I mean, idk, maybe it's just me but when she saw my new dress and asked if I was going to a party, it was kinda awkward explaining it's just for fun.
Spent last weekend doing all the seams by hand like they did in the 1900s. Makes you realize how much patience people had back then, and it's a nice break from instant everything now.
The seams puckered so bad I had to start over, lmao.
I see it all the time with Elizabethan ruffs. They fall apart and look fake. Learn to hand sew properly.
I was making a flapper dress and picked up some rayon because it looks like silk but costs way less. At first, I figured it was a good save, you know, since real silk is pricey. But then I read that rayon wasn't common back then, so my dress won't be right for the time. I started thinking about how using modern stuff changes the whole point of historical sewing. It feels wrong to cut corners just to save a few bucks, but not everyone can afford the real materials. So now I'm stuck in this spot where being accurate fights with being practical, and it bugs me. Kind of makes you wonder where to draw the line, right?
I just finished a Regency shift using a cotton-polyester blend instead of the usual linen. A lot of folks in the group insist pure linen is the only way for accuracy, but this mix kept its form after washes and felt tougher. Wearing it to a local meet-up, it looked right and handled the day better than my old linen ones. Maybe we put too much stock in exact materials when how it works matters more.
Seeing hand-stitched gowns there made me miss the communal art of sewing.