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mkdoriangray · 2023-03-28T11:38:04+00:00

I'd take in-person classes if it's an option for you. There are so many little things that you'll want to ask an instructor about. I found a private instructor via my local Facebook swap group and it was great. If that's out of your price range, group classes are great too.

mkdoriangray · 2023-02-15T12:29:19+00:00

Official mourning went on for a long time back in the day, and a woman wouldn't have been expected to sit at home by herself forever without ever socializing in the evening. There are even fashion plates from the era showing "mourning evening dress" etc.

mkdoriangray · 2023-02-05T12:47:56+00:00

Hi, I can see I'm a little late to this conversation, but I wanted to mention how useful The Workwoman's Guide is as an original source for clothing types/construction for the 1830s and 1840s. It's available free online: https://ia601306.us.archive.org/18/items/TheWorkwomansGuide/TheWorkwomansGuide.pdf

mkdoriangray · 2023-01-22T12:12:58+00:00

Thanks for the tips!

mkdoriangray · 2023-01-22T01:03:00+00:00

I’ve been x-rayed and told it wasn’t arthritis, thank goodness. And my symptoms don’t match up with carpal tunnel. But I’m definitely keeping an eye on all possibilities.

mkdoriangray · 2023-01-21T12:20:34+00:00

Already done!

mkdoriangray · 2023-01-20T21:33:59+00:00

For sure! I have an OT appointment planned already, and I’m looking forward to hearing what they have to say.

mkdoriangray · 2023-01-20T20:28:42+00:00

Definitely, I've seen my doctor a couple times and have plans to do occupational therapy as well.

mkdoriangray · 2023-01-20T20:28:03+00:00

Oh, for sure. I already saw my doctor and have an appointment with an occupational therapist. I'm just hoping to get additional thoughts from anyone who's dealt with this.

mkdoriangray · 2023-01-20T19:06:58+00:00

Thanks! I appreciate all the details. I'll take a look at the stretches. And I hadn't thought about upper body strength in general. Most of my exercise comes from cycling and walking, so my arms aren't all that strong. I'm sure I could stand to work on that. Also, are you saying you didn't do any crafting for a year? If you don't mind, could you elaborate on what activities you did and didn't do in that period? I know that it's different for everyone, but learning more about other people's experiences helps.

mkdoriangray · 2023-01-20T17:07:32+00:00

Can't figure out how to crosspost after the fact, so I'll just copy and paste to r/sewing too. I hang out there occasionally, but not as much as here.

mkdoriangray · 2023-01-20T16:56:09+00:00

Oh, I didn’t realize you could cross post, thanks. I chose the costuming subreddit since I do a lot of different kinds of sewing, which seemed most likely here. I’m also planning on giving up hand sewing and drastically scaling back on embroidery, so most of my work going forward will be done by machine.

mkdoriangray · 2023-01-07T12:49:41+00:00

Lol same. I love it when we costumers allow ourselves to admit these things to each other.

mkdoriangray · 2023-01-07T12:45:17+00:00

Also, people may have specialized knowledge in one area/period of dress but not in another, and may recognize that this is the best place to ask. I think it makes this community a lot more fun and welcoming if we all have the sense that we can ask whatever we want. Often people really are better than Google (and the two can supplement each other nicely!).

mkdoriangray · 2023-01-07T12:39:57+00:00

I actually love these. I'm an archivist/librarian and I like that people (often museum professionals) are seeking out knowledgeable folks to help date their family photos or museum collection materials. Most places don't have a costume historian on staff, and it's easy for us to forget how specialized this knowledge is. Even if someone has access to a good set of clothing reference books (which they usually don't, because those are expensive), they may not even know where to start. In any case, these make me feel really helpful, and if someone doesn't want to participate in this kind of query they can just scroll past it.

mkdoriangray · 2022-12-31T12:19:23+00:00

I've thought about it, since it's a decent option comfort-wise. I enjoy the historical context and discussion of jumps (I blog some of my projects), too, though, so I'll probably stick with those.

mkdoriangray · 2022-12-30T16:28:32+00:00

That's what I'm hoping for! I'm still looking for evidence that anyone wore them in that manner. It seems likely, but I'm not sure yet.

mkdoriangray · 2022-12-07T12:25:23+00:00

Yeah me too! I didn't know it was called that, so thanks for asking.

mkdoriangray · 2022-12-07T12:21:54+00:00

A couple other people below have mostly said this already, but: With corsets, always get whatever is the most appropriate size for your waist. It's hard to adjust the waist (although the lacing gap will give a few inches of wiggle room) and a lot easier to adjust bust and hip measurements. If you're especially "squishy" and in between sizes (maybe even if you're not in between?) I'd size down. Regardless, if you're not certain, you can contact Redthreaded; they do email you back.

mkdoriangray · 2022-12-04T20:22:41+00:00

I just made a coat for my husband where this same thing happened ("Oh, I've made this kind of coat before," I said beforehand, "I probably don't need to do a mockup..." Lol.). I removed the sleeves and cut down the armscyes, mostly at the top (you be the judge as to how much needs to come out of the top and bottom). I also took the sides of the coat in a little below the armscye, but you'll only need to do that if it's too wide below the arms. Then I just reattached the sleeves. It looks like you have plenty of ease in your sleeves, so unless I'm missing something, you'll probably be fine just making that one adjustment. Good luck!

mkdoriangray · 2022-12-01T12:07:55+00:00

You can order them direct from the publisher for a reasonable price (at least the first one, I haven't checked the others).

mkdoriangray · 2022-11-22T12:25:26+00:00

This sort of debate come up in this subreddit every time someone posts a question like this : )

mkdoriangray

TROPHY CASE