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Those of us who make Victorian dresses are all after one particular feature – a small waist. We do this primarily through corset cinching but also a visual trick with wide sleeves and full skirts. Another hidden method is to reduce the amount of fabric layers around your waist, specifically on skirt layers. When you Read More...
Flatlining in the 1860s
No, I’m not actually talking about dying or death (although so much of it happened in the early years of this decade because of the American Civil War). I’m also not discussing how a costume project nearly “kills you” in its journey to completion. (ha!) Flatlining in the dressmaking or costuming sense is the technique Read More...
Attaching Hooks & Eyes to the edge of a Bodice
It so often seems that after you spend hours on a project that you’re very proud of, you come down to that bodice opening that you dread finishing. You know, ALL those hooks & eye to hand sew on. How many to sew on? How far apart do I place the hooks? Do they need Read More...
Trying to Keep Up With Other Costumers?
“If you sew for fun, don’t feel like you’re falling behind if you see others talking about their sewing progress. Stick to what works for you – time & budget. It’s not a race. Enjoy the ride accomplishing new designs & techniques.” ~Jennifer Rosbrugh The response I got from posting the above status on the Read More...
Sifting Through Endless Edwardian Patterns
With all the fervor surrounding the centennial celebrations of the Titanic sinking, statehoods for Arizona & New Mexico, the Girl Scouts and LL Bean, and many other Edwardian events, I wanted to put together a list of clothing patterns available. Please note that this list is certainly not exhaustive. I only want to give a Read More...
Childhood Films that Inspired Me to Sew
I’m a movie buff. Quoting movies is a favorite pastime (“Like I could tip a cow… by myself!”). Discovering new books as a result of a movie production (either before or after I see it) shapes my current viewpoint and defines moments in my life. So it’s not too hard to further that thought that Read More...
Are You Wearing The Dress or Is The Dress Wearing You?
Now that’s an excellent question when you’re first starting to design a new costume. And how you answer will put you on a particular path for the look you want. A few years ago I was talking about design with a long-time costuming friend. I was having trouble deciding how flamboyant to make a particular Read More...
Getting Fabric to Play Nice in the Washing Machine
Whenever I make something with cotton I always run it through my washing machine to pre-treat. I do this even if I plan to rarely clean the costume or take it to the dry cleaners. And most of the time I will throw the newly purchased fabric into the washer as soon as I get Read More...