My latest historical costuming project – the first completed in 2016 – is a long-line, late Edwardian corset. Yay for period correct undergarments for a good start to the proper silhouette!! I also made a c.1917 chemise. Here’s my review and how it went together. Read More...
Tag: Projects
1873 Blackberry Cream Victorian Ensemble
It’s finished!! After over four years I finally have completed my first objective of the day bodice to this incredibly fun ensemble! As in true Victorian spirit, the initial plan was to make the day bodice first then add an evening bodice later. It is the accurate way to get more mileage out of those Read More...
What to Do With Small Yardages in the Stash
This week Elise sent me an excellent question on historical projects that can be made with little fabric. You know… The 1/2 to 2 yard pieces left over from other projects or the beautiful fabric you had to buy (and did so before you knew how much a period costume would actually use). To Elise, Read More...
Naming Your Costumes
So here’s a fun topic: do you name your costumes? I was asked about this recently (again) about why I name my costumes and particularly, HOW I go about selecting a name. I’ll admit I didn’t do this for years – you know, ’cause “1883 tea dress” worked just fine at the time. For those Read More...
Using a Pizza to Help You Make Historical Costumes
So it’s a bit cheesy (sorry…) to compare pizza to sewing. I mean, how alike are they really? Not very much. The only thing I know of pizza being even remotely good for helping you sew is when you’re on a deadline sewing crunch and you order out. (Here’s hoping you keep it FAARRRR away Read More...
1886 Pink Bubble Gum Diamonds Dress
Every time a photo of this dress pops up somewhere I get requests for how I made it… you know, all the details like what patterns did I use, what are my fabrics, how much time, etc. Without further delay, here is how I developed this pink bubble gum confection to wear at my first Read More...
Planning a Big Costume Project
Yeah… you’ve finally reached that point where you want to tackle a huge project. Something that challenges you. An undertaking that takes your skills to a new level. It may be a trained 1882 dinner dress; a Civil War ball gown; or an embroidered Regency dress. But where to begin? You have a brief idea Read More...
The Purple Silk Edwardian Corset
Made from the same blackberry cream silk I used on my 1873 ruched gown, I can now add Edwardian corset to my list of completed projects. Yay! Last summer Heather over at Truly Victorian came out with the most delicious surprises – she had ventured over the Century mark into the Edwardian Era. Did you Read More...