Made Done and Mended: Textiles Salvaged, Saved and Sewn

Abstract

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationNotes on contributorsStephanie RichardsI am the costume curator for Henfield Museum in West Sussex. Day to day work is directed mainly by the local garments in the collection. My remit is to bring the collection out of its boxes and into the community, which I do with talks and exhibits. Presenting items from the collection to an audience keeps history alive and shows costume as more than old clothes. As the sole costume section member I enjoy the challenges posed. Photographing the collection and establishing a detailed costume database proceeds apace. It is also necessary to acquaint myself with costume and textile areas that are new to me. My current research focuses on a set of stays concealed in the old Henfield Workhouse (1735) and trying to uncover their story. As a published author in print and online, the majority of my output is based around costume and social history. I have experience of working with Worthing Museum and History of Art and Design Faculty of University of Brighton. My 2023 contribution to the Costume Society blog “Worn In The War; Looking At Creative Fabric Choices In 1940s Homemade Clothing” featured some exquisite examples of wartime inventiveness and the sheer skill involved.ladyscribe@btinternet.com.