It was a distinct turning point in my historical costuming. I thought I was doing pretty good – my costumes were fairly accurate in style, my undergarments were all present, and my fabric selections did not include polyester or nylon. I soaked up all I could on how to make my Victorian clothing better. What I Read More...
Demystifying Victorian Bodice Construction
That moment when you are ready to jump into your first Victorian dress and hold out hope that it’s not as complicated as it “seams.” Because I’d been sewing clothes for about a dozen years before I got into historical costuming I wasn’t afraid. But so many I talked to in that early part of Read More...
Podcast 012: The Value of Mundane Sewing
Not every project needs to be a BIG one. Even in the process of sewing basic things there is the advantage of keeping the mind fresh, exploring new techniques, and finding the joy again – with no pressure to “perform.” In this quick episode Jennifer gives a dose of encouragement where even if your current Read More...
Podcast 011: Tidying Your Sewing Space with the KonMari Method
Feeling overwhelmed with piles of patterns, fabrics, trims, books and more in your sewing room? Ready to dump it all and start fresh? Or at least find a way to manage all the things? We’ll take a look at the popular KonMari Method of tidying and how it applies to sewing and crafting items to Read More...
Using KonMari to Declutter the Sewing Room
So, in case you haven’t heard, there’s the classic New Year’s trend of cleaning out your house going around, and currently it’s using the KonMari Method (thanks Netflix!). KonMari was created by Marie Kondo from her book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Her follow-up book, Spark Joy, addresses all those hanging questions that Read More...
2018 Review and New Year Projects
Welcome to the end of 2018! I don’t often do end-of-the-year costume reviews. Not sure why. It IS a good way to recap your creativity from the year, however. Maybe because I see so many other bloggers and those on social media showing off their gorgeous costumes made over the last several months, and here Read More...
How NOT To Set Your Sleeves In Backwards
Have you done it? We’ve all been there – it’s pushing 1am and you just want to get the dang sleeves sewn in then you can go to bed. You pick up one sleeve, look at the seams and the gathered cap, and then start pinning it into the armhole. Good. Now run it Read More...
Podcast 010: Victorian Christmas Traditions
Welcome to 19th century England! Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, most of us are familiar with the modern activities and traditions seen during December in the Western world. What you might not know, however, is that most of them came about during the Victorian Era in England, that is, Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837 Read More...