Edwardian and WWI Eras ... A Little Inspiration

I just needed a little inspiration and sought them in some of my favorite fashion years. I thought I'd share them with you in hopes that you find a little inspiration too.

I found these illustrations on the NYPL Digital Gallery site. It is a terrific resource.

I love these color illustrations as they offer wonderful insights into the color combinations and prints of the times.

<-- c. 1912

c. 1914 Ladies' Evening Gowns and Coats -->

<-- c. 1915 I love the different styles of draping and check out those hats.

c. 1915 Lovely outfits with parasols -->












<-- c. 1917 Cold weather is no reason not to look lovely







The draping, the colors, the details ... ahhhhhh ... I need to improve my sewing skills ...quick!


If you like this post, please take a look at my other posts on these eras.

Happy Sewing!

Those Lovely Edwardian Blouses - In Praise of Mary Brooks Picken and the Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts & Sciences

As a vintage sewing enthusiasts, I am sure I am not alone in being somewhat intimidated by patterns and sewing techniques of the past. Those wonderful vintage patterns of the early 20th century often assume a knowledge I do not possess.

Enter the wonderful Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts & Sciences and the brilliant Mary Brooks Pickens, whose instructional booklets are a real find. If you have any other them in your sewing collection, you know what a treasure they are. As they are designed for young women learning the art of sewing, they an excellent tool for the 21st century seamstress and seamster.

I have been lucky enough to find a few of these books at thrift stores and one very lucky eBay auction win. One for my favorites is: Tailored and Lingerie Blouses - Part 2 (I hope to find Part 1 one day). Published in 1921, the designs are from Edwardian Era and include blouses that could have been worn in the 1900's or 1910s. I hope you enjoy these images from the book.

I have started photographing and scanning my copies and I am offering .pdf copies on eBay. If you are interested in the content of these books, rather than in collecting the originals, I hope you will take a look at those I have on offer here. This is a slow process but I hope to get all of them finished and available by the end of summer.

Can't you just imagine wearing one of these beautiful blouses to a garden party or dinner party?

Happy Sewing!

Edwardian Era and La Belle Epoque - Sewing Inspiration

Though I'm a long way from tackling an outfit from this wonderful era, it is hot and rainy today and I need a little inspiration. So off I go into cysperspace, circa 1910's ...

Beaded Cotton Gauze Dress, c. 1914 - 1916. This was posted at the Past Perfect Vintage Blog. As I was searching for inspiration, I saw that this post from 2008, which happened to be posted on the day after a rainy day.

Gowns of Queen Maud of Norway, c. 1910 - 1913.

Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown on her wedding day, 1912. I found this photo and a brief bio of this wonderful woman on the Mulatto Diaries blog.

Olga Nicolaevna Romanov, c. 1913. -->

Tea Gown, c. 1910's from The Great Basin Costume Society blog.

A 1912 Ball Gown also shown on The Great Basin Costume Society blog.

Irene Castle in a Tea Gown, c. 1914.

The Tunic Dress, c. 1912. You can see more photos and a detailed description of this dress at the FIDM Museum Blog.

<-- Worth Gown, c. 1907 - 1910.

The wonderful Dreamstress posted these on her blog from the Brooklyn Museum Collection. Click on the link to see the other great photos she has posted.

Worth Gown, c. 1910.-->

Actually, the Dreamstress is the perfect conclusion to my search for inspiration on a rainy day. If you love this era, you should check out the making of her Luna Moth Gown, inspired by this era.

I hope you've enjoyed this little stroll into vintage wonderland. These are only a handful of the beautiful fashions from this era. I do feel inspired and have set a new goal for myself:

To sew a gown inspired by this era to wear on New Year's Eve 2011.

That gives me a little less than a year-and-a-half to develop the skills to make the gown and to develop enough socials skills to be invited to the kind of party where I can wear it. (hehehe)

For now, it's time to back up my computer and do some house work.

I'd love to see your inspiration photos or your sewing projects.

Happy Sewing!

Vintage Sewing Inspiration - 1918 WWI Dress

Though I am still far away from attempting to sew a garment with one of my vintage Edwardian or WWI Patterns, I have just been incredibly inspired by Rita at the Vintage Sewing Blog.

Rita has done a wonderful job creating this 1918 New Idea Pattern:

If you are interested in this era of vintage sewing and fashion, or if you just appreciate vintage sewing projects, you should check out her "diary" on the making of this 1918 Dress. She has great photos of the process and the finished dress plus notes, which may prove helpful in your future projects.

(Note: You will also see some notes on a 1931 Dress, which you should check out if that is more your era.)

Thanks for the inspiration, Rita!

Happy Sewing!