I don’t really have any grand over-arching remarks, but I’m pleased with the things I made this year. It was a small year for events - only four: living history days at the Tucson Presidio, the George Washington Ball in Williamsburg, Costume College, and a Victorian Christmas ball in Mesa - but maybe that helped me to make a few things that I ( Read more... )

I finished up the fichu for my c. 1790 cutaway dress this week. The wiggly, wiggly gauze and satin ribbon have been stitched into submission ( Read more... )

I finished the first corner of my fichu for the c. 1790 dress this morning.


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I've been working on my embroidered 1790's dress at something less than my usual rate because I've been doing a lot of reading lately. Now I've reached the point where I've realized that I don't have tons of time remaining before the end of July, and I thought I should actually make up a list of everything I want to have done by then ( Read more... )

I ended up doing a lot of cross-stitching this year, which made great inroads on my cross-stitch kit stash. Of course, that was at the expense of sewing, but I’m still pleased with what I finished this year.

My favorite thing of the year is my 1897 Harper’s Bazar ivory wool dress.

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I managed to fit all the pieces of my new stays on the leftover brocade from my 1690's stays!


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I would have finished the cuffs on my c. 1790 striped dress last night, but after I finished pressing and starching the rolled hems, I realized I had hemmed them both to the same side. It is not that easy to undo a pressed and starched rolled hem and press it flat so that you can roll it to the other side! Ah, well, at least I was able to get it ( Read more... )

I've been looking at the portrait I'm trying to copy and trying to figure out what shape the kerchief/fichu is. Is it square? If not square, what is it?


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I have basically finished the 1790 striped gown based on the one in this picture from the Met.


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A couple of weeks ago, the Houston Area Regency Society was invited to a private Beethoven piano concert. There were about a dozen attendees at an excellent house party that included a light meal, an hour concert, and cards until we had to break up. About half of the attendees were regular HARS members, and half were other guests of our host and ( Read more... )