This is long overdue, but I would like to say that I am honored to have been nominated (as of June 2018) for the Leibster Blog Award at The Quintessential Clothes Pen! Thank you, Quinn!
What is the Liebster Award?
The Liebster Award is an award that exists only on the internet and has been given to bloggers by other bloggers for near 10 years now. Liebster in German means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. You can find more information on the history of the Liebster Award here at The Global Aussie blog.
This award has the following rules:
• Answer the questions asked by the person who nominated you
• Nominate up to 11 blogs (more than 2, though) that you feel would enjoy blogging about this award the award who have less than 200 followers.
• Ask 5 questions of the bloggers you nominate
Now to answer the questions for me to answer –
How did you start making historical garments?
Some of the first books I read which got me hooked on history!
It all began when my interest in history began. I had already been sewing basic, modern garments for myself for a few years by the time I reached 10, the age I started reading vintage kids’ history books. That might sound boring to many, but if you’ve ever read a “Childhood of Famous Americans Series” book, or one of the many “Landmark” books, or a “We Were There”, “North Star” (in picture at left) or a novel by the great G.A. Henty, you will understand my enthusiasm. As one who formally only received “social studies”, I was enamored by a different, rounded, and exciting way of understanding our past and needed a tactile way to interpret it. Cue a pre-teen me finding out that there is such a thing as re-enactments…and naturally wanting to dress the historical part for each of them! Hand-made garments from re-enactment attendees who we got to know helped me get outfits to start with. As I have found out more facts over the years, I have supplemented the historical garments with my own pieces over the years by sewing them myself!
What is your favorite part of blogging?
My favorite part of blogging is a tough one to answer. For me, it’s using writing to bleed emotionally from the inside…releasing my inner energy and desire to share…freeing my brain from all those thoughts and ideas I can’t keep in…reaching out to others like-minded from the comforts of my home. Blogging makes a bigger, better me. It has improved my writing skills (I do enjoy putting ‘pen’ to ‘paper’ so much), and gives me a purpose to research, which my inquisitive mind loves. It is an outlet that is good for me, and I hope does the same for others who read my little site. The people I have met through my blogging are the best! So, I suppose my answer is multi-faceted.
The 1850s original hand-tinted print that hangs next to my bed
Describe a time you struggled with a historical project. What did you learn from the experience?
The American Civil War era is a longtime and current struggle! It has been about 20 years in the making now. My mom’s cousin had been a very dedicated Civil War re-enactor, even raising and keeping horses for “his cavalry troop”. Seeing their re-enacted horse cavalry charge back when I was 14 had me so completely sold on dressing for that time period. I bought a hoop skirt as a late teen, then in my 20’s I chose all the patterns I would need and their fabrics, as well as beginning the cutting out of my dress. Well, fast forward to the last 5 years when I have ordered my corset making kit, bought repro ready-to-wear bloomers and a corset cover, and made myself a chemise (at left). 
Still nothing is wearable together *sigh*. I just can’t get a good feel on what exactly was worn then and how to fit it. I blame it on my inability as a historian to understand the Civil War in the way that I have a hard time keeping the battles straight in my head. But really – I know I need that corset at this point and am totally hung up and freaked out over the thought of making it. As frustrating as it is, I have grand hopes still for finishing it yet, though, so all is not lost, I know! I think if I had a place and a reason to wear it – there isn’t an 1860s re-enacting group around anymore – I might have better motivation to finish.
If money and restoration were no object, what piece of historical technology would you love to try using?
…some of the medieval and renaissance engineering tools from all over the world. People back then were incredibly talented with the limited technologies they had but excelled in finding ways to set the sky as the limit! That being said, I think I would much rather watch historical technology being used by experts than try it myself. I would love to see the building of the soaring cathedrals of Europe, or witness an illuminated manuscript being drawn and painted, or experience the configuring by intelligent minds to read the stars and calculate the calendar, for just a few examples!
Do you watch or listen to anything while you sew? If so, what is your favorite background?
That varies. Most of the time, sewing puts me in some sort of ‘zone’. Sometimes I want to be laser focused on a technique (such as welt pockets), or would rather not have anything influence my mood, or even just desire to be able to listen to what else is going on around me. It’s then that I like peace and quiet. However, most of the time I like to choose my own good background noise. Very rarely is that noise a podcast because I like really info rich ones (especially from Dressed) and like to focus on the words to let the info really soak into my comprehension. Thus, mostly I choose music – and not music that makes me want to get up and move my body since I haven’t found a way yet 
to both dance and sew! My background noise is a hodgepodge – sometimes it’s a television show I like to hear but am not sucked into enough to watch dedicatedly (such as Friends or Double Dare…). Most recently, my medieval studies have given me reason to listen to 13th to 16th century music, which I can do while I sew. Yay for research and seamstress work all-in-one! Otherwise, I listen to various genres of all kinds – cultural, movie soundtracks, old-style country, classic crooners, soul singers, and selective modern pop such as Maroon 5, Avril Lavigne, The Weekend, or Bruno Mars. Lately, though, I’ve been catching up on the 80’s and 90’s music. Yet, I’m always okay with a little Daft Punk anytime…it always picks me up even when a project is frustrating!
Now for the blogs I nominate!
Emily at “Incurably Kitsch”
Kristen at “Verity Vintage Studio”
Elena at “Vintage Sewing Machines”
Aimee at “Aimee’s Victorian Armoire”
Helena at “Gray All Day”
Anne at “Pretty Grievances”
Jennie at “The Ugly Dame”
Colette at “Colette’s Sewing & Stuff”
Dixie at “DixieDIY”
Esther at “Dolly Creates”
…and the questions for them to answer!
What is your favorite decade for fashion?
How long does it take you (on average) to sew the things you make?
What is your everyday style like?
Do you watch or listen to anything while you sew? If so, what is your favorite background?
Would you rather wear stripes or a plaid? A solid or a floral?
Many people believe the Liebster award is similar to a chain email/letter, and it does share similarities but the underlining idea is to help promote each others’ blogs and discovering amazing creatives who might not be as mainstream or easy to find as other more popular sewing sites. However, I do believe the amount of followers should not be a grade for the worth of a blog site, which is where this award comes in! One good turn deserves another so I hope you go check out my list of awardees and follow them if you don’t already, and another word of thanks out to Quinn at “The Quintessential Clothes Pen” for nominating me in the first place. I’m just shy of my 7th year anniversary of blogging here!
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