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.
Suffragettes are so inspiring
In 2020 the United States will mark 100 years of women’s suffrage. Only 100 years. In those 100 years human rights have taken giant steps forward, and we have a long way to go.
Tutorial: setting in sleeves
Setting in sleeves by hand takes a bit longer but gives a much nicer look for vintage a historic clothes. Video 1: short intro, and my dog’s nose Video 2: showing the hand sewing stitch for attaching a sleeve. Video 3: showing how to hand stitch the gathered top of the sleeve. The finished sleeve…Continue reading Tutorial: setting in sleeves