When I first heard about the Vampire Ball, I assumed (incorrectly) that it was strictly a Victorian Affair. I was wrong—attendees are encouraged to attend dressed in the period garments that were popular at the time they were turned. Whatever suits your fancy! Fort me, that meant creating a late 1800’s jacket and skirt combo.…… Continue reading Replicating the Late 1800’s in modern materials, part 1
So, it might not look like it, but I am self-taught when to comes to sewing and making corsets. My interest in fashion has always been pretty intense. I recall as a child wanting a particular item that wasn’t either in style or in-season and sadly having to wait years for the rest of the…… Continue reading My Reference Library
If you’ve been following my blog lately, you’ll have seen the corsets I just finished for “Moving Forward into the Past” at the Alameda Museum. While I take pretty detailed notes while I make each corset, it occasionally takes me a little while to move that information online. But now that the show is up…… Continue reading The Wedding Cake Corset
After weeks of grueling work (I actually have bruised and shredded fingertips), the show is up. Opening reception is this Sunday, July 5 from 1-4pm at the Alameda Museum, 2324 Alameda Avenue, in Alameda, CA. You can visit the gallery on weekends at the Alameda Museum through the month of July. I’ll be updating this…… Continue reading Painted Ladies on Display
Don’t you just love a challenge? I do. So I’ve given myself one—to choose a few of the beautiful “Painted Ladies” of Alameda and interpret them as corsets. The final pieces will be on display at the Alameda Museum during the month of July. Here are some of the few I have taken into consideration:…… Continue reading Painted Ladies – The Challenge Begins!
I found this lovely little sketch in an antique copy of La Mode Illustreé. In the next few weeks, I am going to attempt to work it up to see how it turns out. If it works well, I’ll make the pattern available on my Etsy site, adding detailed instructions in English and including seam…… Continue reading A different style of cummerbund
I love spats. I really do. As defined by Merriam-Webster, spats are a “a cloth or leather gaiter covering the instep and ankle”. Also called spatterdashers, these have been coming back in popularity as of late, which makes me immensely happy. So you can imagine how utterly thrilled I was to discover a pattern for…… Continue reading Gotta love spats
As you have probably gathered by now, I am not one for doing anything the easy way. I have this need to get something “just right” and often that requires a lot of creative license. For this year’s Edwardian Ball, I wanted to create an outfit that was reminiscent of the outfits worn at the…… Continue reading The Tweed Huntress Corset
I’m not one for a store-bought costume. I never have been. I find them cheap and tawdry—even the children’s ones, and they seem to be getting worse each year. Over the last few years, I’ve been making all of our Halloween costumes, pirate festival costumes and Renaissance faire costumes instead of buying pre-made ones. It’s…… Continue reading I’ve been spoiling my children.
The first year we attended the Northern California Renaissance Faire we had just relocated from Boston to the Bay Area. Most of my sewing things were still in storage and I found myself scrambling to put something together for my daughter. I hit up our local thrift shop and found a thin ivory cotton lady’s…… Continue reading Upcycling Renaissance
refashioning history 