How to Sew Historical Costumes

Ukrainian Dancing Costume: Notice the embroidery work and Kokoshnik headdress. This is historical regional costuming.

Sewing historical costumes can be as simple or as complicated as you like. There are three types of historic costuming: Museum or Historic level, reenactment or fun.
Most people make either reenactment or fun costumes. That is most costumes made are for play, costume balls or Halloween.
No matter the style, era or design, good sewing techniques and attention to detail are the key to making a good looking and functional historical costume.

These are general instruction guidelines for creating historical costumes of any era to guide you to making the best costume you can.

Things You'll Need

• Pattern
• Material
• Pins
• Hand sewing needles
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Scissors
• Gel marker
• Disappearing tailor marker
• Basting spray

Instructions

Choose Your Timeline

1. 

   Re-enactment dresses

   Choose your time period and pattern, and order your pattern. Some patterns are reprints form old magazines and books and have no markings. Remember to order appropriate underpinnings so the costume will fit correctly.

2. 

   Pants pattern piece being marked for matching seams.

   Gather all of the pattern sheets and extra paper. Cut the pattern apart and pin the pieces together to see how they fit together. Write any notes or keys or marks on the pattern so you know how they go
   together and unpin.

3. Lay your fabric on a clean flat surface. Leave fabric double folded and spray the surface lightly with basting spray. Like a jigsaw puzzle and following the grain markings on the pattern, lay your pattern pieces on the fabric. When you are satisfied with how it is laid out, pin pattern pieces to fabric layers, and then cut out all of the pieces. Keep like costume parts together; for example, keep jacket, bodice, busk, pantaloons and skirt pieces together.

4. Set up you machine for sewing the clothing. Historic clothing is sewn on straight stitch at only 6 to 8 stitches per inch. Be sure to also adjust the tension for even stitching.

5. Sew your costume in sections. For example sew all jacket parts, all skirt parts, pants, bloomers, corsets, jerkins and ruffs first, and then assemble the entire garment.

6. Finish the garment. Sew all hems with a proper hem or catch stitch. Dress hems can be bound with horsehair hem tape.

Tips & Warnings

• If you invest in historic patterns, follow the directions for fool-proof results. Do not go overboard if this is your first costume. Keep the materials looking period so if you mess up you can get more.

• Take your time. Working too quickly, unless you are an experienced seamstress, will cause errors. Work slow and careful.

• Use the seam match key. These are little triangles in 1, 2 or 3 sections on the patterns. They assure your seams and placement will line up. Older patterns use dots that you have to chalk in.

References

• datasbase for all costume contruction inks and patterns; Costumes.org;Tara Maginnis
• The Costuming Resources Online; The Costumers Resource; Julie Zetterberg Sardo

Resources

• Free historical costume patterns;Tudor links website
• Mileux the Costume Source