Wow! I can’t believe it actually happened! Gatsby Summer Afternoon was in full swing last Sunday and it was so much fun. There was a collective feeling of joy throughout the event and I couldn’t have had a better time.
Read morePattern Review - Wearing History 1930's Day or Evening Blouse Pattern
Straight from the Unfinished Objects post and over the Finish Line! This little Summer Staple has hit my closet. Boy, am I excited, because it’s HOT right now. Let’s jump right into the pattern review.
Read more1930's Capsule Wardrobe - Sewing Separates
You might remember, from the Fall, when I started working on my capsule wardrobe. At the time, I was able to sew two dresses, a velvet bag and trimmed two hats….
Read moreMaking an 18th Century Bergere and Cap
It’s always exciting to get to the stage in the costume making where I get to make a coordinating hat. And this project was no exception. I decided on a Bergere, which is French for Shepherdess, because, well, Bo Peep! I jest. But really, I do love the whole 18th century shepherdess look. I really chose this style because it was very popular in the 18th Century and it is very pretty as well as easy to wear. The style is also the base hat for two hats in the American Duchess guide to 18th Century Dressmaking which is where I got my inspiration for my 18th Century Italian Gown.
Read more5 ways to REUSE incomplete Sewing patterns
Have you ever purchased a pattern at a charity shop, yard sale or even online, then open to find it missing pieces. A lot of people give me old patterns, most of which I find new homes for. However, there are a large amount that are incomplete. I can't sell those on Etsy and I don't really want to chuck them. Some have fantastic vintage imagery contained inside and outside. With this in mind, I set out to find some fun examples of what one can do with these mini pieces of graphic fashion art. So here you go:
Read moreAll Hail the Housewife - Creating a Pattern for A Sewing Roll-Up
For my birthday I received a sewing kit from my dear friend Erika. The sewing kit was for a sewing kit, which is kind of a funny thing to say. And in actually it was labelled as an 18th Century Housewife. The kit was a collaboration between Sewstine, one of my favorite 18th Century Costumers and master embroiderers and The Lady Detalle who is also a costumer and jewelry designer. Both have shops on Etsy, which is were Erika purchased my gift.
Read moreMaking a 1780's Italian Gown - Part 1
Ever since I was a wee little girl, and while reading The Real Mother Goose, I have loved the “Bo-Peep” look of the 1780’s. I definitely did not equate the look to the Era at the time (because I was a child), but in retrospect, realized that was exactly what I loved about the book. Those dresses are the prettiest!
Read moreUFO's At Home - The Truth is in Here!
My Home and all the UFO’s are making me feel like I’m living in the X-Files of Project-land. Over the last year, it’s been a bit hard to keep my focus and I seem to get distracted with new ideas and projects at every turn. I’ve not finished much of anything lately, so I thought I would give you all a taste of the UnFinished Objects (aka projects) that are currently in the queue at HOME. These do not include the projects at my SHOP, some of which are mine and also some left behind by students. I’ll leave those for another post. Oh, and there are also those imagined (but un-started) projects lingering in the tubs of fabric - Ha! another post perhaps. In the meantime, this is what I have currently underway.
Read moreMy Childhood Doll Collection - From my Attic onto New Homes
I’ve been on a decluttering kick due to a recent course I’m taking. It’s supposed to be an emotional and also a mindset decluttering, but I find it much easier to declutter stuff. So I started in the attic.
Our attic is filled with so much stuff - from old suitcases (we had 6 for 3 people and I got rid of two) to artwork, to bins and bins of Emma’s artwork and classwork from the last 17 years, as well. There were several bins of christmas ornaments and I decluttered at least one box of those. And among the boxes and boxes of stuff, was a box full of my childhood dolls. The box has been up in the attic for at least 10 years I think, or more, after my mom, gave my dolls back to me after having stored them for eons, herself. Emma had no real interest in the dolls so up in the attic they went.
Read moreSewing my Own Bras
You know when it’s TIME, right? Things are looking a little rough around the edges, elastics are getting stretched out and the color has become just a touch on the dingy side. Well, that time arrived for me not so long ago, so I ordered supplies from our Bra Instructor Linda Sepeda, and set my self up to make some pretty new bras.
Read moreSewing Victorian Corsets - Prepping for Dicken's Faire ?
In January or February of 2020 I made it my goal to create Dicken’s Fair outfits for myself, my daughter, her friend and her friend’s mother. We all LOVE going to the Great Dicken’s Christmas Fair together every year and I was determined to go in costume with each of them in costume as well. It’s just so much more fun, in costume. Who knew at the time, that our plans would be derailed by a certain global pandemic.
So, of course, I started with the underpinnings. What one wears beneath the clothing helps create the silhouette and make the look more authentic. I had previously made myself victorian drawers and a shift, that I wore under my 1830’s costume, so the next thing would be a corset.
Read moreMaking My Own Vintage Inspired Panties
A few years ago, I copied my favorite underwear so I would have my own pattern. I just loved the vintage styling of the knickers from What Katie Did, but really wanted some that matched the bras I make for myself. Now, every time I need new undies, I can make them myself. I love it! Such an upgrade to have fancy panties at my fingertips. Yay!
So in perusing my drawers, recently, I decided to make some more. I scrounged through my collection of bra and panty making supplies and found that I had just enough supplies to make two pair to go coordinate with two different bras. I have a taupe colored Natori bra that I love and a taupe and brown bra that I made a few years ago. So excited, was I, to find I could make undies to match.
Read moreThe Frannie Adventure Doll - Designing a Rag Doll
Over the last few months I’ve been hard at work developing a pattern for a Rag Doll. “Why a Rag Doll?” you might ask. Well the truth is that I’ve always loved dolls. I loved my barbies, I loved my china dolls, and I loved hand made rag dolls as well. When I was 8 years old, My Grandma Fran gave me her Bisque Baby Doll that she got when she was 8. I still have that doll. It’s a little worse for wear and needs some attention but I still have it.
I also loved making dolls and made quite a few as a child. It always gave me pleasure and I was infinitely fascinated by the process.
Read more1950's Dress Mending and Remodel
This is a quick little post to share with you my most recent garment renovation. Last year, my friend Joy gave me this darling vintage 1950’s turquoise dress. It was stained (on the front bust and neckline) but in decent shape otherwise. It’s been hanging on my rack waiting for a makeover. I knew right away, that it needed a neckline overhaul, so that it what happened after I finally decided to tackle it.
Read moreHow to Mend a Vintage Dress with Busted out Armholes
A few years ago, a friend gave me this gorgeous 1930’s/1940’s era dress with rips in the armhole. She thought I could use the fabric or make a pattern from it. She didn’t think it was ever going to be wearable again.
This blog post is about how I fixed the dress so it could be worn again. I was lucky, in that the dress had side ties the could be removed and used for extra fabric. After undoing those seams, and pressing the fabric, I had enough to make patches that I eventually sewed back on.
Read moreRemodeling a 1920's Dress to Give it another Life
First, I’ll start out by saying that I believe vintage textiles are special but not necessarily precious. They are something we should treasure but that we should also use. This is a somewhat controversial point of contention between archivists, historians and collectors when it comes to clothing, especially historic clothing that marks an era in time. Some feel that they should be put away for posterity and preserved for history’s sake. Others feel that they should be worn and treasured personally. I’m kind of in both minds about this, , depending on the garment. However, my own line is drawn when a garment will likely go into the landfill, because someone deems it unwearable for whatever reason - in this case, deteriorating and falling apart. I’m SUPER-NOT into the landfill. My hope is that we can re-use parts of garments that are falling apart and that will extend the life of the original textile.
Read moreRegency Birthday Picnic - a Socially Distanced Celebration
This was a day I will never forget. So civilized and doing everything I love - Spending time with friends & Family, English Tea & Dressing up in Costume. I still can’t believe how wonderfully lucky I am to have friends and family willing to do this for me.
Read moreRegency Birthday Picnic - Sewing my Regency Spencer and Cross Front Gown
I started this whole birthday escapade because I was invited to enter something in the California & National “Make It With Wool” contest. I knew I wanted to make a spencer and and therefore a whole outfit because I didn’t currently have a dress to go with the wool I had chosen. Below I’ll take you through the process of making my gown and eventually, my spencer jacket.
Read moreRegency Men's Upcycle Project - Sewing a Waistcoat and Breeches
Menswear. Hmmm. I do not have a lot of experience with menswear and this was my first foray into it in a long time. For my event, it would be historic menswear and I have even less experience than that. Making something for my husband, well that is a whole other situation. He’s not really into dressing up, but agreed to it for my 50th birthday. Good man. I decided simpler was better. He’s the gent pictured on the right in the photo above, incognito without his requisite gray Levis and zip hoodie. I made the waistcoat and breeches. The shirt, hat and stockings were purchased and I still have a long way to go.
Read moreGetting Ready for my 50th Birthday - Recycled Regency Style
I’m turning 50 so I’m going to party like it’s 1799-1820. Yes! you heard it here. A party like no other, socially distanced, at the park in regency attire. We’ll all be wearing masks and it will be highly civilized. A girl’s got to celebrate half a century, after all.
As a kid, I always wanted to be both older and live in another time. Now I have my wish on both accounts. There is nothing like embracing the age you are in. At 49+ I’m embracing the fact that I LOVE to dress up in costume and that I love making costumes.
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