Sewing: How I got into historical clothing- Part one

I was lucky enough to have been taught the basics of sewing both hand and with machine when I was very young by my mother.

Both of my parents were DIYers in their own ways and I grew up with the mentality that if you don't find exactly what you're looking for or if what you want is out of your budget, just figure out how to make it yourself. This is still a philosophy that is very much engrained into my being and I love starting new projects for myself or for our home.

For sewing and making my own clothes, I have never truly enjoyed the process and it was always a chore I begrudgingly took on to either alter a thrifted item or to make home goods textiles.

Though, I have always loved fashion and even have a second degree in fashion from FIDM in Los Angeles. Originally, I wanted to be a buyer for stores and boutiques, but the aspects of the career had changed so much by the time I wanted to get started that it no longer held an interest for me and so I tried my hand at being a personal stylist in the LA scene for about 5 years before thoroughly burning out.

My love for color, shape and texture led to my interest in becoming an artist which is where I've put my focus for the last 5-7 years. While studying in art school, I had fantastic teachers that always supported my creativity and allowed me to think outside the box. It was in my Drawing 2 class where I decided that instead of drawing a relief map of a landscape, I would teach myself to knit and then use traditional stitch patterns from the Aran Islands in Ireland to create the various layers of the relief map of the main island.

Needless to say, I overestimated my ability to tackle a new skill that quickly and to produce an incredible display by the time the assignment was due. But I still got a decent grade on that project and it sparked a new love. I started knitting like crazy; making scarves and hats, then sweaters and blankets, and shorts and leg warmers for ballet class.

I got the taste of being able to make something that I could create exactly how I wanted and make it fit me perfectly. I found that I was wearing my me-made sweaters and clothing items way more than store bought items.

When I was introduced to the Outlander novel series in 2018, I fell in love with the story, the characters and Scotland. And when it was adapted into a tv series, I fell in love with the costume design--especially the knitwear.

In part two of this series I will discuss my exploration of historical knitwear. Stay tuned! :)