#historicalstashbustingchallenge

Sandby 1752

Who's in?

Winter months are usually for building new kit. This year, I will attempt to only use fabrics from my 'well curated collection', ie. The Stash! Honestly, it's been stressing me out a bit. Once the stash gets to the point where I am questioning my ability to get it all sewn up before I die, I start getting antsy.

So before season opening, May 1st weekend, I challenge myself to only use fabrics from the stash, the only thing I am allowed to buy is thread. I will post photos with this hashtag. The Regency on a Shoestring is part of this. I'll be getting back to that shortly too.

Yes, the Amish are (somewhat) Fashionable

It has been a crutch at most living history sites in Canada, to order Amish menswear for their interpreters rather than making them proper, historical clothing. After all, the Amish wear old fashioned clothes, who's going to notice the difference?
What may look "old fashion" to most people isn't as old as one might think. Look closely, and you may actually see that they are really rather fashionable - vintage maybe, but not so "old" as you'd think. The current trend in Amish women's wear sits mid 1970s, Laura Ashley style.

Yes, only that old.

Not even as old as I am, as I wore similar cut dresses as fashion when I was in high school and early undergrad.

Men's wear may be a touch older...1950s at most, if you had altered the trouser style from a pre-war bagginess, to more of a stove pipe cut leg width. The waistcoats and collarless shirts are also mid 20th century at most. The 'barn jacket' pictured above, is completely a Nehru jacket circa 1965!

Sites need to step up and stop using that crutch of "we've always done it this way", and "it's more comfortable". If we can't dress our interpreters correctly, what else about history are we getting wrong?