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...
Tag: Beginners
Ironing Paper Patterns
Yes, it may sound kinda strange to be ironing patterns… but you really can do it! Although, I only do this on tissue patterns – not the heavy bond paper patterns that are so common amongst independent pattern publishers. But for the Big 4 companies (Simplicity, Butterick, McCall’s and Vogue) and others who publish tissue-printed Read More...
Tips for Working with Fabric Grainlines
We all want our garments to look marvelous. A lot of how they turn out is based on how we cut out the pieces. Their layout needs to work as a team with the weave of the fabric. Cutting patterns on the straight of grain is crucial for the garment to hang correctly on Read More...
Fabrics for Undergarments
I don’t know about you but I want to be comfortable when wearing my historical clothing. Right? And it all starts with what kind of fabric you have closest to your skin. Whenever beginning a wardrobe for a new time period, or even if you are just starting to make historical costumes, having a comfy Read More...
Top 10 Sewing Tips
Top 10 sewing tips – Ha! We’ve all heard that one before. As if there could only be 10. As if only 10 mattered. As if your 10 would be the same as mine. You may be an experienced dressmaker and have your own Top 10 best tips. That’s awesome! They may be the same Read More...
The Big Scary World of a New Time Period
You keep coming back to it. Over and over. It draws you in with its delicious appearance as a moth to a gaslight flame at a Victorian ball. It calls to you; speaks your name. Torments your dreams…. Ruthless in its pursuit of your desire to make it come to life. That long ago fashion Read More...
How to Flatline a Bodice
Flatlining. No it’s not dying in pursuit of that ultimate dream costume. Neither is it the process of killing your bodice to make it work. Ha! (Although, it feels like it kills us sometimes!) I use the term “flatlining” often when describing this historical sewing technique. It is also called “mounting” and “adding an underlining.” 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...