For years I’ve wanted to make a gown using my family’s tartan. But I didn’t necessarily want it in wool. So that left a silk fabric. Yeah… expensive silk. From Scotland. hehe 😀 Also, I hadn’t sewn a plaid in years (and no, I don’t mean going back to when I was 14 and made Read More...
Tag: 1870s
Selecting the Correct Bustle to Create the 1870s or 1880s Silhouette You Want
Scrolling through the hundreds of photos of Bustle Era dresses and patterns makes you wonder – so just what goes under that dress to make that silhouette? How does that skirt get into that shape? This period is all about the skirt! It is what defines this era and further divides it into three distinct Read More...
Take Your Victorian Dressmaking to the Next Level
Being creative creatures we are always striving to better ourselves and our work. Of course, there are always those quick projects where we just want to get it done and ready for the event. Those we simply “cut & paste” using the supplies and abilities we’ve developed over time. But then as I was sewing Read More...
How to Sit in a Victorian Bustle Dress
I get asked quite often: “How in the world does one sit in a dress like that?!” No, really. How DO you sit down? To help you all out with that burning question… here’s a video tutorial with tips for how to sit down when wearing a bustle dress from the 1870s or 1880s. Read More...
The Tail of 3 Bustles
Once upon a time there was a girl fascinated with all lovely things Victorian. Her dress-up box (i.e. closets and hat boxes and shelves) was cram-packed with dresses and accessories made in luscious silks, light cottons, and other wonderful things. She had so many delights to be satisfied for a century, but it wasn’t enough…. The 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...
Year in Review: Costuming in 2012
I rarely go back and tally all I completed over the past year. My perpetual journal has records noted when I finish a project so I can go back anytime I wish to review my sewing progress. However, I’m usually so absorbed in the forward movement of the coming year’s sewing & activities that by Read More...
The 1871 Harvest Grape Bustle Dress
Hooray for quick bustle dresses! My newest completed (or nearly completed) historical costume is an easy bustle dress made while teaching the online Victorian Bustle Day Dress class. I kept the design pretty basic as I needed something I could actually finish in about six weeks. Below is the fashion plate I used for inspiration. Read More...