Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Making a List!

Miss Kristin checking in! On my other blog, I've started compiling a list of books that would be useful to me, and other newbie reenactors/sewers, and a great many of them will also be extremely helpful with this project. I've included a small selection that I feel will deal with exactly what we're doing as Crazy Concord Chicks. Take a look:
  • Patterns of Fashion 1: Englishwomen's Dresses and Their Construction c. 1660-1860 by Janet Arnold
  • Historic Dress in America 1607-1870 by Elisabeth McClellan
  • What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America by Linda Baumgarten
  • Who Was I? Creating a Living History Persona by Cathy Johnson
  • Costume Close-Up: Clothing Construction and Patterns 1769-1790 by Linda Baumgarten and John Watson
  • Costume in Detail: Women's Dress 1730-1930 by Nancy Bradfield
  • The Lady's Guide to Plain Sewing, Books I & II by a Lady
  • The Workman's Guide to Tailoring Stitches & Techniques by a Tailor (book 3 of the Plain Sewing series)
  • Swatches: A Guide to Choosing 21st Century Fabrics for 18th Century Clothing by Hallie Larkin
Am I missing anything? What would you add to this list?

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3 comments:

  1. ColleenSeptember 7, 2011 at 8:43 PM

    Whatever shall I wear, by Mara Riley, is the first book any newbie needs. It's almost a booklet, simple, inexpensive, and will start one off on the right foot, and help prevent expensive mistakes! http://www.marariley.net/

    I also find Fitting and Proper, by Sharon Burnston useful. I use Costume Close up and F&P the most!

    Another truly useful book is a collection of prints of Copley's paintings.
    http://www.amazon.com/Singleton-Copley-America-Carrie-Barratt/dp/0300086318/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315453200&sr=8-1
    Wendy and I have been poring over this book for much of our research! But, of course, you need to learn when to take paintings with a grain of salt! Artists do use tricks, and reuse gowns, and "classical" draperies, and fantasy clothing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. CassidySeptember 8, 2011 at 6:29 AM

    You can't leave off Norah Waugh's Cut of Women's Clothes, 1600-1930! Her patterns are definitely a bit more difficult to use, there are hardly any directions at all, but the patterns could be paired with instructions for similar dresses in another book.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownSeptember 8, 2011 at 9:25 PM

    The V&A books like "Historical Fashion in Detail: The 17th and 18th Centuries" are interesting.

    ReplyDelete

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