I have been writing my 16thC book, and I have a frame for my 19thC.
I cannot afford to publish, and unfortunately in this age unless you have marketed as a business your work will not be respected (the flip side of the coin of people wanting everything for free is that when it is, it’s consumed then forgotten.) So I am looking to a publishing platform that will at least give some support to my work but where I do not need to deal with money.
I adore books like Period Costume for the Stage and Screen, and I have seen stunning work from modern patterns. But because I started so young with contemporary fashion plates and patterns (I was in primary school) I do instinctively spot a reproduction from the real deal almost immediately. And it has everything to do with how we work modernly. Not just the pattern but the order we cut and assemble and fit. It doesn’t detract from the beauty of the work, but I can just see where 100 years of shifting aesthetics and construction have removed us
What is causing a stumbling block is I want to illustrate everything and my pen work has not been a priority recently. I don’t want to use photos if I can as that subconsciously leads us to think modernly.
Another stumbling block is time. I have very little time each day where my health allows me to do anythn=ing and that has to be partitioned. For the last two years I have not balanced that well at all.
But rib separation aside some recent supplementation with iron and B12 seems to be helping (most pills don’t seem to be absorbed, but Iron melts are fizzy fun!) and a faster infusion rate for my antibody treatment also seems to be a big help. So I am awake for longer 🙂
So today I need to follow up on some responsibilities before doing some more work on this drafting/draping books.