This is a bit of a tough time of year. The festivities of the harvest and winter holidays have come to an end. The new year has come and gone. For many,…
-
-
Fabrics for the 18th Century and Beyond
One of the top questions I get from budding 18th century costumers is “what fabric should I use?” Luckily, there is ample choice for the Georgian era, though not as much a…
-
1780s Embroidered Italian Gown – Skirts and Sleeves
In the first post on this project, I constructed the bodice front and back. Now it’s time for skirts – the fun part – and sleeves – the evil part. Skirts first.…
-
A 1780s Embroidered Italian Gown – Finally
Most of my 2020 was spent in working on – and finishing! – UFOs or “unfinished objects.” I completed my 1760s Sunset Silk Robe a la Francaise, an 1890s linen jacket, a…
-
The February 2021 Collection is Here – {Pre-Order Open!}
Time for the first collection of 2021! This year, the big plan is to do a pre-order every single month through August (yowza!). Our February collection got off to a bit of…
-
{Video} Cake or Death – Marie Antoinette
This is a bit of a weird one. Last Spring, 2020, I made an attempt at Youtube, like SO many of us. I had an idea for a series of cake-decorating-meets-interesting-historical-deaths. Dark…
-
My 2020 Costuming Year in Review
This has indeed been a weird, challenging, rough year. I think I’ve left my house, like, 20 times max for 10 months. During this time I feel I sewed very little, but…
-
Old Projects I, Uh, Forgot to Post About
With all the updates to Ye Olde Blogge, I was going back and checking the “Projects” page when I found several costumes I finished but never actually posted about. The horror! So…
-
Lessons of the Volante – So Far
Du….Du Hast…Du Hast Mich… There’s something about pleat-to-fit garments that both attract me and drive me bonkers. I think it’s a combination of no two surviving examples being the same and my…
-
Pattern Notes & Adjustments for Simplicity S8941
As promised, here is my really big post of pattern notes and adjustments for Simplicity S8941 1790s to Regency Round Gown and Open Robe pattern. This pattern was originally designed in the…
-
How to Fix Funky Points on 18th Century Stays
See those points on the front edges of the stays, at the bust? If you’ve got a pair of 18th century stays that lace at the center front, either fully or…
-
Gown-in-a-Weekend: 1790s Vigee-Lebrun Round Gown from Simplicity S8941
For some reason I got a wild hair to do a “gown in a weekend” project. Dr. Carolyn Dowdell and I made a pact to fill the void of black gowns in…
-
Meet the New Pompadour 18th Century Shoes
This season, we’re proud to finally introduce the new and improved Pompadour 18th Century Court Shoes! We’ve made a few changes to this classic, curvaceous style. The Pompadours have been one of…
-
Motivation to Sew in the Time of Coronavirus
A 1930s UFO – it’s not made well, but it’s made! The year thus far has been a rollercoaster (understatement), and my sewing adventures have been rather manic-depressive – great big swings…
-
1760s Robe a la Francaise – Finished + Video!
At last, at last! My Robe a la Bon Bon 1750 – 1770 sacque is complete! I finished this gown a little while back but it’s taken me quite some time to…
-
Dress Analytics: Madame de Pompadour by Francois Boucher, 1756 {Video}
Today I have a new video for you…it’s basically a blog post in video form (lol) – you can listen to my charming stuffed-up-elf voice tell you about the gown in this…
-
Petticoat Pitfalls for Grand Panniers
Well shoot, this didn’t work…. Don’t you just love when you finish up a project, perhaps the first part of an ensemble, something you’ve maybe done numerous times before, only to put…
-
How to Avoid Lampshade Hoops in the 18th Century
It’s a thing in the Georgian period too! I’ve recently started on my next big (physically big), early 18th century project, a Robe Volante. One of the reasons I felt confident to…
-
1765 Robe a la Bon Bon – Simplicity 8578 – Trimming the Beast
Cutting strip after strip of pinked trim – the trick is the fold up your fabric three or four layers and cut through all at once. A plain sacque in a gorgeous…
-
How to Dress 18th Century – 1770 – 1780 Robe a la Polonaise {Video}
Howdy! I’ve been trying to make videos for getting dressed in different decades of the 18th century, since this is quite a visual subject and video is a natural tool for this…