Jenny’s long hair was plenty to go over the ski slope hair cushion. Nearly as often as we receive questions about doing 18th century hairstyles for short hair, we see the question…
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18th Century Hairstyles for Short Hair
Nicole’s chin-length bob was perfect, if not even a little too long, for the early 1780s crape’d hairstyle once supplemented with a few hair pieces at the back… One of the most…
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#ADBeauty – 18th Century Hats, Caps, Bonnets, and Accessories
Jasmine wearing her Therese hood, a very simple early 1780s accessory It is my belief that one can never have too many 18th century accessories. Hats and caps are essential to getting…
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1780 – 1781 Glasgow Polonaise Sacque Jacket Progress
1780 – 1781 Polonaise sacque jacket almost done! I love the back, even if it has double the fabric in it that it really needs. Alllmmmooosssttt doooonnnneeeee! This project has been one…
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Introducing: The Isabella MacTavish Fraser Wedding Gown Project
The famous Isabella MacTavish Fraser wedding gown c. 1785. Photo by Ewen Weatherspoon. Reproduced with permission of Inverness Museum & Art Gallery Big news! We’ve been hinting at it for awhile now, but…
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Ikea Costuming 101 – Making Historical Gowns with Duvet Covers, Curtains, and Sheets
The Italian Gown from “The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking” was made with one LJUSÖGA Queen size duvet cover from Ikea. Accurate printed cottons are very difficult to find. Usually…
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1780-81 Glasgow Polo-Sacque Fiddling
Progress! This past weekend I made a lot of good progress on my version of the 1780 – 1781 Polonaise-Sacque Jacket. I am always so very chuffed by how quickly sacque-back things…
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Making A Start: The 1780-81 Glasgow Polo-Sacque Jacket Progress
A quick mockup – feeling excited! At last, and for the first time in 2019, I am sitting down to sew something! The first four months of this year have been taken…
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The Curious Polonaise-Sacque Jacket
1780-81 jacket – Glasgow Museums Collection – 1932.51.o January is Costume A-D-D time. A whole new year lies ahead and we are all brimming with project ideas. Some I’ve even started and…
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A Little History of “Sophie” 18th Century Mules
The Laundress, 1761, by Greuze Mules! (AKA Slippers!) Did you know that mules were incredibly common in the 18th century? Women of all social classes wore them in various materials (silk, wool,…
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How to Lengthen/Shorten 18th Century Stays
The #1 question we receive about Simplicity 8162 (and will with Simplicity 8579 as well) is how to lengthen or shorten the stays. Particularly with Simplicity 8162, the body block used came…
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CORRECTION – 1780s Cap Pattern – American Duchess Guide
Hi gals! We’ve been alerted to a flaw in the 1780s cap pattern from “The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking,” so before you all tear your pomaded-and-powdered hair out trying…
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A New 1780s CandyStripe Italian Gown
Italian gown – The Met – 1785-87 C.I.66.39a-b Well, I just can’t stay away from the late 18th century (can you blame me?). There is just so much to be explored in…
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The Many Types of 18th Century Gowns
I realized today with the 18th century gowns I have made I have only scratched the surface of how many different types there were. It’s easy to fall into the idea that…
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V262: Progress on the “Curtain-Along” 1780s Indienne Gown
So far so good – and sleeves that FIT! This project might have been quick if I hadn’t spend whole chunks of days not doing a darn thing. At least when I…
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V251: Starting the Indienne Gown, 1780s
With only about a month left until we leave for Williamsburg, I have rather a lot of sewing to do! I was giddy when I found this Indienne print cotton at Lowe’s,…
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V245: Floral Gowns of the 1770s (and a little 1780s too)
Met – 1770s-80s gown, remodeled from c. 1740s silk Happy Saturday! Chris and I have been working overtime packing up Pompadours and white Kensingtons to ship out, so I’m a bit fried,…
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V231: Indienne Chintz a la Waverly Window Curtains, 1780s
Good 18th century style Indienne print chintz can be hard to find. For some reason, rambling, graphic florals, in a limited color palette, on a white or light ground aren’t so much…
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V96: The 1780s/1910s Double-Period Hat
A few posts ago I staked lampshade style bonnets of the 1780s against similar chapeaus of the 1910s. My idea was to see if one hat could be used for both periods,…
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V89: Fashion Face-Off – Hats of the 1780s and 1910s
As we all know, history repeats itself, and fashion especially. Nothing is ever “new” on the runway (well, maybe if it’s a suit made out of bubble wrap, etc.), and this was…