Resources

These are some of the resources I have found useful as I embark on my journey into making historical fashion. This list will continue to grow as I research more for this project.

Accessories:

• Amazon Drygoods: Accessories and patterns for both men and women from a variety of eras.
• American Duchess: Beautiful period-appropriate footwear and stockings from the Renaissance through the 1920s.
• Burley and Trowbridge: Hats, stockings, neck handkerchiefs and other accessories for 18th and early 19th century wear.
• Delp Stockings: Historical and historically inspired stockings including cotton and silk clocked stockings.
• Fugawee: Colonial and Civil War era shoes and accessories for men and women.

Blogs:

• American Duchess: Amazing blog with research, projects, and tutorials for a variety of different historical eras with a focus on the 18th century.
• Angela Clayton's Costumery & Creations: Beautiful historically inspired costumes often with modern twists.
• Before the Automobile: Wonderful historical projects from the 17th century to the 20th century.
• Couture Mayah: Beautiful 18th century projects with lots of in-progress shots.
• The Fashionable Past: Wonderful historical and fantasy costumes from a variety of eras, many with tutorials.
• Mode de Lis: Great blog with historical and vintage inspired fashions. Her 18th century projects are more the types of things that working and middle class women would wear, which I've found very useful for inspiration for simpler things.
• Sew Stine: Absolutely amazing blog of different 18th century projects, she even sells some embroidery files for machine embroidery inspired by historical pieces.

Fabrics:

• Burley and Trowbridge: Period appropriate cottons, linens, silks, and wools.
• Colonial Williamsburg: Beautiful and affordable 18th century cotton prints.
• Durán Textiles: Beautiful printed silks and cottons.
• Renaissance Fabrics: A huge variety of different fabrics for historical costuming.
• Reproduction Fabrics: Period-appropriate fabrics from the 18th century through the 1950s.
• William Booth Draper: Many different period appropriate fabrics and notions as well as patterns and accessories. 

Patterns:

• Amazon Drygoods: Lots of patterns from various companies for a variety of eras.
• J.P. Ryan: 18th century patterns for men and women. I have not used any of these myself yet, but I see them frequently used by other seamstresses.
• Laughing Moon Mercantile: A variety of historical patterns, mostly from the Regency era onward.
• Patterns of Time: Lots of patterns from various companies for a variety of eras.
• Simplicity: Simplicity currently has a few 18th century patterns by the ladies at American Duchess that look great as well as many other historically inspired patterns in their costume section. You can frequently get these patterns on sale for $2 at JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts. An incredible deal for historical patterns. They also have some great historical patterns in their print on demand section.