Designs From Time - Historical Costume Designer

Welcome to my Tumblr page! Here you'll find behind the scenes pictures of works in progress, finished pieces, bits about historical costuming, private thoughts, or where you can find me for a commission!

[designsfromtime]

How will Tariffs effect the Historical Costume Community?

How will Tariffs effect the Historical Costume Community?

Maybe it was divine inspiration that I chose the summer of 2025 to semi-retire, because textiles are about to increase, ya'll! - so are avocados, strawberries, and fruits and vegetables from Mexico; electronics (from China) - like your cell phones and computers, televisions. But it doesn't stop there: building supplies, car parts, clothing, toys, medical supplies, medications, and much, much more is about to increase!

Why?

Because of Trump's brilliant economic plan to implement tariffs on countries like China, Mexico, and Canada on "Day one," to quote him directly.

Yes, that was sarcasm. For those who haven't been following the dire warnings economists worldwide and in America were shouting to the rooftops, i.e., that tariffs will cause economic disaster for many companies in the USA, and you still think the cost of gas and eggs and groceries are going to decrease in the Trump administration, boy oh boy are ya'll gonna have a huge awakening come January 20, 2025.

The way tariffs work is like this: American companies, who purchase goods outside of America, "are the ones who pay the tariffs" - NOT the companies sending goods to America for American consumers to buy. American companies will be paying MORE to import goods from other companies, and that increase will be passed on to the American people. These large corporations, who have already been recording record breaking profits since 2020, will use Trump’s tariffs as an excuse to raise their prices even more! – because there are no regulations on what they can charge the public. ALSO, they will be receiving more tax cuts, while the rest of us, especially the middle class who already carry the burden of the majority of the taxes in the USA, will see an increase in our taxes. These tariffs will cost us an additional $2500 a year per household. That doesn't sound like much, but it adds up, especially for many who are already barely scraping by - myself included.

How will these tariffs impact the historical costume community specifically?

While Mexico, China and Canada are our top exports (places we buy from), the following countries are ALSO popular sources that USA consumers import textiles and clothing:

Vietnam

India

Bangladesh

Indonesia

Honduras

The majority of fine woolen textiles are exported from the UK. The cost of wool will also be affected, with costs going up from 10 to 20%. Maybe that doesn’t sound like much, but when you’re already paying $30 to $40 (and more) a yard for a good wool product an additional $3 to $6 per yard will carry a punch on my client’s budgets.

Companies like Silk Baron, who import silk fabrics in bulk from places like India, will have to increase their prices by a minimum of 20%. The price of silk is already $20 to $30 or more a yard through Silk Baron, and we can expect their prices to increase to $22 to $24, or $33 to $36 a yard.

Fabric-Store.com, used to only charge $12 a yard for linen, but beginning in 2020 they have raised their prices every year and are now charging $18 a yard. The impacts of tariffs will only increase these costs.

Trump’s tariffs on China will raise prices by 60%, and 10 to 20% to other countries who import goods to the USA. Tariffs impact consumers, NOT the companies who produce the products and ship them to American businesses.

Walmart and Lowes have already rung a warning nell that their prices are about to increase. According to an article by Reuters, a Walmart spokesperson stated, “We're concerned that significantly increased tariffs could lead to increased costs for our customers at a time when they are still feeling the remnants of inflation"…"Trump has vowed to make tariffs, which are a fraction of U.S. tax collections, central to his economic agenda. Executives have been increasingly fielding questions on the subject, with many noting ongoing efforts to continue to diversify their supply chains, particularly away from China, Trump's top target.”

Additionally, the CFO of Lowe’s, Brandon Silk, said: "Roughly 40% of our cost of goods sold are sourced outside of the U.S., and that includes both direct imports and national brands through our vendor partners"…"And as we look at the potential impacts (of tariffs), it certainly would add to product costs." These tariffs will impact the cost of appliances and building supplies, which means the cost of new construction will increase.

Grocery stores, who were already price gouging consumers since the pandemic, are beginning to raise their prices. By the way, the President of the United States (or the Vice President) does not control the prices that big corporations charge consumers, it’s greed on the part of these companies like Albertson’s, Fred Meyer, etc., who set the prices. Harris planned to institute regulations to control their greed and lower the cost of groceries, etc., but Trump’s “tariffs,’ WILL absolutely affect American consumers.

Furthermore, voters, pissed off about Biden’s handling of Hamas, voted for Trump in protest. By the way, Trump and his entire administration are 100% pro-Israel, and support the atrocities Netanyahu has perpetrated against innocent civilians who have nothing to do with the terrorists of Hamas.

Voting is the equivalent to an open book examination in college or high school. All the information needed to educate yourselves on the issues are available at your fingertips, but you have to open the damn book! Voters, angry about Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people, chose not to educate themselves about what control or influence on world politics a Vice President actually HAS. Harris was not pro-Israel, but publicly stated she was against Palestinian and Israeli aggression.

When textile and supply prices go up, those increases affect the cost for costumers. The tariffs that will be implemented will increase costs by 60% from any goods purchased from China. For my business, this will impact such items as “freshwater pearls,” that I use on my costume embellishment. China is the world’s largest exporter of pearls, which are “grown” or farmed in that country.

Coates embroidery thread, which I use in my embroidery machines, are based in Mexico. With Trump’s tariffs the cost will go up 20%. A spool of Coates gold metallic thread is $12.99 at JoAnns. That will increase by roughly $2.60 per spool.

Faux Baleen from Germany, used in corsetry, will go up anywhere from 10 to 20%.

American Duchess, who contracts with shoemakers in China to produce their historical shoes will have to raise their prices by 60%!!  

Buttons, thread, fabric, notions, everything you can imagine used in the creation of historical costumes are imported from China. Tariffs will have a noticeable impact on the entire historical costume community, which is already an expensive hobby.

At a time when American’s are paying more for goods and groceries than other countries, not only will tariffs impact the economy, but Trump and the Republicans as outlined in Project 2025, plan to cut Social Security by no less than 20%, but they also are planning to do away with it entirely, to include social security disability, which millions of disabled and retired Americans depend on to exist.

In a word, and I don’t give a flying fig that I’m bringing politics into historical costuming, you voted for more inflation and higher cost of goods. It would behoove all ya’ll among the younger generations to use Google and research how the stock market crash of 1929 happened, and how tariffs played a significant role in exacerbating the Great Depression.

The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, passed in June 1930, was a key factor. This act raised tariffs on thousands of imported goods in an attempt to protect American industries and farmers, which had unintended consequences such as:

Retaliation by Other Countries: Many countries responded by imposing their own tariffs on American goods, which led to a significant decline in international trade.

Reduction in Exports and Imports: American exports and imports fell by about 67% during the Great Depression. This decline in trade worsened the economic downturn.

Global Economic Impact: The tariffs contributed to a global economic slowdown, making it harder for the U.S. and other countries to recover from the depression.

These consequences ended in joblessness, as companies closed down. Read about the how the banks went under, people lost their jobs, resulting in widespread foreclosures, and the rise in shanty towns to house millions of homeless who were once productive members among the middle class.

Is this hyperbole? No! If you do not educate yourselves, history will repeat itself. Trump’s tariffs will impact Americans on a catastrophic level, as well as impact the global economy.

So, next time, maybe study for the “open book test” rather than sourcing your information from word of mouth like, you know, Fox News.

Hang on to your butts, it’s gonna get rough for all of us.

P.S: If you voted for him, and your fee-fees are hurt by this article, don't you dare say one hateful thing in my blog or my Facebook page or you will be blocked.

[designsfromtime]

My most recent commission. This was her final fitting. A few fiddly bits and it's finished!

[designsfromtime]

Newest Project! 2024

I'm not on Tumblr very often, but I'm stopping in to check my messages. Sorry! It's been like a year!! Eeek!

I'm winding down my commission "career" and will semi-retire in July 2025. I'm taking an entire year off from commissions to focus on filming my upcoming on-line classes that i will be offering. In the works for my first class is a 16th century Kirtle. I'm also writing a step-by-step instruction manual to create noble costumes using my methods.

In between all that writing, and filming, and sewing, I'm also working on publishing my FIRST work of fiction in the historical genre entitled "Reciprocity." If you love the 18th century, and tall handsome Scotsmen, you'll love this book series based in 1773 England and Scotland.

So, here's my current project! I am wrapping it up shortly as I have another project I will be starting that is due by June!

Here's the link to the TicToc. I would appreciate a like, a follow, and a share!

16th Century Spanish Inspired Gown for a very special client. #renaissance #renfaire #renaissancefestival #renaissancefaire #costume #costumeideas #costumedesigner #history #tudor #historytiktoker #historybuff #foryoupage #pnw #viralvideo #washingtonstate #antifascist #biden2024💙 #voteblue #womenownedbusiness #feminism

[designsfromtime]

Note to Faire Board Costume Committees:

Yes, this is a rant! Now that I'm getting ready to semi-retire, I'm spilling the Tea when people in the Renfaire Community behave like little dictators of their made-up fiefdoms: I got a message from a client I booked LAST year (It has been normal for my schedule to be booked out in advance at least 1.5 to 2 years - yes, years). In her message today, she confided through a puddle of tears, anxiety, confusion and WTF, that the Faire Board’s “costume committee” in her home state just sent her a letter “dropping her from the cast.” So, apparently, there are claims on the committee’s side that my client ran afoul with some of them, and that there were allegations that she skipped out on paying for a gown a seamstress made, who subsequently declined to take another commission, which is “why” they claim she contacted me. Incidentally, my client repudiates the validity of these claims MOST stringently - and cites her own evidence. My job as a costume designer is not to get involved in the politics of Faire Boards - at least those outside my home state of Washington. As the director of a fiber arts demonstration group and former cast member, at the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire, AND the designer who has made the Queen’s gowns for that faire since about 2015 up to 2022. Until recently, I have come to the former Entertainment Director’s defense several times in response to unfair criticism from patrons who have vocal opinions but aren’t afforded a “behind the scenes” perspective of the absolute radge shit they deal with on the regular! Unfortunately, this particular faire (WMRF) has sunk extremely low in my esteem, owing to their greed, complete disregard for cast and guilds, and allowing the quality of the faire to slide drastically (most of the long-standing guilds have left) and they hardly have a noble court left.

Be that as it may, I get it. The bigger the Faire, the larger the pain in the arse cast members can be. That said, I’m gonna pull some sheets because the behavior of one particular faire board in the southwestern part of the country, and their costume committee, who I will not name publicly, is simply beyond the pale! The problem I’ve found with many participants at Renfaire, and costume pages, is the arrogance and snobbery. I mean, it’s absolutely ridiculous! The number of costumers, in particular among the Elizabethan genre, I’ve dealt with tend to be disproportionately petty. Not all historical costume enthusiasts are petty, but those among the pettiest tend to be renfaire reenactors! They feel no compulsion about their gaslighting, their rude and elitest behavior. Their dangerous and hurtful little cliques are tantamount to small-minded little wanna-be mean girl clubs. Bullies, to be concise. I’ve had members from an Elizabethan era costume page on Facebook contact me when I first took my costumes “public” (rather than creating as a hobbyist) and sent me private messages condescendingly criticizing my work - exclaiming I had no “business” calling myself a historical costumer. I’ve shared that many times. I’ve had some come on my page aghast that I serge my seams of my costume commissions to prevent unraveling. I’ve gone toe-to-toe, respectfully and calmly, with admins on pages dedicated to historical embroidery because they were piling on one member inappropriately, like hungry piranha in a goldfish bowl. When I wrote to the admin “in private” and expressed my disappointment that she would not hold the high ground on her page, rather than allow members to descend into such abhorrent bullying behavior, she defended herself! - gaslighting the individual they were crucifying to include ME. I’ve been unfairly judged and attacked many times for daring to hold people in the costume community accountable for their poor behavior. And I’ve recently experienced a situation whereupon TWO board members on the costume committee of a very large faire in the Southwest saw fit to write to me and share in great detail what I would deem as confidential information about a cast member whom I “chose” to take on as a client. They justified their gossiping to me as ‘concern’ for me potentially being ‘burned’ by a cast member they have all deemed problematic. Look, whether or not their claims are true, which according to my client they are NOT. it is completely and utterly inexcusable to share such confidential information with me - to the extent they freaking named names! I have a very advanced BS meter. It comes with an innate ability as a sensitive. That’s not to say I’m never wrong, but guess what? I’m shrewd and suspicious of people’s motives and their agenda from “the get.” You learn to maneuver and spot toxicity when you were raised and abused by a malignant narcissist. If someone writes to me and says, ‘my costumer dumped me.” Don’t you think I’m intelligent enough to question if there is perhaps a more in-depth version I’m missing? Don’t you think I am smart enough to know red flags? So, I call bullshit when these people contacted me to express “concern” for me having accepted this particular client’s commission; stating they just wanted me to be aware I might not get paid. Now whether or not they have legitimate gripes with this cast member remains to be proven, and that’s not my job! What I take issue with is the costume board’s blatant attempt to sabotage my client’s ability to commission a gown based on “their” experience or the unsubstantiated hearsay from a costumer whose work, by the way, is absolutely abominable and indefensible! I say that because  one of them actually tried to defend her work. I saw pictures. Up close pictures. The work was indefensible. That said, NEVER - Not ever would I stoop to such a stunt like these two costume committee members pulled. It’s my opinion, and you know what they say about opinions and everyone having “one,” that their motives perhaps might have not been quite so puritanical, but in fact are heavily influenced by “their” interactions and what they infer as a cast member who “pushed back” on their costume rules. Let me offer a perspective you all might be missing: One of the first lessons I was taught by my grandmother, who taught me to sew as a little girl, was to be able to walk into a fabric store and “feel” the fabric on display and know immediately if it’s a natural or synthetic fiber. My very first dress I made was a fit-and-flare mini dress with multiple gores that molded to my torso. I was TWELVE! My mother threatened me that if I didn’t take my time and do my best and render a garment that was “wearable” she would never purchase me any more fabric. Since this dress was a graded project in Home Economics (1973) in Junior High, I was extremely mindful. I ended up wearing that dress until I grew out of it! My point is: I know fabric, I know how each blend will drape, I know which type of fabric works best for trousers, or skirts, or blouses, and I most certainly can tell at a glance, even on a computer screen, if fabrics and trims are quality made or natural fibers. The cast members, more especially those who DO NOT SEW or have extensive training in fibers, content, drape, color theory, and more specifically the names of clothing pieces from the 16th Century, may find it difficult to “communicate” what a ‘forepart is,’ or an ‘over-partlet,’ or an ‘under-partlet,’ or a coif, a waistcoat, paned sleeves, poufs, shoulder ‘wings’ or collared smock, or what is or isn’t freaking historically accurate!! Consider the human element! Consider how intimidating, and even confusing, for reenactors with no real skill or education regarding fabrics, dyes, construction, design, etc., to have to present their costume designs to your costume board! What about those with social anxiety who draw a blank or feel inadequate or freaking scared shitless to have stand up in a room full of their peers and present their case like it’s the goddamn Spanish inquisition! I can’t speak to others, but I can speak to MY interaction with this particular client the Costume Committee of their Faire Board tried to warn me about. In my communication with her, which has been limited to writing due to Etsy’s policies about NOT taking conversations off the site, she seems to become more easily overwhelmed, and has repeated the same questions several times. Yeah, that can be frustrating, so as a professional you suck it up! There are times she didn’t understand my very detailed “descriptions,” even though I’ve sent pictures and a design board complete with my sketches, proposed fabrics, embroidery, and accessories. Again, this job takes patience. So, before you look down your nose at a cast member as “difficult” or as “pushing back” maybe consider the human element. “Oh but, Christine, our faire has a mentorship program that encourages our cast members to work directly with the costume committee members to get them in the right direction with their vision of their character. Every cast member is given clear instructions on what they can and cannot have.” Really? Look, I spent over twenty years studying communication in interpersonal relationships, to include more than one psychological model, as well as to study emotional intelligence and even neurolinguistic processing. I have a son who’s on the autistic spectrum. It’s been my experience that the students walking into the program wherein I was hired as an enroller and first contact, as well as a mentor in the classroom, FAILED at emotional intelligence and basic communication skills because this stuff isn’t taught! I’m confident the costume committee members and many of the petty little egotistical mean girls would fail as well. There’s a saying I love: I can’t hear what you say because what you DO speaks so loudly. So, while you point the finger at “problematic” cast members, I’m suggesting maybe it’s not just them. Before you spread gossip about a client NOT paying her bill, I suggest you delve a little deeper. If you’re going to spread shit to outsiders, you better have your proof on hand. I suggest that this client with whom they have an issue may have dared to question their so-called “authority” and they got their knickers in a twist, and thereafter their personal opinions became the narrative they choose as the truth - Like Donald Trump continuing to argue to all his cronies in the media (who don’t have the fortitude to contradict him), keeps claiming the confidential documents that he stole and leaked, to include our nuclear secrets and our military weaknesses and strengths, was “perfectly legal” - in his opinion! It’s true to HIM, but those of us with integrity and a modicum of respect for the rule of law and true patriotism, aren’t afraid to call “foul” as we’re sitting at home giving each other the side eye and asking WATF??   Case in point: I was told by one of these board members that they have “pre-approved” my work for their cast members. Yet, when they received my client’s proposal, they did a 180% turn about and said to the client, “No hanging Spanish Sleeves.” Interesting, since the other board member who contacted me said, and I quote, “Please make her anything she wants. Hell, make her a cloth of gold gown with floor length hanging sleeves if she likes. It's not your job as her costumer to make sure that she is compliant with ____’s guidelines.” Hypocrite much? You claim my work is pre-authorized, and tell me to make whatever she wants, but when she appears in front of the committee, you change your mind? Could it be that they’re just trying to make things more difficult? The point is, maybe their ‘mentorship’ isn’t working! Maybe they’ve biased the MENTORS with their opinions the same way these board members tried to bias ME! But it didn’t work. I called them both out most eloquently and efficiently - which resulted in the one member telling me to “Make her what she wants.” You see, you don’t get to clutch your pearls and claim you’ve done everything you could, when your behavior in writing to ME to “warn me” is really just a sugar-coated attempt to “take the high ground” or to prop yourselves up as caring professionals and peers. If you CARED about being professional you would not have written to me and spilled hurtful, exhaustive, blow by blow details, and unsubstantiated claims to an outsider! You’re not clean pumpkins! You’re as much to fault, if not more, as the cast member you’re casting the blame on. I’m pissed!  - Bet you couldn’t tell! (tongue in cheek). Where’s your evidence? Where’s your goddamn compassion? I KNOW how the renfaire community can be! There are too many little gossiping cesspools of toxic egos! I’ve experienced it first hand. I’ve been doing faire for 22 years!! - In California, Washington, and Oregon. I have friends who travel the renfaire circuit and who participate, and have participated, in some of the largest faires in the United States. I have witnessed cast members, namely nobles, who take their “pretend roles” far too seriously! - To the extent they walk around faire with their noses stuck up in the air even during after hours!! I have stood up to bullies in the costume community and simply asked “Can you communicate that a little gentler?” - And I was branded a troublemaker? I’ve been the victim of bullying. many times. I’ve spoken about this before but here’s a refresher! I wish persons, such as these two individuals who claimed to “care so much” for my wellbeing, would have come to my defense when I’ve been mocked and unfairly judged and ridiculed on an Elizabethan costume page on Facebook, to the extent that an admin came on MY page to criticize my supporters when I dismissed a client for bullying and harassment. This same client went on the costume page, posted a picture of MY gown, which is highly recognizable as mine, and told everyone it was “her” design and that her “seamstress” retired due to arthritis. I began receiving messages from my followers, from clients, and from friends asking if I had quit! When I went on the board and commented that I was still around, Nicole (Forrester) who was the client who was bullying and harassing me, contacted the admins and spun a sob story in her favor. She can talk a good game, I gotta hand that to her. The admin on that page banned ME, my friends, and anyone who came to my defense even though my/their comments were not at all inflammatory or critical of Nicole!!!! Then she had the audacity to come on my business page and claim 'There's two sides to every story." No one took the time to investigate what had taken place behind the scenes. Nicole did not see fit to share with the admin that she had been “talking to death” a peacock themed Elizabethan gown for three damn years! She didn’t mention that I had already begun work on another gown, her third with me, because she could not make decisions on the peacock embroidery. She didn’t offer that I had spent hundreds of hours, I mean literally hundreds of hours, discussing, sketching, searching, purchasing multiple embroidery patterns about which she kept changing her mind. So, whilst in the midst of starting this other gown, she contacted me by text message and asked if she could call me. But here’s the detail she didn’t share. I had spent the night before sitting at my brother’s bedside in the hospital as he died of pancreatic cancer. This beautiful man who held double doctorates in medicine was eaten down to skin and bones, and we watched him die. When I told Nicole, who was a THERAPIST by the way, that I was a wreck, that my only brother had just died the night before and that I was not in a headspace to discuss her gown, flew into a narcissistic tailspin and became angry that I would not set aside my grief for just “ten minutes” and talk to her about a fecking gown that SHE had been discussing for three years, and was not an emergent situation considering my loss. I received no condolences for the loss of my brother and she’s a therapist? I received no quarter for my bereaved state. She kept insisting that I “just talk to her for ten minutes, just ten minutes!” When I said no, because I was a puddle of tears, and snot, and grieving and traumatized from watching my brother die, she began harassing me on every medium possible: email, text, voicemail, instant message on Facebook and Etsy, demanding that I talk to her about her dress. She went behind my back and gossiped about me to another costumer FFS! - failing to provide the details that would cast her in a despicable light considering her damned profession. I kept imploring her as a therapist to extend me some compassion, but she couldn’t care less! l finally had to tell her that we were done, that I was canceling her commissions – for which she had not paid a deposit because my dumb ass thought she had become a friend! – and I had to block her and ban her from my page. The point is, that there are two sides to every story, and the details are not always appropriate to share. I didn’t have the opportunity to tell my side of the story to the admin on that costume group. She had already judged me for a previous interaction when I had the “temerity’ to speak up about the negative comments being piled on a member who was new to Elizabethan costuming. My comment was that I felt there were more positive ways to phrase their comments, and the admin MOCKED me on the page! I’ve never been a fan of the cliques that form within the reenactment and costume community, and while I never named the page directly, I have made known my dissatisfaction and disapproval of people who are given a little authority then wield it like a weapon and don’t have the communication skills, or the desire and personal integrity or professionalism to even listen! So, having received the puzzling messages from these two board members, I am left to consider why? Why would they feel such compulsion to explain at nauseum their private and confidential interactions with this one particular cast member? And by the way, my client, whom these two board members have seen fit to blatantly malign, has a different version of events. She claims the seamstress who made accusations about ‘non-payment” was in fact paid in full by cash, but as they were allegedly “friends” she didn’t think asking for a receipt was necessary, and claims she even sold personal property to ensure she was paid. Frankly, she was ripped off considering the horrible quality of workmanship from someone who claims to have a degree in costuming. I can attest to what happens when you mix business and friendship. My assistant, Lalana Oakes, proved that bit of wisdom when after two years I finally began to draw boundaries for her unprofessional behavior and deplorable work ethic, and in retribution she stole two clients costumes and tried to extort them and me for their return. Before you pass judgement on others, for their push back of your so-called rules, or spread hurtful gossip that maligns a cast members integrity, maybe take a look at your own behavior. Because baby, I find it reprehensible. **Rant Over**

[designsfromtime]

WANT TO LEARN TO SEW YOUR OWN COSTUME?

After a decade of back-to-back commissions, I’m shifting my focus from creating costumes to teaching my techniques and walking students through step-by-step on-line courses that will be available through Teachable.com.

I’ve been working without any substantial time off since 2013! The only time off during the year I took was the month of August to participate as a cast member at the Washington Midsummer Renaissance faire each year. That’s not really a vacation ya’ll! I direct a fiber arts demonstration group so while I wasn’t sewing, I was still working as an entertainer!

While I am SOOO grateful for the success I’ve had with a full commission schedule booked out one to two years in advance, I need to free myself to travel, finish writing my historical based novels and FINALLY publish them, and sew for the passion of it again! – Hell, sew for myself and my family again because I “want to” rather than have to! Americans are notorious for taking their passion and torturing it until you end up hating what used to bring you joy. So, I’m changing that!

At 63 It’s time for me to take my 50 years of experience sewing, and my 20+ years of historical costume construction, and pay it forward to a new generation! My courses will be very detailed, with step-by-step videos, printed handouts, and a private Facebook page for my paying students. I will be able to answer questions, post videos to answer questions when necessary, and my students can post pictures of their work and support each other.

While I’m not closing down my Etsy store, I have drastically pared back my listings and will only be taking commissions for projects that inspire my creativity.

I am currently booked out to January 2025, but after that I’m closing my commission books for a year or so to concentrate on teaching and writing. Once my courses are filmed and uploaded, I will open my books again but will only take a limited number of commissions every year - or not at all if my sewing courses take off. I’m leaving my options open!

I’m hoping to have the first course available by January 2024. If you’re interested in taking my courses, I recommend following me on Facebook. I will be posting information there as well as my TicToc and Instagram. I’m not on Tumblr very often but will ‘TRY’ to keep ya’ll posted.

My first class will be a 16th century kirtle (bodice and skirt) like you see in the picture above. I will be offering my students a custom drafted pattern for their kirtle bodice at a cost of $30. The listing is available on my Etsy store. 

Other classes will include:

-        18th century stays

-        16th Century men’s doublets

-        16th century children’s clothing

-        16th century smocks

-        And more!  - - Tell me what YOU want to learn sew!

I will also be offering blackwork cuff and collars to my students, and I’m kicking around the idea of offering to embroider your fabrics for noble gowns - just the skirt facings, bodice front, sleeves and “maybe” the forepart (under skirt) - of course for a fee. Embroidery fees can be rather pricy, but I charge the industry standard of $1.00 to $1.50 per 1000 stitches. 

So, stay tuned for more information and thank you for all your support!

[designsfromtime]

One of my most recent commissions was this gorgeous 16th century kirtle ensemble with these insane embroidered pinner sleeves. Those damn sleeves took me about 80 to 100 hours to embroider. 

[designsfromtime]

I’m on TicToc!

[designsfromtime]

Hem Transitions: Yikes!

HEM TRANSITIONS: They are not that difficult if you follow a few basic rules! 

Today's Ted Talk is a short object lesson on what "TO AVOID.”

Those who have followed me for a while, or who know me personally, can attest to the fact that I usually avoid saying anything negative about another costumer's work - in public. I might comment in private and have WTF moments, such as with THIS example, but I rarely call attention to this kind of stuff, more especially using pictures. BUT having taken over this particular individual as a client and discussing what can possibly be done to rework this current gown, I want to offer this particular construction faux pas as a teaching moment.

FIRST: For the love of God, USE MORE FABRIC!

This is one of my pet peeves. I mean, as a perfectionist, it really sticks in my craw, ya’ll. Seriously. I see this all the time! Usually, it has to do with budget. The costumer or DIY’er is trying to be frugal with the amount of fabric they use so they scrimp on skirt volume. I get it, ya’ll. Fabric is costly! Linen, just basic old Linen is now up to $15+ a yard through Fabric-store.com.

But listen, I was raised by my grandmother who came from a generation that taught, “If you’re going to do something, do it CORRECTLY the first time.” It’s also the reason I am such a perfectionist because I was taught by a perfectionist, and I understand that these gowns are expensive – or at least those of quality, and my grandmother's generation, who lived through the Great Depression, taught and embraced sustainability. If it’s constructed correctly, if quality materials are used, if the craft person takes pride in his/her workmanship, then a gown (or a men’s ensemble) should last for several seasons. It should not fall apart after one weekend at faire, which I have seen happen to fellow rennies who purchased gowns overseas on the cheap. Now, I should add as a caveat that how the garment is stored and cleaned has a lot to do with sustainability. It hits hard when I have seen my gowns stuffed into a suitcase and toted to faire, then pulled out and it's a squashed mess. *face palm*

Long story short, if more fabric was added to the skirt in this picture, you would not see this drastic drop off, but a gradual transition. Also! Wear a bum roll, I beg of you.

WHERE SHOULD THE HEM START TO TRANSITION?

The front hem of these skirts should hit to about the top of your big toe. I usually have my clients take their measurement from their natural waist to the top of their big toe. I then generally take back an inch. You do not want your fabric to drag the ground or completely cover your feet. Why? Speaking as someone who has worn noble gowns, and who is SHORT (I’m only 5’2”), when your skirts are too long, just the slightest bend forward can cause you to step on your hem and trip. I’ve done that! Nothing says poise and grace like going arse over teakettle in front of the entire faire!

The width of the front of the gown hem should span from pelvic bone to pelvic bone, or the width of your forepart BEFORE it starts to transition. The sides of the gown, starting at about the pelvic bone, should begin to gradually transition from the shorter front hem (to avoid tripping) to the sides, and then to the back. The sides and back are usually a bit longer to accommodate the bulk of your bumroll. This is why it is imperative that you take your measurements wearing your bumroll AND your farthingale. The hem on the front, sides, and back should be subtlety different rather than a drastic cut-off. I start by adding a half inch to my side-front measurement, then graduate to 3/4 inches, then end up at 2 inches in the back - depending on the size of the bumroll. Sidenote: I HATE fat bumrolls. I usually cut my patterns down by about two inches!

HOW MUCH MORE FABRIC SHOULD I USE?

On average, I use about 6 to 7 yards of fabric for a skirt. My general yardage is: 10 yards for the gown, two yards for contrasting sleeves, and 4 yards for the forepart. Most of the time I’m working with fabrics that are 54” to 58” inches wide. I use on average FOUR panels to construct my skirts. Yes, four! If someone is very small, like a size 0 to a size 5 or 6, I will use three. The average woman in the US is about a size 14/16, so I use four panels. And if it's silk, flat line it! Otherwise, it's not going to drape properly.

Why so much volume?

It’s not just a personal preference, though it definitely is in my case, if you haven’t used enough fabrics your pleats don’t hang properly. To put it another way, they cannot hang at all! Rather, the fabric is stretched too tightly over the farthingale, which spreads out the pleats at the top and the fabric cannot drape. Now, there are some 16th Century gowns where the skirts were more tightly conical, but these were usually seen in early Tudor, or among middle class, who: #1 – could not afford a court gown, and #2 – certainly would have nowhere to wear said court gown, since to be a lady in waiting among the Queen’s court you needed to be titled, or at the very least among the gentry. That’s another topic for another time.

Aside from aesthetics, when you scrimp on fabric for your skirts your “transition” will be much more obvious, and I think we can all agree this is not an optimum outcome.

I get some folks may not spot these kinds of faux pas at a glance, but this old grey mare has been around for a while and because I have an eagle eye for detail, and I’m observant, I spot these kinds of things. Now that you’re aware, you can spot them too, and make some adjustments in your budget and construction to avoid these kinds of unsightly mistakes.

In a nutshell, the skirt should be full enough that your hem transitions are not obvious as seen in the photo above. Yeah, I get that adding another panel can mean the difference of about another 2 to 2.5 yards of fabric, but the outcome will be worth the additional $40 to $45 bucks, I promise you! 

P.S. I’m going to do a tutorial to teach you all a better way of installing the silver metallic trim to avoid just folding over the corners. *heavy sigh*

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Pics of my clients from Versailles! 

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Et voilà! Ready for Versailles!

My two adorable clients sent me pics of their costumes that I just shipped and arrived on time yesterday! I was SO relieved to hear that everything fit and that all my stressing paid off. They leave for France in two weeks to attend the costume ball at Versailles Palace. 

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How much fabric should I buy?

This is a question I’m asked a lot!  

My answer? - - 

For 16th Century (Elizabethan/Tudor): 

NOBLE GOWN with cartridge pleat skirt: I stick to fabrics that are 58″ to 60″ wide and use four panels. Now, the amount (yardage) will depend on how tall your client is, but generally I allow about 6 to 7 yards for the skirt - alone. i like my skirts FULL!  I literally have a visceral reaction when I see skirts that barely fit over the farthingale (cone shaped hoops). 

Now there’s a caveat to that number: A woman size 5 to 10 you can get away with 3 panels of 58″ wide fabric. Narrower fabric will require more! A woman size 12 to 20 can generally get away with 4 panels of 58″ to 60″ fabric. Size 22 and up may need 5 panels of 58″ to 60″ wide fabric - It depends on your fabric! It also depends on “prepping” for cartridge pleats. I sew on a strip of grosgrain ribbon to stabilize the fabric for pleating. This is especially important when using silks - otherwise, your pleats will be paper thin and require MORE fabric. I

My cartridge pleats are generally marked at about .75 or 3/4 of an inch wide. NOTE: I’ve done tutorials, BUT I’ll have to do a video. If you follow my Facebook page that’s usually where I post my “tutorials.” 

I allow another 2 yards for the bodice, and another 1.5 yards for sleeves - - fitted sleeves! Most of my clients want matching embroidered sleeves and forepart. 

For the forepart, which is the embellished “underskirt” I allow 2 yards. 

*Now...the sleeves and forepart are usually made in a contrasting color! So make sure to split up your yardage accordingly by color. 

I allow an EXTRA yard to 1.5 yards to make piping!

TOTAL: 13.5 yards  -  BUT ALWAYS ORDER AN EXTRA yard of your main fabric! 

Why order extra?  I’ll tell you! 

Back in 2019, I started THIS gown for the actress who portrays Queen Elizabeth at the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire in my hometown of Bonney Lake. (She’s a very good friend!) The pandemic happened and she had some health changes and gained some weight in the 2.5 years since. When you gain weight, you gain it ALL OVER so just widening the back of the gown is NOT a fix. The width of your chest changes. The entire circumference of your torso changes. The width of your shoulders change. Everything changes! I had to redraft the entire bodice, pick off ALL of the gold bullion trim and beads and redo it! (I’m currently in the throes of that particular project). If I hadn’t had extra fabric I would not have been able to make those alterations! And the client would have to start from scratch. I have a contract that each client is given when they pay their deposit. It clearly states that I am not liable for alterations required for weight gain or weight loss. So the labor would be double!

You can take a skirt, provided you’ve been generous in your width like I am, and shorten the length of your cartridge pleats to alter the skirt larger, but you CANNOT make proper alterations on a bodice that is too small. You have to start OVER. :(  So always order extra fabric!  It’s much easier to widen a skirt and re-cut another bodice. *wink*

MEN’S NOBLE DOUBLET: I always try to source the widest fabric possible, but some of the beautiful brocades I’ve used are only 45″ wide (as seen in the picture below which I believe was only 38″). The narrower the fabric the MORE you have to buy. 

For fabric that is narrower approx 38″ to 45″ wide, you will need 5 yards - unless you want spiral sleeves as seen in the picture below. In that case, you will need more. For fabric that is wider, such as 58″ to 60″ - you can get by with about 3 yards. 

Also - - you will need MORE fabric in order to pattern match your panels as I’ve done in the doublet below. So that 5 yards can go up to 6 or 7, if it’s narrower in width. I do not attempt to pattern match my spiral sleeves. That’s just a level of insanity I don’t willingly venture. 

For piping, I order an extra yard to 1.5 of contrasting or coordinating silk. 

WORKING CLASS KIRTLE: 

For most of my kirtles I use 100% linen from Fabric-store.com. Their linen is 58″ wide. I order 5 yards. Again, I like my skirts to be fuller. I use three panels cut to whatever length you need to accommodate for your height.  

For the contrasting strips, you only need about 3/4 of a yard. I cut the length exactly to the width of the fabric. Three panels in a skirt means three pieces for each strip. If you want your pinner sleeves (that’s what the detachable sleeves were called) in a contrasting color, then order an extra yard. 

WORKING CLASS TROUSERS: 

I recommend wool lined with a lightweight linen. You’ll need about 3 yards. 

I’ll make another post for 18th Century yardage for my projects another time! 

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YOUR DESIGNS ARE ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!! IF I WASNT BROKE I WOULD BUY ALL OF THEM!!

Thank you so much!! Not sure when you dropped this note, I'm on here kind of infrequently. . . busy...busy...busy!! Take care!

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Hello there, doing AMAZING work! Would you allow me to use your waistcoat-coat combo with the sunflower design as a reference for a drawing (obv linking back to your post), or is that not possible?

Hi there! I don't own the copyrights to the sunflower pattern. I just had my digital artist work up the pattern at my client's request. I would definitely appreciate the link back! Thank you. xo

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I literally just joined Tumblr for you. Your work just takes my breath away. I can’t stop looking at the photos. You are amazing.

Awww....You're so sweet to say that. Thank you so much for your kind words and your support! xo

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This is the second ensemble I’ve been working on for two clients who will be attending the fete galante at Versailles next month. Why yes, I have been BUSY! My schedule is booked out to April 2024. That’s the downside to not having an apprentice. But…I am SO much happier flying solo! I am blessed!

BTW:  This embroidery pattern is an AUTHENTIC 18th century reproduction from a museum piece. Embroidery pattern digitized by ArtEmbroideryDesigns on Etsy. 

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I dropped off the Tumblr planet these past three months. Been “kinda” busy! This is the finished version of the pics I posted last. There’s one more!

My clients will be attending the “fête galante” at Versailles palace this May. Working on their breeches.

BTW:  This embroidery pattern is an AUTHENTIC 18th century reproduction from a museum piece. Embroidery pattern digitized by ArtEmbroideryDesigns on Etsy.