One of the most fun projects that I’ve had the chance to bring to life is a reproduction of a late 1830s dress held at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Having sewn 1830s garments before, the bodice and skirt seemed rather easy to me. But the sleeves were where the fun began. Besides the museum Read More...
Category: Jen’s Costume Projects
Because Every Woman Needs a Red Dress…
Do you like red? Have you made any costumes in red? Great! If you have, you have inspired me to take on my own red costume project. I don’t naturally gravitate towards reds. Blues, purples and pinks float my boat. So I’m taking the challenge to put some sort of red costume into my historical Read More...
A Duct Tape Double Dressform
I’ve had several people ask me about my Duct Tape Double dressform. (You may have seen it in some of the photos I post.) Here is how the dressform came about. A couple years ago I decided I wasn’t going to procrastinate any longer, wasn’t going to wait until I lost those few extra pounds, Read More...
Getting off the Couch & into the Sewing Room
Everyone who crafts whether it be sewing, knitting, quilting, or whatever, goes through phases where the inspiration is bland or even non-existent. It may last only a few days or weeks or even months. Somewhere along the way, we crash. We take a break. Life happens. Have you been there? Yeah, me too. You’re not Read More...
Blackberry Cream for Dinner
The 1873 dress turned out exceptionally yummy. The poufy-ness. The gorgeous heliotrope/wisteria color. The kazillion yards of ruching…. It debuted at the Gala at Costume College 2011 and couldn’t have found a happier setting. Here are a few more photos and notes on the making of this delicious piece. Read More...
Just Keep Ruching, Ruching, Ruching…. The 1873 Blackberry Cream Dress
It’s not exactly swimming but I feel I’ve been drowning under miles of lavender taffeta. The 1873 purple gown is made of awesome ruched panels that are glorious in all their puffiness. You’d think running a few rows of basting stitches then pulling them up and sewing down to a base wouldn’t be all that hard. Hard, Read More...
The 1886 Ivory Spring Hat
But of course I needed a new hat for my new Bubble Gum Dress! Headwear including hats, bonnets, caps, floral wreaths and such can make such a difference to the overall finished look to a costume. People in the 19th Century wouldn’t go out in public without *something* on their head. So here’s what I Read More...
Regency Curtain Dress
1813 Embroidered Voile Dress Here’s a look at my last Regency dress made for the Day in Regency England in April 2011. To get the beginning of the project please read HERE and HERE. Read More...