Day 27 of #NaNoWriMo and #AcWriMo (National Novel Writing Month and Academic Writing Month). I love data and graphs, so I'm writing my master's thesis as a fake novel on the NaNoWriMo website so I can watch my word-counts go up and earn badges. AcWriMo isn't nearly as well developed or fun. I've been 99% focused on writing this thing this month, ( Read more... )

Here is a photo of the bustle dress front which shows side by side a cleaned side and the other before cleaning. I think it looks pretty good! Sewing the ribbon back on will cover almost all of the remaining stain lines. I used a bleach gel pen and OxyClean, which did result in a more optic white ground fabric, but that beats the purple! Thanks for ( Read more... )

I successfully spot cleaned my cotton bustle dress, but when I woke the next morning, the moisture had wicked to where it had vintage ribbon trim. The ribbon bled and since it was dry when I found it I'm assuming it's a lost cause. Thoughts?


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Lost a day to my books and the internet today trying to decide what my next project will be. I have a few embroidery projects lined up, but without any upcoming events, I am pretty open to what new garment or outfit to make. Of course, I'm trying my VERY BEST to chose a stash project.

Pinterest ideasThe candidates ( Read more... )

I finally made a transitional 1790-1810 short gown! It was what I originally had in mind when I bought this fabric from the Victoria & Albert Museum (2009-2010?). I started by spending a lot of time looking at fashion plates and extant garments (online and in my books), and then I drafted my own pattern that I feel I would have made for myself if I ( Read more... )

A straw bonnet from my stash has been polished up a bit for my Regency picnic outfit. I removed the brim trim it came with and in replacement, hand-stitched a narrower vintage cotton tape and Cluny lace. The ribbons are not silk, which is fine for now. I'm destashing!! In the center of the rosette is a vintage glass button shaped like a flower and ( Read more... )

Practical, yes. Hand-sewn, yes. Historically accurate as far as I could research, yes. But glamorous? No ( Read more... )

My whirlwind trip (two days round-trip by train for one day at Winterthur) to Wilmington, Delaware was a super experience. I learned so much about the Winterthur estate and collections, the DuPonts, textile collections and the process of collecting, conservation, exhibition planning... not to mention insights into American needlework. The focus of ( Read more... )

So far, 2015 has been full of white. Not just snow beyond a reasonable date, but also my costume projects. A couple were UFOs, then a stash project, and then a necessary foundation layer for my next project. So, without further ado, I introduce White Garment #5 (TM ( Read more... )

This is another UFO that I started while we were still living in California and my son was shorter than me. Now 6'4", there is no way this will fit him, nor my husband. Don't ask me why I didn't just toss it. Actually, I can answer that. I hate feeling wasteful ( Read more... )