Can’t get those buttons closed? Ease-y does it – Part 2

  Ever have that moment when you’re dressing for an event only to put on your bodice and the front doesn’t close? And you’re cinched down in your corset as far as you can go? Yeah, me too. You know the mockup was perfect. You spent hours fine tuning the darts and armhole. Now it Read More...

Struggling to get that waistband closed? Ease-y Does It – Part 1

When I first started sewing historical skirts (mainly bustle costumes) I didn’t think of just how many layers go around the waist. I knew I had my bustle plus a petticoat or two, then the skirt and overskirt. Of course I would be wearing all of those…. But I forgot to calculate that all those Read More...

Bonnets to Fit Your Pretty Little Head

 Bonnets – A Fitting Start By: lana/Lily Sometimes they inspire a new dress design, sometimes they are the finishing touch, and sometimes they are the pièce de résistance of an ensemble.  No matter where they are in the design process a Bonnet can be a work of art!  These small but mighty creations are miniature Read More...

5 Questions About Corded Petticoats

From the late 1820s through to the 1860s, there was a structural undergarment that was required in order to get the “proper” bell-shape to your skirt: the Corded Petticoat. It came into fashion right after the Regency era when the waist line was slowly dropping and before the American Civil War when hoop skirts were Read More...