For a newcomer to the world of historical costuming it can seem overwhelming. “Where do I start? What should I make first? What about my hair, my shoes?” Perhaps you’ve sewn a few period things but want to branch into a new time period. You don’t have to be a newbie to feel like Read More...
Tag: 1840s
Fabric Choices for 19th C. Costumes – Part 3 – Cotton
Do you have a type of fabric that just calls to you? You know, the type that even though you’re looking for something completely different in the fabric store you just can’t help walking over to it and reveling in its deliciousness. Yeah, me too. It’s called cotton. Read More...
Where the Dickens is That Pattern List?
The autumn season is creeping up upon us here in the Northern Hemisphere. (Yay!!) And as cooler weather events start being organized and hosted, I’m sure many Dickens’ Fairs will be included. And don’t forget Christmas caroling and outdoor walks through state parks. When I think of these activities with my costume mind I usually Read More...
The Amazing Look of a Corded Petticoat
I think a lot of costumers, especially newbies and those that haven’t sewn from the Romantic Era, start out by thinking the best way to achieve the skirt silhouette is to begin with a hoop skirt. That couldn’t be farther from the authentic truth as the metal cage crinoline/hoopskirt we know of wasn’t invented until Read More...
Creating Skirt Silhouettes from 1820 to 1855
When I first started researching corded petticoats, I realized I must start with what the fashion silhouette looked like at the time. This always begs the question: Which came first – the fashion or the undergarments? So I pondered on why the skirts “belled” the way they did, how they stuck out at the hips, Read More...
Trimming an Early Victorian Bonnet
Flipping through the stack of (digital) fashion plates, I was enthralled by so many ideas for how to decorate an Early Victorian Bonnet. I was doing trim research last summer to complete my poke bonnet for Costume College and fell in love even more with this lesser-known era. Taken from period publications, early photographs and surviving pieces, here Read More...
Regency Red
I can just see Caroline Bingley in this lovely dress, floating around Netherfield at the ball while gazing down at the country bumpkins invited to the formal affair. Click below to see what Lydia Bennet would like to have. (And can I say that the sleeveless white dress the character wears in the 2006 Pride & Prejudice Read More...
5 Questions About Corded Petticoats
From the late 1820s through to the 1860s, there was a structural undergarment that was required in order to get the “proper” bell-shape to your skirt: the Corded Petticoat. It came into fashion right after the Regency era when the waist line was slowly dropping and before the American Civil War when hoop skirts were Read More...