1. Lavender Earl Grey tea. Ah ( Read more... )

These are pretty much the same sleeves as of my 1790s curtain along dress, and they were surprisingly tight and hard to bend my arm in because of the lining. In that case, the curtain fabric was a sturdy cotton sateen, and the linen lining was a rather nice not-too-heavy piece that's all gone. In this case, my white taffeta is lightweight but of ( Read more... )

I've managed to laze around for two weeks after my vacation, but now it's time to get serious about some sewing.  So back to the white silk gown, as painted by George Romney in Mrs Moody's portrait:


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I spent a rather frustrating Wednesday evening. I did wear the stays around, which was good for them. But I broke the tape lace again. (This is developing into a very bad habit!) I scaled up and printed some patterns, which was good. I also estimated yardage for a few purchases. But I got myself worn out trying to decide how to make a period- ( Read more... )

... and it's about time I threw together a sewing schedule. It's all very well and good to not commit to extra things with the HSF this year; but the lack of any structure whatsoever doesn't do me any favors. And now that my extra class is over, and the special event for the third choir is done, I'm about to the point of having as much time as I'll ( Read more... )

I noticed that the Costume College "dress code" removed the weasel wording about hoops and bustles in class; instead, they requested none at all. (They didn't mention big hats or bonnets, which I remember used to be in the wording!)  And that brought to mind that although I've planned a lot for the robe de style, and some 18th century things like ( Read more... )

Last fall, Burnley & Trowbridge got in some lovely lightweight striped silks. But along with the stripes, there was white silk taffeta for $10/yd. Only 36" wide, but still. Whee!  So I decided I needed a fancy 1700s dress, probably 1780s or early 1790s.  All I have right now is a cotton print and a solid wool ( Read more... )

I'm lousy at round-up posts. But I am good at planning posts. Planning posts actually help me organize my thoughts and map out a course of action, whereas round-up posts are a list of short-comings - it's always less than I wanted in quantity and quality - and serve no practical purpose.  That sounded pretty cynical! Maybe I overstated the case a ( Read more... )