Flatlining – or the process of mounting an underlining to a fashion fabric – is a hallmark of garment construction in the 19th century. You find it everywhere in all decades of this era – in bodices, skirts, collars, reticules… and also sleeves. Essentially, flatlining in these antique pieces is what we’d call putting in a Read More...
Category: Sewing Tips
Seam Finishes for 19th Century Garments
If you’re like me, as you sew up a garment you wonder how you’ll finish the raw edges of the seams. You know I cheat on nearly all my historical projects by serging the exposed raw edges. But what if you don’t have a serger? Or don’t want to use something so modern as a zig-zag Read More...
Divide & Conquer Pleating Method
In many historical costuming instances you’ll need to pleat up a length of fabric to fit another. Most commonly it’s a skirt to a waistband. However, this can be anything really. A sleeve cap to a bodice. Length of trim to an overskirt. A curtain to a bonnet neck edge. A lot of times a Read More...
Constructing a Victorian Bustle Dress
It’s 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. The gorgeousness of the 1870s & 1880s called me strongly. Read More...
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...
How I Use Historical and Modern Sewing Techniques
The question came up on my Facebook page: do I use all historical techniques in my period costuming like hand sewing, or do I use modern methods like synthetic thread and sewing machine? Some of you already know how I cheat with modern methods. But I’ll go a bit further and list out the techniques I Read More...
Ruching Basics for Victorian Clothing
Ruched panels – in all their glorious, gathered loveliness – seem to pop up frequently throughout the Victorian Era (1837-1900). You’ll find ruched bodice panels, puffings as skirt trims, and gathered accents in ribbons for all sorts of marvelous decorations. The process of ruching isn’t hard. But in some ways it looks so complicated! Ruching, Read More...
Mockup Sewing Shortcuts
We all know that when making up a new historical costume we need to start with a mockup. Yeah, yeah…. But sometimes we get lazy. We skip them (inconceivable!). Or we try our darnedest to make them just as the final garment will be and spend so much time doing so that the event deadline is Read More...