Books!! One can never have enough of these good friends. You already know of the Top 10 Books I recommend. Here’s another lot for your bookshelf – to learn from, ogle, and share with friends (well… maybe). 🙂 Read More...
Category: Jen’s Musings
Book Review: Victorian Secrets
Usually if there’s any sort of buzz about a new blog post, book, class, etc. regarding corsets and the wearing of, the historical costume community is apt to proceed forth either carefully with trepidation or with full zeal. Which one of these viewpoints the reader comes from is based on one’s current view of corsets Read More...
The Big Scary World of a New Time Period
You keep coming back to it. Over and over. It draws you in with its delicious appearance as a moth to a gaslight flame at a Victorian ball. It calls to you; speaks your name. Torments your dreams…. Ruthless in its pursuit of your desire to make it come to life. That long ago fashion Read More...
Some Things Are Better Left in the Past
Faux pas: a slip or blunder in etiquette, manners, or conduct; an embarrassing social blunder or indiscretion. Just because you find historically documented proof of something being from the past, be it a dressmaking technique, hair style, manner of speaking, etc., doesn’t mean you *should* use it in your costuming. I mean, really, do we Read More...
Costume College 2013 Review
We came, we played, we sewed, we learned, we (didn’t) sleep much, and it was Fantastic!! Simply a great Costume College event! Being my 13th year attending, you would naturally expect some years to be great and some so-so. But honestly, the last few Colleges have been really good! It comes down to “it is Read More...
Could a Perfect Fit be Too Tight?
Have you ever thought about how tight your historical clothing should be? Fit is very important for that “look.” However, is there a point where we are so concerned with that “look” that we forget we’re reproducing garments that were intended to be lived in? We see antique, existing clothing on mannequins and fashion sketches Read More...
Dealing with Sewing Burnout and Staying Encouraged
We’ve all been there… pushing so hard in our sewing projects that the joy gets sucked out of us. We don’t even want to look at a spool of thread. Burnout happens to all of us. Life gets in the way. We fall into a mode of doing so much for others that we find ourselves Read More...
How to Sit in a Victorian Bustle Dress
I get asked quite often: “How in the world does one sit in a dress like that?!” No, really. How DO you sit down? To help you all out with that burning question… here’s a video tutorial with tips for how to sit down when wearing a bustle dress from the 1870s or 1880s. Read More...