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...
Tag: Petticoats
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...
Costume College 2011 Report
What a great weekend! Seriously! Some Costume Colleges go by as ‘blah.’ This one, although it flew by, was a terrific event! It was a blast to meet up with old friends and meet new ones – including many of you who follow me here and on Facebook. Thanks for introducing yourselves to me! I Read More...
Struggling to get that waistband closed? Ease-y Does It – Part 1
When I first started sewing historical skirts (mainly bustle costumes) I didn’t think of just how many layers go around the waist. I knew I had my bustle plus a petticoat or two, then the skirt and overskirt. Of course I would be wearing all of those…. But I forgot to calculate that all those 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...