Exhibition on history of dressmaking opens in Loughborough

A free exhibition exploring the history of home dressmaking has opened in Loughborough.

The Cut and Create exhibition, at Charnwood Museum, features items of clothing, sewing equipment and dress patterns from Leicestershire County Council's museums collection.

The objects tell the story of home dressmakers and the equipment they used to make the latest fashions.

It is due to run at the museum until 4 June.

The exhibition has already been on display in Harborough, where the council said it had proved popular.

Home sewing reached its height in the late 1950s and early 1960s with an increase in leisure time and sewing classes in schools.

There was also a rise of easy-to-work-with synthetic fabrics, meaning the cost of making an outfit was much cheaper than buying one from a shop.

Dressmaking at home saw a steady decline from the late 1980s, mainly due to the rise in global mass manufacturing of garments that could, in some cases, cost less than the price of a dressmaking pattern.

But the last decade has seen a rise in home dressmaking and crafting hobbies, helped by popular TV shows and the increase of online tutorials and social media.

Extra time at home due to the Covid pandemic since 2020 has also led to an increase in home crafts and hobbies, including dressmaking.

Cut and Create examines all these eras and trends through the objects on display.

Members of the public are invited to get involved in the exhibition by sharing their memories and pictures of clothing handmade by themselves, their relatives or friends.

These will be added to a digital screen in the gallery.

The museum is open from 10:00 to 15:00 BST Wednesday to Friday and 10:00 to 14:00 on Saturday, until 4 April when its hours extend until 16:00 Wednesday to Saturday and 13:00 until 16:00 on Sunday.

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].