Sewing Patterns for Turn of the 20th Century Historybounders

My version of Simplicity EA258101 with alterations, paired with a split skirt from Historical Emporium

I’ve been on a wardrobe-building bender lately (er, when am I ever *not* wardrobe building?) and usually in Summer I trend towards Belle Epoque and Edwardian for…some reason.

Maybe it’s the linen tailor-mades.

Or the linen lingerie blouses?

Anyway.

I’ve been making and buying 1890s and 1900s blouses, skirts, hats, and doing some tailoring on an 1890s jacket, with plans to start an Eton jacket and finish a velvet zouave vest…gosh…busy busy!

Edwardian #historybounding seems to be a rising trend in our world. I’m by no means an early adopter of trends, so I’m just picking up on this now, but loving it. I dig the Edwardian aesthetic, though – it’s easy to blend with modern clothing, so it doesn’t feel too costumey to wear everyday, and there are enough basic pieces available to buy or make to get a mix-n-match wardrobe up and running pretty quickly.

I’m still doing a fair amount of sewing, though, so I wanted to share my favorite patterns with you, if you too are feeling a little pull to the ‘fin de siecle’ or turn of the 20th century.

Blouses/Shirtwaists


Jackets/Vests

Abby wearing an ensemble made by Nicole using the Sophie jacket pattern by Wearing History.
It’s hard to choose a favorite from the “Colette” film starring Keira Knightly, but this might be it – a perfectly “everyday” cycling outfit with an Eton jacket, split skirt, shirtwaist, and boater hat.

*Sleeves – One of my favorite ways to retro-style a plain jacket or blouse pattern is to switch out the sleeves for something more bodacious and accurate. Truly Victorian has a sleeve packet with five 1890s sleeves in it here – Truly Victorian TV495 1890s Sleeves.

This is a good example of using a different sleeve. The sleeves that came with Simplicity EA258101 were significantly smaller in puff, so I just switched them out for a large leg o’ mutton 2-piece style. The glory of this type of sleeve is you just pleat or gather it to fit any armscye.

Skirts/Bottoms

Now, these are all patterns that I like and that follow my personal aesthetic. There are more from each of these companies and other makers as well, so don’t take this post as gospel!

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