19th Century Trim Kickstarter Project

I've put together a Kickstarter project to write a book on Regency-era trims. I'd love your support over the next 30 days.

Please support this production of an illustrated book showing examples of extant trims and tutorials showing how to make them. This will be your go-to book on trims, frills and furbelows from the 18th-19th Century.

Why is this project different?

Padded hemlines, decorative furbelows, pleated applique trims, cut-outs, ruffles, piping, soutache, buttons....oh my!

There are many books available with a broader scope of different fashion eras, but Aylwen's goal is to focus on trimmings of the late 18th century and early 19th century and expand on the details of technique. There is a growing group of costume enthusiasts who wish to enhance their Jane Austen, Regency, Empire and Biedermeier gowns and learn how to make all the lovely trims you see in the pictures. This full-colour A4 book (21.0 x 29.7cm OR 8.27 x 11.69 inches) will study the construction details of historic trimmings so they can be added to skirts, bodices, and sleeves. You will see close-up photographs of both the front & back of the trimmings and step-by-step pictorial instructions showing how to make the trimmings so you can add them to your garments without needing to buy any new patterns. Aylwen already has permission from some collections in the United Kingdom and Australia to take photographs for publication and if funding is generous will be able to pay for rights to use photographs from other institutions.
As an extra thank you, Aylwen is making e-books available for Kickstarter subscribers only and will not be offering e-books for sale after this project closes.

How will the book be set out?

This A4 book will contain

• Full-length colour photos of each garment 
• High-resolution close-up photos of trim showing both front and back (where possible without damaging a garment) and inside the garment showing how it was attached
• Step-by-step construction tutorials using photographs of an actual reproduction
• Stepping you through making a neckline trim and a hem frill.

About the Author

Aylwen Gardiner-Garden is a historical costumier, experienced historic dancer and professional events organiser based in Canberra, Australia. She is Director of Jane Austen Festival Australia and is currently studying textile conservation. She has won awards for costuming at Your Wardrobe Unlock'd, and was especially pleased that her first costume to win an award featured an intricate regency trim. Aylwen sometimes thinks others must think her rather weird when she describes one of the greatest thrills in her life is to be working out how a particular trim is made. Aylwen teaches regular historic sewing workshops from her home studio, at Jane Austen Festival Australia and has taught in the US, UK and Germany.

Aylwen in her award-winning dress

   

How will the funds be used?

The funds raised with this Kickstarter project will enable Aylwen to

• travel in June 2017 to conduct research and take photos of a wide range of garments in the United Kingdom - including garments from the Charles Wade Collection, the Hereford Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum and the Chertsey Museum,
• pay for some of her accommodation during the research period,
• take high-resolution photographs of both original and reproduced trims, 
• reproduce trims for how-to-do-it instructions, and 
• self-publish an A4 (21.0 x 29.7cm OR 8.27 x 11.69 inches) full colour 100+ page bound book, to be posted out to Kickstarter supporters in December 2017 before launching it to the general public at Jane Austen Festival Australia in April 2018.

Some of the trims that will be featured in this book.

How will you keep the subscribers updated?

Subscribers to this project will be updated weekly on the progress of this project through the blog and Facebook page with daily updates during the initial research period in the UK.

How can I help?

Thank you for your help! There are a few things you can do:

• Back this Kickstarter project early so that others can see this is a popular project and likely to succeed, 
• Share this Kickstarter project on facebook, live journal and other social media platforms, 
• Send emails to family and friends who may be interested and explain to them that you really want this book to be published and that we need more backers to reach our funding goal, and
• Let Aylwen know how she can improve this campaign!

Remember: funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing. No one will be charged for a pledge towards a project unless it reaches its funding goal, so thank you in advance for sharing this with your costuming friends over the next 30 days.

Risks and challenges

The biggest challenge with this project is getting the full amount raised to get it off the ground. Aylwen needs to raise funds now to purchase return airfares from Australia to the United Kingdom at low rates as discount seats are selling fast. Permission has already been granted to access certain collections, to take photos and publish them in this book. Aylwen is an experienced desktop publisher having worked on over a hundred books in the last ten years and is looking forward to completing this project.
Aylwen will be relying heavily on people sharing news of this project with their friends in forums and on social media to meet her target. Please share this link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1245085016/trims-frills-and-furbelows