Another great weekend event! So fun to spend time with old friends, and meet SO many new people – even if you’ve been following me for years – yay! After all the online drama that occurred this past year regarding Costume College (specifically at the beginning of the calendar year) I was doubting my attendance. Read More...
Tag: 1830s
Fabric Piecing
So you only bought seven yards. You need eight. Of course. Because you didn’t check the yardage listing before you went shopping or the store only had the seven. But you’re determined to make the dress anyway…. When you’re a bit short on fabric, the [historically accurate] method of Making It Work is to piece the Read More...
Flatlining 19th Century Skirts
The importance of flatlining skirts cannot be understated. Although, there is a time and place for using underlinings or a lining or both. Or even leaving off linings altogether and simply relying on hem facings and petticoats to keep the silhouette in place. To follow up my post on how to flatline bodices, let’s Read More...
Van Dyke Points for a 1830s Dress
“Please tell us how you made those little points!” – This was the general request when I posted the above photo on the Facebook page showing my dressmaking progress on the 1838 Persimmon Puff dress. Now, I have been calling them “teeth” but after some research and useful suggestions from my followers they are van Read More...
Progress on the *Orange* 1838 Persimmon Puff Dress
Ok, so orange was probably the last color I would have expected to sew with. Well… at least make an entire dress out of. But then I came across THIS DRESS over at the Met Museum’s website. O.M.G. I was (and still am) in love!!! So of course I have to reproduce it…. 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...
How to Sew Cartridge Pleats
This tutorial is dedicated to Corinne Pleger who taught me the beauty of cartridge pleating in July 2000. Cartridge pleats are eye-catching! Neat little pleats stacked in a row, stitched together and standing at attention. Those little pleats do a heck of job too with getting an enormous amount of skirt fabric into a tiny Read More...
Bringing a Fashion Plate to Life
Using original existing garments as inspiration for replication is wonderful. But there’s just something about a historical fashion plate that pushes you to bring it to life. True, a drawing from a century or two ago was the epitome of fashion that was presented to ladies of the time. But as our glossy Vogues and Read More...