31LimeLightHistory in every stitch

Introducing Westhill’s very own 19th century seamstress

Lindsey AndrulevichStaff Writer

Sophomore Sarah Lederman has been creating handmade costumes and clothing for years. The Westword sat down with her to talk about her passion for con-structing period pieces and her sources of inspiration.

The Westword: How did you be-come interested in making his-torical clothes?Sarah Lederman: I first became interested in historical clothing at the age of seven. My family took a trip to colonial Williamsburg, which is an entire restored town complete with historical inter-preters, who wear [period-appro-priate] clothing and act the part of people from the 18th century. I had learned to make hand-sewn felt dolls a month or so before [my

trip], and upon returning from the trip I began to learn about old-fashioned clothing. TW: How did you learn how to sew?SL: My mother taught me the basics of hand-sewing from a craft book. Later, I took several classes at school and at a sewing machine shop. I am mostly self-taught and learn from books. TW: What time period are your pieces from?SL: As far as full-sized complete outfits go, I have created pieces from a wide time span. My first authentic piece was a medieval gown.

[Some of the costumes I cre-ated were from when] I became involved in my school’s seventh and eighth grade Shakespearean play, which happened to be Mac-beth that year. I designed and created costumes for many of the

characters, including the lead. Eventually, three of my tunic outfits and the previously-cre-ated medieval dress were used. One tunic outfit was created, but vetoed by the director, who chose my black tunic over my red one for the character of Macbeth.

I [also] sewed a gown from the 1770s. My latest piece is nearing completion and is a 1862 ballgown. I have started plan-ning my next piece, a 1875 din-ner dress. TW: What is the process to make one item?SL: The first step is to decide what fashion era and general type of outfit I want to make my next piece. Next comes the research; I will study an era until I have chosen a specific year. Then I find and modify the appropriate patterns for the selected time and occasion. For example, I chose a

formal skirt pattern for my 1862 ballgown instead of a simpler one more suitable for everyday use.

Then I determine if any of the foundation garments I have are suitable, or if I need to make new ones, and I visit the fabric store. My 1862 gown contains over 35 yards of fabric. A typi-cal modern dress will use about 3 yards of fabric.

I begin with the lowest lay-ers and sew the bodice last, so the cage-like shaping pieces for the skirt are completed first. Then come any petticoats, and I reach the main fabric as I pro-ceed to the skirt. The bodice comes next, followed by the gar-ment’s accessories, such as any hairpieces.

After anywhere from a few weeks to a year, the outfit is complete.

TW: Is anyone in your life an influence on your costume making?SL: While my family is encour-aging, they do not really influ-ence my sewing. I would have to say that I am most inspired by the people on trulyvictorian.com, a site dedicated to histori-cal clothing. Some of the pieces posted on the site are amazing, and they are the makers of some of the best and most accurate patterns. TW: Do you do anything with your costumes when you’re finished making them? SL: When my outfits are com-plete, I use them from time to time for events at historical soci-eties, where I volunteer as an in-terpreter. However, they get less use than I would like, so I am currently in the process of con-tacting more historical societies.

Sarah Lederman / Contributed PhotosWHAT’S THE STITCH? Sophomore Sarah Lederman has been creating 19th century-style dresses for about eight years. The dress to the left was inspired by the 1770s, while the dress on the right features elements from 1862 fashions.