New for Members
Costume for a Character
A new character enters the scene. The moment you see them, before they open their mouth, you know exactly who they are. Why?
1 commentsAuthentic Handmade Trims
In this extensive beginner's guide, we'll look at lucet cording, fancy braiding and inkle and tablet weaving.
Contracts for Seamstresses
How do I know they'll pay, and won't ruin and try to return what I've made them? The answer to most business concerns is to have a good contract.
Starting a sewing business
Wouldn't it be great to sew for a living? Here are a few of the pitfalls peculiar to sewing, and a few tips on how to make it work, too.
18th Century Wig Styling
Always dreamed of having one of those towering 18th century wigs? Some lessons from a workshop.
Lorna Tate (Scotland)
Lorna tells us about her life in sewing, from her first minidresses in the Sixties right through to a very modern bridalwear business!
Drawn Threadwork Cuffs
This versatile technique is seen from very early medieval period right through to the twentieth century and on all kinds of linen items.
Ask the Experts - Cathy Hay
This month I've bitten the bullet and taken the hot seat myself! Thank you very much for all your great questions, I had a terrible time trying to choose between them!
Laurie Tavan of Daze of Laur
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This month, our interviewee tells us all about her work as a designer and maker of fine historical costumes.
Laurie Tavan's obsession with costuming comes as something of a surprise to many people, including herself. She trained in the life sciences at Cornell University, diving into study of ornithology and marine ecology with great enthusiasm.
Nobody would have expected that just a few years after leaving school for the "real world," she would be on another track entirely, having fallen completely in love with historical costuming. She approached it with her signature single-minded zeal, personifying the concept that "anything worth doing is worth overdoing."
She brings to costuming a potent blend of rigorous historical research and free-spirited artistic drive.