Your Wardrobe Unlock'd

Here at YWU we understand first-hand how difficult it can be to bind corsets, stays and bodies neatly. After all those hours of careful work, fitting, boning and stitching, the £$!*?& binding lets you down!

Even if you're otherwise a great costumer, the frustration of binding can inspire the most experienced needleperson to throw things. So in the interests of your inner calm, "Doctor" Cathy offers the cure… find out once and for all how to perfect your stays and corsets with our indispensible guide!

Originally published as part of our 2009 Single Pattern Project, this extract from our lengthy article on recreating 1860s underthings focusses on that most intimidating of engineered supports: the cage crinoline.

Sunny Buchler talks you through the history, the practicalities of moving in such a contraption, patterns and book references.

The single most freeing skill that a dressmaker can have is to learn to draft his or her own patterns. To take your own measurements and a blank sheet of paper and draw a pattern that fits you individually frees you to understand the makeup and adjustment of a pattern better, not to mention the scope it gives you to shape the design.

Yes, the traditional process of pattern drafting is complicated and mysterious. Sparsely explained diagrams dizzy us with geometry and jargon. But I want to change all that for you. With sixteen years of sewing and a Maths degree under my belt, not to mention three year's training as a teacher of Mathematics, I'm well-placed to take the mystery, the jargon and as many numbers as possible out of the process. Baby step by baby step, I'll show you how you can harness the freedom of drafting your own patterns.

One of my priorities when reproducing the fashions of any era is to be able to create something which can be simultaneously historically accurate and individual and distinctive in style. It is becoming harder and harder to accomplish this with Regency fashion due to the huge amount that is reproduced every year, partly due to the enormous popularity of Jane Austen.

In response I've made it my task to uncover some of the lesser known extant examples of Regency clothing, giving you a detailed insight into some more unusual examples of Regency outerwear. These are often found packed away, unseen, in the archives of museums for years, dropping into an oblivion of forgotten fashion styles.

You'll discover ways to make your own reproductions distinctive and imaginative whilst staying within the realms of historical accuracy: we'll begin by examining the pelisse and how to pattern it, then moving on to the spencer, cloaks, capes, mantles and wraps.

We try very hard to cater for a range of ability levels at YWU. Here is an introductory Masterclass for the seamstress who wants to make the leap from that "home-made" beginner look to couture-quality greatness. Within these pages you will find the best top sewing tips from a cross-section of today’s top costuming experts.

Loren Dearborn takes us step by step and teaches us how to re-style modern shoes into 18th century shoes. She shares the best places online to look for the most inspirational originals and what type of modern shoes will work, and then shows us how to gradually take them apart and re-assemble them into sturdy, beautiful, convincing historical footwear - perhaps even making them fit better too!

So you want to make historical clothing but you aren’t sure what type of fabric to use?

Hopefully I can shed some light on the subject and help steer you toward more historically accurate fabrics and a more authentic look.

First let’s discuss the four basic natural fibers used in clothing up to the 20th century: Wool, Silk, Linen, and Cotton.