Beginning the Journey

 Hello all! My name is Lexie. I'm a wife, a food dispenser to three cats, a full-time graduate student, a full-time office manager, part time teacher, and seamstress, among other things. I initially created this blog with the idea of walking through the Mary Brooks Picken dressmaking books from the 1910s-1920s and documenting my adventures. However, before I really got started, my husband's job moved us out east, to the land of early American history. Most of you probably know me from my Instagram account, which features my primarily 1930s-1940s true vintage and me-made vintage wardrobe. My focus has been inching further back in time for a few years, but with our move in the summer of 2021 to the East Coast, my first-love historical era has been everywhere. 

The Revolutionary War era was my first historical interest, thanks to the American Girl dolls. While I've loved the 1940s almost as long, the 1770s were the decade that first sparked my passion for history. Starting back around the age of six, I was fascinated with the American Revolution and the life and clothing of the people who lived then. In late middle school-early high school, I tried my hand at making some historical costumes and they were...something. Thinking about my amateur techniques and execution (as well as the complete lack of actual source research those attempts were guided by) kept me scared off from starting any historical projects for a long, long time. I'm not the hard-nosed perfectionist I used to be (any other former gifted children here?), but I was paralyzed by fear of failure for longer than I care to admit. It took far too long for me, but I came to terms with the fact that the first things I made wouldn't be perfect. They would probably be okay, as my sewing skills have in fact improved since I was 15. With that reminder to myself and the knowledge that if I never I got started, I'd never learn, I began working on my stays in January of 2021. And then I put them down until October, by which time we were in PA. Moving cross country from a place I loved was hard on me; I spent several months in a pretty severe funk. This costuming project is one of the things that began to help pull me out of it, so it's near and dear to me for that reason as well. 

Another thing that helped me fight the "fear of farb" was researching. I began following talented costumers on Instagram and taking note of their recommendations. I have a handful of titles on my shelf now, and want to add several more. Seeing detailed images of actual extant garments is perhaps one of the best things you can do to become familiar with an era. You can begin to develop a sixth sense for authenticity. I've been able to hone that skill for the 1930s and 1940s, and with the help of good resources, I'm trying to add the 18th century to my knowledge base. I'm hoping to complete an entire 18th century ensemble, both a working woman's ensemble and a middle-class look, and then I want to move into the 1790s. As a Scarlet Pimpernel fan, my journey into the 18th century wouldn't be complete without a gown of some sort from this transitionary era. The difficulty is deciding between a chemise a la reine or a tailored redingote more suited to the wardrobe of Marguerite Blakeney. Then again, why not both?