Resources and Planning

As I began this project, it was important for me with my middle school sewing induced costuming PTSD and my natural ability to overthink anything, to do my research before I got started. Here is a non-exclusive list of books, members of the costuming community on social media, and blogs that I've used.

*As a note, this list will be constantly changing as I add to my collection and utilize the various resources. A list of all the books in my costuming library is on my Pinterest board.*

Books

The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking and Guide to 18th Century Beauty
These are both good introductory guides to 18th century costuming and style! Photographs abound, as do gridded patterns, construction troubleshooting tips, and a stitch guide. As a beginner to the era, I highly recommend this to other newbies. It does help if you have some previous sewing experience, but everything is laid out so nicely that this isn't necessarily a must, however. 
 
Costume Close-Up: Clothing Construction and Pattern, 1750-1790
This book is a plethora of detailed photos (although most of the photographs are in black and white, the detail still shines) and construction notes of extant museum pieces from the Colonial Williamsburg collection. Scale of the original piece is given, as well as fabric details, and any alterations that were made to the piece in its lifetime. Patterns for each of the pieces are given on a scaled page (easily converted to a grid, but left for you to do the grid conversion because of the detail involved in the sketches. 

Since publishing this post, I have since used this book to make two items and am planning a third. Absolutely essential!

Making Working Women's Costume: Patterns for Clothes From the Mid-15th to Mid-20th Centuries
This was a Christmas gift from my in-laws, and had been on my wishlist for a while. This doesn't dive deep into the 18th century, per se, but the focus on working women's attire throughout history makes for a fascinating read and a deeper understanding of the subject.

Costume in Detail: Women's Dress 1730-1930
Another Christmas gift, this is a delightful sketchbook, full of notes and detailed drawings from garments in museums. Like the above title, it is not as specific as some of the others, but it covers such an array of eras that it will be useful for a wide range of historical clothing creation.

 

Fitting and Proper: 18th Century Clothing from the Collection of the Chester County Historical Society

I had heard lots of great things about this book. It's all true. Like Costume Close-Up, photos and graphs abound. The photos are slightly lacking in comparison, but they still aren't bad. I drafted my first full gown out of this book, and it was such a good experience. An amazing visual guide for the beginner (if you aren't familiar with what shapes you should be drafting, it might be difficult to use) and a great resource once you have a little experience in 18th century costuming. 

Wives, Slaves, and Servant Girls: Advertisements for Female Runaways in American Newspapers, 1770-1783
As I continue to research this impression, the importance of studying original references becomes clearer and clearer. While this does not contain any visuals, it contains descriptions of what the common woman wore. In conjunction with more visual resources, this book helps paint a picture of the  lower- and working-class woman's attire. Particularly useful as extant examples of working class clothing are always less likely to survive, due to the way clothing was worn and re-worn.

My library is growing, but as a seamstress and a bibliophile, I can always use more books! I have heard excellent things about Patterns of Fashion 1, 5, & 6, and would love to add them to my collection. I have Patterns of Fashion 2, which doesn't provide much help for this project, but should be good for future late 19th and early 20th century plans. Also on my list: Dress in Eighteenth Century England and An Agreeable Tyrant: Fashion After the Revolution. If you have any other recommendations, please drop them in the comments!

Social Media

@burnleyandtrowbridge
I discovered Burnley & Trowbridge through their Instagram account, but they are so much more than that! A fabric and resource company for primarily 18th century historical costuming, they have YouTube videos loaded with tips and tricks in addition to their sew-alongs.
 
@adventures_in_mantuamaking
Brooke, the woman behind the account, is a gem. She was a huge help to me as I struggled with  my first attempt at a gown. You will also see her if you use Burnley & Trowbridge's bedgown sew along to make your own!
 
@eighteenthcenturyscot
I think that Anna was one of the first influences that made me consider tackling 18th century again. Her Instagram account is a beautiful, and her creations are all made by hand with elegance. Her talent is wildly inspiring!

@missparlic
This lovely German seamstress has a wealth of elegant 18th century costuming on her page for inspiration galore. Her regency looks have me already thinking ahead...
 
@ladyofthewilderness
The woman behind Virgil's Fine Goods, Amber has all kind of wonderful historical costuming inspiration, particularly for the 18th century. She's even recreated the fabric from Felicity's iconic dress, so you can make your own American Girl dress!
 
@dames_a_la_mode
Taylor creates beautiful historically accurate jewelry, and her historical costuming looks are truly stunning. I love living vicariously through her posts of elegant weekends with historical costuming friends.
 
@thehistoryofdress
 Photos from this account span a wide variety of eras, and they're all fantastic! Every high-quality image shared is detailed with era, country, and the item number for the museum it is housed at.
 
@americanduchess
Lots of good inspiration photos and costuming resources from the ladies behind this account. They're more than just shoes!

Blogs

The Dreamstress
So. Many. Tutorials. This blog is packed with things for not just 18th century, but all eras. I could deep dive here for hours. 
 
Wearing History
The 18th century creations on her blog are in older posts, but Lauren also has wonderful articles applicable to all eras of historical costuming, including "Tips for Historical Costuming on a Budget" and lots of great sewing technique tutorials.
 
American Duchess
The blog is full of resources, but one of my favorite sections is the "Projects" tab. Here they have all of their photographed makes listed by era. Each one has several blog posts detailing its creation, complete with photographs and research links.
 
Festive Attyre
I have consulted this blog so many times for so many little tips, tricks, and bits of advice. The research tab on her blog is very useful, and her posts are so inspiring! Strangely, it was only very recently I found her on Instagram, at a friend's suggestion, hence why she is listed here but not under IG.  

Larsdatter
This site was created to study Medieval and Renaissance material culture, but the 18th Century Notebook section has been beyond invaluable to me! It's the most recent resource discovery here, but phenomenal for deep dives, and has shown me how to navigate museum collection pages.

 

While it isn't a resource quite like those listed above, my local fabric shop is a wonderful resource as well. Needle & Thread, based out of Gettysburg, is a dream. It is cram-jammed with fabric and notions, most of which is suitable for making high quality and historical clothing. Crinolines (for which kits can be purchased) hang on display from the ceiling, pegboards hold rolls and rolls of wool twill tape and silk ribbon, and the selection of historical fabrics is unparalleled. I could literally spend hours here. I purchased the fabric for both petticoats, the linen for my apron and the wool for my gown. It's been a wonderful resource for my everyday wardrobe, as well. If you follow me on Instagram, you're probably familiar with my big project of 2022, the 1940 suit. The wool crepe for it came from Needle & Thread also.

Last but not least, the online collections of museums! Many of these resources share images or have links to the clothing collections, but art museums are equally valuable. Portraits and sketches from the period being researched are a great way to see the clothes in action--how they were worn everyday, how they fit different bodies, et cetera. I hope that you find this list useful, and I want to know what resources you've found to be helpful!