Feature Friday: Blue Fine Goods
For many makers, exploring a tangible link to history is an important part of why they sew, and none embrace this more so than this month’s feature, Emma Collins of Blue Fine Goods.
Emma’s shop and offerings include both patterns and custom work, and as she explains, this allows her experience a physical connection to those who came before and investigate a common social experience—creating clothing for oneself. “A garment is an artifact that tells so many stories about a specific time and place, and of intersecting social contexts,” Emma shared. “When I look at a historic piece, my imagination goes straight to the makers and to the wearer. I am particularly interested in studying extant garments, in an attempt to get to know the maker and their process. I feel this relationship to craftspeople who came before me when I learn a new technique like smocking or draping, when I practice hours of pattern cutting or hand-felled seams, or when I fuss with bobbin on the machine to get the tension just right.”
“This is why pattern making has become my main focus in both my professional work and in my shop offerings,” Emma continued. “I currently work in a museum collection, where I dress costume and textile objects for exhibition, creating the mounts based on collaborative research.”
“I feel that part of my role as a perpetual student of history and craft is to making some of these discoveries available and accessible to others,” she explained. “It’s truly such a special experience to be dressed in clothing that I had a hand in making, and I would love to help others experience this for themselves. This gives me so much joy and makes me feel connected to the things that make us human. As a pattern maker, my role is to package my research in a way that allows others to have their very own experience with sewing. Every maker has their own unique way of engaging with these materials, and every garment that comes from a cut-and-sew pattern tells that maker’s story and contains their own inspirations and personal expression. This is what excites me so much about creating a pattern. It’s a blueprint to the past and a key that brings us closer to the people that wore these garments and the skillful craftspeople that made them.”
Emma has been making from a young age and that drive to create was heavily inspired by watching the older women in her life embrace their artistry. “Since I was a child, I’ve looked up to my grandmother and great-grandmother, whose homes were filled with their creations,” she shared. “They are the namesake for Blue Fine Goods. Pottery, paper quilling, embroidery, scrapbooking, and more were part of their lives. They both included me in their love of crafting from a young age, which were very formative experiences. My great-grandmother even stitched renditions of my favorite princess dresses for me.”
That love flourished in school and led to Emma pursuing a career focused on textiles and historic clothing. “In high school, I learned to sew on the machine, and I went on to get a BFA from the School of the Art institute or Chicago. My studies there were varied. I quickly realized I didn’t want to be a fashion designer and opted out of the core fashion program—taking supplementary classes in fashion, fiber arts, art history, and performance. I was interested in the material process of making, as well as how shape and fabric interacts with the body. I took a class called ‘Forms of Beauty Past’, looking at the hidden history of the evolution of fashion, which were the underpinnings that shaped the body and provided structure. This is where my passion for historical silhouettes was ignited. I started working for a corset maker during college and dove headfirst into that craft.”
Emma now takes her knowledge and study and transforms it into beautiful custom garments, exquisite corsets, and easy-to-use patterns, all with an emphasis on unpacking that hidden history. “My absolute favorite project was a commission from Mina Le to recreate the iconic green silk dress from Atonement,” she shared. “It was the most difficult project to date, and I still shudder when I see green silk, but it strengthened my skills in many ways.”
“It required a lot of ‘fashion forensics’—reading countless articles about the creation of the original, comparing bias cut dresses from the 1930s to see how the costume designer might have gotten inspiration for the techniques she used, and of course a lot of sampling, trial, and error,” Emma continued. “Trying to reverse engineer a garment like this is my favorite thing to do—I learn a lot this way.”
While Emma currently only has a few patterns available in her shop, her plans are just getting started. “I’m excited to produce more patterns based on antiques in my personal collection in the future! For those who are interested in historical fashion but perhaps intimidated by the complexity, I created a Victorian Chemise pattern, which has illustrations for every step of the process. It’s meant to be a beginner-friendly resource, and the result is a versatile staple for your historically inspired wardrobe. I’ve also been working on a pairs of few Regency-inspired stays made from repurposed embroidered textiles, which will be available soon.”
You can find out more about Emma’s work on her website, www.emmacollinsportfolio.com, and on Instagram (@emma.in.lace), and you can find her beautiful corsets and digital patterns in the Blue Fine Goods Etsy store.