With all the fervor surrounding the centennial celebrations of the Titanic sinking, statehoods for Arizona & New Mexico, the Girl Scouts and LL Bean, and many other Edwardian events, I wanted to put together a list of clothing patterns available. Please note that this list is certainly not exhaustive. I only want to give a Read More...
Tag: Original Sources
Are You Wearing The Dress or Is The Dress Wearing You?
Now that’s an excellent question when you’re first starting to design a new costume. And how you answer will put you on a particular path for the look you want. A few years ago I was talking about design with a long-time costuming friend. I was having trouble deciding how flamboyant to make a particular Read More...
A Stroll Thru a French Jardin
Fashion Plate from La Mode Illustree, circa 1886 These lovely ladies are wearing such confections I just had to share! Since I don’t have the original magazine issue with the description of the plate I’ll list my own suggestions for how to make these costumes yourself. 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...
The Victorians Did Love Pink! – Original 1860s Bodice
Several years ago I acquired this original bodice that I date to the 1860s. It’s very well made by both hand and machine. Here are some highlights of this darling, but unusual garment. And yes, it is PINK. Read More...
1894 Summer Dress Goods
Direct from the era! Here are extensive descriptions from The Delineator June 1894 for materials recommended for stylish summer fashions. Click on the thumbnails to see the scans of the original pages then read below for the complete transcription. (Note: It is rather long & wordy but packed with period ideas!) The links in the Read More...
Yummy 1884 Jackets
From the Delineator magazine in February 1884. See the full page below… Read More...
Edwardian Maternity Clothes
Ways to alter your c. 1907 skirts and shirtwaists to allow for your expanding figure…. This article from the Ladies Home Journal also talks about underwear (drawers, corset cover and petticoats) that should also be adjusted with great care. These alterations might work well for those who fluctuate in weight. Have you made adjustments on your historical costumes to Read More...