Do you have a seam gauge in your sewing basket? Do you love it as much as I do? This little 6″ strip of metal with a slider in the center is THE handiest of tools in any sewing room. If you don’t have one, drop everything and go get one now! (You can find Read More...
Tag: Beginners
But I Can’t Make That! I Have No Place to Wear It!
Flipping through all the beautiful surviving garment photos makes me feel overwhelmed sometimes. SOOO many designs I simply HAVE to make. Have you experienced this too? Out pops a gorgeous gown that is so stunning it nearly makes you cry for the beauty of it. Ok – that one is definitely going on the list…. Read More...
Recognizing Excellent Fit with the Untrained Eye
“WOW! That costume is amazing!!” I said out loud, wiping the drool from my keyboard. I don’t know if you’ve come across Merja’s Instagram or her Blogger site, but she is a superbly talented costumer. I think what attracts me most to Merja’s work is the incredible fitting job. Truly stunning! With her projects it’s Read More...
Identifying Which Way is Up on a Corset Busk
Your corset order has arrived. You rip open that box or cardboard priority mail envelope and out you pull beautiful white bones. And there’s the busk too. How pretty it looks! You examine it’s little bumps attached firmly to the steel bone. The knobs that easily fit through the rounded loops. You figure out how Read More...
Top 10 Resource Books for Your Sewing Library
Ahh… books. Those friends for life. And no matter how long you’ve been sewing, you probably have a few of these friends around. Some are undoubtedly better than others. A few belong in the Goodwill donation stack. Others you would grab in case of fire. While there are dozens of really good books on sewing Read More...
The Biggest Mistake Costumers Make
Reproducing historical costumes is a heavy task. We work and labor; we finagle and cry; we bleed and curse and cause our family to wonder why we do this crazy stuff for something we’ll display to the world once or twice. It’s because we’re chasing after that elusive goal of hearing: “Wow! You look like Read More...
How to Apply Boning to Darts
You may have read a recent article I wrote on boning in bustle bodices. How you HAVE to have boning to keep the shape of bodice in place. Yes. You do. Well, Frank asked the question about just how one applies boning to the front waist darts. “Do you encase the bone in the dart, Read More...
Searching for Historical Supplies from Chain Fabric Stores
It seems like every historical costumer’s journey to a closet full of pretty things to wear always includes a trip… or two… or three… to the local fabric store. We inevitably find ourselves on the quick run to grab thread, hook & eyes or even ribbon. But for so many of us (and yes, I Read More...