A student at the University of Alberta took a step back in time to work as a seamstress in the 18th century.
Carolyn Dowdell, a master’s student in the Department of Human Ecology, has spent roughly 1,000 hours and used up to 100,000 hand stitches reproducing six 18th-century ensembles for a project.
The ensembles, which are on display at the Human Ecology Building, include a riding habit, stays, a quilted petticoat and a mantua.
Dowdell said the project was a long time coming as her interest in sewing began when she was 18 after asking her mother to teach her how on an old Singer machine.
“I don’t really know where it came from,” said Dowdell. “In junior high when I had to do it in home economics, I hated it.”
While working on the pieces, Dowdell recreated some of the conditions that early seamstresses would have faced.
She a wore a plain work dress complete with corset, worked by sun and candle light, didn’t bathe and sat for hours in a hard wooden chair.
“There are certain elements that I can recreate to gain some insight into life back then and what it was like to live and work as one of these people.”
The exhibition will be on public display until April 26 in the Human Ecology building.
Following the showing, the ensembles will be donated to the university for its history of dress collection.
