I’ll admit I [HEART] gathers, and I love doing them with the machine… the classic, two-thread method. Some people freak out about this. Maybe they’ve never been taught good tips to make machine gathers go quickly and come out looking fantastic. This makes me sad, so I’m sharing those tips with you so you can Read More...
Removing the Tarnish on a Silverplate Buckle
Last month I snagged the opportunity to purchase a silverplate buckle off a friend in a Facebook de-stash group. Now, you may know I’ve been obsessed with dirndls since early 2018. And in my current research I keep seeing aprons closed (either in front or back) with a silver buckle. The ties are still there, Read More...
Book Review: The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty
After their wildly popular first book: The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking, Lauren Stowell and Abby Cox have delighted us again with another publication to up our 18th century ensemble game… The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty: 40 Projects for Period-Accurate Hairstyles, Makeup and Accessories. Yipee!!! Get your copy here (will Read More...
Making the Tackiest Costume
Now that we’re pushing a mere nine weeks until Costume College 2019, I’m in full sewing mode to get a few things completed. With a toddler, this turns my usual “Month of Insanity” (aka July) – to a Quarter of Insanity. You may have read about the new group – BUB: Butt Ugly Brigade – Read More...
Organdy: The Costumer’s Dream Fabric
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...
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...