A Most Beguiling Accomplishment

I hate to do this! But ever since I became fully employed in the history field, I've found it really hard to produce quality posts on a regular basis. Back in the day, when I was frustrated about icing cakes and slicing bread for a "living" (plus not sewing anything ever), it was a simple thing to sit down and research the exact progression of the shape of the bustle - but now I spend hours at work tracking down historical minutiae and hours off work sewing feverishly. Going forward I'm going to continue writing my Historical Sew Monthly posts, and hopefully without the articles in between they will become more substantial again. I intend to get more done than just those, but pushing myself to write a post a week isn't working. So I'm sorry for the lack of content today, but I can promise that the August challenge is going to be something special!

The Ceinture à la Victime References in French fashion to the Revolution's victims are not exactly unknown - in fact, they've achieved an almost mythological status. They seem to be thought of as a flash-in-the-pan pertaining only to the Directoire  era (1795-1799) and its uncertainty, but in actuality, they lost the connection to the guillotine and continued to be worn once society had become more stable. The earliest appearance in a fashion plate that I'm aware of is the above, from Journal des Dames et des Modes  in 1797. Variations, such as the " croisures à la victime " below (1797), appeared soon after. Both styles feature a bright, contrasting ribbon crossed over the back, wrapped around the shoulders, and tied at the waist. I don't find the references to the Terror's victims after 1797, but ribbon belts or sashes worn crossed over the back and around the waist continued to be depicted in fashion plates for about twenty years afterward...

This is the first time I've actually made something that fits into the Historical Sew Monthly - it's more of an accident, so I'm still going to do a text post on two lesser-known Regency accessories. But it's an accomplishment I'm proud of! This past weekend was my friend Julie's bridal shower, and for a gift I knitted her a pair of garters. See, Julie's wedding is going to be a masquerade, and the bridal party is going to be in 1870s dress with a dark purple theme - so dark purple Victorian garters would be perfect for her to wear on the day! Plus, my understanding is that bridal showers often have gifts that are a bit naughty, so it seemed like a cute way to refer to that. The Challenge:  Accessories, no. 7 Fabric:  Yarn - dark purple wool Pattern:   As far as I know, there's only one extant knitted garter pattern, and I used it -   here it is   excerpted at the Sewing Academy from an issue of Godey's magazine Year: 1862, but pro...