Barbara Muran has had a passion for sewing ever since her Grandmother first showed her how to thread a needle. Building on this early inspiration, she has been a sewing enthusiast all her life. Convinced that there is always more to learn, Barbara has taken sewing classes at every opportunity, some for fun, some required for her degree, some to gain knowledge in a specific area.
It was in 1999, when she became a docent at Sutter’s Fort, that she found her true calling: the art of sewing authentic Victorian clothing. “Victorian clothing has it all – feminine style, fastidious fit, and uses every construction technique you can think of.” But no matter how stylish, how well fit, or how beautifully constructed, it is the much maligned corset that makes or breaks the entire outfit.
Barbara attended a workshop in Victorian corsets taught by JoAnn Peterson, owner of Laughing Moon Mercantile. It wasn’t long before she was making corsets for other docents and JoAnn asked if she would be interested in teaching Laughing Moon workshops. In less than a heartbeat a whole new career was born.
As proprietor of ‘Of Corset’, Barbara teaches the techniques and skills necessary to construct Victorian Corsets, techniques that are readily adaptable to other garments. For those not interested in the construction, Barbara also designs and makes custom corsets and Victorian clothing.
As a State Historic Park docent, Barbara demonstrates clothing worn during the California Gold Rush and takes her half-scale, or salesmen’s sample, clothing to schools and other groups to share her life long interest in our pioneer heritage. Barbara lives in Sacramento, has a degree in Home Economics from CSU, Sacramento and is an active member of the American Sewing Guild and The Greater Bay Area Costumer’s Guild.
Barbara has trained with Beverly Johnson at the Bra-Makers School International in Ontario, Canada.