channeling my inner norah waugh

Can any of you guess what this is?

I'm sure it won't take many guesses. It's part of a project I'm working on at the Kent State University Museum. I'll give you more details soon!

undergarment pinterest

The Kent State University Museum is always looking for ways to make the collection accessible. Sharing images is a way of bringing the objects to those who can't make it to the museum to view them in person. Check out the museum's pinterest boards for an overview of what's on view. Of course the Underdress exhibit is one of my favorites.

Ribbon corset, ca. 1900
KSUM 2011.12.12 © Kent State University Museum

Enjoy!

so i had this little idea ...

It came to me one evening and I submitted it to Kickstarter the next day.

It's already grown beyond my expectations. It looks like I have a few weeks of craziness ahead of me. I'm already knee deep in MFA thesis work so I have to accept there is no way I'm going to be doing any corset building for a while. I will be posting a few images of corsets snapped behind the scenes at the Kent State University Museum so do stayed tuned. Thank you for your patience and thank you for reading!

where to find the deck of fashion history playing cards

I broke out the cards last night and they worked! I've played with decks where the paper stock is too flimsy or the numbers have been difficult to read, but I'm thrilled to report these cards shuffled and played exactly as a deck of cards should. Yea.

Just so you know, even though I designed this deck and work at the museum that produced them I have no financial interest in these cards. I'm just so excited to see such a wonderful collection presented in such a fun way. So then, for those interested in purchasing a deck (or two!) they are available in the Kent State University Museum gift shop. The museum does not have an online store but you can order via email. The cards are $7.95 per deck, plus shipping.

Have fun!

historical costume playing cards

I've been away for way too long. I did make eyelet progress using the eyelet-a-lunch plan. But then my lunch breaks started being used to meet with advisors, or write papers, or work in the studio. The good news is my thesis work is underway and, even though it not is at all corset related, I'll share images once I take some.

I do have something fun to share that is costume related, a deck of playing cards with images from the Kent State University's collection!

This has been a pet project of mine and I'm so happy with the finished deck. Fifty two pictures of beautiful gowns from all eras, details of intricate bead and ribbon work, and a couple of corsets too. When I see my family over the holidays I'm going to force them to play card games with me.

I'm also bringing the 1650s bodice with me so I can make more of a dent in those eyelets. What are your holiday sewing plans?