Rose is currently enamoured with history novels (her favourite being Lady Grace set in Tudor times) and every couple of sentences I hear - 'can I make a bum roll' , 'what is a kirtle' etc. so this review has come at the perfect time for us. Costumes with Character by Golden Prairie Press is all about fashions through history and includes the patterns to sew them. The real plus are the history pages for each era, describing what people of that time wore and why (great for sneaky History lessons).
Periods covered include:
Each costume consists of accessories to add to a basic dress - things like cuffs, collars, aprons, petticoats, bonnets, collars, vests, etc. Most just require basic sewing skills. I love the concept of having a basic dress and creating all the costumes around it - it makes it very easy to have multiple costumes without a massive outlay.
This is a fantastic concept - the costumes combined with the historical information really brings it all to life. Rose has loved sewing these costumes, loved learning all about different eras and thoroughly enjoyed herself - in her own words 'These are the best sewing lessons, ever'. Sunflower can't wait until I unpack my sewing machine from the move so she can have a go too.
- Colonial - Pilgrim & Puritan 1620-1700
- Quaker 1681-1860
- American Revolution 1775-1783
- Young Republic 1800-1820
- Romantic Era 1820-1848
- Pioneer 1800s
- Civil War 1861-1865
- Sailor 1865-1905
- Victorian 1880s
- Victorian 1890s
- Turn of the Century 1900-1910
Each costume consists of accessories to add to a basic dress - things like cuffs, collars, aprons, petticoats, bonnets, collars, vests, etc. Most just require basic sewing skills. I love the concept of having a basic dress and creating all the costumes around it - it makes it very easy to have multiple costumes without a massive outlay.
The patterns are all included in the book but they are on a grid and need to be enlarged. Luckily we also received the new pattern e-book with the patterns already enlarged. They are sized for a 16yo so need to be adjusted for your child's age (the adjustment formula for this is included)
This is a fantastic concept - the costumes combined with the historical information really brings it all to life. Rose has loved sewing these costumes, loved learning all about different eras and thoroughly enjoyed herself - in her own words 'These are the best sewing lessons, ever'. Sunflower can't wait until I unpack my sewing machine from the move so she can have a go too.
I will admit that resizing the patterns took a bit of thought as did printing the patterns off onto A4 paper and sticking them together but overall this is a wonderful product that will be the basis of many history lessons and it's already a firm favourite in our house.
This product would be suitable for most ages, as long as you have basic sewing skills (or know someone who does). The ebook is available for $21.95 or you can opt for a printed version at £37.00. There is currently a 20% off offer through to the 1st September.
You can see what my crew mates thought over at the TOS Blog where they also reviewed a number of other historical products from Golden Prairie Press.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of the ebook so I could provide an open and honest review.
2 comments:
Please share pics of your finished costumes! Great review :o)
HI Jill
I will post pics of the costumes shortly - we are in the middle of a house move and they are in one of the 29 boxes labelled school :( hopefully be all unpacked next week.
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