Not too long ago, I was again able to be part of the annual Returning Heroes Ball hosted by The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers. I decided to wear Annabelle again this year, even though I’d worn her last year, because I’d just worn Evie and Belle at the 1860s Dance Weekend in November. Each time I’ve worn … Continue reading A Floral Headband For Annabelle (Returning Heroes Ball 2014)
Alliterative, agreed? Ok, I’m done… Honestly, the words just came–I didn’t spend long on them! Last weekend I attended the Returning Heroes Ball hosted by the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers in Holliston, MA. As usual, it was full of fun and laughs. There were fabulous dresses all around (because of course one of the joys of … Continue reading Another Annabelle Adventure (Returning Heroes Ball 2012)
Over the summer I built Annabelle, a white flounced 1860 ball gown, in order to have an alternative to my dark blue 1860 ball gown. My intention was to adorn Annabelle with flowers, as in my inspiration fashion plate from Godey’s Lady’s Book (Annabelle is based off of the gown on the far right); however, … Continue reading Annabelle, adorned with flowers
This chronological image gallery includes historical, vintage, and modern clothing that I’ve made and shared about here on the blog. Links will take you to posts sharing construction information and background about each garment or ensemble. 18th Century 1770s Robe à la Française (pockets, panniers, and petticoat) (left) 1780s … Continue reading Gallery
Finally, I actually have photos of a garment I made back in 2011! The story starts with my desire to be warm for caroling at the Christmas ball, so I went looking through my books and came across the image below in ‘Victorian Fashions: A Pictorial Archive’ by Carol Belanger Grafton. It looked warm and … Continue reading c. 1855 Wool Cape
A few months ago, I had a post with the same name that focused on two Regency dresses that had experienced closet shrinkage. The post was centered around what I did to make them wearable again. Around the same time I was battling the Regency closet shrinkage, I encountered the same problem with two of my … Continue reading When The Dress No Longer Fits (Mid-19th Century Edition)
It’s been almost exactly a year since the inspiration for a new mid-19th century headdress stuck in my mind. I was attending a workshop at the Civil War Weekend last October and watching others make lovely floral headdresses with low hanging flowers, like this. Another inspiration headdress was similar in having two sections of decoration on … Continue reading 1850s Chenille Headdress At The Victoria & Albert Ball
I’ve wanted a Regency chemisette to complete my daytime looks since 2012, even going so far as to purchase a specific tool with the intent on using it for a chemisette ruffle. (Unfortunately, my cast iron crinkle cutter has been a very useful doorstop for the last few years but hasn’t been used at all for … Continue reading A Chemisette (HSM #3)
A few weekends ago now, I went to an event at The Down Town Association in New York. It was an event out of my usual ordinary line of events and so I took the opportunity to create something out of the ordinary to wear. The title of the post rather gives it away… but I … Continue reading 1860s Flower Basket Fancy Dress
Ahh! It’s halfway through January and I feel rather behind on posting my 2014 summary. It seems like everyone else is so much more on the ball with that than I am this year. Well, without further ado… Completed projects in 2014: Looking forward to 2015, I’m planning the following for certain: 1890s skating ensemble New … Continue reading Summary of 2014: Looking Forward To 2015
The Quintessential Clothes Pen 