My Top 10 Historical Fashion Drafting & Dressmaking Resources

My Top 10 Historical Fashion Drafting & Dressmaking Resources | Historical Sewing for Beginners

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Күн бұрын

It can be challenging to know where to look for historical fashion drafting and dressmaking resources, especially if you are just getting started with historical sewing. In this installment of the "Historical Sewing for Beginners" series, I cover my top 10 favourite historical clothing dressmaking resources, along with why they made the list, in addition to some cons as well.
The options are broken down into three categories: standard pricing, extra affordable, and free.
The companies mentioned include:
Reconstructing History (Pattern Company)
Patterns of Fashion by Janet Arnold (Book Series)
Truly Victorian (Pattern Company)
Patterns of Time (Pattern Company and Supplier)
The Victorian Dressmaker by PriorAttire/Izabela Pitcher (Book Series)
The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking by Abby Cox and Lauren Stowell (Book)
Black Snail Patterns (Pattern Company)
Making Working Women's Costume by Elizabeth Friendship (Book)
Authentic Victorian Dressmaking Techniques edited by Kristina Harris (Book)
Archive.org (Website)
Here are some potentially useful free books from Archive.org:
archive.org/details/sciencege...
archive.org/details/dressfitt...
archive.org/details/twbyrnesn...
archive.org/details/ACyclopae...
archive.org/details/howtodres...
archive.org/details/clutesact...
archive.org/details/welldress...
archive.org/details/dresscloa...
archive.org/details/cutterspr...
archive.org/details/howtocutf...
archive.org/details/dresscloa...
Do you have any more historical sewing resources to share? Please let us all know in the comments down below.
Yours, etc.
V. Birchwood
Please note: I am not sponsored by or affiliated with any of the companies or names mentioned in this video.
Social Media:
Patreon - / vbirchwood
Instagram - / vasibirchwood
Facebook - / vbirchwoodhistorical
Business Inquiries - vbirchwood@helmtalentgroup.com
Time Stamps:
0:00 Introduction
0:30 Standard Priced Resources
4:47 Extra Affordable Resources
8:07 Free Resources
9:37 Final Thoughts & End Screen
#historicalsewingforbeginners #historicalsewing #historicalfashion

Пікірлер: 106

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you all for watching! One more free resource I did not mention in this video is the book database HathiTrust. I highly recommend the organisation to find archived or historical dressmaking books. What are some of your favourite dressmaking resources? 😊 Edit: If sharing a resource, please don't put a link, as KZfaq will automatically mark your comment as spam and will delete it. Sadly, some of your comments (if they contained a website ending) have been automatically deleted by KZfaq's spam filtre before I had a chance to respond to them. Please know I did get a chance to read many of them, unfortunately I just don't have the option to respond 😞

@annastarhova5165 3 жыл бұрын

I think Foundations revealed is also a helpful website for both beginners and advanced! Thank you for all your videos V. Birchwood♥️

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

@@annastarhova5165 Thank you, Anna! FR is great, and they have a few free resources which is always beneficial. I noticed your comment earlier, so I'm really happy that you saw this edit, as your comment disappeared before I could reply! 😊

@annastarhova5165 3 жыл бұрын

@@VBirchwood Thank you so much for the information! I don't post many comments on KZfaq so I am not too sure how it works 😊

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

@@annastarhova5165 That's perfectly understandable! It's a rule meant to protect accounts from spam, but it can be a pain sometimes when the link is actually an important/useful one 😊

@carosamchwa3081 2 жыл бұрын

If you want to draft your own stays and corset patterns, I recommend Stays and Corsets by Mandy Barrington. The instructions are very clear, and she provides you with a few historical patterns to draft with your own measurements. I’m in the process of drafting a pair of 1776 stays right now, and am very excited to see how they turn out! I hope this is helpful!

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the tips! I’m sure they’ll be extremely useful to someone! ❤️

@DoingStuffWithDiana Жыл бұрын

OMG GIRL. I have to confess I have been binging your stuff these past few days. 🤣 I am SO READY to make my first gown. You have given me the confidence. THANK YOU!

@VBirchwood Жыл бұрын

Hahah thank you so much! So glad you’re loving the channel 🥰

@findelka1810 Жыл бұрын

Great compilation of resources! I would like to add The Workwoman’s Guide for 1830s (and 40s), I have the reprint of the 1838 one and use it extensively. Best one ever if you are into that period. From women’s wear to men’s wear, children’s wear, household items, whatever you can imagine. The back contains hundreds of patterns, you only have to scale it up.

@VBirchwood Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the video! Definitely a great resource, thanks for sharing it 😊

@SimpleDesertRose 3 жыл бұрын

I have a number of patterns from Truly Victorian. I love their patterns but sometimes the instructions are lacking. I started out with their walking skirt pattern and kept trying to make sense of it. In the end I watched Bernadette Banner's video on how she made hers before it finally all made sense. I've heard a number of people comment about the instructions for TV. I really like Black snail patterns. I bought a regency dress pattern from them recently after a simplicity (epic) fail. In hopes of saving both dress and all the lovely linen I was making it out of. The bodice is a much better fit than the Simplicity, but I still need to modify it so that it fits better in the chest. I haven't gotten Izabela's books yet, but they are on my list. I do own all the Janet Arnold books though. They are full of good information. I highly recommend using wrapping paper with the grid for drafting their patterns. Makes it easier to copy that pattern from the book then modify from there. I recently discovered archives from another costuber for crocheted lace. Lots of good information from there.

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your comment, DesertRose! T.V. instructions can be a bit more challenging, I agree, though the fact that they are already graded helps so much, as resizing can be an incredibly difficult task for those just getting started (or at least it definitely was in my experience haha). Izabela's books are so good! I have the second one and it's amazing, so many ensembles from it on the "to-sew" list. Wrapping paper is excellent for P of F, I also just buy pre-gridded paper and that works like a charm too 😊

@kaitlynnp582 11 ай бұрын

I've used about 4 TV patterns now, and I only had a lot of trouble with one section of one pattern. I still have no idea what the instructions wanted me to do because I just took a guess and hoped.

@shimma25 3 жыл бұрын

Another fantastic video, I’m learning so much about historical fashion through your recent episodes, it truly is fascinating! Keep up the great work!

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Shimma25! I'm so happy to hear that these videos have been educational 😊

@petapendlebury9024 3 жыл бұрын

And also in the free category is your local library. I don't know about other countries but here in the UK we have an inter library loan service. Currently I have a request in for Costume in Detail which is heavily recommended in the costuming sewing world but as it is out of print is extremely expensive here. My local library didn't have a copy but another one had it their stores. Shortly I will be able to browse it at home for free! Same with Patterns of Fashion (as I understand it the School of Historical Dress has reacquired the copyright for these and the new books should be out starting this August). Only just discovered you but really enjoying your videos.

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much, Peta! And yes, local library is a great idea. I haven’t really thought of them much since the pandemic began as they’ve been closed up for so long (I’m in the U.K. too) but now I guess some of them are at least once again open, so thanks for the reminder!

@petapendlebury9024 3 жыл бұрын

@@VBirchwood ours here in North Wales continued offering click and collect (ordering through the online catalogue) throughout so we were lucky. They've just started offering timed visits! 📚

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

That’s lovely to know about, thanks! 😊

@craftingwithcasca 3 жыл бұрын

This was so useful! Quite a few resources I hadn't heard of. I use Authentic Victorian Fashion Patterns for making 1890s stuff and find it really good.

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

I'm so happy to hear that this was so useful! Thank you for the comment, Casca 😊 A.V.F.P. is perfect for 1890s definitely!

@mahabiru 5 ай бұрын

I have been able to check out a number of these books ( and more) from our library system (which allows access to all the books in the public libraries across the state). This has been hugely helpful as extra $$$ is scarce these days.

@EmeraldVideosNL Жыл бұрын

Glad you are positive about Blacksnail. I have a Victorian walkingskirt pattern of theirs, and I'm terrified to start or even start looking for fabric.

@tishie42 2 жыл бұрын

Wow! Thank you, so much time was put into the research you've put forward here. Especially the archive work. Those are all great.

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

It's my pleasure! Thank you for your comment 😊

@robintheparttimesewer6798 3 жыл бұрын

A very good list. I hadn’t realized that there were so many pattern companies out there. I don’t drape I find a pattern that gives the lines I’m looking for then modify to get what I want.

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comment, Robin! Modifying a flat pattern can definitely be a great way to get a desired silhouette. (I'm only starting to drape so modifying flat patterns has been the way.) There really are so many historical pattern companies out there, it's quite amazing.

@ericalarochelle3779 2 жыл бұрын

This is such a great complication of different resources; the variety include make it useful to either the beginner or expert, while also introducing the beginner to resources of greater use in their future. Thanks for putting it together!

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Erica! I'm glad you find it so useful 😊

@jaehaywardkent 3 жыл бұрын

your videos are so great vasi, keep it up!!💕💕

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Jae!! ❤️

@mrsgingernoisette 7 ай бұрын

Anna's archive, I found Patterns of Fashion there!

@LiljaHusmo 3 жыл бұрын

Trying again as my comment included a sneaky link haha, Lovely video of lots of cool resources! Archive is such a great resource (and you can find Dressmaking Up To Date / the original Authentic Victorian Dressmaking Techniques there!)

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

Hahaha thanks Lilja for the updated comment. And thanks for watching of course 😊

@watsonmelon6575 3 жыл бұрын

This is exactly what I need, thank you!

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

My pleasure!

@EricHowl Жыл бұрын

I dont make dresses but this was a lovely video ;)

@katwitanruna 3 жыл бұрын

I like Katherine Holkeboer’s Patterns for Theatrical Costumes which teaches several sizing methods in the front followed by patterns in three sizes for each outfit. I think it’s particularly good for folx who are not looking for accuracy so much as look.

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the suggestion!

@katwitanruna 3 жыл бұрын

@@VBirchwood If you haven’t had a chance to see it, it’s a really good book that covers ancient Egypt to 1915. I used mine so much the pages began coming loose so I ended up three hole punching the entire book so I could keep it in a binder!

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

Hahaha that’s brilliant

@distaff2935 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip. I am familiar with most of these sources, but the E. Friendship book, Making Working Women's Costume is new to me. That one is getting purchased ASAP! I also like the Dressmaker's Guide 1840 -1865, by Elizabeth Stewart Clark, Second Edition.

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! The E. Friendship book is great!

@amberg6115 3 жыл бұрын

Listen I am drooling over some of the truly victorian patterns rn, so this video coming out now may just be the nudge to get them (^-^). Thank you for all of the recommendations! And great video! Happy sewing Lady V!

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

Hahaha I’m sorry to create so much temptation to go buy them! But at the same time am not sorry because of all the beautiful things I’m sure you will create 😊 I hope you have a beautiful day and thank you for your comment Amber!

@grahamthebaronhesketh. Жыл бұрын

Awesome.

@jessicabey275 2 жыл бұрын

I am so happy that there is videos explaining things.. I am reading your first link for Archive

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

Amazing! I hope you enjoy reading them 😊

@jessicabey275 2 жыл бұрын

@V. Birchwood - Historical Fashion lol I don't understand it, but it's fascinating

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

@@jessicabey275 the writing can be really inaccessible sometimes! Lol

@gamedev251 7 ай бұрын

thank you

@sh36 3 жыл бұрын

Er, maybe 15th century menswear just isn't her thing, but I've bought several Reconstructing History patterns which were just not good. The worst one was like a pattern that had never been tested, half the pieces didn't even match up. All of the patterns have tried from her had weird silhouette issues and sleeves which basically needed to be re-drafted to use. Maybe she does better with later time periods, or with women's clothing. I highly recommend anyone who is thinking about buying a RH pattern to look up reviews for it before purchasing.

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

That could be! Some of her patterns are older drafts as well. Though I know currently a lot is being updated. RH's 18th and 19th century patterns are incredible honestly. A decent portion of what I've sewn has been RH. I'm sorry to hear though that you had a bad experience with the 15th century menswear patterns. Have you emailed Kass to let her know your experience? It could be useful to provide feedback in order to create certain improvements.

@findelka1810 Жыл бұрын

@S H the RH 1795-1810 riding habit pattern was useless as well. Worse than useless, I was so upset, I almost abandoned the entire project. I’ve never had to do 4 mock-ups for a garment and it NEVER fit. I had to size it up from the Janet Arnold book in the end (I sure did learn resizing during this!). And it turned out to be a VERY different pattern. And finally it did fit me. But I was sweating blood over that one project. So never again RH. Truly Victorian is the best, Black Snail is also good.

@169esmeralda 3 ай бұрын

I’m sorry but Reconstructing History patterns are notorious in the historical costuming community as being problematic. I’m glad you had a good experience but when I was a beginner I was so frustrated with these patterns because a lot of the pieces simply weren’t graded properly. It’s unfortunate because they do offer time periods that are hard to find. Truly Victorian is the gold standard and even intermediate and sometimes beginner sewists can use them because their instructions are so clear

@sh36 3 ай бұрын

@@169esmeralda Notorious is an excellent description of Reconstructing History. I actively discourage folks in my reenactment group from buying her patterns. It's genuinely easier to use the Medieval Tailor's Assistant to self draft a pattern when compared to trying to sort out the mess RH sells.

@Monique-inv 2 ай бұрын

@@findelka1810 Ugh I've had the same problem, unfortunately we (me and my friends) couldn't find other pattern of XVIII century so we purchased them and kept our fingers crossed. We purchased 3 different models and found that they were the same, with only slight differences although the image on the cover was very different. Also the model did not match the image. I really don't understand how this is possible

@lisez4600 3 жыл бұрын

thank you, it is very helpful 😊

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

My pleasure! 😊

@classyZ7 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@VBirchwood 3 жыл бұрын

My pleasure 😊

@annavafeiadou4420 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for all the sources I'm seriously thinking of black snail redingote too , I'm now mostly doing dolls stuff I'm in prcess of making a redingote for a las reinas doll based on a pattern from pemberley threads and one for barbie based on a free pattern from LACMA which is one size like scaled in mini to show the pieces but an experienced in the craft can use it to make it for humans.Thanks again for all the resourches and the tips!!!

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

The Black Snail redingote pattern is great, I highly recommend!

@annavafeiadou4420 2 жыл бұрын

@@VBirchwood Thank you so much!!!! I'm surely going to try it next month just when I ll finish my current projects.

@annazarzycka7958 2 жыл бұрын

hi i was wondering if you could possibly do a video on fabrics, colour and patterns trough history (like a timeline) and what garment the different fabrics were used for also love your content btw 😊

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Anna! Thanks so much. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’d be qualified to do so, as I only really research 1740s-1890s myself, but Nicole Rudolph has an amazing videos on different fabrics. If you look at her channel, there’s one on silks, linens, and wools from what I can remember.

@FirstLadyyyyyyy 2 жыл бұрын

So beautiful. :)

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! 😊

@LackToast_Intolerant Жыл бұрын

what a fabulous resource, thank you! I was wondering, do the patterns in the Making Working Women's Costume book require size grading? If so, where could I find working dress patterns that have already been graded?

@VBirchwood Жыл бұрын

You’re welcome! They come in a few sizes but will need to be altered or graded if someone isn’t those sizes. I really like the no. 118 from Laughing Moon which is a wrapper pattern. I’ve used it many times and wear wrappers a lot.

@wisconsinwoodsman1987 2 ай бұрын

Any tips for men's patterns?

@thehadster7043 2 жыл бұрын

This is information has been so valuable to me. Thank you. One observation. Recreating History, and Black Snail Patterns have changed their website design. I could not find many of the patterns I saw on the screen shots you included on the Recreating History website; same with Black Snail. Maybe it is my browser. Do you know if the website design has changed for Recreating History? The website I access does not have a menu on the left, there is a drop down menu running across the top. And it seems that many patterns have been removed.....

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

My pleasure! Reconstructing History did launch a new site a couple months ago, as they switched e-commerce platforms. All the patterns should, however, still be there as everything got transferred to the new site to my knowledge, but perhaps the navigation is just slightly different now. For Black Snail Patterns, I think their site is mostly the same, but they have an Etsy shop as well as a website too.

@thehadster7043 2 жыл бұрын

@@VBirchwood Thank you for the prompt reply! I see corset patterns on the screen shot you show for Recreating History that I simply cannot find on the website. When I go to 19th century clothing, 16th century and earlier patterns are in that category. When I search for corset and/or stays, I get only a few results and none of the patterns on your screen shot are visible. So...

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

I just checked now and the stays and corset patterns are still on the site, under 18th century patterns and 19th century patterns respectively. The image has just changed, as now sometimes the image is not of the pattern cover, but rather of an example of a completed garment made from the pattern. So the stays pattern now shows an image of completed stays and the corset pattern of a completed corset. Hope that helps!

@thehadster7043 2 жыл бұрын

@@VBirchwood Thank you! I've been viewing many of your uploads, and I've learned so much. I particularly found valuable your video on cleaning historical clothing, the English stitch, and the resource videos. Thank you!

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your kind words 😊

@sillyjellyfish2421 2 жыл бұрын

meanwhile me light box tracing pinterest patterns from historic magazines onto paper and then blowing them up using the square technique :D

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

I mean that’s very clever and works super well! 🥰

@sillyjellyfish2421 2 жыл бұрын

@@VBirchwood thanks. I love your channel by the way :)

@2enigma8 Ай бұрын

Where can I find the pattern for the Sontag that your friend made? Thanks

@VBirchwood Ай бұрын

She came up with the pattern herself based off of the one is Prior Attire’s accessories book, so unfortunately I’m not sure about a pattern

@Taliesin6 2 жыл бұрын

I've noticed many historic patterns have goofy drawings instead of pictures of an actual garment. any idea why ? I'm slightly put off by it, it's as if they never even made the pattern so they don't have a finished product to take a picture off ?

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

I think it’s a number of factours. Firstly, historical pattern companies are very small, often one or two person run operations. Paying either for a very expensive camera to take photos or paying for a photoshoot costs a lot of money. Secondly, many historical patterns are older and have potentially been around since the 1980s or 1990s, so drawings would have made more sense then since getting a super high quality film camera, taking photos, developing them all, then scanning them in, would have been a massive ordeal and expensive. Then also sometimes the style and lines are much easier to see when drawn because they’re a bit cleaner. Black and white copies of photos tend to get quite muddled and it’s harder sometimes to see what’s going on. Most pattern companies do test and make at least mockups of all their patterns. Making a mock-up of a pattern still guarantees the sizes are correct, but the mockups might not be pretty enough to photograph for people to see the “final result”. Many companies now tend to have customer made examples of their garments though on their websites.

@liisaelts7522 Жыл бұрын

You mentioned in a different video that you hve Russian speaking skills. Have you tried searching the Russian resources? In Estonia, if I were to look for clothes manufacturing (if that expression is correct) and historic pattern making, I would go to older Russian resources, because they tend to have better scematics and information. Alas my Russian is rudimentary, so I can't give specifics, but I have seen some from 1960s regarding historic costuming for theaters. They had schematic illustrations and you'd have to size the patterns in real life.

@VBirchwood Жыл бұрын

I have read some indeed, but I read very slowly in Russian that it can make it a bit of a barrier sometimes. I’m a much more efficient speaker, which is the case for a lot of people who learn a language in childhood. I’m actually going through a Russian book right now on Tatar fashion as there are only a couple resources still available and mostly in russian, so in order to learn about my ethnic dress, I had to bite the bullet and challenge my brain a bit 😊 thanks for mentioning the 1960s resource though! I’ll have to see if I can find it

@jessicabey275 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

Hope the resources were helpful 😊

@jessicabey275 2 жыл бұрын

@V. Birchwood - Historical Fashion yes they are, I just don't know how to navigate archive. Org. I searched sewing to see what would come up then I started to filter by date but then I had to stop. When I'm done trying to change this dress pattern to a v neck (🤯)..... I am going to continue my search

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

It can be a bit hard to navigate definitely and mostly time consuming! In the description box of this video I actually have included some links to useful resources I’ve found on Archive, so perhaps those would be useful for you!

@jessicabey275 2 жыл бұрын

@V. Birchwood - Historical Fashion yeah I have downloaded some! I Hava a question for you, I don't know if you would know or not. I am making this dress and I have altered it for a v neck but now the material is to thin. I am pretty sure it's cotton lawn (it was my duvet cover) and it is fragile and thin so I am going to sew 2 layers of it but whatbIbdont know is how to sew those 2 together. I am thinking sewing sides together for the neckline and arm holes since it's sleeveless and then finish off the seams either french or flat felled. What do you think or did that make any since... or how would you do it?

@VBirchwood 2 жыл бұрын

@@jessicabey275 Would it be three layers total, so outer cotton lawn, and then an inter layer and a lining? or just two layers of the lawn and the "lining"?