Costume Dramas & Sewing Viewing

I love a good costume drama. They're a great accompaniment to an afternoon's sewing and are ideal viewing to get ideas for sewing too. Often you can dip in and out of them and have them on in the background when sewing or knitting - if you're not paying full attention this means you can watch them over and over. Perfect!

I thought I'd list some of my favourite costume dramas. This does not include Downton Abbey - although I know it is loved by many seamstresses, I felt it really went off the boil after the first series. The second series was crammed too full of storylines which were treated in a superficial manner. And the third series? Pretty dull. I was delighted when one of the major characters died, just because SOMETHING ACTUALLY HAPPENED. I found most of the characters very grating by this point too and as often happens when TV shows go rubbish, all the bad characters become not-so-bad and the writers seem to want to give everyone a happy ending rather than a good storyline. Dull. And fashion-wise, yes some of the costumes are nice but are nothing like anything I'd actually make.

So, Downton rant over, here's my top 4:

1. The House of Eliott

If you know me in real life you'll probably know my love for this 1990s BBC series. It tells the story of two sisters in the 1920s who start a fashion house. What's not to like for seamstresses in this gem? There are 3 series worth of hour long episodes - get stuck in. It's available on YouTube here.

2. Pride and Prejudice

The classic BBC 1990s version. Not the first adaptation nor the last, but bloody great. Yes, it has Colin Firth in a wet shirt but I just love the Bennett family and there are some very funny moments. Watch a clip here.

3. Cranford

Fantastic adaptation, packed full of top class British acting talent and again, some really funny moments as the book is fantastically brought to life. You can watch a Trailer here.

4. Bleak House

Yet another BBC adaptation, this time of a Charles Dickens' novel. This series has quite a modern feel (it was adapted by Andrew Davies) and is really absorbing. The Trailer is on Youtube here.

I thought I should also mention a few other shows that I love - not necessarily costume dramas but are nonetheless great sewing viewing for inspiration or just for something easy to watch:

• Mad Men

Image from Couture Allure

Of course! Nothing to add here as every seamstress seems to know and love this series and has fallen in love with the fashions.

• Miss Marple

 Image from here

I love Joan Hicks and Geraldine McEwan in this role. When looking for pictures for this bit, I discovered that Jennifer Garner has been cast as Miss Marple in a Disney film. The most inappropriate casting since Meg Ryan was set to play Sylvia Plath - I don't think this actually happened though so hopefully Jennifer Garner's Miss Marple won't happen either.

• Poirot

 Image from here

Can't beat David Suchet as Poirot, and since there are episodes on ITV3 practically every weekend, there's always an episode to watch.

What are your favourite costume dramas or other programmes to watch while sewing and knitting?

K x