How to make an 18th Century sun hat from a used straw hat, in pictures. I started with a straw hat from EBay for about $15 including shipping. It was nice to find one in simple real straw and a nice color. I cut the crown of the hat about an inch up from the…Continue reading Tutorial: 18th century straw hat in photos
Costume College 2019
Costume College is held yearly in Woodland Hills, CA and hosted over 650 costume professionals and enthusiasts from all over the world. It. Was. Amazing. Granted this was my first Costume College, but wow what an experience!My first experience was dragging my 97lbs of luggage into the hotel to see a small group of ladies…Continue reading Costume College 2019
Mantis Shrimp Dress
Mantis Shrimp Dress Part One- Inspiration I am attending Costume College in CA for the first time this year. A big part of the fun for me is getting to wear costumes. There is a theme for each evening of the long weekend, plus shadow themes, meetups, and general tomfoolery. With my background in costume…Continue reading Mantis Shrimp Dress
Staying cool in linen
Super light weight linen is a miracle. Once I had a shift in linen light enough it all made sense to me. I didn’t get stinky, and I didn’t feel stinky. I would sweat but air movement would cool me off. The real wake up was when I put a T-shirt on later and felt…Continue reading Staying cool in linen
Tutorial: How to curl ostrich feathers
To curl an ostrich feather, hold 2-3 strands of feather frond against the edge of a butter knife and pull to the edge. The process is just like curling ribbon to put on a gift package. It works best if you only curl the outside inch or so.
Yellow 18th Century Jacket
Making this 18th Century Jacket with all hand stitched seams was a lot of fun! I started by doing tons of research. The more I looked, the more varied, individual and fabulous these garments became to me. My Pinterest board with loads of the portraits, etchings and extant garments I studied to prepare is linked…Continue reading Yellow 18th Century Jacket
Suffragette dress
First wearing of my suffragette dress went very well. Here are lots of photos with what I learned.
How do you sew so fast?
I sew quickly because I spent over 15 years sewing for my living. The faster and more efficient I could be the better. it is also about repetition. The first time I made a garment it would take me 10 times as long as the 10th time I made it. This is also a big…Continue reading How do you sew so fast?
Making an Edwardian hat from a $2 sun hat.
Making an Edwardian hat from a $2 sun hat with cotton voile, lace, ribbon ostrich feathers and silk pansies.
Black Edwardian Gown layers
There are many many layers of clothing that go into an Edwardian outfit. More than you would think. Here are the layers for my black Edwardian gown.