to inspire the Jane Austen and early 1900s worlds we love. In this episode we’ll get to know the creator of Sense & Sensibility Patterns, Jennie Chancey – from her creative …

As we age, those of us who have been creative over the years can look back at all we’ve accomplished and be amazed. We can also ponder what we’d still like to learn and remember those crafts that have truly meant the world to us. Perhaps we even recall how sewing and crafting have been the bright light comforting us through dark times. In today’s e…

Occasionally we get quite wrapped up in our main area of crafting. Right? Yet, other hobbies and interests in the creative fields call to us. You know, that “someday I want to learn” [fill in the blank] thought. We’re all about sewing around here. But every once in a while we want to tackle something different. A different skill, a new craft. We hu…

Perhaps you’ve been thinking about how to incorporate your love of historical fashion with your everyday lifestyle but find it challenging to wear a bustle dress to your weekly grocery store outing. You are not alone! So many of us in the historical costuming community have – for years! – been trying to add those styles of bygone days into our dail…

Aside from fabric and needle, thread is the other absolute necessary component for sewing. lol But is there thread that’s better than others? Join Jennifer in this episode to find out her favorite threads to use for general sewing by machine and hand. Take notes for tips on colors, conditioners, and available quality products. Show Notes and Mentio…

Not every project needs to be a BIG one. Even in the process of sewing basic things there is the advantage of keeping the mind fresh, exploring new techniques, and finding the joy again – with no pressure to “perform.” In this quick episode Jennifer gives a dose of encouragement where even if your current sewing is a bit boring, the consistency of …

Feeling overwhelmed with piles of patterns, fabrics, trims, books and more in your sewing room? Ready to dump it all and start fresh? Or at least find a way to manage all the things? We’ll take a look at the popular KonMari Method of tidying and how it applies to sewing and crafting items to help give you a set of guidelines for dealing with the cl…

Welcome to 19th century England! Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, most of us are familiar with the modern activities and traditions seen during December in the Western world. What you might not know, however, is that most of them came about during the Victorian Era in England, that is, Queen Victoria's reign from 1837 to 1901. However, Ameri…

Is cotton historically appropriate to use for Victorian bustle dresses? Enthusiastically -YES! Day and evening wear from the 1870s and 1880s abounds in various cotton weaves used in the late 19th century. In this episode Jennifer talks about her favorite fabric, cotton, with its wonderful properties of being easy-to-sew, breatheable, washable and w…

Start increasing your sewing efficiency by using a sewing journal! Make your journal as detailed or as open as fits YOUR sewing style - we are all different with our creativity and organization. This episode covers Jennifer walking through how she puts together project pages in her journal. She includes tips for how you can organize your projects e…

No matter how long you've been sewing and making historical ensembles, one of the biggest challenges that presents itself with each project is getting the silhouette "correct." That look you create that identifies your costume as being from a specific fashion era and is recognizable as such. The key is to work with your specific body type, with its…

Where would we be without tools in our sewing box? Amongst all those wonderful items, we each have our favorites - those that give us joy when we use them. Yet, we also have those gadgets that we use often but aren't necessarily a favorite (seam ripper, anyone?). Listen in as Jennifer goes through her list of favorite sewing implements - with her t…

It’s Halloween time! As costumers and Victorian lovers it’s a holiday that many of us embrace. In this episode Jennifer shares a bit of backstory to this All Hallows Eve along with some activities even Queen Victoria herself participated in. You’ll also get inspiration for your holiday meals and a few costume ideas too! Happy Halloween! Show Notes …

We all came into historical costuming through various channels and with varied goals and inspirations. Maybe you are new to sewing or just getting started in your research and building historical fashion. In this episode Jennifer gives tips for newbies - and the rest of us too! - with no matter how you came to this wonderful hobby or what pushed yo…

Organdy is a beautiful fabric ideal for a variety of historical and vintage garments as well as inner layer/underlining support. Learn about the technical details including the weave, finish variances, and differences from organza and crinoline materials. Jennifer will cover various garments, accessories and trims where organdy is best used with se…

You have a new historical costume idea. But how do you approach making it? What does the process look like in putting it together? In this episode Jennifer breaks down the development of creating an ensemble through her own action steps with tips you can apply to your projects. We'll also chat about places where inspiration can come from using item…

All too often - or at least more times than we'd like - we seem to fall off the bandwagon and our sewing seems like drudgery. In this episode Jennifer shares her tips on how to get out of the slump so you can keep moving forward and stay motivated on your projects. Show Notes and Mentions -Search for tutorials on my blog, HistoricalSewing.com -Star…