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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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1720s – 1740s Robe Volante – Initial Musings
I just can’t get enough of 18th century back pleats! The time has come. This one has been brewing for awhile. I have a sortof underdog love for weird garments or time…
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1765 Robe a la Bon Bon Sacque – Simplicity 8578 – Construction Complete!
Trying on the new sacque – it’s always nice to have something, y’know, fit at its first real try-on. Next time I say something like, “oh I’ll just throw this sacque together…
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Getting Dressed in 18th Century – 1780s – 1790 {Video}
Let’s get dressed! Hi Lovelies! I made a short video showing the steps and pieces of getting dressed in a 1780s Italian gown or Robe a l’Anglaise. I know for new costumers…
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Pattern Notes on Simplicity 8578 – Robe a la Francaise Dress Pattern
A couple years ago now we worked with Simplicity to create a Robe a la Francaise pattern (Simplicity 8578) based on Abby’s sacque in The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking.…
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What Is a “Hedgehog” Hairstyle *Really*?
A lady sporting the hedgehog hairstyle – 1775-78. Gallerie des Modes, MFA.org 44.1344 It is a truth universally acknowledged that all 18th century historic costumers, when we first start, quickly come into…
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Cake or Death – Marie Antoinette
I have a new video for you today, the first in a series! I’m quite proud of this, even though it’s…weird, and possibly off-color. I hope you enjoy it!
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18th Century Printed Cotton Do’s & Don’t’s
A beautiful printed cotton gown, 1785-95. The Met. A very condensed version of this essay, without pictures, appears in The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking. Because there is *so much…
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The Countess of Melbury’s Ball c. 1789 – Inspo!
The Met, 1780s Italian gown. Inspiration for my own gown for this event. Next March, 2020, I am attending the Countess of Melbury’s Ball in Walnut Grove, California. The event is set…
