Petticoat Lengths and Widths

We’re talking about petticoats again!! [This should come as no surprise if you’re a regular reader here.] It’s that important to your overall historical look to do the best you can with these undergarments. From the “why” to the fabrics used to selecting the patterns – each component plays a part. That now brings us to discuss Read More...

Patterns for New Costumers

First and foremost it’s all about the silhouette of the time period you want to achieve. You build the undergarments first then all the pretty things that go on top. But as a beginner you’re starting from ground zero. You have nothing…. Except maybe a bonnet or a petticoat or your grandmother’s fur jacket. And Read More...

Cleaning & Storing the Costumes We Make

If you’ve been making costumes for any length of time you KNOW the space they take up in the house… the closets… the garage… the bathroom… under the bed… How does a flat bit of fabric suddenly need a stretch limo to take it home? Or its own bedroom to pout in? And what happens Read More...

3 Tips to Prevent the Lampshade Hoopskirt

Successful historical costuming begins with the silhouette (among other things). When the dress is “just not right,” take a look at how it appears. Sometimes the proportions are off. Sometimes the undergarments hang funny. Other times it’s simply the support shape the entire costume is built on. Reproduction hoop skirts from the Mid-Victorian era, the Read More...

Mammy Says Scarlett Can’t Wear Her Corded Petticoat Anymore

If you’re a woman Civil War reenactor you’ve probably had a few discussions on hoopskirts – their size and construction – and their older cousin the corded petticoat. You may also know of the debate that rages about the historical accuracy of corded petticoats worn during the 1860s.   Not to go into great detail Read More...

The Amazing Look of a Corded Petticoat

  I think a lot of costumers, especially newbies and those that haven’t sewn from the Romantic Era, start out by thinking the best way to achieve the skirt silhouette is to begin with a hoop skirt. That couldn’t be farther from the authentic truth as the metal cage crinoline/hoopskirt we know of wasn’t invented until Read More...