Awl of the Above Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cutting holes for the lacing

Corsets and stays (the type of corset used before the 1830s or thereabouts) require lacing, which is usually cording or ribbon that lace them up. An awl can be used to punch holes through which to run the lacing; or you can use grommets with the hole-puncher that is usually included with them. Corsets and stays are the basic "foundation-wear" for women's historical costuming.

Answer: A mock-up of the garment to check the fit

Making a muslin is a very wise choice before making a garment that requires a good fit; making a mock-up allows you to check for loose, tight, or poorly-fitting areas of the garment that you can adjust before making the finished product. Muslins are usually made out of old sheets or other fabric scraps. "A paper pattern of all your measurements" is called a sloper; "An undergarment to wear under a corset" is called a chemise.

Answer: They all can be used

Whale and metal boning are usually sold in packages specifically for stays and corsets; the are usually what patterns will call for. Some patterns, however, wisely call for plastic zip ties. These are strong and flexible, and much cheaper and easier to come by at hardware stores!

Answer: Buckram and wire

Buckram is a very heavy fabric that has been coated with a starchy stiffener. When you dampen the fabric, it can be shaped into the proper shape for your hat and then left to dry. What you are left with is a very hard, perfectly shaped base to cover with fabric for your hat! Millinery wire is used to stiffen the buckram further by sewing it along all raw edges.

Answer: Stretch (knit) fabrics

Stretch fabrics, particularly those associated with exercise wear, would not find their way into a historic wardrobe! Most historical costumers try to use historically accurate fabrics in their costumes; these provide the proper drape, fit, and durability of historic clothes.

Some costumers use non-accurate fabrics for linings and other rarely-seen portions of their costumes, however, to save some time and money.

Answer: Hoop skirt

Hoop skirts were an integral part of Victorian bell-shaped dresses. They can be made out of a strong, tightly-woven fabric, which is usually canvas or thick cotton. Metal or plastic "hoops" are then inserted into casing tubes in the canvas skirt to give the hoop skirt its classic look.

Answer: Plastic zipper

Hooks and eyes, as well as buttons, are the most-used closures for garments between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. Ribbon ties were also used, but only in certain instances, and usually only with undergarments. Plastic zippers would not have been used until the twentieth century.

Answer: Petticoat

Petticoats were used for centuries, and are very helpful! Many at a time can be used during colder months, as well as for larger, poofy-er skirts. Petticoats can be like an underdress, such as some used during Regency times, or like just a skirt, as in Georgian and Victorian times, to name a few.

Answer: Iron-on Patches

Sequins were commonly used on formal dresses, as were embroidery of all kinds and and fabric embellishments such as bows. Iron-on patches, however, were not; although embroidered patches were used as long ago as Ancient Egypt, the iron-on variety was only introduced in the twentieth century.

Answer: Yes

Some do! An easy way to do this is to take a preexisting pair of shoes and take them apart, re-covering the leather portion with new fabric and sculpting the heels with grinders or silly putty to make them the proper shape. However, some costumers even make shoes from scratch!